PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C A Pollard

Publications and source records attributed to C A Pollard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Perceived parental characteristics of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and panic disorder.

It has been hypothesized that parents of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder exhibit specific traits. 320 consecutive inpatient admissions who met criteria for OCD, depression, and panic disorder checked a list of adjectives to describe their parents. Patients with OCD were 1) less likely to perceive their mothers as disorganized than depressives, 2) more likely to perceive their mothers as overprotective than depressives and 3) less likely to perceive their fathers as demanding than patients with panic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Sexual history and quality of current relationships in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder: a comparison with two other psychiatric samples.

It has been hypothesized that sexual conflict is a causal factor in the development of obsessive compulsive disorder. This study investigated the relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder and variables related to the individual's sexual history, present life, sexual satisfaction, and marital adjustment. Of inpatient admissions, 363 who met criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and depressive disorder completed a standard history questionnaire and the Marital Adjustment Test. Findings showed that obsessive compulsive individuals cannot be distinguished from either depressive or panic disordered groups by a particular sexual history. Future studies should use measures that do not rely on patient self-report.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Use of mobile phones in the behavioral treatment of driving phobias.

Results of two case studies are presented to illustrate the use of mobile phones with in vivo exposure treatment of refractory driving phobias. Number of miles driven and subjective ratings of anxiety were recorded during a baseline phase and 8 weeks of treatment involving a total of 24 driving practices. One subject's use of a mobile phone increased the number of miles driven alone, but the second subject made little progress and regressed following removal of the phone. These two cases and our experience with other patients suggest that mobile phones can benefit many individuals whose therapeutic progress is impeded by a fear of driving alone, but that phones are counterproductive for certain patients. The potential benefits and disadvantages of using mobile phones are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Help-seeking patterns of community residents with depressive symptoms.

From a community sample, fifty-five individuals identified as having three or more symptoms of depression were asked if and where they had sought help and how they found or would find treatment. Only 20 subjects (33.9%) reported having sought professional help. No demographic differences were found between help-seekers and non-help-seekers. Eighty percent of the help-seekers had seen a mental health professional while 20% had seen a non-psychiatric physician. However, non-psychiatric physicians and friends or personal acquaintances were most frequently cited as the first point of contact for locating treatment. Results suggest that most individuals with a moderate number of depressive symptoms do not seek professional assistance but that, among those who do, a majority is eventually seen by a mental health professional. Virtually all utilize intermediaries other than mental health professionals, however, to locate assistance. The non-psychiatric physician plays a prominent role in locating help for depressed individuals, which suggests the need to educate physicians about appropriate treatment referral.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence of various depressive symptoms in a sample of the general population.

Data on prevalence of and demographics associated with various symptoms of depression are reported for a sample of the general population. Of the nine symptoms assessed, the most frequently occurring were dysphoric mood (17.8%), increased sleep (15%), and loss of interest in other people or activities previously enjoyed (11.8%). 39% of subjects reported one or more symptoms of depression. 8% of subjects reported wondering if life is worth living, a symptom that in and of itself is suggestive of clinically significant depression. The number of depressive symptoms reported was related to income, education, age, and residence (city versus county), but not to sex. The findings provide evidence that various symptoms of depression may be more common in the general population than previously suspected.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Clomipramine treatment of trichotillomania: a follow-up report on four cases.

Four consecutive patients treated for trichotillomania (hair pulling) with clomipramine reported initially dramatic reductions in symptoms. However, three of the four patients had relapsed completely at 3-month follow-up, although all four were still taking previously effective levels of the drug. The fourth patient relapsed for about 2 weeks but regained initial treatment benefits. Implications for the treatment of trichotillomania are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Validity study of the Anxiety Symptoms Interview.

The Anxiety Symptoms Interview (ASI) is a diagnostic instrument designed to identify agoraphobia (with and without panic attacks), panic disorder, social phobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder according to DSM-III criteria. The present study evaluated the diagnostic validity of this instrument by examining the extent to which ASI diagnoses assigned to 73 clinic patients agreed with diagnoses determined by clinicians. Most kappa coefficients and other concordance indicators were in the acceptable range or above, a finding that held for diagnoses overall and for specific diagnoses of agoraphobia with panic attacks, social phobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. However, none of the 73 patients had clinician-assigned diagnoses of panic disorder (that is, without agoraphobia) or agoraphobia without panic. Limitations and applications of the ASI are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Panic attacks and related disorders in alcohol-dependent, depressed, and nonclinical samples.

Although several studies have indicated that a substantial portion of alcoholics have an anxiety disorder, relatively little information exists specifically regarding panic disorders. In addition, prior studies have been marred by the absence of appropriate contrast groups. The present investigation compared the lifetime prevalence of panic attacks and panic-related disorders diagnosed according to DSM-III criteria in a group of 79 alcohol-dependent patients, 64 depressed patients, and 70 nonclinical subjects. Panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia with panic attacks were more prevalent in the alcohol-dependent and depressed samples than among nonclinical subjects. Men in both clinical samples were more likely than women to have had nonagoraphobic panic disorder, but male alcoholics were less likely to have developed agoraphobia than were female alcoholics or depressed patients of either sex. No consistent chronological relationship between onset of panic attacks and alcohol abuse was found. Results indicate that there is an unusually high prevalence of panic attacks and panic-related disorders among alcoholics, but comparable prevalence rates can be found in depressed and perhaps some other psychiatric populations. Implications for the assessment and treatment of alcohol-dependent and panic-disordered patients are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Reexamination of the relationship between birth order and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In order to examine the hypothesis that being a firstborn or only child is specifically associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, the birth order positions and sibship sizes of 62 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder were compared with those of 60 agoraphobic and 92 depressed patients. No significant group differences were found for men, women, or both sexes combined. Results conflict with earlier findings which supported the hypothesized relationship between birth order status and development of obsessive-compulsive patterns in men. In addition to possible differences in methodology, discrepancies between the present findings and those of earlier studies may reflect a decline over the past 20 years in the percentage of male obsessive compulsives that were either firstborn or only children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Panic onset and major events in the lives of agoraphobics: a test of contiguity.

Major life events were reported in greater numbers and by a higher percentage of 50 index agoraphobics during a time period around panic onset than during either a within-subjects or a between-subjects control period. These differences were found for analyses of life events in general, events that preceded panic, and foreseeable events that occurred shortly after panic onset. Though many events involved separation or interpersonal conflict, other types of events were frequently reported. Results provide more convincing evidence than prior studies of a contiguous relationship between life events and onset of panic attacks associated with agoraphobia.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Three types of obsessive compulsive disorder in a community sample.

Until recently, prior estimates of the prevalence of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been based on clinical data. The present investigation studied point prevalence and demographic data that pertain to three ritual-based forms of OCD in a sample of the adult general population of the greater St. Louis area. Two hundred fifty male and 247 female subjects were administered a structured interview designed to identify the presence of symptoms associated with OCD according to DSM-III criteria. The overall prevalence rate of OCD was 2.8%. The most prevalent form of OCD involved checking (1.6%), followed by a miscellaneous category that included repeating, counting and collecting rituals (1.0%) and, finally, washing compulsions (.8%). Subjects with OCD did not differ demographically from the rest of the sample except that they were more likely to live in the city. Results indicate that OCD is more prevalent than previously supposed and that checking compulsions may be the most common form of ritual in nonclinical samples.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Four types of social phobia in a community sample.

Point prevalence rates and demographic characteristics associated with four specific forms of social phobia (public speaking/performing, writing in front of others, eating in restaurants, and use of public restrooms) were examined in a sample of adult residents of the greater St. Louis area. Diagnoses were determined by structured interview in accordance with DSM-III criteria. An unadjusted prevalence rate of 22.6% was found for all four social phobias combined. Application of DSM-III significant distress criteria resulted in a prevalence rate of 2.0%. Public speaking/performing phobias were by far the most common (20.6%). Prevalence rates of 2.8%, 1.2%, and 0.2% were found for phobias related to writing, eating, and use of public restrooms, respectively. Social phobias were more common among women than men. No other demographic differences were found between social phobics and the rest of the sample. Results of this study suggest a higher prevalence of social phobia than has been indicated by prior research. Explanations for and implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Habituation to fear stimuli in a case of obsessive compulsive disorder: examining the generalization process.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if habituation of anxiety to a visual form of the number 13 would generalize to other forms (auditory, behavioral and cognitive) of the number 13 in a 20-year-old male with obsessive compulsive disorder. Treatment included exposure and response prevention. A multiple baseline design across fear stimulus forms was used. Habituation to the visual form began generalizing to other forms of the number 13 before prolonged exposures to these three stimulus forms were instituted. Results suggest that exposure to a single stimulus form may result in sufficient generalization of treatment effects in cases involving seemingly independent fear responses to several forms of a stimulus.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Applying modern management principles to clinical administration of a behaviorally oriented inpatient unit.

Very few clinical administrators are trained managers, and the combined role of clinician-manager is laden with conflicting expectations. This paper describes the planning, inception, and administration of a new, behaviorally oriented inpatient psychiatric unit in a university medical center that was designed by the unit's clinical director and assistant clinical director. Contemporary management practices were adapted and applied to the development and administration of the unit. The unit's clear boundaries have allowed it to maintain its integrity within the hospital system, and its decentralized horizontal organizational structure has fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility on the part of staff at the operating level. A participative, personnel-oriented approach to unit operations has led to minimal staff turnover and high morale.

Behavior Therapy↗