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Biomedical subjects

G Scarso

Publications and source records attributed to G Scarso.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The image of self and of the environment in drug abusers: a comparative study using the TAT.

This study attempted to add to our understanding of the heroin abusers' identity problems, using images of the self and the environment. Murray's Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was applied to a group of male drug users undergoing withdrawal treatment with methadone and also to a group of male, non-drug using controls. The needs of the subjects and the demands of the environment, plus interaction between the two, were compared between the two groups to obtain information about the self and lifestyle. Among the data which emerged, is an increased need for destructive aggression and an environment experienced as coercive and emarginating. Among the interactions we observed coerced imagination, difficulties in identification, personal relationships based on abandonment with persecutory projection of the female figure and a tendency toward immature defences such as avoidance, denial and acting out. This information is discussed in relation to possible means of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Borderline pathology: follow-up study. Preliminary report].

The work is based on the frequent use of the term "borderline" in clinical practice, in spite of the fact that this word still tends to have a controversial and ambiguous meaning. Patients who were admitted to the Psychiatric Clinic at the University of Turin between 1974 and 1980 with diagnoses of borderline pathologies or marginal psychoneurosis were followed-up in the study. The subjects in question were reexamined after an interval of between 8 and 14 years (the majority between 10-12 years). An attempt was made to compare the two diagnoses using DSM III R criteria. Family status and employment were also taken into account. It was observed that the diagnosis of marginal syndromes recorded in the patient's clinical records did not correspond to the DSM III R borderline diagnosis, and rather than referring to a precise syndrome it reflected an area of diagnostic uncertainty. This raises various questions both with regard to the role of psychiatry, and in relation to the incidence of cultural factors in influencing observations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Application of the "Somatization Index" to a sample of soldiers in obligatory military service. Validation study].

One hundred and eighteen clinical records of soldiers attending the Psychological Unit of the Ospedale Militare "A. Riberi" in Turin were included in the study. Records assessed according to the "Somatization Index" and the scores obtained were analysed using statistical methods (t test) according to the following parameters: geographical origin of the family (North/South); place of residence (southern Italians resident in the South/southern Italians resident in the North, and rural/urban environment); educational level (5th class in primary school/upper secondary school). A substantial overlapping was observed between the groups studied. Various hypotheses can be put forward: 1) the index is not capable of distinguishing between expressiveness in psychic terms and expressiveness in somatic terms in relation to the patient's psychosocial malaise; 2) the results of the index are valid and may be interpreted in the following ways: a) the Italian population is homogeneous with regard to the modes of expressing and communicating psychosocial malaise; b) the results obtained are influenced by the excessive homogeneity of the sample studied in terms of age; c) the results obtained are biased by the strong reactive nature of the soldier's psychological problems with respect to Military Service: the reaction has characteristics of immediacy and should therefore be interpreted as a maladjustment which is experienced and expressed in a psychic context; d) the results are influenced by the name of the place of study ("psychological unit") and by the "civil" appearance of its workers.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Attitudes, knowledge and methods of assistance used by general practitioners in Novara in treating drug addicts. Study of 100 doctors].

The study examines the relationship between the general practitioner and the drug addict and aims to evaluate some aspects of the work of the health service, above all with reference to the methods of assistance, attitudes and knowledge relating to the problem of treating drug addicts. A questionnaire was sent to 100 general practitioners in Novara; it consisted of 15 questions relation to the doctor's opinion of the drug addict, the methods and place of intervention, the doctor's judgement regarding his/her own preparation and function, and the frequency of contact with drug addicts. The findings show that the majority of doctors have a positive attitude towards the problem, but that there is also a widespread feeling of impotency, dislike, loneliness, disinformation, and in addiction a feeling of educational inadequacy on the subject.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗