In this article, we describe a pilot study that investigated the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for auditory hallucinations. Eleven inpatients with either chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in 2 CBT groups of differing treatment duration (i.e., 7 versus 20 sessions). The results showed that…

This research explored the type of traditional healing practices sought by Muslim psychiatric patients treated at public hospitals of Lahore city, Pakistan. The sample comprised 87 adult psychiatric patients (38% male and 62% female). The patients self-reported on the Case History Interview Schedule that they had sought diverse traditional healing…

This paper discusses the role of family variables in the development of schizophrenia. Other theories regarding the etiology of schizophrenia are summarized to show the complexity of the problem. Both biological and psychosocial factors are discussed. The review of current developments is organized around three family characteristics that have…

Caring for a family member with dementia is a major source of stress for the caregiver. To assess the impact of caring for an impaired family member and to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs, 34 caregivers of relatives with dementia completed an amended form of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center's Caregiver Survey and two…

The lead article by H. Drummond examines the cultural context of psychosis and concludes that madness is deeply rooted in social and sexual inequality. The author, a psychiatrist, supports his argument with case studies, reports on the use of drugs with the psychotic, research on efforts to demonstrate that schizophrenia is a biological illness,…

A study of formal communication in 30 families each with a schizophrenic son and 28 families, each with a "normal" son was conducted in Germany. By means of factor analysis four types of formal speech behavior were identified using musical terminology: "staccato," a highly fragmented flow of conversation with high turnover rate; "solo" in which…

This study analyzes the interaction patterns and behavioral characteristics of mentally ill and well mothers and their young children. The children were between 1 and 4 years of age. The group of mentally ill mothers was comprised of 18 schizophrenic and psychotically depressed women each with a history of at least one psychiatric hospitalization.…

This study compared the performance on speed tests in depressed and nondepressed, nonschizophrenic, nonorganic psychiatric patients. The groups were matched for general psychopathology, sex, age, and education. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature. (Author/KC)

This article gives statistics on suicide rates among children and adolescents of different ages. It describes the various reasons behind suicide in children and the symptoms of deep depression in children and adolescents. The author describes the suicidal student and the child survivor (of a suicidal death in the family) and suggests to the…

Examines components of familial risk in the context of a four-year longitudinal study of children with mentally ill mothers. Risk factors examined were parental mental health, social status, parental perspectives, and family stress. Interactions among risk factors were found to be complex and different for cognitive and social-emotional…

The identification of facial expressions of emotion was studied in normal and psychiatrically disturbed children. Schizophrenic children were significantly less accurate than other children in emotion identification. Anxious-depressed children made more errors than unsocialized-aggressive and normal children. Normal and unsocialized-aggressive…

Immediate echolalia (repeating what someone has just said) was studied in a series of replicated single-subject designs across six schizophrenic and five normal children (all ranging in age from 2 to 15 years). (Author/SBH)