Abuse and dependence on alcohol and drugs in advanced age

The report is based on records of 117 in-patients over 60 years of age treated because of alcohol or drug dependence. Remarkably, the abuse of alcohol and particularly of drugs had frequently started at higher age. Situations of loss, loneliness, and isolation as well as mental and physical disease played a precipitation part. In the majority of patients the course of the dependence was severe. Prophylactic and diagnostic problems will be discussed and the necessity of improved therapeutic means will be pointed out. The avoidance of iatrogenically induced drug dependence appears to be particularly important.     

The phenomenon of possession. Conception and experiences of possession in youth]

In the last few years, a trend to the multiplication of experiences of possession has been observed in young people. On the basis of four typical examples, the author examines this phenomenon in the light of the psychiatric, psychoanalytic and theological understanding of possession. It involves mostly young people, who do not have hysterical fits or psychotic episodes during spiritualist practices but who specially tend to take a strong interest in occultism, who very often consume drugs and have contacts with groups in which the interest for demonology plays an important part.     

Effect of meibomian oils on Schirmer tear test

The detrimental effect of meibomian oils expressed onto the lid margins on the value of the Schirmer test was investigated in two studies (N = 12 per study): without and with topical anaesthesia. In the 12 subjects studied there was no evidence of external ocular disease. The studies were conducted in a double masked randomised cross-over fashion. It was found that neither expression of meibomian oils nor topical anaesthesia showed any statistically significant (P greater than 0.05) reduction in final tear secretion rates. Thus, the notions that lid manipulation may impede tear flow into the Schirmer strip and that topical anaesthesia reduces apparent tear flow, are not supported.