Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

• Dual diagnosis in primary care. Detecting and treating both the addiction and mental illness

  Ziedonis, Douglas M.; Brady, Kathleen (1997-07-01)

  The initial phase of treatment includes engaging the patient in a discussion about the doctor's concerns and providing patients with information about the problems as well as the possibility of change. Treatment of dual disorders often requires a heightened awareness of the consequences of the problem and the development of a realistic plan for change. The treatment plan must attempt to evaluate and treat the addiction and the psychiatric and medical illnesses.
• ADHD with comorbid oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder: discrete or nondistinct disruptive behavior disorders

  Connor, Daniel F.; Doerfler, Leonard A. (2008-09-01)

  OBJECTIVE: In children with ADHD who have comorbid disruptive behavior diagnoses distinctions between oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) remain unclear. The authors investigate differences between ODD and CD in a large clinical sample of children with ADHD. METHOD: Consecutively referred and systematically assessed male children and adolescents with either ADHD (n = 65), ADHD with ODD (n = 85), or ADHD with CD (n = 50) were compared using structured diagnostic interviews and parent, teacher, and clinician rating scales. RESULTS: In children with ADHD, significant differences emerged between ODD and CD in the domains of delinquency, overt aggression, and ADHD symptom severity; ADHD with CD was most severe, followed by ADHD with ODD, and ADHD had the least severe symptoms. Distinctions between ADHD with CD and the other two groups were found for parenting, treatment history, and school variables. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of a cross-sectional methodology, results support clinically meaningful distinctions between ODD and CD in children with ADHD.
• Impact of traumatic and violent victimization experiences in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

  Newman, Jennifer M.; Turnbull, Ayme; Berman, Brady A.; Rodrigues, Stephanie; Serper, Mark R. (2010-10-06)

  Individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ) experience more violent victimization and noninterpersonal traumatic experiences than the general population. Earlier studies, however, have generally excluded one or grouped together victimization and trauma experiences into single outcome variables, which may obscure their contributory role to SZ symptoms. This issue is important because there is some evidence that intentionally induced violence produces higher rates of psychopathology than nonintentional traumatic experiences. We examined the independent contribution of both types of victimization experiences on SZ patients' symptomatology. We were also interested in determining whether SZ patients' pattern of acute symptom presentation could discriminate between SZ patients with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comorbidity. SZ inpatients (n = 70) were assessed for the presence of comorbid PTSD diagnosis, violent victimization, and noninterpersonal traumatic experiences. Patients were also rated on SZ symptom severity and general psychopathology measures. Past violent victimization experiences predicted severity of dysphoria and anxiety in SZ. Past traumatic experiences, however, predicted severity of psychosis. Victimization predicted severity of patients' autistic/cognitive symptoms. SZ patients with comorbid PTSD presented with significantly more anxiety and dysphoria symptoms and SZ illness chronicity than their non-PTSD counterparts. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the severity of positive, dysphoric, autistic/cognitive, and anxiety symptoms differentiated comorbid PTSD patients from their non-PTSD counterparts, with an overall 72.9% classification rate. Past traumatic and victimization experiences are significantly associated with SZ patients' symptom severity and illness course in partially overlapping domains. Use of common assessment strategies may be employed to increase detection of PTSD in SZ patients presenting for acute treatment.