Seasonal and mood independence of low basal prolactin secretion in premenopausal women with seasonal affective disorder

To test hypotheses of opposing roles of dopamine and serotonin in prolactin secretion in seasonal affective disorder, the authors determined basal serum prolactin concentrations for premenopausal women, eight with and 14 without seasonal affective disorder, in late afternoon during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (and a subgroup during the luteal phase) in winter and summer. Despite their significantly higher Hamilton depression scale scores in winter than in summer, the patients had significantly lower prolactin concentrations than the control subjects in both seasons. These results suggest that low prolactin secretion may be a trait characteristic in seasonal affective disorder.     

Vesicular pityriasis rosea: response to erythromycin treatment

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a relatively common disease although its aetiology has not yet been identified. It occurs worldwide and there is no racial susceptibility factor. It usually affects teenagers and young adults between 10 and 35 years of age. Typical PR is much easier to diagnose than the rare atypical forms. We report a rare case of vesicular PR in a black woman who had vesicular lesions limited to her palms and soles in addition to regular typical lesions. We devised an efficient oral erythromycin treatment for this patient.     

Group care workers as parent educators

Using a model of group care practice that identifies seven areas of child care worker activity and skill, this paper shows how these skills can be used in work with parents and other family members of children in placement. The emphasis is on the child care worker’s role as parent educator. This approach transforms the 24-hour-per day group care environment, and the living unit in particular, into a classroom for teaching and learning parenting skills. The educational, policy, and resource consequences of this proposal are then discussed. Finally, this model of practice is linked to psychoeducational, family resource, and competency-based approaches to family intervention and social work practice. All of these models de-emphasize family pathology in favor of practice that views parents and family members as partners in the care and treatment process. The author thanks Karen Kayser of Boston College and Henry Maier of the University of Washington, Seattle, for their comments on an earlier draft of this article.