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Athanasios Karavatos

Publications and source records attributed to Athanasios Karavatos.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Narratives about their children by mothers hospitalized on a psychiatric unit.

The diagnosis of "mental illness" is accompanied by negative implications regarding a person's competence. Self- and other-descriptions about the "patient" are embedded within broader cultural and societal discourses, influencing his/her relationships. The parental role seems to be one of the most sensitive, especially for women. Mothers hospitalized in psychiatric units often have to separate themselves from their children either temporarily, during hospitalization, or permanently, after a loss of custody. However, many studies have shown that mothering remains important for them. We interviewed 20 women, inpatients on a psychiatric unit and mothers of 3.5-18-year-old children, recording their narratives about their children and exploring their thoughts and understanding of the concepts of motherhood and mental illness. We also explored the way in which the mother-child dyad interacted with the family and its social context. Most mothers had a consistent and coherent narrative about their children and they had certain expectations of them. The mother-child bond was strong, even when the children had been removed from their mothers' custody. However, mothers were facing great difficulties with their partner and with the broader family context. Also, the social discourses regarding mental illness, (e.g., violence and incapability for mothering), were extremely oppressive for these women. They felt that they were the victims of societal attitudes even before they became pregnant. These findings suggest the importance of listening to the voices of these women; acknowledging their competence in the therapeutic context; involving them with their families, and in legal and social contexts; and in planning supportive programs for them.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Treatment outcome of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in a patient with schizophrenia: case report.

A case of a patient with comorbid schizophrenia and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) who was treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) is presented. This treatment led to significant improvement of schizophrenic and depressive symptoms, with only a partial, albeit not trivial, effect on his cognitive functioning. These encouraging results of treatment of OSAS in schizophrenia with nCPAP suggest the need for further and more systematic investigation of sleep and its disorders in psychotic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Neurofibrillary tangles in elderly patients with late onset schizophrenia.

The objective of the present study was to examine whether neurofibrillary tangles densities are increased in elderly patients with late-onset schizophrenia (LOS). A neuropathological examination was performed in 32 consecutive autopsy brain specimens of ten patients with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS; onset of symptoms before the age of 40 years), eight patients with LOS (onset of symptoms after the age of 40 years) and 14 age-matched controls with no known neuropsychiatric disorder. Neurofibrillary tangle densities observed in the CA1 field of the hippocampus, the enthorhinal cortex, and the inferior temporal cortex in patients with LOS, EOS, and controls were not significantly different. All patients with EOS or LOS had Braak stages of III or less, which may correspond to normal aging. Thus, patients with schizophrenia, regardless of the age of onset of their symptoms, are no more prone to the development of Alzheimer's disease than the general population.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2002

Treatment of alcohol withdrawal with gabapentin.

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant agent, also effective in the treatment of mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Three cases of alcohol withdrawal treated with gabapentin are presented. All patients received gabapentin 400 mg tid for 3 days, 400 mg bid for 1 day, and finally 400 mg for 1 day. Withdrawal symptoms subsided and no adverse effects were observed. The possible effectiveness of gabapentin in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal warrants further investigation by systematic and well-designed studies.

Acetates↗
PubMed2002

Treatment of acute mania with topiramate in hospitalized patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of topiramate in the treatment of acute manic symptoms. Fourteen patients, admitted with an acute manic episode, were treated with topiramate. All required supplementation therapy with benzodiazepines. Nine patients received topiramate as monotherapy; four of them required zuclopenthixol acutard 100 mg/48 h intramuscularly (im) for not more than 6 days. In three treatment-resistant patients, topiramate was added to the existing therapy. Finally, in two patients topiramate was coadministered with an antipsychotic from the beginning. Patients were assessed every week for 4 weeks with the Bech and Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS). Mean BRMS scores declined from 26.2 to 11.6 in the fourth week (P<.001); a significant decline (P<.001) was observed after the first week. Response rate (> or = 50% reduction of BRMS) was 61.5% (8 out of 13 patients). All patients tolerated topiramate well. Reduced appetite and weight loss was observed in four patients; however, two patients presented weight gain. These preliminary findings provide support for a modest efficacy of topiramate, especially as monotherapy, in the treatment of acute mania.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

False allegations of child physical abuse: a case of Münchausen by proxy-like syndrome?

The diagnosis of factitious disorder by proxy is still under investigation. Few studies have researched the psychological status and potential underlying psychopathology of the perpetrator, as well as the impact on the child's development and the pathological reactions of rearing a child within the context of a distorted reality. In this article, we present the case of a 12-year-old boy where this diagnosis was suspected. Both he and his parents brought forth false allegations of repeated physical abuse induced by his schoolteacher. The parents presented with shared psychosis and the child presented with conduct disorder, factitious disorder, and emotional problems. We suggest that this case represents a Münchausen by proxy-like syndrome involving both the legal and medical systems. Hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of symptoms in the child are noted, underscoring the differences between Münchausen by proxy syndrome appearing in infancy with that appearing in older children.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between psychopathology and cognitive functioning in schizophrenia.

The purpose of this study was to delineate the relationship between positive, negative, cognitive, depressive, and excitement symptom dimensions of schizophrenia and cognitive functioning. Fifty-eight patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV criteria) were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and a battery of neuropsychological tests (executive function/abstraction, verbal and spatial working memory, verbal and nonverbal memory/learning, attention, visuospatial ability, and psychomotor speed). The cognitive symptom dimension correlated with executive functions, attention, verbal memory, and spatial ability. Severity of the negative symptom dimension was related to impairment in the structure of the semantic knowledge system, verbal memory, and auditory attention. In contrast, severity of the positive symptom dimension correlated only with impairment in the structure of the semantic knowledge system, and psychomotor speed. Finally, severity of the depressive and excitement symptom dimension was not associated with cognition. Correlations between symptom dimensions and cognitive measures were at best modest. Severity of cognitive and negative symptoms was mainly correlated with deficits on executive functions, semantic memory, and verbal memory, while positive symptoms only with semantic memory. These correlations were modest, suggesting that psychopathology and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are caused, at least partially, by distinct pathophysiological processes.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neuropsychological profile of cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose in undertaking the present study was to explore the existence of specific areas of cognitive deficits within the context of generalized poor performance in a group of Greek patients with schizophrenia. We also sought to identify any patients who might be cognitively normal. METHOD: Participants were 70 patients with schizophrenia and 42 healthy control subjects. The 2 groups were matched on age and male-female ratio but differed in their level of education. A battery of neuropsychological tests was selected to assess executive functions/abstraction, fluency, verbal and spatial working memory, verbal and nonverbal memory, attention, visuospatial ability, and psychomotor speed. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia performed more poorly than healthy control subjects, when we controlled for differences in level of education, on executive functions, working memory, verbal memory, nonverbal memory, fluency, visuospatial ability, and attention. In contrast, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups on psychomotor speed. Patients showed a more pronounced deficit on executive functions, verbal and visual memory, and visuospatial ability. Overall, 13% to 62% of the patients with schizophrenia scored within 1 SD of the mean z scores of healthy control group depending on the cognitive domains examined. In the entire sample of patients with schizophrenia, however, no individual scored within 1 SD of the mean z scores of the control group in all cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: We found a generalized deficit in cognitive functioning in a group of patients with schizophrenia. We failed to find any individual patients who were healthy across all cognitive areas. The current neuropsychological profile, indicating widespread impairment, is comparable to that reported in the international literature and thus appears to be characteristic of schizophrenia. Our findings of increased difficulties with executive functions, verbal and visual memory, and visuospatial ability support previous suggestions of generalized brain dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Adult↗