Developmental aspects of psychiatric disorders may be inferred from patterns of age differences in prevalence. Age-specific prevalences are provided for nine disorders in a general population sample of ages 10-20. Age and gender patterns for several disorders suggest developmental stage-associated risks. These include oppositional disorder in both genders and conduct disorder and major depression in girls. Major depression shows a pattern suggestive of a role for the onset of puberty. The prevalence of one or more disorders did not differ by age or gender. However, the pattern of specific diagnoses varied greatly by both age and gender.

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Information about these risk factors may help physicians weigh the risks and benefits of carotid endarterectomy in individual patients. Two operative techniques (use of local anesthesia and patch closure) may lower the risk of death or stroke.

Uncontrolled hypertension and its complications continue to be major health problems that disproportionately affect poor minority communities. Although dietary modification is an effective treatment for hypertension, it is not clear how hypertensive minority patients view diet as part of their treatment, and what barriers affect their abilities to eat healthy diets. We conducted nine focus groups with 88 African American and Latino patients treated for hypertension to assess their knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs concerning hypertension. Participants generally agreed that certain foods and food additives play an important role in the cause and treatment of hypertension. However, they found clinician-recommended diets difficult to follow in the context of their family lives, social situations, and cultures. These diets were often considered expensive, an unwelcome departure from traditional and preferred diets, socially isolating, and not effective enough to obviate the need for medications. These findings suggest the importance of culturally sensitive approaches to dietary improvements.