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Background: Previous studies have reported that as a group, individuals affected by psychotic and nonpsychotic disorders perform below norms on cognitive tests. Other studies have indicated that unaffected siblings of individuals affected by psychotic disorders also perform below norms on the same tests. We investigated cognitive performance on a large, population-based sample of individuals, affected at the time of testing by nonpsychotic disorders, and their unaffected siblings., Methods: Subjects were taken from a population-based cohort of 523,375, 16- to 17-year-old male adolescents who had been assessed by the Israeli Draft Board. Cognitive test scores were examined in sib-pairs discordant for nonpsychotic (n = 19,489) and psychotic (n = 888) disorders and compared with 224,082 individuals from sibships with no evidence of mental illness., Results: There appears to be a gradient in cognitive performance (worst to best) from individuals currently affected by psychotic illnesses (Cohen's d = -.82), followed by individuals currently affected by nonpsychotic illness (Cohen's d = -.58), unaffected siblings of individuals affected by psychotic illness (Cohen's d = -.37), unaffected siblings of individuals affected by nonpsychotic illness (Cohen's d = -.27), and members of sibships with no evidence of mental illness. Unaffected siblings of both psychotic and nonpsychotic individuals from multiple affected sibships (more then one affected sibling) had worse cognitive test scores compared with unaffected siblings from simplex sibships (only one affected sibling)., Conclusions: The results support, but do not prove, the notion that cognitive impairment in psychiatric disorders is familial and cuts across diagnostic entities.

Introduction: Approximately one third of schizophrenia patients show partial or no response to pharmacotherapy. Despite intensive investigations, the phenomenological and biological characteristics of such patients are far from elucidated. This study examined the premorbid behavioral and intellectual functioning of schizophrenia patients who showed poor response to antipsychotic treatment., Method: One hundred twenty-nine schizophrenia patients who showed poor response to treatment were ascertained from a national register and matched by gender, age and education to 129 patients who showed adequate response. The groups were compared on premorbid measures of behavioral and intellectual functions., Results: As a group, treatment-resistant male patients had significantly lower (worse) social functioning [p=0.002], and individual autonomy [p<0.0001] scores before the onset of the illness compared to treatment non-resistant patients. Male and female treatment-resistant patients did not differ from non-resistant patients in premorbid intellectual functioning [p>0.1]., Conclusions: Low premorbid social functioning and individual autonomy, but not intellectual functioning, could serve as predictors of poor treatment response in schizophrenia.

This study verified variations in suicide rates throughout the days of the week among Israel Defense Force soldiers during 1974 - 2001. Results confirmed the findings of most previous studies. The first workday was associated with a 60% increase in suicide rate among young men. This increase was not observed among female reserve or professional soldiers. This finding might indicate a particular susceptibility of men to contextual and situational factors. The explanation of the increased suicide risk on the first workday stresses such processes as the broken-promise effect as well as difficulty in facing the demands of service and transitions from the weekend to the workweek.

In the past decade there have been far-reaching developments in psychopharmacology. Previously, only a few classes of medication were at the disposal of psychiatrists, as many had serious side effects that limited their use. Now our psychopharmacological armamentarium has grown considerably, allowing for greater choice of treatment in the military. We review these developments, and discuss the special considerations to be taken into account when treating soldiers with psychiatric medication. We discuss suitable medication for ongoing outpatient treatment, as well as the standard list of medication currently used by units deployed in the field. Advances in psychopharmacologic treatment should enable more soldiers to serve safely in the military with fewer restrictions on their duties.