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Biomedical subjects

D K Winstead

Publications and source records attributed to D K Winstead.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Meridional differences in temporal resolution.

Previous investigations of temporal resolution have shown that performance is influenced by a number of stimulus parameters. The interstimulus interval needed for accurate two-pulse discrimination has been shown to (i) decrease monotonically with flash duration, luminance, and contrast; and (ii) increase monotonically with the spatial frequency of the target. A signal-detectability two-alternative forced-choice procedure was employed to reexamine the effects of spatial frequency on temporal resolution. Also assessed was the effect of grating orientation on such performance. The results confirm that temporal resolution declines with increases in spatial frequency. Furthermore, temporal resolution was significantly lower when oblique, as opposed to vertical, grating targets were used. The 'oblique effect' in temporal resolution was observed only with the highest-spatial-frequency target (15 cycles deg-1), and not with stimuli of lower spatial frequency (0.9 and 3.8 cycles deg-1). These findings suggest that stimulus parameters which elicit greater transient channel activity, as opposed to sustained channel activity, enhance temporal resolution. When transient activity is at a minimum, meridional differences in temporal resolution are likely to be attributable to sustained channel activity.

Form Perception↗
PubMed1982

Visual processing deficits in acute and chronic schizophrenics.

Psychophysical techniques have been used to assess the duration that brief visual stimuli remain in visual memory. At the earliest "iconic" stage the duration depends on several parameters, one of which is spatial frequency. In the present experiment, a two-pulse temporal resolution task was used to evaluate the duration of iconic persistence in schizophrenics as a function of spatial frequency. Normal controls, acute, and chronic schizophrenics viewed achromatic gratings of different spatial frequencies. Their objective was to discriminate between a single or double flash of these gratings. Signal detection analysis was used to control for psychological factors. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that schizophrenics (i) do not conform to the typical relationship between iconic persistence and spatial frequency of the grating and (ii) have longer iconic persistence than normals on all spatial frequencies. The results are discussed in terms of the different sensitivities of transient and sustained neurophysiological mechanisms involved in spatiotemporal frequency visual analysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Biorhythms: fact or superstition?

Although much has appeared in the lay literature regarding the role of biorhythms in life events, few empirical data exist to support the notion that biorhythms affect our lives. The authors first examined the relationship between biorhythms and date of psychiatric hospitalization for 218 patients. They then compared the dates of psychiatric emergency room visits for 386 patients with each patient's biorhythms. The results from both studies failed to reveal a significant relationship between time of psychiatric admission or psychiatric emergency room visit and various phases of the biorhythm cycle. The biorhythm theory is much too simplistic to account for the complexities of everyday life. Therefore, belief in the theory is likely to be an expression of superstitious behavior.

Hospitalization↗
PubMed1980

Hospice consultation team: a new multidisciplinary model.

The term "hospice" refers not only to certain facilities, but also to a philosophy of comprehensive, humanistic treatment for the patient and his family. Because death will always be a part of the general hospital setting, hospice concepts provide a useful method for improved patient care. This paper describes the development of a multidisciplinary team that provides consultation-liaison services for terminally ill patients and their families, either while in hospital or while being followed in a home-care treatment service. Cases are presented that illustrate the benefits of such an approach to the care of the dying patient and his family.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Chronic illness behavior in psychiatric patients: an attempt at behavioral validation.

Recent literature has focused on chronic illness behavior as a final common pathway for many patients with psychosomatic disorders and learning theory has been used to explain the behaviors of these patients. The present study evaluated psychiatric patients in a variety of treatment settings using the methodology of Wooley and Blackwell (1). Blank forms were used as "do it yourself" tokens and rewarded behaviors were categorized as care-taking, sociability, achievement, communication, or other. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that psychiatric patients did not differentially reward care-taking, as a chronic illness model would have anticipated; rather, they most frequently rewarded socialization and achievement. In addition, we found that patients without disability compensation rewarded socialization more frequently and achievement less frequently than did those patients with compensation. Treatment setting was not related to the types of behaviors that were rewarded. This study does not support a behavioral theory of chronic illness behavior in a general psychiatric population. The results are discussed with respect to the implications for psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine.

Achievement↗
PubMed1979

An attitude survey of the effects of marijuana on sexual enjoyment.

Determined attitudes on the effects of marijuana on sexual enjoyment by self-report for a group of 84 graduate students of health sciences. The students were grouped in three categories: those who had sexual experience while under the influence of marijuana (experienced smokers), those who have smoked marijuana but who have not had such experience (non-experienced smokers), and non-smokers. Results are again inconclusive despite the fact that a majority in each category responded in a positive manner to the initial question concerning the effect of marijuana on the enjoyment of sexual intercourse. There is sufficient support to indicate that at least some experienced smokers have derived an enhancement of sexual pleasure while they were using marijuana. The implication is that there may be value in researching the use of marijuana in treatment of sexual disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Patient autonomy in alcohol rehabilitation. II: Program evaluation.

The alcoholism inpatient services at the U.S. Army Hospital Nürnberg are described and assessed with attention to current issues. The results compare favorably with contemporary findings, and include an almost zero dropout rate that relates to giving the patient more "say so" in treatment selection by providing a variety of treatments in a smorgasbord fashion. Abstinent and nonabstinent patients following treatment are contrasted on psychometric and demographic variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Patient autonomy in alcohol rehabilitation. I. Literature review.

A brief literature review on alcoholism treatment supports the authors' thesis that the alcohol abuser should be given some autonomy or "say so" in treatment selection. Presenting a variety of treatments as alternatives to the alcoholic may reduce treatment dropout rate, the aversive stigma frequently associated with therapy,and antiherapeutic disruptions while improving community coordination in alcoholism rehabilitation and providing an effective approach in treating the "total life" health of the alcoholic.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1979

Evaluation of day treatment center effectiveness.

A study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of the Day Treatment Center as an alternative to rehospitalization for chronic psychiatric patients. The project utilized a subject as his own control design comparing equal time intervals before and during Day Treatment Center involvement. The study demonstrates the efficacy of the Day Treatment Center as a therapeutic modality that not only helps prevent hospitalization, but also assists in decreasing the average length of stay when admission is unavoidable.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Psychotropic drugs: a biopsychosocial approach.

A biopsychosocial theory and approach to drug-seeking behavior suggests new questions for the family physician to ask his patient when psychotropic drugs are being considered. The theory and rational guidelines for prescribing allow the physician to make more appropriate decisions when faced with difficult situations. Pharmacotherapy can then be directed toward alleviating anxiety that inhibits the patient's existing coping skills or toward activating the depressed/apathetic patient to use his existing skills. With this approach, social, psychologic and biologic coping devices can be simultaneously mobilized.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1977

Propoxyphene on demand. Analgesic-seeking behavior in psychiatric inpatients.

Although anxiety is known to enhance a patient's response to pain, the exact relationship is unclear. This problem is particularly acute among psychiatric patients where analgesics are frequently both used and abused. This study attempts to evaluate factors associated with analgesic use among these patients with the hypothesis that anxiety, other measures of psychopathology, and ward tension would be associated with frequent analgesic use. An unselected series of psychiatric admissions during a three month period were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, MMPI, and a questionnaire dealing with prior drug use. Propoxyphene napsylate (Darvon-N) was made freely available on request from nurses who recorded details of the interaction on a prepared card. The nursing staff also recorded unusual incidents on the unit and evaluated daily the level of ward tension. The results indicate that, when made freely available to psychiatric inpatients, propoxyphene was used very conservatively and for appropriate complaints. Factors associated with drug seeking behavior are discussed in relation to other research regarding the use and abuse of analgesics.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Coffee consumption among psychiatric inpatients.

Of 135 patients on an acute psychiatric ward, 34 were "high users" of coffee. The high users tended to be older, single, and have diagnoses of psychosis. They showed significantly more state anxiety than other patients, but there were no differences in trait anxiety or MMPI scores. Further research is suggested to determine whether high caffeine consumption among inpatients may be related to staff coffee-drinking behavior and/or treatment with anticholinergic drugs.

Adult↗