Search

A study was conducted by the authors to compare cognitive functioning in acutely and chronically sleep-deprived house officers. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant deficits in primary mental tasks involving basic rote memory, language, and numeric skills as well as in tasks requiring high-order cognitive functioning and traditional intellective abilities. These deficits existed only for the acutely sleep-deprived group. The finding of deficits in individuals who reported five hours or less of sleep in a 24-hour period suggests that the minimum standard of four hours that has been considered by some to be adequate for satisfactory performance may be insufficient for more complex cognitive functioning.

Methaqualone (primarily Mandrax) abuse among United States troops stationed in Europe increased significantly from 1972 onward as seen by morbidity reports related to medical treatment and mortality studies related to autopsy toxicology reports. Rarely was methaqualone used alone. It was generally combined with alcohol and hashish, the combination of which resulted in an extremely dangerous situation for both the individual and society.

An 18-month follow-up study was performed on 210 career soldiers treated for alcoholism. The goal of the investigation was to determine treatment effectiveness and predictors of success. Success rates were 63% or 77% dependent on the utilization of either clinical or occupational criteria. Findings indicated that lower-ranking soldiers were more likely to be treatment failures. Other findings are also discussed.

An investigation into the use of blood chemistry variables in the identification of young adult alcoholics revealed that a combinative process utilizing 11 blood chemistry variables was superior to the use of individual measures. The investigation further validated the use of a linear discriminant analysis technique in identifying the blood chemistry measures and a discriminant function was produced that classified alcoholics and controls with a high degree of accuracy. This level of precision in prediction was maintained in validation trials on independent samples. The blood chemistry variables were extracted from a combination of commonly ordered blood tests. Results of the investigation indicate that clinical usage of the screening procedure is readily available without sophisticated computer support or exotic blood analysis.

A survey was conducted to determine the extent of polydrug abuse among a population of alcoholics hospitalized in a military treatment program. It was discovered that approximately 21% of patients had no drug exposure other than alcohol, and 48% revealed a history of drug use more extensive then experimentation. Results further indicate that polydrug use was greatest among this population during the Vietnam era (1963 to 1972) and again during the year preceding their referral for treatment. Finally, a significant difference in age was found when comparing nonusers to users, and when comparing experimental/nonusers to all other users. This age difference places the low and nonuse groups as achieving their eighteenth birthday significantly before the mid-sixties and users afterwards, supporting the notion of a "drug accepting" versus "drug rejecting" generational difference.

This report addresses the development of a mandatory, inpatient, evaluation and education program aimed at reducing Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) at a major Army installation. The program was designed to provide extensive evaluation to all soldiers within a week of the DWI. The majority of soldiers are young males, a population known for heavy drinking and a disproportionate amount of both motor-vehicle accidents and fatalities. Among the initial 490 soldiers admitted to the program, 88% were found to meet DSM-III criteria for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Factors associated with a diagnosis of abuse or dependence were age; scores on the Vaillant alcohol questionnaire, the MacAndrews and F scales of the MMPI, the Mortimer-Filkins questionnaire; BAC at time of arrest; a prior history of alcohol-related problems; and certain blood hematology and chemistry values. Results indicate that DWI is a marker for serious alcohol problems.