Biomedical subjects

K Laemmel

Publications and source records attributed to K Laemmel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1991

[Midlife crisis: crisis in the middle of life].

Since ancient times man tried to understand the roots of his obviously often irrational behaviour. According to the prevailing "Zeitgeist", hypotheses for it ranged from demonical possession, psychological schools of thought to the role of transmitter substances at the synaptic level. For ages it has been observed and described, that men goes in his development through typical and predictable phases with their typical crises. Poets knew and wrote about it since the dawn of culture but science got interested in it only in this century. Elliot coined the term "midlife crisis" in 1965, turning attention to an age-group which was before practically ignored by psychology. He pointed out that due to a collision between developmental factors and a static identity a crisis occurred in human beings, characterized by a feeling of despair, goallessness, fatigue and consciousness of significant basic anxiety. In response to such pressures a change of comportment takes place which puzzles the people closest to the stricken. Established patterns of behaviour seem to dissipate in favour of unusual, unexpected, adolescent or even crazy actions. Many examples from history, ranging from Dante to Gauguin seem to prove the point. Realizing the presence of the crisis and its origin and interpreting it as a call for change, reorientation and new definition of priorities present a great chance to adjust one's life at this important turn. It is of great importance to recognize, that changes must take place in one's inner values and that trying to escape into frenzied activities leads nowhere.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ego↗

PubMed1991

[Mood and state of mind].

Man's basic mood is of far greater significance than commonly assumed. It is communicated to his fellow man from afar, by his facial expression, and thus can cast a long shadow upon human relations. As this is an unconscious phenomenon, the pre-existing mood is reconfirmed by each encounter--a self fulfilling prophesy. The realization that a pre-existing mood determines our experience more than the reality of the experience itself is nothing new. It is pointed out in both ancient Greek and far Eastern philosophy, in the Bible, and in modern psychology. Every human being has the ability to influence his mood through self-own awareness. If he fails to do this, his features become frozen and unalterable, like the Person, the mask of the classic Greek theatre. While alterations of mood are considered normal phenomena, depression must be seen as a manifestation of pathological affect, usually accompanied by somatic symptoms. Depressions have been known and described since the dawn of mankind. 15 bis 25% of all depressives commit suicide. They are treated preferably by a combination of pharmaco- and psychotherapy. In the realm of the latter, Beck's Cognitive Therapy has proven to be especially efficacious. As this is a common and dangerous illness, it is very important for every physician to be familiar with it. Not only to save lives by instituting adequate treatment, but to open one's heart and to empathize with the patient, to see in him a brother rather than merely an object of scientific exploration.

Affect↗

PubMed1991

[Psychosomatic considerations in dysphagia].

A psychosomatic perspective reintroduces what has always been known but has become seemingly forgotten in contemporary medicine: To understand man in illness and health, social, inter- and intrapersonal considerations are of equal importance to the traditional biological concerns. The act of swallowing is discussed as a paradigm of such complex interactions. The oropharynx is a weather corner of man's non verbalized emotions. Globus sensation, dysphagia and vomiting, commonly described as being of psychosomatic origin, represent but a small part of the frequent functional disturbances of this region. The treating physician must have a special attitude in caring for the many patients with swallowing disorders. Accessibility, flexibility and a nonjudgmental approach are called for. Thus the 'helpless expert' can turn helper, a true therapist (Greek: therapon = servant) and spare the patient a long and futile Odyssey from doctor to doctor.

Deglutition Disorders↗

PubMed1979

[Multiple therapy (complementary therapy)].

The term "Multiple therapy" is used to describe the combined use of more than one therapist for one patient following a preconceived plan (German: "Komplementärtherapie"). Combined with dynamic ward groups this approach intensifies the impact of short term in-hospital treatment. The purpose of this strategy is to fragment the patient's defenses, to shorten the therapeutic process and to prime and prepare the patient for ambulatory treatment after discharge. The employment of Multiple therapy in a hospital minimally necessitates workable interpersonal relationships between the members of the team, intensive supervision to prevent countertransference problems and a compatible point of view regarding the goal of treatment amongst the staff. All therapeutic methods, new or old, are in the final analysis nothing else than what the word connotes: a method, a means to an end. They never represent the way itself. The quality of psychiatric therapy and treatment does not depend upon the method, be it multiple therapy, individual analytic therapy, one of the non-verbal methods used or any other. What really counts is 1) whether the method is used by a team which truly wants to cooperate for the benefit of the patient, transcending their own ego demands, 2) whether it really improves interpersonal communication. Every psychiatric patient is somehow alienated and removed from his fellow men. Therapeutic methods employed at the hospital are valid if they facilitate to bridge this gap. If that is achieved, therapy can be considered successful. If not, such approaches merely represent meaningless occurrences which at best foster an illusion that "something really happened". That is not the same as when we see the beginning of a healing process. The therapeutic atmosphere in the hospital is meant to create a climate wherein a natural innate healingpower of man will be liberated. The Romans knew it already: Medicus curat, natura sanat.

Adolescent↗