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The present research examined the ability of a group of objective and subjective social indicators to discriminate between respondents who were community mental health center clients and those who were community residents with no history of contact with mental health professionals. Previous research had suggested that objective social indicators were inadequate both for assessing well-being and for assessing mental health needs. Thus, the purpose of this project was to provide initial data on the relative efficacy of objective and subjective social indicators in discriminating those who needed mental health services from those who did not. In addition, the goal was to determine the ability of a combined group subjective and objective indicators to discriminate between those who needed mental health services and those who did not. Teams of trained undergraduates administered questionnaires containing questions regarding demographic variables, recent stressful life events, social supports, daily activities, and quality of life (domain satisfaction). Community mental health center clients appearing for the first time in East Tucson, Arizona were designated as those in need of mental health services (clinic). East Tucson community residents reporting no history of contact with mental health professionals were designated as those who were not in need of mental health services (community). Results indicate that discriminant function analysis using only demographic variables was able to correctly classify 85.7 percent of these respondents as belonging to either the community or clinic group. Using quality of life variables, 85.2 percent of these respondents were correctly classified. By combining one demographic variable, one recent stressful life event, and three quality of life items, a discriminant function analysis correctly classified 93.1 percent of these respondents as either clinic or community. Results of discriminant function analyses with a cross-validation sample support these results. The overall results are viewed as preliminary but suggestive of the potential utility of combining objective and subjective indicators for predicting mental health needs. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for preventive approaches to mental health in light of the limitations of defining need on the basis of utilization of services.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have reported evidence of impaired auditory information processing in patients with schizophrenia. Some of these findings, such as the impaired P50 sensory gating, are consistent with a loss of inhibitory function. In auditory ERP studies using pairs of stimuli the size of the second response relative to the first response has been taken to indicate the extent to which responsiveness has recovered after a period of time. This variation of responsiveness has been termed the 'recovery cycle,' and is regarded as a measure of the time course of recovery of excitability of cortical neurons after stimulation. The recovery cycle of the auditory N1 ERP component was measured in 17 patients with schizophrenia and 17 age- and sexmatched healthy volunteers, and 12 patients with bipolar disorder and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Subjects performed a visual distraction task while listening to tone pairs, presented with intra-pair intervals of 1, 3, 5 or 7 s, with inter-pair intervals ranging between 9-13 s. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly reduced N1 amplitudes for S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. For N1 amplitudes elicited by S2 stimuli there was a significant group effect whilst the main effect of intra-pair interval was not significant. A significant quadratic effect across ISI intervals was present in the healthy volunteer group, which was not significant in the schizophrenia group. Patients with bipolar disorder did not differ in N1 amplitudes elicited by S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. There was no evidence of significant group differences in the recovery cycle effect between bipolar patients and matched healthy volunteers. The results provide evidence of inhibitory auditory processing deficits in schizophrenia, and further suggest that deficits in attention found in patients with schizophrenia, as indexed by reductions of auditory N1 amplitude, may be associated with impairments in inhibitory processes. In addition, different recovery cycle effects were found in patients with schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder. Further study of the recovery cycle paradigm used in this study may lead to the development of an objective diagnostic tool.

No description available.

Previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have reported evidence of impaired auditory information processing in patients with schizophrenia. Some of these findings, such as the impaired P50 sensory gating, are consistent with a loss of inhibitory function. In auditory ERP studies using pairs of stimuli the size of the second response relative to the first response has been taken to indicate the extent to which responsiveness has recovered after a period of time. This variation of responsiveness has been termed the 'recovery cycle,' and is regarded as a measure of the time course of recovery of excitability of cortical neurons after stimulation. The recovery cycle of the auditory N1 ERP component was measured in 17 patients with schizophrenia and 17 age- and sexmatched healthy volunteers, and 12 patients with bipolar disorder and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Subjects performed a visual distraction task while listening to tone pairs, presented with intra-pair intervals of 1, 3, 5 or 7 s, with inter-pair intervals ranging between 9-13 s. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly reduced N1 amplitudes for S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. For N1 amplitudes elicited by S2 stimuli there was a significant group effect whilst the main effect of intra-pair interval was not significant. A significant quadratic effect across ISI intervals was present in the healthy volunteer group, which was not significant in the schizophrenia group. Patients with bipolar disorder did not differ in N1 amplitudes elicited by S1 stimuli compared to healthy volunteers. There was no evidence of significant group differences in the recovery cycle effect between bipolar patients and matched healthy volunteers. The results provide evidence of inhibitory auditory processing deficits in schizophrenia, and further suggest that deficits in attention found in patients with schizophrenia, as indexed by reductions of auditory N1 amplitude, may be associated with impairments in inhibitory processes. In addition, different recovery cycle effects were found in patients with schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder. Further study of the recovery cycle paradigm used in this study may lead to the development of an objective diagnostic tool.

M.A. / Szasz (1961), in a book entitled, "The Myth of Mental Illness", argues about the age-old debate, whether the diagnosis of mental illness is culturally related or not. In today's multicultural milieu, clinicians are confronted with this same problem. For the purpose of the present qualitative study, Ancestral Possession (AP) and Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), will be considered. The initial purpose of the study was to explore the fields of Ancestral Possession (AP) and Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) amongst black subjects, and to explore how these two phenomena are understood within a cultural context. Due to practical problems encountered in finding a black subject diagnosed as suffering from MPD, the subject focus had to be slightly altered. The aim of the study was changed to investigating MPD, as a Western culture diagnosis, and AP, as an African culture diagnosis, and comparing these two phenomena. The phenomenological approach was used as a theoretical basis for the study. It was assumed that since this study focuses on subjective experiences, the phenomenological approach would be more applicable. Two case studies (MPD and AP) comprise the data of this study. A video tape, consisting of interviews of the two case studies, is part of the data, including a literature study on both phenomena. The data analysis focused on comparing the personal background of the two case studies and the manifestation and treatment of both phenomena within their cultural contexts. The differences and similarities that emerge, are discussed. It was found that there are some similarities and also some differences between the two phenomena. Similarities are found, for instance, in the symptom profile of the two phenomena. The core personality in MPD usually presents with a fragile appearance (physical and psychological) and will report losing time (having time that is unaccounted for, because other personalities had taken over). The same thing happens with isiguli (literally, patient), a person who is being called by the ancestors. She looks sick, she will find herself in places without knowing how she got there. In both phenomena the subjects appear tormented before integration. The two conditions are also alike in terms of their effect on the central personality. The ancestral spirits and the alter personalities seem to play the same role of enabling the core personality to be well-functioning. In terms of the differences found between the two phenomena, ancestral possession is socially approved in the African culture whereas multiple personality disorder is considered an illness from the Western perspective. The role of socio-cultural factors seems to complicate matters. As enculturation continues and white South Africans are becoming traditional healers, it would be interesting to see how many black South Africans will in future, be diagnosed as suffering from MPD as there are very few, if any, at present. In terms of etiological factors, MPD is usually a result of trauma whereas ancestral possession is a religious experience. The results were inconclusive in that some aspects, for instance, physiological manifestation of AP could not be clearly explained. This is due to the fact that there has not been any laboratory research done to examine the chemical and physiological changes of traditional healers when under the influence of ancestral spirits. As opposed to that, MPD subjects have been reported to have alter personalities that would indicate different EEGs and some other physiological differences.