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Biomedical subjects

I Gilat

Publications and source records attributed to I Gilat.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Premature birth and cognitive functioning in adolescence].

Premature infants are considered a high-risk population for developing cognitive dysfunction. Studies have indicated lower cognitive performance among elementary school children born prematurely. We focused on cognitive functioning of such adolescents. This age was chosen because of its critical importance in the development of the individual. 50 adolescents aged 14-16 years born prematurely were compared with 50 born at full-term and matched for gender, age and socioeconomic status. All subjects attended regular schools and did not suffer severe neurological disorders. Cognitive functioning was measured by the Bender-Visual Motor Gestalt Test and by 3 subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (revised WISC-R test). Results revealed that prematurely born adolescents scored lower than those born at term on all measures of cognitive performance. The results are discussed in terms of their developmental meaning and of therapy for the prematurely born.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Suicidal calls to a telephone emergency service].

Suicidal threats and suicidal ideation among callers to the Israeli hot-line (ERAN) were investigated, using 2 methods of analysis. The first, an epidemiological survey based on 8,272 calls received by all 8 ERAN posts during 2 years, reported on their standard form for recording interactions with suicidal callers. The second is content analysis of 42 detailed reports of interactions with such callers. Epidemiological analysis revealed a higher rate of suicidal ideation among callers with a psychiatric history, compared with those without a history. However, the 2 groups did not differ in rate of suicidal threats. In addition, suicidal threats of adolescents were related mainly to problems of identity and self-image, while mental disorders were the main problems among adults. Content analysis identified 2 patterns of terminating the interaction, which represent 2 strategies of intervention to prevent suicide. The first is establishing a contact between the caller and an appropriate individual in the caller's environment who undertakes responsibility to help the caller. The second strategy is reducing the caller's tension, leading to a withdrawal of the suicidal threat. The first pattern is more characteristic of interactions with psychiatric callers, while the second is more frequent among non-psychiatric callers to ERAN. The hot-line makes a unique contribution in helping those threatening suicide, which constitutes a real emergency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Characteristics of calls to Israeli hotlines during the Gulf War.

The current study presents results of a survey of 3,215 calls received at seven centers of telephone emergency services (TES) in Israel during the Gulf War, when citizens of Israel experienced severe stress resulting from SCUD missile attacks. Whereas former surveys have shown that characteristics of calls to TES in Israel are generally not affected by external stressogenic events, a remarkable change was recorded in both the quantity and quality of calls received in TES centers in Israel during the Gulf War. The relative frequencies of problem categories presented by callers during the Gulf War revealed a significant increase in "environmental pressures," a category that reflected the stressful situation of the war, as opposed to intra- or interpersonal problems typical of peacetime calls. A comparison between this group of "war calls" and a control group of "nonwar calls," revealed that the two groups represented populations of callers differing in sociodemographic characteristics, expectations, and benefits from the calls. Results are discussed in reference to the unique role of TES as a source of psychological first-aid in a community crisis situation.

Demography↗
PubMed1996

[Characteristics of calls by psychiatric patients to an emergency telephone helpline].

The role of the Israeli emergency telephone helpline, ERAN, was investigated by comparative analysis of calls received from 464 patients being treated psychiatrically, with calls received from 3,292 nonpatients during 1994. Findings reveal different patterns for helping relations in the 2 groups: Those being treated psychiatrically on a regular basis called ERAN more frequently, expected emotional support rather than direct help, mainly presented mental problems, and suicidal thoughts were much more prevalent among them. Those under no psychiatric treatment often called only once and presented a wider spectrum of expectations and problems. These differences indicate that the interrelations between the para-professional ERAN service and professional agents are complementary for mental patients and substitutional for other callers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Suicide by Ethiopian immigrants in Israel].

49 Ethiopian immigrants to Israel committed suicide between Jan. 1983 and Sept. 1992. First and second degree relatives and friends of 32 of the suicides were interviewed using a questionnaire ("psychological autopsy"). In 12 cases detailed reports of welfare services and also 7 summaries from mental health institutions were analyzed. Except in 1989, the suicide rate of Ethiopian Jews was considerably higher than that of the general population of Israel (19-46 vs 6-8/100,000). The profile of a high suicide risk in an Ethiopian immigrant was that of a married man up to 40 years old, usually with a marital conflict, who appears depressed but does not communicate suicidal intent, and who frequently visits his general physician. This profile differs considerably from that of immigrants from other countries and of Israelis in general. The social message of the Ethiopian suicide conveys feelings of indignation. 3 cases are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Treatment of mental disturbances by the family physician].

A group of 64 patients with symptoms of mental disturbance was treated by 5 family physicians according to the recommendations of a psychiatric consultant and under his guidance. The group was compared with a control group of 22 patients treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist. Both groups improved significantly as determined at follow-up 3 months after psychiatric intake and 5-6 months later. The study emphasizes the importance of liaison between the psychiatrist and the family physician, and of supervision by the psychiatric consultant in the implementation of the recommended treatment.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1983

A developmental analysis of early time concepts: the equivalence and additivity of the effect of interfering cues on duration comparisons of young children.

Young children compare durations correctly and explain their conclusions logically only when no interfering cues such as distance and speed are introduced. We investigated whether type of cue and additivity of interfering cues affect children's duration comparisons. 4- and 5-year-old children were asked to compare the burning times of pairs of partially synchronous lights differing in intensity, bulb size, or both. Those who erred tended to attribute longer duration to the brighter or larger bulb, brightness having a stronger interfering effect than size. Since brightness might qualify as "work" more than bulb size might, the finding that the former interferes more than the latter supports Piaget's basic claim of children's confusion of time with "work." The fact that bulb size interferes at all, which does not fit into Piaget's framework, may be explained in terms of children's inability to distinguish clearly between time-related and time-unrelated cues and their assumption of direct relations between dimensions. Additivity of interference did not emerge, indicating that the previous finding which suggested its existence--distance plus speed interfering with duration comparisons more than speed alone--should be reassessed in terms of type of interfering cues, that is, distance interferes more than speed with time.

Child, Preschool↗