Psychiatrikē = Psychiatriki
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is mainly related to smoking habit and is characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually both progressive and associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. Worldwide and in Greece, COPD constitutes a major epidemiological issue. ⋯ Notably, raising scores in sense of family support by one point reduces anxiety scores by 0.14 points, and increasing sense of coherence scores by one point reduces depression scores by 0.21 points. In sum, our study confirms the presence of high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in COPD patients, with females being in a more disadvantaged position as they tend to have higher levels of both. Sense of coherence and family support are both protective psychological factors against the risk of developing anxiety and depressive symptoms in these patients.
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Health provision systems in the developed western nations are currently facing major financial challenges. In order to meet these challenges, a number of new approaches used to assist the provision of health have been introduced, including the practice of health professionals. These approaches utilize specific methods of data capture and summarization such as: evidence based medicine (EBM) and practice guidelines. ⋯ Innovation signifies a substantial positive change compared to gradual or incremental changes. Innovation using inductive reasoning has to play a major role within health care system and it is applicable to all three level of service provision: clinical practice, policy and organisation structure. The aim of this paper is to examine critically the above concepts and their complimentary role in supporting provision of health care systems which are suitable for the requirements of the population, affordable, deliverable, flexible and adaptable to social changes.
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Trauma comes as a result of the subject's exposure to extremely negative and stressful events, such as natural or human-provoked catastrophes, wars, serious injuries, violent deaths, tortures, terrorist attacks, rapes and other sexual crimes. A child's exposure to traumatic circumstances of this level during the crucial period of self-structuring creates rather difficult conditions for its development. Moreover, if the child does not have the opportunity to elaborate and analyze all these stressful conditions and put them into words, serious consequences, both psychological and somatic, may occur in adult life. ⋯ Supporting the family and break the silence that frequently covers the traumatic events and feelings, will give the opportunity for the elaboration of all these aspects which could capture and imprison the subject in a dramatic circle of psychopathology. Moreover, the effectiveness of early interventions and child psychotherapy is now a common ground, so we have to use all our clinical instruments (dialogue, symbolic play, drawing, storytelling) in order to help the child and have the best possible result. Finally, concerning clinical practice, the emergence of early childhood trauma in adult psychiatric symptomatology is so frequent that mental health experts should take it into serious account while developing an appropriate clinical treatment for such patients.
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Pregabalin, or S-(+)-3-isobutylgaba, is a lipophilic analogue of GABA. Although pregabalin is structurally related to GABA, it is inactive at GABA receptors and does not appear to mimic GABA physiologically. Pregabalin is a potent ligand for the alpha-2-delta subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels in the central nervous system. ⋯ Thanks to his good and stable somatic condition the patient was managed with supportive treatment only. Although anecdotal, our case report points toward safety of pregabalin following deliberate self-poisoning. Our observation is in accordance with the recent international literature underlining that pregabalin was listed as the drug ingested in only 1% of fatalities, usually in combination with other drugs.