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Biomedical subjects

J E Calamari

Publications and source records attributed to J E Calamari.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Relations between anxiety sensitivity and panic symptoms in nonreferred children and adolescents.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), the fear of anxiety-related sensations, has been posited to be a cognitive risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders but has been understudied in youth. The purpose of the present investigations was to evaluate relations between AS and panic symptoms in nonreferred children and adolescents. In Study 1, (N = 113, mean age, 13.98). scores on the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) predicted the experience of uncued panic attacks after controlling for general anxiety and depression, although the total variance accounted for was small. In Study 2 (N = 52; mean age, 9.48), the Panic/ Agoraphobia subscale of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale was used as the criterion variable. CASI score again predicted panic symptoms after controlling for trait anxiety and depression. Identification of a risk factor for panic attacks and panic disorder in youth will have important implications for etiologic theory, intervention, and prevention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Obsessive-compulsive disorder subgroups: a symptom-based clustering approach.

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is often considered a heterogeneous condition, there is no generally accepted subtype typology. Cluster analysis was used to identify definitive symptom-based groupings of 106 OCD patients. A stable cluster solution was achieved and five patient subgroups were identified based on their pattern of symptoms on the Yale-Brown (Y-BOCS) symptom checklist: harming, hoarding, contamination, certainty and obsessionals. The five subgroups were characterized by dominant symptom patterns and significant secondary concerns reflecting the symptom heterorgenaity often seen in the clinical presentation of obsessional patents. Between cluster differences on multiple symptom measures were evaluated and several meaningful differences were identified. Cluster analytic procedures may prove to be a useful tool for identifying a functional taxonomy of OCD subtypes.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Panic symptomatology and anxiety sensitivity in older adults.

Panic symptomatology and anxiety sensitivity (AS) were evaluated in cognizant older adults (mean age over 80 years). Forty-nine percent of the participants reported some panic symptoms and 27% a panic attack during the past year. Symptomatic participants reported related distress, lifestyle restrictions, mild avoidance behavior and concern about future attacks. About half the symptomatic participants reported uncued panic attacks and approximately half the participants who experienced panic during the past year reported panic symptom onset after age 60. AS predicted significant unique variance in panic symptomatology even after controlling for life-stress and depression. AS may play an important role in the development of panic in older adults. Panic symptomatology significantly affects the life of many older adults and further evaluation is warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder in the elderly: a review and case example.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent form of psychopathology in the elderly, yet limited evaluation of the disorder in this age group has occurred. We review the literature and describe a case of OCD effectively treated in an 80-year-old man. Case study reports suggest that elderly persons are responsive to selective serotonin uptake inhibitors, although medication selection and dosage may need to be adjusted as a result of the medical conditions sometimes present in the elderly. Elderly persons appear able to benefit from exposure and response prevention, although behavioral intervention has not been frequently used. We describe here the first case report where exposure and response prevention procedures were successfully used and this intervention was not confounded with psychopharmacologic treatment.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1994

Cognitive processing of idiographic emotional information in panic disorder.

Panic disorder patients, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, and normal control subjects performed a computerized Stroop color-naming task in which they named the colors of panic-threat words (e.g. Collapse), general-threat words (e.g. Infectious), positive words related to panic (e.g. Relaxed), and neutral words (e.g. Sleepy). Idiographic stimulus selection ensured their personal emotional relevance for each subject. In accordance with prediction, panic patients, but not OCD patients, exhibited greater interference for panic-threat words than for positive words related to panic and for neutral words. Panic patients did not respond differentially to panic-threat and general-threat words. Complexities concerning attentional bias research in the anxiety disorders are discussed.

Cognition↗
PubMed1989

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in a mentally retarded woman.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is extremely rare among mentally retarded people. We report here a case of a mildly mentally retarded woman who exhibits contamination obsessions, compulsive hand-washing rituals, and avoidance.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1988

Behavioral treatment of psychogenic polydipsia.

This report describes the behavioral treatment of psychogenic polydipsia in an autistic, severely mentally retarded woman who had a history of self-induced water intoxication. Treatment emphasized the use of edibles and reductions in activity demands to reward water refusal. Employing this procedure, paraprofessional staff normalized the client's water consumption, and thereby prevented further episodes of potentially-fatal water intoxication.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of multiple component relaxation training with developmentally disabled persons.

Prior studies evaluating the response of developmentally disabled persons to relaxation training procedures are largely limited to case study reports. Most often relaxation training procedures are vaguely described in these studies, and limited outcome measures are employed. In the present comparative group outcome study a specific progressive muscle relaxation training procedure was combined with auditory electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback, modeling, and reinforcement procedures in an attempt to teach relaxation skills to mentally retarded persons (N = 32) who functioned in the profound to mild range. The procedure was effective in reducing experimental group subjects' EMG levels, F (1,28) = 6.39, p less than .05, and activity level as measured with an interval recording behavior rating procedure, F (1,28) = 58.05, p less than .05. No effect was found on peripheral skin temperature. Additionally, no significant difference between the response of low functioning and high functioning subjects was seen indicating that intellectual level and adaptive behavior level failed to predict success in treatment. Scoring on a simple behavioral assessment designed to measure receptive language skills and modeling abilities thought to relate to relaxation training success also failed to correlate with outcome measures. The need to develop other predictors of relaxation training success with a mentally retarded population is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anxiety sensitivity and drug or alcohol use in individuals with anxiety and substance use disorders.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has been linked to both pathological anxiety and substance use problems. We evaluated relations between AS and substance use situations among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and concurrent DSM-IV anxiety disorders. We predicted that AS would be most strongly associated with substance use in situations involving negative emotions and interpersonal conflict in substance abusers with anxiety disorders. This group was compared to substance abusers with concurrent mood disorders and substance abusers without other disorders (N=88). AS was positively related to negative emotion situations substance use for substance abusers with anxiety disorders and for substance abusers without other disorders. Contrary to predictions, significant differences between these groups were not found. The relationship between AS and negative emotion situations substance use remained after controlling trait anxiety in a combined group (anxiety disorders and substance abuse only groups). AS did not predict substance use for participants with concurrent mood disorders. Identification of factors that place anxious patients at risk for substance use problems will have implications for treatment and for the prevention of this form of maladaptive coping.

Adult↗