EMG BIOFEEDBACK II: THE DOSE—RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP

36 clients with anxiety neurosis were trained to reduce frontalis muscle tension over two phases of ten sessions each. They were assessed on psychological and physiological measures, before, during and after the phases. The data analysis indicated that the clients succeeded in lowering frontalis muscle tension levels during the feedback and no-feedback phases of the training sessions. The inter-correlations among the outcome measures indicated that with an increasing amount of control of muscle tensior, the clients perceived greater amounts of change in state anxiety and in anxiety symptoms. This implies that EMG biofeedback can effect cognitive changes in clients

DEVELOPMENT OF A COPING CHECKLIST—A PREMINARY REPORT

The development of an easy-to-administer, comprehensive coping checklist in English is reported. Initial try-out on 60 neurotics and 60 normals indicated that coping behaviours were differentially used by the two groups

NALTREXONE IN PRIMARY HYPERPHAGIC OBESITY WITY HYPOCHONDRIACAL DISORDER - A CLINICAL STUDY

Six well investigated patients of primary hyperphagic obesity with hypochondrical disorder were sequentially treated with psychoeducational methods alone and psychoeducational methods with naltrexone hydrochloride 50 mg daily orally for six weeks each. RMANOVA revealed no statically significant (p>0.05) decrease in body mass index suggesting that psychoeducational methods with naltrexone were as ineffective in reducing obesity as psychoeducational methods alone. The limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed

PREDICTORS OF SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION ON HAMILTON'S RATING SCALE

An attempt was made to identify the predictors of the severity of depression as measured by Hamilton's Rating Scale for depression. The analysis was on the data of 48 patients with a functional depressive illness admitted to a mental hospital in connection with a project on Dexamethasone suppression test. A broadly conceived ‘endogeneity’ score was the only variable that explained a substantial part of the variance in the Hamilton's scores of depression. It was concluded that the score on the Hamilton's Rating Scale for depression indexes severity of depression when severity is conceived with the accent on endogenous features

BURDEN AND COPING IN CAREGIVERS OF PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Caring for a family member with schizophrenia is an enduring stressor and causes considerable amount of burden. The aim of the present study was to examine burden and coping in parents and spouses of persons with schizophrenia. The sample comprised of 24 parents and 24 spouses. Patients were assessed on the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and caregivers were assessed on the Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) and the Coping Checklist (CCL). Spouses reported greater emotional burden. Parents used more of denial as a coping strategy, while spouses used more of negative distraction strategies. On stepwise regression analysis, patient′s age, educational level, and level of functioning and caregiver′s use of denial as a coping strategy emerged as significant predictors of caregiver burden. The study highlights the fact that family intervention programs need to address the specific concerns of caregivers

NEUROLEPTIC - INDUCED ACUTE DYSTONIA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND MANIA1

Out of 17 schizophrenic and 14 manic patients diagnosed according to ICD-10, 11 and 9 patients respectively developed acute dystonia following a single intravenous injection of 40mg haloperidol. The results are not statistically significant (p>0.05) suggesting that monies and schizophrenics are equally vulnerable to develop neuroleptic - induced acute dystonia

SEIZURE DURATION ESTIMATES FROM SINGLE CHANNEL EEG RECORD: A METHODOLOGICAL REPORT

Seizure duration was estimated using a single channel EEG recording during ECT. Seizure endpoint was defined as the point of last spike. Three psychiatrists independently rated forty seven EEG records. Seizure endpoint could be reliably identified. The reliability coefficient between three raters was 0. 92, indicating high agreement among raters. Modal difference between any pair of raters as well as all three was 0.5 second or less. Operational definition of seizure endpoint improves the reliability of identifying the same and hence estimation of seizure duration from even a single channel EEG trace

LIMITATIONS OF MOTOR SEIZURE MONITORING IN ECT

Seizures were monitored using both cuff method and EEG, during the first ECT session in 158 consecutive patients. All developed adequate EEG seizures (≥25 seconds). Twelve patients (8%) did not develop adequate motor seizures (15 seconds), of whom ten had no convulsive response. EEG seizure duration was less than 120 seconds in 117 patients (Group-A) and 120 or more seconds (prolonged) in the remaining 37 patients (Group-B). Adequate but not prolonged motor seizure (15-89 seconds) occurred in 111 patients in group A and 18 patients in group B. Motor seizure of 90 or more seconds (prolonged seizure) occurred in four patients in group A and 13 patients in group B. Based on the motor seizure criterion, 60% (18/31) of patients with prolonged EEG seizure were missed. The motor and EEG seizure durations correlated significantly in both groups. The correlation coefficient in group A was 0.78 (p< 0.01), which was significantly larger (Fisher's ‘Z’ transformation test, t=3.12, p< 0.01) than that in group B (0.37; p< 0.05). Out of the total 158 patients, motor seizure monitoring alone did not correctly classify 21.4% of ECT seizure. This could have resulted in either unnecessary re-stimulation or failure to detect prolonged seizure. The findings suggest that in ECT motor seizure monitoring alone is unsatisfactory and therefore the need for EEG seizure monitoring