Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
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Cardiovascular symptoms are often present in descriptions of patients with panic disorder, and are considered a central element in current diagnostic criteria. These patients often visit emergency wards complaining of chest pain or discomfort. ⋯ We present the results obtained from the examination of 112 patients with these characteristics who were given a structured interview developed for the diagnosis of affective and anxiety disorders. In the sample studied, panic disorder was found in 47.3% of the subjects.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 1988
Variations in anxiety levels during pregnancy and psychosocial factors in relation to obstetric complications.
Patterns of variation of state and trait anxiety during pregnancy and after delivery were studied prospectively in relation to some obstetrical and neonatal disturbances. Specific pregnancy anxiety, social support, and coping style were also evaluated. ⋯ No such variations were found in the women with uncomplicated pregnancies. None of the other psychosocial variables examined were related to complications.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 1988
Alexithymia: relationship to severity of medical illness and depression.
The relationship of depression and the severity of medical illness to alexithymia was investigated in 75 medically ill patients seen in psychiatric consultation. Both depression and living alone predicted alexithymia but severity of medical illness was not related to an individual's alexithymic characteristics measured by the revised Schalling-Sifneos Scale. The implications of the findings are discussed in relationship to previous data regarding alexithymia in a psychiatric consultation population.
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In a group of asthmatic adult subjects (n = 88) the maternal and paternal aspects in the doctor image have been invesigated. The Semantic Differential Parental, an item list consisting of 18 paternal and 18 maternal items, was employed. With this item list the following concepts were scored: the doctor, the father, the ideal father, the mother, and the ideal mother. ⋯ It appears that asthmatic patients consider the doctor mostly as a minimally differentiated omnipotent figure, possessing all parental qualities, but excelling by paternity, instrumental and nurturance functions. We notice a close likeness with the doctor image of the mixed group of psychosomatic patients. In contrast to neurotics, who project on the doctor more the norm giving pole of paternity and the receptivity pole of maternity, for asthmatics and psychosomatic patients in general the doctor figure is invested with the all-embracing power qualities of both parents.