Biomedical subjects

B Bankier

Publications and source records attributed to B Bankier.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Delusions in first-admitted patients: gender, themes and diagnoses.

Whether there is a specific link between certain delusional symptoms and particular etiologies has not yet been completely clarified. In this study, 639 first ever admitted deluded patients were investigated in order to find out whether age and gender are associated with certain delusional contents, whether age at first admission may be linked to certain etiologies and whether it is possible to detect indicators particularly related to basic dysfunctions. At first admission, delusional female patients were older than men with a significant predomination of delusions of persecution, while men presented significantly more frequently delusions of jealousy and grandiosity. Within delusions of persecution, of religious or metaphysical content and of grandiosity, women were even significantly older than men. Religious or metaphysical and grandiosity contents occurred significantly more frequently in ICD-8 schizophrenia, indicating that these themes seem to be particularly linked to ICD-8 schizophrenia. Additionally, some target symptoms not included in the delusional symptomatology were investigated to test the relationship between delusions and schizophrenia. Overall, the results of the present investigation indicate that delusions are not specific for schizophrenia, and therefore, other symptomatological criteria should be applied for the nosographic attribution.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[Social networks and social support in a sample of mentally ill sex offenders].

OBJECTIVE: Characteristics of social networks and social support were investigated in a group of 35 imprisoned mentally ill sex offenders. METHODS: We compared current parameters (after an average of 3 years of psychosocial therapy) with those at the time of the offence. RESULTS: Analyses reveal a decrease in social network size but an increase in social support by the remaining or new social network members. These changes are discussed in reference to various influencing variables in a therapeutic prison facility. The impact of psychosocial interventions in relapse prevention of sexual offenders will be outlined.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

[Driver's license expertise and psychiatric diagnosis. An analysis of 712 specialist expert assessments].

In a large University Department of Psychiatry a retrospective analysis of 712 psychiatric expertises on fitness to drive was carried out to identify factors influencing the decision "unfit to drive". Psychological test results were identified as the most potent factors influencing this decision, whereas a psychiatric diagnosis seems to be less important. The results indicate that demographic data and history (previous psychiatric hospitalisations, previous verdict "unfit to drive") were not influential. It is concluded that today's psychiatrists, when carrying out expertises on the question of fitness to drive, do not follow previous recommendations of placing a verdict of "unfit to drive" on all persons with a psychiatric diagnosis. They obviously follow a more individualised and pragmatic approach.

Alcoholism↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Panic disorder and cigarette smoking behavior.

Smoking has been discussed both as a risk factor for panic disorder and as a contributing factor to elevated cardiovascular risk in panic disorder patients. Smoking habits and their association with panic disorder were studied in a sample of 102 panic disorder patients. Both for female and for male patients, rates of smokers and of exsmokers were substantially higher than in the general population. However, a surprisingly high number of patients had succeeded in reducing or quitting cigarette smoking because of their panic disorder, although they experienced little benefit in regard to panic symptoms from doing so. We conclude that the motivation for changing smoking habits is high in this population with elevated smoking prevalence and should be taken into consideration by therapists.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A case of Asperger's syndrome first diagnosed in adulthood.

A 25-year-old white male patient was admitted to the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Social Psychiatry, of the University of Vienna, Austria, for severe social withdrawal, selective mutism and outbursts of violence with attacks on his mother. Careful examination revealed the presence of all the typical symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. The diagnosis had never been made before, although the patient had a history of a difficult childhood with several admissions to a child psychiatric inpatient unit for 'obsessional neurosis' and an institutional career. It is stressed that, in view of the availability of treatments and the deleterious effect of the untreated condition in the sensitive years of personality development, early recognition and diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome are of utmost importance.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Valproic acid and Carbamazepine: a successful antipsychotic medication? The problem of diagnosis and its relevance for therapy.

This single-case study deals with a 24-year-old woman who suffered after a severe depressive episode from paranoid-psychotic symptoms, which did not respond to antipsychotic medication, but to antiepileptics. In this case report, it is elaborated why psychotic symptoms may not respond to antipsychotic medications and the utility of a polydiagnostic approach is shown. Psychotic symptoms based on dynamic instability may occur simultaneously in the pathogenesis of affective disorders and schizophrenia. It is demonstrated that the use of a polydiagnostic approach will lead to a more refined etiopathogenetic attribution.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Screening for DSM-IV somatoform disorders in chronic pain patients.

BACKGROUND: The Screening Instrument for Somatoform Symptoms (SOMS) has been developed for selecting subjects with various somatoform disorders. To date, this instrument has not been used for pain patients. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to apply the SOMS to chronic pain patients, and to compare different SOMS cutoff item scores with regard to their sensitivity, specificity and (positive and negative) predictive value for selecting subjects with DSM-IV somatoform disorders among pain patients. METHODS: In a consecutive sample of 105 chronic pain outpatients, the SOMS was administered in addition to an operationalized psychiatric assessment according to DSM-IV. RESULTS: Patients with a somatoform disorder reported significantly more SOMS symptoms than patients without somatoform disorders (p < 0.02). As shown, a cutoff score of >/=4 somatoform items appeared useful for determining a somatoform disorder. However, only a limited number of cases could be correctly classified by the SOMS (range 53-66%). CONCLUSION: Therefore, the applicability of the SOMS as a screening instrument for somatoform disorders in chronic pain patients awaits further clarification.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical validity of ICD-10 neurasthenia.

BACKGROUND: Neurasthenia was defined over a century ago. In view of a questionable clinical validity, it was omitted from the 3rd edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM, while it remains as an own diagnostic category in the WHO's ICD-10. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to examine the clinical validity of ICD-10 neurasthenia in a consecutive sample of chronic pain patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 193 patients (mean age 45.1, SD +/- 10.2, 63% females) in the study. Psychiatric diagnoses were established by the use of ICD-10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research. In addition, the Screening List for Somatization Symptoms was administered: self-rating of 53 medically unexplained somatic symptoms, and 11 additional screening questions concerning weakness after slight mental or physical exertion and disease conviction. RESULTS: Thirty-three percent of the patients who fulfilled the criteria of ICD-10 neurasthenia also fulfilled the criteria of ICD-10 somatization disorder, 69% the criteria of ICD-10 undifferentiated somatoform disorder, 14% the criteria of ICD-10 hypochondriacal disorder, 66% the criteria of ICD-10 somatoform autonomic dysfunction, 85% the criteria of ICD-10 persistent somatoform pain disorder and 14% the criteria for sexual dysfunction not caused by organic disorder or disease. The symptom profile of ICD-10 neurasthenia was not clearly distinguishable from the symptom profiles of ICD-10 somatoform disorders and ICD-10 sexual dysfunction. DISCUSSION: Due to this substantial diagnostic overlap, the clinical validity of ICD-10 neurasthenia remains questionable.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alexithymia in DSM-IV disorder: comparative evaluation of somatoform disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression.

The purpose of this study was a direct comparative evaluation of alexithymia in patients with somatoform disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression, taking into account the multidimensionality of the alexithymia construct. The authors administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to a sample of 234 subjects. Panic disorder, but no other diagnosis, was significantly related to lower TAS-20 total scores (P=0.000). Regarding TAS-20 subfactors, Factor 1 was significantly associated with somatoform disorder (P=0.006) and depression (P=0.002), Factor 2 was significantly associated with depression (P=0.025), and Factor 3 was significantly associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (P=0.001), whereas panic disorder showed a significant negative correlation with Factor 3 (P=0.001). The relationships of the three subfactors with various DSM-IV diagnoses and sociodemographic variables emphasize the multidimensionality of alexithymia.

Adult↗