PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Fruensgaard

Publications and source records attributed to K Fruensgaard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Psychotherapeutic strategy and neurotic excoriations.

This article sketches the planning of psychotherapy as a treatment for neurotic excoriations (NE). The program is developed on the basis of information collected in an investigation of 63 consecutive, first-time referrals of NE patients to a dermatology department, and the findings from a follow-up after 1 to 5 years. The offer of social advice and support, but not psychotherapy, was included in the investigation program. At the time of follow-up, NE had healed for 13 of the 63 patients. The information gathered indicates that a treatment model should be eclectic in form so as to allow for individual variances in, for example, age, intelligence level, and motivation for psychiatric intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Psychotherapy and neurotic excoriations.

During the period from 1979 to 1985, 22 patients with the primary forms of neurotic excoriations (NE) accepted referral to the author. Twenty of them completed a psychotherapy program which was eclectic in form and allowed for individual weighting of its single elements. At the follow-up, on average after 5 years, valid evidence was found of a positive effect of goal-directed psychotherapy in NE patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Neurotic excoriations. A controlled psychiatric examination.

The investigation covers 68 patients with the primary form of neurotic excoriations (n.ex.) who within a 5 year period, 1974-78 had contact with the dermatology department, Odense University Hospital. The diagnosis was ascertained clinically - anamnestically, and by various laboratory examinations. The first 25 typical patients were matched with neurotic control patients (control group) who were homogeneous with regard to sex, age, level of intelligence, main personality traits (self-esteem, orderliness in a broad sense, hysterical traits), and level of invalidity. The primary psychiatric investigation contained a semistructured biographic interview lasting about 3 hours. N.ex. patients were on an average 42 years old at the time of reference to the dermatology department and most frequently in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. About 90% were women and only about 1/2 were married. Occupationally pensioners and workers dominated. Childhood seems on many levels to have been more discordant for n.ex. patients than for the control patients. Father and steady partners tended to have a lower social status in the n.ex. group than in the control group. A predominance of n.ex. patients lacked self-confidence (though possibly managed to mask it), were hypersensitive, meticulous or perfectionistic, suffered from sexual dysfunction. They were more reserved in contact situations than patients in the control group and often revealed no manifest need of psychiatric treatment. Significantly more in the n.ex. group than in the control group had a high level of energy and activity. There was a dominant tendency to depressive/dysphoric moods in the n.ex. group. Management of aggression was seldom without problems in both the n.ex. group and in the control group but aggressive explosions occurred with significantly greater frequency in the n.ex. group. A number of the patients in the n.ex. group described how their spouse's phlegmatism could violently irritate them. The same frequency for suicidal behaviour was found for both groups. The onset of the skin disease occurred at the average age of 30 years approximately; for 40% the outbreak could be described as "fresh" on approach to the dermatology department. Distressing factors preceding onset or recidivation after healing that were of significance for the patient were registered for about 90%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Controlled neuropsychological investigation of patients with neurotic excoriations.

On the basis of preliminary empirical findings and the pertinent neuropsychological literature the following hypothese are put forward: (1) Because of a certain amount of abreaction (scratching), patients with neurotic excoriations will obtain higher scores in tests of verbal learning and long-term memory than "common' neurotics but probably lower scores in such tests than a group of "normal' subjects. (2) Visual long-term memory is relatively impaired both in patients with neurotic excoriations and in "common' neurotics compared to a "normal' group. (3) Performances IQ for both patient groups mentioned will be relatively low compared to verbal IQ. - The first and second of these suppositions were confirmed but not the third.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Controlled electroencephalographic investigation of patients with neurotic excoriations.

Because of the self-destructive character of neurotic excoriations (n.ex.), it is probable that relatively unmasked aggression plays a greater role than in 'normal' neurotics. In this investigation EEG abnormalities have been found for 51.9% of a group of 54 consecutive patients with n.ex. as against an abnormality frequency of 25% in a control group of neurotics without n.ex. The frequency of abnormalities in the n.ex. group is of the same level as for aggressive psychopaths, a finding which supports the above-mentioned hypothesis. In the majority of cases these abnormalities took the form of unspecific changes mainly showing bilateral theta activity. The basis of the registered left-sided preponderance of EEG abnormalities is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Amoxapine versus amitriptyline in endogenous depression. A double-blind study.

A new antidepressant, amoxapine, which is a dibenzoxazepine deprivative, was compared with amitriptyline in a randomised double-blind trial. Forty-eight patients were included and 41 completed a 4-week treatment. Most of the patients were maintained on 150 mg daily. Assessments were made by the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and Patient's Self-Evaluation. The total HAM-D score was considerably reduced in the majority of the patients. Amitriptyline was the most effective with regard to symptoms included in the factor Sleep Disturbances and-secondary maybe-towards some items included in the factor Somatization. For the remaining items,including the items of the factors Anxiety/Depression and Apathy, the last score was lower in the amoxapine group than in those treated with amitriptyline. Among the unipolar cases the amoxapine treated patients were more satisfied with regard to efficacy (P = 6.3%). The frequency of side effects such as tremor and dizziness was considerably lower in the amoxapine group. In total, the side effects lasted longer in the amitriptyline group. We conclude that amoxapine seems to be an effective antidepressant with a low frequency of side effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Symptom reduction in depression after treatment with L-tryptophan or imipramine. Item analysis of Hamilton rating scale for depression.

Thirty-eight in-patients with endogenous- and 20 in-patients with non-endogenous depression, took part in a multi-centre 3-week double-blind trial where patients were randomly allocated to treatment with either 6 g L-tryptophan or 150 mg imipramine daily. Item analysis of Hamilton ratings, before the investigation and weekly during the trial period demonstrated few statistically different mean scores on individual items between the two treatment groups. After 3 weeks' treatment a statistically significant item mean reduction on the 0.1% level was found in the item Agitation in favour of imipramine-treated, and in the item Work and Activities in favour of L-tryptophan-treated endogenously depressed patients. After 3 weeks' treatment a statistically significant item mean reduction on the 5% level was found in the item Suicide in favour of imipramine-treated non-endogenously depressed patients. The present study has shown that, after 3 weeks' treatment, imipramine and L-tryptophan has decreased the mean score on individual items of HRS in about the same degree.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Parenteral treatment of acute psychotic patients with agitation: a review.

Representative studies which elucidate present treatment principles regarding parenteral administration of neuroleptics for acute psychoses with agitation are reviewed. "Rapid tranquillization" with drugs such as haloperidol generally appears preferable, but controlled comparisons with more conservative types of treatment are lacking. It is suggested that parenteral chlorpromazine should be avoided because of its tendency to provoke severe hypotension, whereas loxapine apparently is a valuable drug if strong sedation is required for behavioural control. Possible advantages of ultra-high-dose therapy need to be proved in controlled trials, and the occurrence of toxic side-effects requires further evaluation. From an ethical and psychological point of view, it is recommended that antiparkinsonian medication should be administered simultaneously with neuroleptics which induce a high incidence of acute dystonia. Several types of acute psychosis with agitation which do not require treatment with a neuroleptic as drug treatment of first choice are briefly mentioned.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1978

Loxapine versus perphenazine in psychotic patients. A double-blind, randomized, multicentre trial.

A double-blind, randomized, multicentre trial was carried out in 47 psychotic patients to evaluate the efficacy of oral treatment with loxapine compared with perphenazine. In total, 22 patients were included in diagnostic Group I (cases of acute schizophrenia and psychogenic (reactive) psychoses). The average maximum daily dose was 60.0 mg in the loxapine group and 36.8 mg in the perphenazine group. After 3-weeks' treatment, no significant differences were found between the two treatment groups according to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Scale or side-effect records. Twenty-five patients were included in diagnostic Group II (cases of chronic schizophrenia). The average daily dosage was 81.1 mg in the loxapine group and 90.1 mg in the perphenazine group. After 10 to 12-weeks' treatment, no significant differences between the two treatment groups could be found according to BPRS, CGI scale, Nurses' Observation Scale for In-patient Evaluation (NOSIE) or side-effect records. The diastolic blood pressure (lying and standing) tended to increase slightly in both treatment groups. In conclusion, it was found that loxapine and perphenazine seemed to be equally effective and, based on experience with parenteral loxapine treatment, it is suggested that further investigation of oral loxapine should be carried out in psychotic patients in whom agitation is a feature.

Acute Disease↗