Haroutun M Babigian

Certain CNS diseases can produce specific behavioral abnormalities. We used a computer search technique to identify all inpatients at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY, who had received diagnoses of multiple sclerosis (MS), temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) between 1965 and 1978. We found 368 patients with MS, 402 patients with TLE, and 124 patients with ALS. These groups were matched against the Monroe County (New York) Psychiatric Register to ...

Data from the Monroe County (New York) Psychiatric Case Register were grouped for 1961 through 1965, 1966 through 1970, and 1971 through 1975 for comparisons of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and length of stay associated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). While incidence of first ECT series declined substantially from 1961 through 1965 to 1971 through 1975 in most age-sex groups, significant declines in prevalence of admissions involving ECT occurred only among young female ...

The impact of community mental health centers on the utilization of psychiatric services in Monroe County, New York, was evaluated by means of data from the Monroe County Psychiatric Case Register. The catchment areas that received centers served as their own controls. In addition, yearly utilization rates were compared for areas that obtained centers with those remaining centerless. Utilization rates increased markedly in catchment areas with centers, while the percentage of patients ...

This epidemeological study examines patterns of mortality for a population of suicide attempters, a psychiatric population without suicide attempts, and a general population without psychiatric histories in order to clarify earlier reports of differential risks of death associated with these groups. Mortality patterns were investigated over an 11-year period in terms of demographic characteristics and rates of death by various causes. Suicidal deaths were given special attention to ...

The Monroe County Psychiatric Case Register and hospital records were used to investigate the incidence of anorexia nervosa in Monroe County, New York, during the periods 1960-1969 and 1979-1976 to determine whether the number of newly diagnosed cases has increased over time. The results support the general clinical impression of a recent increase in the incidence of anorexia nervosa. This pattern of overall change was accounted for by the sharp increase in the number of females with the ...

This study compares mortality risk among suicide attempters, psychiatric patients, and members of the general population using demographic data from the Monroe County (New York) Psychiatric Case Register for 1960 to 1970. During this 11-year period there were 172 deaths reported for the suicide attempt group, 6, 108 for the Psychiatric Register population, and 58,542 for the general population. The relative risk of death from all causes of the suicide attempt group was nearly twice that ...

The reasons for hospitalization of 341 patients from a university-based psychiatric emergency service were studied. The need for protection was the most frequent reason for hospitalization (51%), with the need for inpatient diagnostic studies or treatment second in frequency (36%). The hospitalization rate was higher for older patients, widowed patients, nonwhite men, psychotics, patients having prior psychiatric care, and those accompanied by other people.

Examined diagnostic consistency in a group of 572 cases with multiple contacts diagnosed at least once as having catatonic schizophrenia in the Monroe County, New York, Psychiatric Register between 1960 and 1966. The diagnosis of catatonic schizophrenia was made in a majority of contacts for less than 50% of the group. Catatonic schizophrenia was used inconsistently and rarely by some facilities and not infrequently and consistently by others. When a patient visited multiple facilities ...

A two-year sample of 179 consecutive suicides in Monroe County, New York, was divided according to the presence or absence of previous psychiatric contacts based on a country-wide psychiatric case register (PCR). After a brief description of the total suicide group, the 45% of suicides with PCR contacts are compared to the suicides without such contacts and to the total PCR population. Findings suggest that there are some important differences between psychiatric patients at high risk ...

The course of pregnancy and birth were studied among schizophrenic, neurotic depressive, and personality-disordered women, compared to a normal control group. The lighter birthweight of schizophrenic women's offspring was found more strongly related to the severity and chronicity of their mental illness than to the diagnosis itself. Children of neurotic depressive women had lower APGAR scores and more fetal deaths.