Assessment of specific drug disorders in a sample of substance abuse patients: a comparison of the DIS and the SADS-L procedures

Both the DIS and the SADS-L interviews offer researchers a procedure for assessing the presence of drug disorders categorized by drug class, as defined by psychiatric nomenclatures. In this study, the performance of the drug section of each interview was compared in a sample of hospitalized substance abuse patients. The classes of drug disorders assessed by both instruments and reported here include narcotics, amphetamines, sedatives and tranquilizers, cannabis, cocaine, and hallucinogens. On a group level, the DIS and SADS-L agreed fairly well for all drug classes except hallucinogens. A within-DIS comparison of DSM-III and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) diagnoses followed the same pattern, except with higher agreement. Distinctions between drug abuse and dependence within a drug class were not as reliable as overall assessments. On only a small proportion of patients did the instruments agree completely for all drug classes within an individual. Implications of the findings for research on drug problems are discussed.     

A comparison of physiological responses and rating of perceived exertion in two modes of aerobic exercise in men and women over 50 years of age

OBJECTIVES: To compare the physiological responses and ratings of perceived exertion to aerobic dance and walking sessions completed at a self selected pace. METHODS: Six women and six men with a sample mean (SD) age of 68 (7) years completed aerobic dance and walking sessions in random order. A treadmill test was performed by each subject from which peak oxygen uptake (.VO(2)) and maximum heart rates (HRmax) were determined. During the aerobic dance and walking sessions, heart rate and .VO(2) were measured continuously throughout. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured every three minutes throughout the session. RESULTS: The sample means (SD) for %peak .VO(2) were 67 (17)% for the aerobic dance sessions and 52 (10)% for the walking sessions, and the %HRmax sample means (SD) were 74 (12)% for the aerobic dance sessions and 60(8)% for walking sessions. The sample mean (SD) RPE for the aerobic dance sessions was 11(2), and for the walking sessions it was 10(2). CONCLUSIONS: %peak .VO(2), %HRmax, and RPE were significantly higher for aerobic dance than for walking. However, both the aerobic dance and walking sessions were of adequate intensity to improve aerobic fitness in most subjects. Further investigation into the relation between RPE and %peak .VO(2) in a field setting over representative exercise time periods would be useful.