Self-reports of memory problems have been evaluated prospectively in depressed patients receiving bilateral ECT or unilateral ECT, and in depressed patients receiving treatments other than ECT. Depressed patients did not complain of poor memory at seven months after hospitalization. Compared to bilateral ECT, right unilateral ECT was associated with only mild memory complaints. At three years after treatment approximately one-half of the persons who had received bilateral ECT reported poor memory. These reports seemed to be influenced by three factors: (1) recurrence or persistence of conditions that were present before ECT; (2) the experience of amnesia initially associated with ECT and a subsequent tendency to question if memory had ever recovered; and (3) impaired memory for events that had occurred up to six months before treatment and up to about two months afterwards.

A system of ward support for chronic psychiatric patients in an urban community is described, which makes available ward and staff facilities throughout the 24 hours and at weekends. Details are given of a group of 41 patients using this facility over a period of six months. Two types of use of the ward were identified, based on the amount of social interaction with other staff and patients. The ‘unengaged’, with a high rate of visits, were mainly schizophrenic patients with an early first onset of illness and currently a scanty social network (small primary group and often no confidant). The ‘engaged’, with a lower rate of visits, were people with a later onset and a larger social network.

Of 26 patients with active Cushing's syndrome assessed before and at three and 12 months after treatment, 21 had pituitary-dependent disease. Median urinary free Cortisol values (per 24 hours) were 680, 180 and 200 nmol at zero, three and 12 months (normal <270 nmol), with significant improvement (P <0.001) at three and 12 months. Depression on the Hamilton rating scale was significantly less at three months (P <0.01) and at 12 months (P <0.001). We have already demonstrated that some patients with Cushing's syndrome have PSE diagnoses of depression and are more depressed than patients with other pituitary tumours. This is the firmest evidence to date that when Cushing's syndrome occurs it commonly causes depressive illness.

The majority of men convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility used to receive hospital orders, but are now receiving prison sentences. A sample of offenders convicted between 1966 and 1977 was studied to see the reasons for the change. It was found that the make-up of the offender population did not change materially over the period, nor did the willingness of judges to make hospital orders. What changed was the pattern of treatment recommendations made by the examining doctors in their court reports.

A new suggestibility test, potentially useful in the context of police interrogation, was administered to 45 subjects who also completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Suggestibility was significantly related to low intelligence, poor memory recall, neuroticism and social desirability.

Autonomic arousal, measured by skin conductance level and response, was examined in 36 female patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) and 32 control subjects. No differences were found between the control group and anorexics who lost weight solely through dieting (restricting anorexics). Patients with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and anorexics with bulimic features, however, showed fewer spontaneous skin conductance responses and were faster to habituate to 85 dB tones than either controls or restricting anorexic patients. The pattern of findings supports recent views concerning the clinical subdivision of anorexia nervosa.

An inverse correlation between platelet monoamine oxidase activity and spontaneous eye-blink rate, a putative measure of central dopaminergic activity, was found in medication-free chronic schizophrenic patients without tardive dyskinesia (n = 20, rs = -.47, P <.025). A similar correlation was found when patients with tardive dyskinesia were included but was weaker (n = 27, rs = -.35, P <.05). Normal controls and patients with tardive dyskinesia did not demonstrate this relationship. This report confirms a previous finding of a significant platelet monoamine oxidase-blink rate correlation in chronic schizophrenic patients. Insofar as this relationship is mediated by dopamine, it suggests that dopaminergic relations are more readily demonstrated in schizophrenic subjects than normals. Moreover, tardive dyskinesia appears to obscure this dopaminergic relationship.

A sample was collected of schizophrenic patients exhibiting nonverbal signs of intermittent auditory hallucinations. A video-tape record was made for each of a session, during which the patient's skin conductance was monitored. Independent raters achieved reasonable agreement on the onset of periods of hallucinatory activity, as judged from non-verbal signs. The skin conductance tracing was scored independently for spontaneous fluctuations. In the 10 patients with satisfactory records the onset of hallucinatory periods was significantly (P <0.01) associated with a rise in the spontaneous fluctuation rate.

Ear differences on a task involving a simple phonetic judgement were investigated in schizophrenic subjects using both healthy normal and depressed patient control groups. A deficit in phonemic differentiation was demonstrated and appeared to be specific to the schizophrenic group. The result is interpreted as supporting the hypothesis of a central dysfunction lateralized to the left hemisphere in schizophrenia.

Computerized assessment which is objective, standardized and easily repeated has been shown to be acceptable to general psychiatric patients. Fifty-three subjects (43 phobics and 10 normals feigning phobias) showed no unusual apprehension in approaching this novel procedure; all were able to complete the computer interview. Furthermore, half of them claimed that they found the interview more acceptable and found it easier to communicate with the computer than with a clinician. Only nine patients preferred the clinician. The reasons for this are discussed.

An automated assessment interview was given by a microcomputer to 26 randomly selected patients, referred for treatment of phobias. The results were compared with those of conventional clinical assessment by experienced behaviour therapists. Ratings of overall severity and intensity of specific types of agoraphobia and social phobia were derived from the computer interview, and correlated very closely with global ratings by the clinician and also with an independent structured clinical assessment. The computer also elicited behavioural targets to serve as a basis for exposure treatment. Blind assessors rated these targets as highly as those arrived at by clinicians in respect of their practicability, precision and appropriateness for treatment. The automated technique is inexpensive, saves clinicians' time and can be made widely available for screening, assessment and progress monitoring. It may also provide a basis for automated exposure treatment.

A five-year follow-up of 25 children who attended a psychiatric day centre for pre-school children is described. This group was compared at eight years of age with two matched control groups who had not received intensive treatment. There were few differences between the treated and untreated groups. Possible reasons for the findings are discussed and some methodological issues involved in carrying out evaluation studies are raised.

At a child psychiatry clinic 122 boys were scored on scales of aggressiveness, noncompliance and antisocial behaviour. Their biological fathers were scored on aggressiveness and antisocial behaviour. The fathers' scores were modestly but significantly correlated with those of their sons. The correlations were also computed separately for the 64 boys whose biological fathers were no longer in the home and for the 58 whose fathers had stayed. Father–son resemblances for the latter group were considerably higher than those observed in the whole sample, and for the father-absent group were insignificant.

The authors were sent to Mwinilunga from Ndola to investigate what was reported to the local press as ‘mysterious madness'. The condition was actually an outbreak of epidemic hysteria which was triggerred off by a group of girls who were having educational and emotional problems prior to the epidemic.

A change in the administrative policy of rigidly segregating the sexes apparently prepared an emotionally charged background for the rapid spread of the illness. The salient features and management of the epidemic are discussed.

The characteristics in Hong Kong of 37 cases of child battering and their families compared to a control group matched for age of child and social class of family revealed that the families of battered children had significantly more problems, with a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorder among the parents. The victims were usually the product of unwanted pregnancy and had been separated from their parents in the first year of life. In Hong Kong older children rather than infants were at risk of being battered. The cultural factors in operation are discussed.