Biomedical subjects

N J Rubin

Publications and source records attributed to N J Rubin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Intractable depression or psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: Some patients with treatment resistant depression may have a difficult to recognize and therefore untreated thought disorder. Even a subtle disorder may significantly impact patients' lives. This case illustrates a mechanism for identifying and treating this subgroup of patients. METHOD: The treatment of a 67-year-old female with intractable depression is described. RESULTS: The Rorschach Exner Comprehensive System identified the presence of a thought disorder with four out of five conditions positive on the Schizophrenia Index and five out of seven conditions positive on the Depression Index. Low-dose risperidone was added to the patient's medications with excellent results. Post-testing indicated that the Schizophrenia and Depression Indices were no longer positive. CONCLUSION: A subgroup of patients with intractable depression may have an underlying thought disorder that can be identified with the Rorschach and successfully treated with low-dose antipsychotic medication.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Abuse history: is it really important in the medical encounter?

The negative effects of a history of severe abuse as a child are becoming increasingly well known to the physician and, in the adult survivor, include both mental health and physical sequelae. Intervention for emotional and psychologic consequences can include a mental health referral. Awareness of physical sequelae can aid the physician in diagnosis and intervention. However, the impact of severe childhood abuse in the medical encounter does not end with diagnosing and managing somatic complaints and/or providing a mental health referral. Severe childhood abuse directly affects the physician-patient relationship by causing the predictable difficulties that adult survivors of severe abuse experience in any of their intimate relationships.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Health care perceptions of the standardized patient.

As the use of standardized patients (SPs) for education and assessment continues to grow, there becomes an ever-increasing cohort of patients in our clinical practices who have participated as SPs. The present study is part of a five-year longitudinal study to examine the impact of participation as a standardized patient on the perceptions of the standardized patient's own health care. SPs participating in the 1993, 1994 and 1995 Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) for medical students at the end of their third year were requested to respond to mailed questionnaires before, immediately after and one year after their participation in the OSCE(s). Results indicated that, while overall the SP's perceptions of their interactions with their doctors were positive both before and after participation in the OSCE, as a group, their perceptions of their own health care was significantly worse at one year post-OSCE. Additionally, when divided according to SP experience, that is novice versus experienced SP, most of the items on which there were changes were mutually exclusive between the groups. If these significant negative changes are due to the SPs becoming more educated consumers of medical care, this can be seen as a positive outcome. However, if the changes are due to variables particular to the third-year medical student OSCEs themselves, debriefing of the SPs following their participation in the OSCE may be warranted.

Alabama↗

PubMed1993

Severe asthma and depression.

The comorbidity of severe asthma and depression is frequent and complicates the patient's comprehensive medical management. Asthma and depression are thought to interact to worsen both conditions, especially at the severe end of the spectrum of disease. This article reviews the current thinking regarding the synergistic effect of the two disorders, highlighting the importance of considering both disorders in the comprehensive management of severe asthma. Outpatient management and treatment issues addressed include the use of screening/case-finding tools, medication management, physician counseling, and referral.

Antidepressive Agents↗

PubMed1988

Academic courses in biofeedback.

The data presented here represent a sampling of the activities in programs offering academic courses in biofeedback that responded to the Education Committee's effort to develop a directory of such courses. A diversity of type and number of training experiences, equipment, resources, and approaches to training are represented. The committee is currently working on a format to share the wealth of course materials gathered in addition to the directory, which has already been published (Biofeedback Society of America, 1987).

Biofeedback, Psychology↗