Acquired Cutis Laxa in Childhood Sweet's Syndrome

Abstract:  In Sweet's syndrome, the essential features are the characteristic morphology of the lesions, their histologic appearance, the dramatic response to corticosteroids and the absence of scarring. We report an 8-month-old infant in whom Sweet's syndrome was diagnosed and who developed acquired cutis laxa in the skin lesions.     

Epidemiology of borderline personality disorder

The limited epidemiological data available on borderline personality disorder suggest that the prevalence of the disorder is between .2 and 1.8 percent in the general community, 15 percent among psychiatric inpatients, and 50 percent among psychiatric inpatients with a diagnosis of personality disorder. No data on the incidence--the rate of new cases--of the disorder have been reported, and inferences about incidence based on prevalence rates are complicated by differences in the formal designation of personality disorders before and after DSM-III was issued. Current findings suggest that about 76 percent of borderline patients are female. Epidemiological study of borderline personality disorder has been hindered by the lack of a brief semistructured interview that can be used with large population samples and that does not require substantial clinical expertise. The authors discuss alternative research methods, including use of lay interviewers, recoding of existing data, telephone interviews, and self-report inventories.     

Single parent women

Summary While there has been considerable interest in the problems of single parent families, no study has yet determined if the problems are due to increased risk of specific psychiatric disorders in single parents as compared to their married counterparts. Data collected as part of the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Project are presented to compare the psychiatric as well as economic and social functioning of single vs. married parent women ages 18–44, based on a probability sample of members of the greater New Haven community. The major finding between groups is their relative similarity in psychiatric as well as social functioning. The major difference is economic. Single parents, both Black and White, more frequently are less educated and poorer. While many are on welfare, single compared to married female parents are more likely to be working and to report insufficient income to meet their needs. There are no appreciable differences in social contacts, use of health services or six-month prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders including major depression, alcohol or drug abuse. The data suggest that the problems faced by single parent women and their children may be a reflection of poverty and stress in families and not of psychiatric disorders or poor social relations in mothers.