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Biomedical subjects

M Tousignant

Publications and source records attributed to M Tousignant.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

[Suicidal ideation and behavior of young college students in Montréal.].

Suicide among youth is a subject of growing concern. Successful suicides, however, represent only a slight part of the total problem. A study conducted with 666 francophones students attending four C.E.G.E.P. in the Montreal territory reveals that 21.2 % of them say that they have already experienced serious suicidal ideation. 12.2 % have had these experiences within the last twelve months. There are also 3.6 % of the students who admitted to having attempted suicide during the same period, and 8.1 % during their lifetime. More than half of the students say they also have experienced suicidal obsessions such as a fear or a desire to throw themselves in front of the metro. Parental separation and poor health represent the two most serious risk factors. Nearly three quarters of the people who have had serious suicidal thoughts have thought of plans or have confided them to members of their social circle... The reaction of the milieu was reported as positive in only half the cases. Clinical interviews with 25 of the respondents showed that the suicidal ideation reported, corresponded, in almost all cases, with a period of great anguish. The fact of thinking of suicide did have, on the other hand, some positive effects in producing awareness of the possibility of a control over one's destiny.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1981

[Emotions and psychopathology: an indigenous theory].

After reviewing the beliefs concerning folk illnesses such as susto, colico and pena, which are said to be caused by emotions in Latin America, we tried to understand the attitudes Indians have toward these emotions. The main states discussed are fright, anger and grief and they are related to a universe of spirits seen as the agents of these states or as being annoyed by them. Although there are obvious parallels between his mode of thinking and psychosomatic medicine, the underlying principles are quite different. The emotions involved in the causation of illnesses are regarded as a reflection of weaknesses in the individual. But if Indians consider emotions to be a sign of weakness, they do not see them as the opposite pole to reason as Western philosophy and psychoanalysis do (id. against the ego). The latter points to traumatic experiences as a very important factor in the genesis of neurosis, but during the cure these experiences must be talked about and thus integrated into rational discourse (Das soll ich Werden). Native healers, on the contrary, do most of the work of the cure and they oftenenter into altered states of consciousness, either through drugs or alcohol, in order to supersede the spirits overpowering the patient or to gain the complicity of superior gods, thus making only minimal use of verbal exchange.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
PubMed1979

Espanto: a dialogue with the gods.

Espanto or susto has been analysed from various points of view in the last fifteen years. From a survey covering 109 case analyses collected in Nicolas Ruiz (Chiapas, Mexico), we reached the conclusion that this folk illness cannot be conceived of as a syndrome in the medical sense. A semiological analysis showed that espanto can be better described as an indigenous theory whose function is to relate illness events to other levels of reality. According to indigenous belief, the Holy Earth and the chtonian spirits of the underworld play an important role in the origin of the illness. This origin is associated with an opening of the earth as is illustrated in the earthquakes or the volcanic eruptions forming the prototype of a fright experience leading to espanto; or, it is attributed to agents who inhabit locations where the earth presents a fissure (river, ravine, cave). It is through these holes that the Holy Earth exerts her power. Concomitantly, the body of the victim is believed to open itself to the influences of the bad winds of espanto. Trembling is another aspect of the phenomenon which is observed at numerous levels: first, during the fright experience; second, when the victim falls ill (chills jumping in bed); and third, when the curandera takes the pulse of the patient to see if the blood is afraid. These multiple analogies lead to the assumption that there is a meaning shared by these separate manifestations.

Female↗
PubMed1979

Exploring a new type of alcoholism survey.

A new type of method for surveying alcoholism and alcohol-abuse was tested in a way designed to cover about 20% of adults in a town of 50 000. The method proved able to identify types of alcohol-abuser which other survey techniques have difficulty with; it made no undue demands on respondents; and it is much more economical than conventional household surveys. However, more work is still needed on it, and for certain types of information the customary self-report is still going to be required.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Theoretical and practical problems in the measurement of the mental health of populations. Quebec health survey].

The authors present the process of setting up a mental health inquiry. The "Enquête Santé Québec" was conducted at the request of the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to identify the problems, needs and priority intervention sectors in the health field. The inquiry was carried out on a large scale at the pilot stage, collecting information on 4,000 people in rural and urban areas. The principal options chosen are briefly discussed: type of mental health to be measured, sample methods, choice of instruments, validation work and some results.

Health Priorities↗