Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
-
There is no clear association between menopause and depression. Aim of the study was to compare female depression with onset before menopause with female depression with onset after menopause, to find out if endocrinological changes had an impact on depression. ⋯ Some features were common to both female and male depression with onset after 40. Female depression with onset after 40 had significantly more unipolar and fewer bipolar II patients, than female depression with onset before 40. Different frequency of unipolar and bipolar II patients suggests that the biology of depression in menopause women may be different from that of women not in menopause, and from that of male depression with onset after 40. Differences may be related to menopause.
-
Psychother Psychosom · Mar 1999
Clinical TrialRelationship of cosmetic disfigurement to the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder in burn injury or digital amputation.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of physical factors including physical functioning and cosmesis to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in patients with burn injury and in patients with digital amputation. ⋯ These findings suggest that, in female victims with burn injury and/or digital amputation, the degree of cosmetic disfigurement is related to the manifestation of PTSD symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing.
-
Psychother Psychosom · Jul 1998
Scientific journals and their authors' financial interests: a pilot study.
The credibility of modern science is grounded on the perception of the objectivity of its scientists, but that credibility can be undermined by financial conflicts of interest. The US Public Health Service and the National Science Foundation issued regulations effective October 1, 1995, regarding the disclosure of financial interests in the submission of grant proposals. Several scientific journals have also established pertinent policies for authors and editors. The objectives of this study were: (1) to select a set of published articles and observe the degree to which a sample of authors hold a financial interest in areas related to their research that are reportable under current standards, and (2) to examine the hypothesis that significant numbers of authors of articles in life science and biomedical journals have verifiable financial interests that might be important for journal editors and readers to know. This paper measures the frequency of selected financial interests held among lead authors of certain types of scientific publications and assesses disclosure practices of authors and journals. ⋯ One of every three articles in our sample has at least one Massachusetts-based author with a financial interest, and 15% of the authors in our sample have a financial interest relevant to one of their publications. For the year 1992, the rate of published voluntary disclosures of financial interest (as defined in our study) is virtually zero, but relatively few scientific and biomedical journals at that time required any such disclosure to journal editors and reviewers. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of mandatory disclosure requirements by some journals.
-
Waddell and colleagues have identified a series of nonorganic signs which may appear in low back pain patients. The occurrence of these signs helps predict nonphysiological factors in the etiology of the pain. This study describes the development of the Waddell Equivalency Scale (WES) which elicits comparable information from patients with pain at other sites. ⋯ Behavioral expectations and treatment plans, à la Waddell, can now be applied to patients with other than low back pain. Clinical application of the WES information over a variety of pain populations will be required to determine the parameters of its usefulness.
-
Psychother Psychosom · Jan 1995
To control or to be controlled? From health locus of control to morphine control during patient-controlled analgesia.
We postulated that patients with an internal locus of control, i.e. those who like to control their health problems themselves, would adapt more adequately to the 'patient-controlled analgesia' technique as compared to patients with an external health locus of control, who do not believe in their own control. Since contradicting studies have been published on this matter, we investigated relations between the demand for analgesics, perceived pain in the postoperative phase, and the health locus of control in the postoperative context of cardiac surgery. Findings demonstrate distinct utilization patterns between subjects with internal or external locus of control concerning total morphine consumption, number of unsatisfied demands and reduction of perceived pain.