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Analyses of 109 drug-abusing adolescents indicated that inhalant abusers performed significantly more poorly than polydrug abusers on 20 of 67 neuropsychological measures. Deficits were observed on both global (WAIS and WRAT) and specific measures (perception of speech sounds, visual suppression, sensory perception, and trails). (Author/SJL)

It is estimated that there are at least four million people with severe and persistent mental illness in the United States (National Institutes of Mental Health, 1992). Severe and persistent [...], Patients with severe and persistent mental illness who were discharged from a state hospital were followed for approximately four years to identify predictors of rehospitalization. Length of time in the community between discharge and readmission was the main outcome variable. Clinical interviews, hospital medical records, and a statewide data communications network which tracks client movement throughout the service delivery system were used to collect data. Race, number of prior psychiatric hospitalizations, type of aftercare residence, and assignment to a residential program were all predictors of who remained in the community the longest. Severity of psychopathology, diagnosis, and degree of family support were not good predictors of community stability.

The move toward deinstitutionalization of individuals with severe mental illness (CMI) has placed increased demands on the community to provide mental health care services to individuals who would have previously [...], This paper describes a consumer training project designed to facilitate a seamless transition between state hospital and community care for individuals with severe mental illness. A training protocol was developed and eight consumers were selected for training. Six mental health consumers completed the training and went on to be employed. Four of the consumers were employed by the Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) to work as Transitional Aides. The two remaining consumers were hired in the private sector. At the end of two years, five of the six TAs remain employed. Comparison of CMHC attendance for TA-Assisted and Non-Assisted consumers indicated that the TA-Assisted consumers had significantly higher attendance and lower 'drop-out' rates than the Non-Assisted consumers. They also maintained contact with the CMHC for a longer time span than Non-Assisted consumers.

The present study evaluated multiple system physiological responding which accompanied EMG biofeedback performance under two conditions—during EMG biofeedback training sessions, and during the utilization of that training in the presence of a stressor. Twelve subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) an EMG biofeedback group, or 2) a false-EMG biofeedback group. During the training sessions, significant frontalis EMG decreases were produced by the biofeedback group. This performance was associated with a concomitant decrease in heart rate and respiration rate, but an increase in skin conductance level. The biofeedback group was also able to maintain a low level of EMG activity during a stress-induction procedure. However, this low level of activity did not generalize to other physiological responses. Heart rate and skin conductance levels both increased, which coincided with the subjects' self-report of anxiety during this phase of the study. These data clearly demonstrate that single-system arousal reduction produced by EMG biofeedback training, rather than producing cross-system arousal reduction, produces specificity of a single response change under a stress-inducing situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses on the report of a study based on alcoholism. During an investigation on the definition of the alcoholism syndrome, it was noted that two empirical Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) based alcoholism scales were not substantially related. The AL scale, developed by C. Holmes and a second scale devised by D.P. Hoyt and G.M. Sedlacek contain 59 and 68 items respectively, with an overlap of 28 items. Both scales were constructed through item analyses of the MMPI records of alcoholics and a portion of the original Minnesota standardization group, and both scales are reported to differentiate significantly alcoholics from normals.