Schizophrenia in Greenland: a follow-up study

A total of 289 Greenlanders admitted for the first time to a mental hospital from 1980 to 1983, were followed for 7 years. Thirty-seven patients, 24 men and 13 women, were diagnosed with schizophrenia at least once during the follow-up period. The annual first admission rate per 100,000 was 41 for men and 23 for women. The schizophrenics were compared with a group of non-schizophrenics at the same age admitted in the same period. The main results were young age at first admittance, high male-female ratio and poor clinical and social outcome. The results were compared with WHO's cross-cultural studies. Young age and a high male-female ratio are in accordance with the developing countries, whereas poor outcome is in accordance with the industrialized countries.     

Parkinsonism in alcohol withdrawal: a follow-up study

Transient parkinsonism associated with alcohol intake and withdrawal has previously been described. We followed-up three patients with acute alcohol withdrawal-induced parkinsonism 9-11 years after their initial presentation. None showed any evidence of parkinsonism at follow-up. This suggests that withdrawal-induced parkinsonism is caused by a completely reversible abnormality in nigrostriatal dopamine transmission, which is unaccompanied by underlying nigral degeneration, as we had previously hypothesized.     

Hypochondriacal psychoses: a long-term follow-up

From a large series of delusional subjects 23 patients demonstrated hypochondriacal delusions as the main delusion during the long-term course of approximately 30 years. An extensive study of these cases reveals that the majority had abnormal premorbid personality, especially somatization, paranoid and/or avoidant traits. Previous and/or precipitating somatic illnesses, if present, were not very serious. The hypochondriacal preoccupation diminished in the long term, but the overall prognosis varied, as the patients did not belong to a uniform diagnostic category. Implications for the clinician in diagnosing and treating are discussed, and the importance of early detection of correct diagnostic category is stressed.     

Flashbacks: a personal follow-up.

During the period 1971-1973, it was found that 53 out of 91 young drug abusers in a psychiatric hospital had experienced flashbacks. This applied to as many as 50 out of the 65 patients who had used LSD, but also to abusers of organic solvents and cannabis. As many as 38% of the patients were found to be severely incapacitated by their flashbacks. On a personal follow-up 1 1/2-4 years after the first therapeutic contact, 35 patients were still troubled by flashbacks. On the whole reactions were less intense than at the time of the first contact. No relation between the flashbacks and protracted psychotic development could be established. The overall clinical and social course was worse for patients with flashbacks than for the rest of the population. Patients still bothered by flashbacks used drugs and alcohol as sedatives to a greater extent than the rest.