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Biomedical subjects

R G Priest

Publications and source records attributed to R G Priest.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Decreased urinary output of conjugated tyramine is associated with lifetime vulnerability to depressive illness.

In a group of normal pregnant women whose psychiatric histories were unknown, those with the lowest output of urinary tyramine (free plus conjugated) after an oral tyramine load had a significantly higher lifetime incidence of depressive illness compared with those with the highest output. as none of the women were suffering from depression at the time of tyramine loading, it seems likely that this decreased excretion of tyramine is associated in some way with vulnerability to depressive illness, whether puerperal or nonpuerperal.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1980

A predictive study of post-partum depression: some predisposing characteristics.

Postnatal depression was investigated by the antenatal screening of a sample of women for factors that might be predictive of later disturbance. The women were assessed when they were 36 weeks pregnant on anxiety, hostility, and locus of control. Predictions were tested by assessing depression 6 weeks after birth. Both high anxiety and high hostility were positively associated with postnatal depression. Intropunitiveness was not significantly related to subsequent depression. The most depressed women were those who had been the more extrapunitive as well as the more hostile. Women who perceived themselves as less in control of their lives were likely to rate high on depression postnatally, as were younger women. There were indications that some women may have been experiencing depression before the birth. Depression was not significantly associated with parity, gravidity, race, social class or marital status.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1980

Suicide, attempted suicide and antidepressant drugs.

The concepts of depression and hostility are reviewed. The relationship between the two has been clarified by the use of psychometric tests. Hostility levels are high in depressive illness, especially on the intropunitive scales. Both total hostility and the degree of intropunitiveness are reduced as the patient recovers from his illness. Suicidal acts are seen as aggression directed towards the self. In some patients a tendency to recurrent drug overdosage or other forms of self-punitive behaviour may be the result of pathological character traits caused in turn by abnormal development in infancy. Looking at the possibility of cutting down the incidence of suicidal behaviour we conclude that we must look at the influence of depression, total hostility and direction of hostility in precipitating self-damaging acts. It is possible that antidepressants vary in the extent to which they act on these various factors, as well as having different rates of action on the several components of the depressive syndrome. There are thus a priori grounds for predicting that the incidence of self-damaging behaviour will vary from drug to drug. We describe the results of a study of suicidal behaviour carried out in general practice. A differential association with the major antidepressant drug was observed. In particular low rates were seen with the imipramine group, and there was a tendency towards high rates with the dothiepin-doxepin group. We propose to investigate this relationship further.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1979

Teaching the future general practitioner.

Medical students today still graduate with insufficient skills for their role as general practitioner (family doctor, primary care physician). In particular they are lacking in their ability to use psychotherapeutic and counselling techniques for patients with psychological and psychosomatic problems. The author presents the results of a study which suggest that it is unrealistic to teach skills that demand more than, say, 15 min a session on a total of four occasions. This severe limitation poses difficult questions for those teachers who customarily think in terms of 50 min a week over many months as the basis of the model for psychotherapeutic help. The challenge of these implications is considered, and some practical ways of meeting the requirements are suggested.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1976

Nitrazepam and temazepam: a comparative trial of two hypnotics.

A specially designed sleep questionnaire was used to assess the performance of the two hypnotic drugs. Psychiatric patients were given 5 mg nitrazepam or 10 mg temazepam in identical capsules, and were allowed more if necessary. A double-blind cross-over design was used. We found that 5-2 mg nitrazepam showed few differences from 13-2 mg temezepam. The two regimes produced fairly similar reports on patient satisfaction, quality of sleep, number of awakenings, depth of sleep and other variables. Patients on nitrazepam were a little more clear-headed in the morning, though they tended to wake later, sleep longer, and take more sleep over the 24-hour period. No toxicity was found with either drug over the 434 patient days of administration. In view of the advantages of the benzodiazepine drugs over their predecessors, we feel that it is worth exploring further the use of temazepam as a sleep inducing drug.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The homeless person and the psychiatric services: an Edinburgh survey.

A representative sample (R.S.) of 79 subjects living in Edinburgh common lodging houses was compared with a clinical series (C.S.) of 44 patients from the same type of resisence. C.S. patients were more likely to be out of work, to be under 55 years of age, and to have been married as some time. They had spent much shorter times in lodging houses, in Edinburgh and at their current address. Alcoholism was rather more often diagnosed in the C.S., and personality disorder much more often. Schizophrenia tended to be found more in the R.S. The C.S. obtained higher Personal Illness and 'Character Disorder' scores. It is concluded that those subjects presenting to the psychiatric services are a highly selected group quite unrepresentative of homeless single persons in general.

Catechol O-Methyltransferase↗
PubMed1976

The use of selected questions from the Symptom-Sign Inventory with long-stay psychiatric patients.

The Symptom-Sign Inventory was administered to 57 long-stay psychiatric in-patients with the object of selecting a group of questions which would stimulate the production of delusional or other psychotic material. The scoring of the responses as positive was made on verbal affirmative and other specific behaviours which were thought to indicate emotional impact. It was found that the ten questions selected compared favourably with longer questionnaires in discriminating schizophrenic from normal subjects and from those with organic brain disease. It is suggested that these questions might be included in brief assessment interviews on which day-to-day management decisions are made.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Women senior registrars in psychiatry: background and career intentions.

An inquiry was made of all women senior registrats in general psychiatry who were known to be planning to remain in psychiatry in this country. Most were hoping to work full or maximum part-time, and all except one were aiming for a consultant appointment in general psychiatry or one of the specialties. Many anticipated difficulties in realizing their ambitions because of being tied to one particular area on account of their husbands' employment. A number of solutions to this problem are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Hostility, somatic symptoms and recovery with antidepressants.

Patients were treated with protriptyline or nortriptyline (double-blind). They were assessed on the Zung Depression Scale and on the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ). A good response was heralded by low ratings on criticism of self and others,and on projected (paranoid) hostility. The outcome was better with initial low scores on depressive symptoms, particularly unworthiness, restlessness and constipation. As to reported side effects, initial loss of interest augured badly for drowsiness, lack of clear mind for blurred vision, loss of libido for constipation and ideas of suicide for dry mouth.

Depression↗