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Showing papers by "Robin M. Murray published in 1986"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Drinking for ‘escape reasons' was significantly associated with consumption levels, but the reasons patients gave did not correspond well with the objective presence or severity of the associated psychiatric symptoms.
Abstract: We studied 371 psychiatric admissions in an attempt to relate primary and secondary diagnosis, psychopathology, and stated reasons for drinking to alcohol consumption and alcoholism. No diagnostic group other than the alcoholics drank significantly more than the mean, and the schizophrenics drank less. One-third of those with bipolar and minor depression increased their drinking in the month before admission, but this was almost offset by those with similar diagnoses who drank less. Alcoholism, though not alcohol consumption, was related to a high prevalence of affective syndromes, but these did not amount to secondary diagnoses. Drinking for 'escape reasons' was significantly associated with consumption levels, but the reasons patients gave did not correspond well with the objective presence or severity of the associated psychiatric symptoms.

97 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results suggest that both clinically diagnosed neurotic illness and high neuroticism scores are more often a consequence than a cause of alcoholism.
Abstract: The twin register of the Maudsley Hospital was used to select a series of monozygotic (MZ) and same-sexed dizygotic (DZ) twins who had been given an ICD8 diagnosis related to alcoholism. They and their co-twins were traced. Medical and drinking histories were compiled (from records and by interview) for 56 twin-pairs, to permit current and retrospective diagnosis of any neurotic disorders. RDC diagnoses of panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias were more common in the alcoholic probands and the co-twins who were also alcoholics than in the normal-drinking co-twins. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ) were completed by 54 individuals. Neuroticism scores were significantly higher for both male and female alcoholics than for their normal-drinking co-twins; and intra-pair differences in neuroticism were significantly correlated with intra-pair differences in severity of dependence. These results suggest that both clinically diagnosed neurotic illness and high neuroticism scores are more often a consequence than a cause of alcoholism.

39 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The possible modes of transmission are discussed, current efforts to identify more precisely the genetic and environmental factors contributing to schizophrenia and the nature of the gene-environment interaction are outlined.

36 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In common clinical usage nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs infrequently produce adverseeffects on the kidney, which are similar to those of conventional drugs.
Abstract: SELLARS, L. & WILKINSON, R. (1983) Adverse effects of anti rheumaticdrugson the kidney. AdverseDrug Reactions2, 51—56. CALIN, A. (1983) In common clinical usage nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs infrequently produceadverseeffectson the kidney. American JournalofKithsey Disease, 11, 485-488. Henrich, W. L. (1983) Nephrotoxicity of nonsteroidal anti inflammatory agents. American Journal of Kidney Disease, 11, 478—484.

27 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Significantly increased brain density was found in the frontal lobes and caudate and thalamic nuclei of monozygotic twins who were severely dependent on alcohol when compared with their normal-drinking co-twins.
Abstract: • Significantly increased brain density was found in the frontal lobes and caudate and thalamic nuclei of monozygotic twins who were severely dependent on alcohol when compared with their normal-drinking co-twins. No significant differences in brain radiodensity were found in a group of identical twins who were discordant for less severe alcoholism. Hemispheric differences in brain density were also examined. Right-handed normal twins had greater density in the left caudate than in the right caudate region; this difference was reduced but still present in alcoholics.

12 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There was a complex interaction between her food preoccupation and her delusions and hallucinations, but as the psychosis worsened so the bulimia appeared to improve, and the implications for diagnosis and management are discussed.
Abstract: A young woman with an 8-year history of bulimia then developed schizophrenia, both conditions fulfilling international criteria. There was a complex interaction between her food preoccupation and her delusions and hallucinations, but as the psychosis worsened so the bulimia appeared to improve. The nature of the relationship between the two disorders and the implications for diagnosis and management are discussed.

8 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Comment on the points made by Abrams and Taylor on the difference between the terms "familial" and "genetic" in their 1983 article 1 and their reply to their letter in the April 1985 issue of the Archives.
Abstract: n Reply.— Drs Abrams and Taylor have taken umbrage with our reply to their letter in the April 1985 issue of theArchivesand we are glad of the opportunity to comment on the points they have made. 1. Abrams and Taylor stated at the beginning of their 1983 article 1 that they did recognize the difference between the terms "familial" and "genetic." However, readers must judge for themselves whether the authors have maintained the distinction satisfactorily in the body of the paper. We remain unconvinced. 2. It is a simple matter of logic that inclusion criteria of the form A and B and C (Abrams and Taylor version 1) are radically different from criteria of the form A or B or C (version 2). We will not belabor this point, which must be self-evident. However, it is worth noting that in the Taylor and Abrams study, the increase in