Biomedical subjects

J Hintikka

Publications and source records attributed to J Hintikka.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

A prospective three-year follow-up study of borderline personality disorder inpatients.

Prospective long-term follow-up studies on patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been uncommon. Clinical data suggest that their treatment is highly demanding and that short-term results are sometimes limited. In this study, changes in symptoms and social management were monitored during a hospitalization period of 91 days (mean, range 21-296 days) and during a 3-year follow-up period in 62 patients admitted during 1989 to an open ward specializing in the psychotherapeutic treatment of BPD. The patients were thoroughly evaluated, using various rating scales, at the beginning and at the end of the index admission and after the follow-up period. Forty-two patients (70%) participated in the follow-up evaluation. Most patients suffered from overt anxiety and depressive symptoms at the beginning of hospitalization, and these declined significantly during hospital treatment. At the end of the follow-up period, depressive and anxiety symptoms were at the same level as on discharge, as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Although treatment response was otherwise maintained, the patients often showed suicidal behavior. During the follow-up period the sample clearly differentiated in two groups: those continually fit for work (33%) and those chronically incapable of working (46%).

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Serum interferon in schizophrenia.

Serum interferon (IFN) levels were determined in 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 age- and sex-matched patients with affective or borderline disorders. In only 1 schizophrenic patient a positive titre of serum IFN was detected. The relationship between psychiatric variables and IFN production is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

A local potent glucocorticosteroid decreases the induction of galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase in suction blisters but has no effect on basement membrane structures.

The effects of local glucocorticosteroid treatment on collagen biosynthesis and basement membrane components were studied in suction blisters in human abdominal skin. Pretreatment with clobetasol-17-propionate, applied three times a day for 4 days, did not affect the activity of galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase (GGT) in fresh blisters but post-blistering treatment for 3 days with the steroid markedly inhibited the increase of this enzyme activity during the initial phases of re-epithelialization. The GGT activity was over 50% lower in steroid-treated blisters compared with control values. Protein concentrations and blister fluid volumes were also significantly decreased in healing 3-day blisters after steroid treatment. These results suggest that local glucocorticosteroid decreases either the synthesis of GGT or its release from the tissue into the blister fluid. The treatment did not affect the blister histology nor the early process of re-epithelialization. Immunohistochemically, type IV and V collagens and laminin of the basement membrane zone were similarly located in blisters of steroid-treated and placebo-treated skin, suggesting that local glucocorticosteroid does not affect the integrity of the basement membrane.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Are alexithymia and depression distinct or overlapping constructs?: a study in a general population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and depression in a general population sample (N = 1,888), as measured by the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21), using factor analysis. The items of the TAS-20 and the BDI-21 loaded on separate factors with only a minor overlap concerning physical worries. However, in a subset of subjects, who were both alexithymic and depressed, loadings were highly overlapping. These findings suggest that alexithymia and depression may be highly associated. Another conclusion might be that psychometric properties of the TAS should be further developed to make differentiation between alexithymia and depression possible.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors associated with alexithymia in patients suffering from depression.

BACKGROUND: We studied the factors associated with alexithymia in 137 depressed outpatients. METHODS: Diagnosis of depression was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory, and other psychiatric symptoms with the help of the Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90). Life satisfaction was also assessed with a structured scale. RESULTS: Almost half of the patients were considered alexithymic. They were significantly more often male, unmarried and had a lower education than the nonalexithymic patients. Alexithymic patients more often showed psychiatric symptoms (SCL-90) and were also more often severely depressed and dissatisfied with their life than were the other patients. Logistic regression analyses revealed that four factors were independently associated with alexithymia: male gender, a low level of education, low life satisfaction and severe depression. Sleep disturbances were independently associated with alexithymia in men and severe depression in women. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymia is very common among patients with depressive disorder. An awareness of these risk factors would be useful in improving the efficacy of treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Is alexithymia a permanent feature in depressed patients? Results from a 6-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: A six-month follow-up study was conducted to determine whether alexithymia is a permanent feature in 169 depressed outpatients. METHODS: Diagnosis of depression was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-I). Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Almost 40% of the patients were considered alexithymic at baseline, but only 23% at follow-up. Alexithymic patients were more often moderately or severely depressed than other patients in both study phases. The BDI scores explained 23% (at baseline) and 42% (at follow-up) of the variation in TAS-20 scores. The decrease in the TAS-20 scores was associated with a concurrent decrease in BDI scores. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymic patients with depressive disorders do not appear to form a stable group. On the contrary, alexithymia seems to change as a function of depression. In the light of these results, alexithymia appears not to be a stable personality trait among depressed patients, and furthermore, it seems possible that alexithymic features respond to psychiatric treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Why do alexithymic features appear to be stable? A 12-month follow-up study of a general population.

BACKGROUND: This 12-month follow-up study investigated the prevalence of alexithymia and its relationship with depression in a sample of the general population from Eastern Finland (n = 1,584). METHODS: Alexithymia was assessed using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and depression using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: The prevalence of alexithymia in each study phase was similar (baseline: 9.7%; follow-up: 10.1%). Mean values of BDI, TAS-20 and subfactors of the TAS-20 also remained unchanged between the study phases. However, by using the original cutoff points, we found that a proportion of the subjects were in a different TAS-20 category on follow-up than at baseline. The mean values of BDI had not changed in those subjects who had similar alexithymia status in both phases, but increased or decreased in parallel with the change in TAS-20 score among all other subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that it is important to use a variety of viewpoints when studying changes in alexithymia status. Alexithymia appears to be a stable trait based on the similarity of the mean TAS-20 scores in separate study phases. However, when focusing on the changes in alexithymia status at the individual level, alexithymic features also appear to be state dependent and strongly related to depressive symptoms.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alexithymia and depression: a prospective study of patients with major depressive disorder.

The authors conducted a 12-month follow-up study to determine the association between alexithymia and depression in 116 outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 540 control subjects from the general population. Alexithymia was screened using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The results show that the severity of depression was significantly associated with alexithymia. In addition, the BDI scores increased or decreased proportionately with the change in TAS-20 score in both groups. These results lend further support to the idea that alexithymia may be a state-dependent phenomenon.

Adult↗