Polysomnographic characteristics of young manic patients. Comparison with unipolar depressed patients and normal control subjects.

Although sleep disturbance is a prominent feature of mania, its polysomnographic (PSG) features have received little study. To investigate more systematically the PSG characteristics of sleep in mania, all-night PSG evaluations were performed for two to four consecutive nights in 19 young manic patients (age range, 18 to 36 years), 19 age-matched patients with major depression, and 19 age-matched normal control subjects. Manic and depressed patients displayed nearly identical profiles of PSG abnormalities compared with normal control subjects, including disturbed sleep continuity, increased percentage of stage 1 sleep, shortened rapid eye movement latency, and increased rapid eye movement density. These results are similar to those reported in previous studies of major depression, and they are consistent with the possibility that the sleep disturbance in mania and major depression is caused by the same mechanism.

The DSM-III-R impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified: clinical characteristics and relationship to other psychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The authors reviewed available studies of DSM-III-R impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified in order to determine the relationship of these disorders to one another and to other psychiatric disorders. METHOD: The review focused on the demographic and clinical characteristics, phenomenology, family history, biology, and response to treatment of individuals with intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, pathological gambling, pyromania, and trichotillomania. Analysis was restricted to reports which either indicated use of operational diagnostic criteria or provided descriptions of the impulsive behavior detailed enough that patients could be judged as probably meeting the DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: Although different impulse control disorders have different sex ratios, all have similar ages at onset and courses. Studies on phenomenology, family history, and response to treatment suggest that intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, pathological gambling, pyromania, and trichotillomania may be related to mood disorders, alcohol and psychoactive substance abuse, and anxiety disorders (especially obsessive-compulsive disorder). Biological studies indicate that intermittent explosive disorder and pyromania may share serotonergic abnormalities similar to those reported in mood disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified appear to be related to one another and to mood, anxiety, and psychoactive substance use disorders. Thus, like major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they may represent forms of "affective spectrum disorder."

Drug use and life style among college undergraduates in 1989: a comparison with 1969 and 1978.

The authors conducted anonymous questionnaire studies of drug use and life style among college seniors at the same institution in 1969, 1978, and 1989. The 1989 group of students reported strikingly lower frequencies of virtually all forms of drug use than their counterparts in 1969 and 1978. As in 1969 and 1978, the drug users among the 1989 group were indistinguishable from nonusers in grades, athletic activities, other college activities, and feelings of alienation. Only visits to a psychiatrist and sexual activity distinguished users from nonusers.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: long-term follow-up of 20 cases.

The authors obtained long-term follow-up data on 20 (91%) of the 22 patients who had experienced index episodes of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) at McLean Hospital between 1983 and 1990. Eleven of the 20 patients resumed neuroleptic treatment after the index episode and have now collectively received more than 16 years of neuroleptic exposure with no recurrences of the syndrome. Furthermore, 14 of the 20 patients had already collectively accumulated more than 71 additional years of neuroleptic exposure before their index episodes; only 1 had experienced a possible episode of NMS in the past. These findings suggest that NMS may not predictably develop even in predisposed individuals upon neuroleptic exposure and that additional cofactors must be present for the full syndrome to evolve.

Clozapine in the treatment of psychotic mood disorders, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Although growing research indicates that the atypical antipsychotic agent clozapine is effective in patients with schizophrenia, little is known about the efficacy of clozapine in patients with schizoaffective disorder or psychotic mood disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess whether or not clozapine is effective in some patients with schizoaffective disorder or psychotic mood disorders. METHOD: By surveying treating clinicians and chart data, we assessed treatment response in 85 consecutive patients, including 39 with schizophrenia, 25 with schizoaffective disorder, and 14 with bipolar disorder with psychotic features, who received clozapine for at least 6 weeks at our center. RESULTS: All patients were either inadequately responsive to or unable to tolerate standard somatic therapies. Compared to patients with schizophrenia, patients with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder with psychotic features displayed significantly higher response rates to clozapine. CONCLUSION: Clozapine may be a useful drug in the treatment of patients with schizoaffective disorder or psychotic mood disorders who are treatment resistant or intolerant of side effects.

Polysomnographic characteristics of neuroleptic-induced akathisia.

To investigate nocturnal leg movement activity and other polysomnographic features in patients with neuroleptic-induced akathisia (NIA), all-night polysomnography was performed in nine patients with NIA and compared with nine healthy individuals and eight unmedicated patients with depression. Patients with NIA displayed a pattern of leg movement activity during sleep similar to healthy individuals and depressed patients. In addition, eight of nine patients with NIA exhibited 10- to 40-second bursts of increased leg muscle tone before sleep onset. Although the significance of this finding is unclear, it is possible that it may be a pathophysiological correlate of NIA.