Borna disease virus (BDV), a noncytolytic neurotropic nonsegmented negative-stranded RNA virus with a wide geographic distribution, infects several vertebrate animal species and causes an immune-mediated central nervous system (CNS) disease with various manifestations, depending on both host and viral factors. In animal infections, BDV can persist in the CNS and induce alterations in brain cell functions, neurodevelopmental abnormalities and behavioral disturbances. An association between BDV and psychiatric disorders (essentially schizophrenia and affective disorders) has been suggested by some serologic and molecular studies but further investigations are required to substantiate the possible contribution of this virus to the pathogenesis of these disorders.

Many hypotheses have been made to explain the high rate of benzodiazepine consumption in France, including a general cultural and/or familial tendency to use certain types of psychotropic drugs. This study explored the association between lifetime medication use by parents and their children. Two hundred and twenty-one young patients (158 boys and 63 girls) consulting at a child and adolescent psychiatry department, six to 16 years of age (mean = 9.7 years), were screened for lifetime use of psychotropic drugs using a structured interview. Parents were asked about their own consumption, as well as their children’s. Lifetime consumption rates (at least once) were 22.2% in boys and 20.6% in girls, and 19.6% in children less than 11 years old. Higher rates were found in patients with emotional disorders (anxiety disorders and depression). In parents, 45.1% of mothers and 24.1% of fathers reported using medications at least once. A significant association was found between child and parental medication use: 34.1% of children had positive lifetime consumption when their mothers also used medications at least once versus only 13.6% in other children (odds ratio = 3.31 [1.68–6.50]; P = 0.001). The most significant association was found between medication use by girls and their mothers (odds ratio = 12.1 [2.38–61.5];P = 0.003). These data point to the existence of a family pattern of psychotropic drug consumption, especially in females.

The aim of the study was 1) to identify recent and past life stresses as having a significant differential risk of childhood depression versus other childhood psychiatric illnesses, and 2) to establish if life stresses shared with other family members had a greater impact on the depression of the child than events of only personal relevance. Using a recently developed semi-structured interview (Diagnostic Evaluation Schedule for Children and Adolescents – Hungarian version, DESCA-H ), 68 life events of a total sample of 526 children were investigated. Two hundred and fifteen depressed preadolescents (mean age 12.73 years, SD 2.58) were compared with identical variables of 311 nondepressed mixed clinical controls (mean age: 10.91 years, SD 2.46) referred to child psychiatry care with other psychiatric symptomatology than depression. The life event questionnaire part of the DESCA-H was administered separately by means of lists of recent (within 1 year) and past stresses (events prior to 1 year before the assessment). With the two series of life stresses, two separate logistic regression analyses were performed. Of past stressors, physical punishment of the child by teachers, serious financial problems of the family and mental health problems of family members were found to be significant predictors of depression. From the series of recent stresses, moving to a new school, somatic illness, death of relatives and mental health disorders of family members were proved to be independent risk factors of depression for the children. The findings suggest that significant stresses of the child shared with other family members dominate in demarcating depressed children from nondepressed ones. School-related stresses are critically discussed.

The aim of this study was to evaluate some Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) psychometric properties and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an unselected Italian sample of two hundred and eighty-four children aged 8 years. The CDI internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach’s alpha: .80). The mean and standard deviation of CDI and the percentage of children at risk of depression (10.6%) in this sample are consistent with the figures reported by other studies carried out in northern Europe and North America. There were differences in gender and socioeconomic level in that boys scored higher than girls, and in the lower socioeconomic level there were more children at risk of depression. Ten items best discriminated children at risk for depression with 94% of correct classification. Most of these items consisted of observable signs. It is suggested that the CDI has noteworthy consistency across samples of relatively different cultures, that it can reliably be employed in the assessment of young children, and that observable signs outnumber internalizing symptoms of depression among children at risk.

Objective. For reliable and valid assessment and diagnostic categorization of eating disorders, self-report measures have considerable limitations. A semi-structured interview – the SIAB-EX – was developed for a more reliable and valid assessment of eating disorders.

Methods. One study (videotapes of 31 inpatients, seven raters) was made to establish inter-rater reliability; in another study with 80 patients the SIAB-EX was compared to another semi-structured interview designed for comparable purposes (EDE). In a third study data was obtained on 377 eating disorder patients seeking treatment to explore discriminant and convergent (construct) validity using the following self-rating scales: EDI, TFEQ, SCL-90, BDI, and the PERI Demoralization Scale.

Results. Inter-rater reliability of dichotomous ratings was good with mean kappa values of .81 (current) and .85 (past). Comparison of the SIAB-EX with the EDE generally showed quite similar results and higher intercorrelation of the total scale (.77). There are, however, a number of differences between the two scales, which are discussed in detail. Construct validity of the SIAB-EX was established.

Conclusion. Inter-rater reliability was good. Convergent and discriminant (construct) validity of the SIAB-EX was demonstrated. The constructs assessed by the SIAB and its subscales and items are discussed in the context of their correlations with other well-known scales.

The aim was to investigate associations of a history of features of DSM-III-R conduct disorder (CD) with features of DSM-III-R personality disorders (PDs) and psychopathy, in inpatient psychiatric practice. Fifty-six psychiatric inpatients, without a history of specified ‘psychoses’, were assessed by the SCID structured interview for DSM-III-R PDs and the ‘Psychopathy Checklist Revised’ (PCL-R).

In a sample in which 59% had borderline PD, significant associations between a history of CD criteria and the adult features of antisocial PD (APD) were relatively specific compared with other PDs, but were weaker in women. However, significant correlations between the number of positive CD criteria and PCL-R scores were similar in both genders. The relatively specific associations between CD and adult features of APD are likely to be relevant to psychiatric patients who show various presentations of PD, if these include some adult features of APD. The findings inform the understanding of the development and classification of PDs.

Twenty-four chronic schizophrenic outpatients with a mean age of 37.21 years ± 9.96 SD were treated with risperidone (RSP) at the dosage of 2–9 mg/die (mean 4.46 mg/die ± 1.30 SD, mean 0.06 mg/kg ± 0.01 SD) for a year.

Clinical evaluation was assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Extrapyramidal Side Effects Rating Scale (EPSE) and a checklist for Anticholinergic Side Effects (ACS) at T0, then after 1 (T1), 2 (T2), 3 (T3), 6 (T6), 9 (T9) and 12 (T12) months. RSP and 9-hydroxy-risperidone (9OH-RSP) plasma levels were determined at T12 by the HPLC method. BPRS and PANSS mean values showed a significant improvement during the study. No correlation between RSP dosage (mg/kg) and RSP, 9OH-RSP plasma levels or active moiety resulted. A positive correlation between age and active moiety was observed. A positive correlation between RSP and 9OH-RSP plasma levels was observed. A curvilinear relationship between active moiety and PANSS improvement (%) was observed. Patients with the higher PANSS amelioration showed RSP + 9OH-RSP plasma levels ranging from 15 to 30 ng/mL. RSP seems to be quite an effective drug. It seems, however, difficult to devise appropriate dose schedules and plasma level determination seems to be necessary in some cases.

Twenty-two female psychiatric outpatients with experiences of childhood sexual abuse took part in a two-year group therapy. All completed therapy. At the end of therapy the women’s psychiatric symptoms were reduced and their social interaction and adjustment were improved. They evaluated relationships to their children, partners and friends to be improved.

The objective of this study was to test the effect of melatonin on thermal pain threshold in female patients with eating disorders. Fourteen patients were included in the study. We found a parabolic relation between pain threshold and the content of urine sulfatoxymelatonin (r = 0.6299, P < 0.05). We can speculate that increase in severity of eating disorder pathology may decrease both the melatonin level and pain sensitivity. In contrast with expected melatonin analgesic effect, our results showed its possible normalizing influence as well on pathologically decreased pain sensitivity.

Affective symptomatology has repeatedly been suggested to confer susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia (TD). In our sample of 174 schizophrenic patients a history of depressive symptoms was not associated with the occurrence of TD, whereas manic symptomatology was significantly associated with the absence of TD. Thus, our data suggest that affective symptomatology cannot unambiguously be considered to predispose to TD.

After electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), many patients experience a decrement in their mnestic capacity. We studied episodic memory in eight severely depressed patients treated with a course of right-unilateral ECT. For this purpose, a testing instrument was constructed by the authors. It was made of paper cards that held four pieces of information, namely a word, a number, a figure, and the color of the card. One of the cards was presented to the patients and the respective information was asked for on the subsequent day. Patients were tested every morning during the first two weeks of the ECT course. About half of the responses were correct. Patients did best in recalling the color; they did worst in recalling the number. Seven of the patients showed verbal perseverations. This is in accordance with the literature on perseveration in patients with neurologic deficits, especially in proactive-inhibitory tasks. Perseveration may be attributed to a deficit in selective attention, producing an arousal of irrelevant cues.