Biomedical subjects

O Köller

Publications and source records attributed to O Köller.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

The validity of the ICD-10 classification of recurrent affective disorders: do endogenous and psychogenic depressions form a homogeneous diagnostic group?

Fifty-five hospital-treated patients with the ICD-10 diagnosis of 'recurrent depressive episode(s)' were classified according to the Newcastle Depressive Diagnostic Scale as having either psychogenic (n = 25) or endogenous (n = 30) depression and interviewed using several inventories on personality and psychopathology (Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Symptom Check List, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, IIP, NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory, Social Adjustment Scale, Questionnaire of the Motivation to Seek Psychotherapy). Except for the IIP, individual subscales disclosed significant differences between the two groups. In light of these results, the grouping of these two disorders into one diagnostic group in the ICD-10 is critically discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMed1999

Vascular dementia versus dementia of Alzheimer's type: do they have differential effects on caregivers' burden?

OBJECTIVES: We investigated homecare patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT; n = 36) or vascular dementia (VD; n = 36) and their care-providing relatives regarding clinical and psychosocial variables to determine whether DAT and VD impose different burdens on caregivers. METHOD: All patients were diagnosed according to ICD-10 criteria. The diagnoses were confirmed by internal medical, clinical-neurological, and psychiatric parameters. The severity of the dementias was graded according to the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). Caregiving relatives responded to the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BAD), the Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS), and the Screen for Caregiver Burden (SCB). RESULTS: Analyses revealed that caregivers' burden (SCB), disease symptoms and personality changes of patients (BAD), and the patients' inability to cope with everyday tasks (BDS) were sharply higher for DAT than for VD patients in the group with severe dementia. Concerning patients with mild or moderately severe disease, scores in the DAT group were similar or lower than those in the VD group. CONCLUSION: In early stages, VD patients impose a greater burden on relatives than do patients with DAT. In severe stages this relationship undergoes a reversal, with relatives of DAT patients experiencing the burden more adversely than those of VD patients. The differences in the onset and course characteristics, as well as the specific differences between these two types of dementia with respect to caregiver burden factors, call for their diagnostic separation and the development of specific homecare support systems for family caregivers.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1998

First hospitalized versus rehospitalized patients with an affective disorder or schizophrenia: differences in long-term course and outcome.

A comparison of course and outcome in schizophrenics and patients with unipolar affective disorders revealed significant differences not only between the two groups but also between first hospitalized and rehospitalized patients within each group. While schizophrenics fared worse in almost all parameters at the end of the 14-year follow-up period, within each group overall course and outcome were also poorer for rehospitalized versus first hospitalized patients. The poorest course was shown by rehospitalized schizophrenics. Future studies on course and outcome should differentiate between first and rehospitalized patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Clinical and psychosocial variables in different diagnostic groups: their interrelationships and value as predictors of course and outcome during a 14-year follow-up.

A 14-year follow-up study was conducted on 214 patients from the diagnostic groups schizophrenia, affective psychosis, and neurosis to determine the relationships between various clinical and psychosocial variables and to assess their value as predictors of long-term course and outcome. Particular emphasis was placed on ascertaining the interrelationships between the variables within the individual diagnostic groups. The results indicate that for schizophrenia, severity of disease at discharge from index hospitalization was the principal predictor of the number and duration of further hospitalizations. Furthermore, it predicted the severity of illness and social functioning at follow-up. For affective psychosis, the Global Assessment Scale score predicted the number and duration of further hospitalizations. Severity of illness, social functioning, and age at first hospitalization were predictors of occupational development. For neurotic disorders, severity of disease and social adjustment at discharge from index hospitalization were each predictors of themselves at final follow-up. In addition, age at first hospitalization was an important predictor of most course and psychosocial variables. Among the endogenous course variables within the schizophrenic group, the number and duration of further hospitalizations had a substantial bearing on severity of illness and social functioning at follow-up. For affective psychoses, indicators of occupational development and number of hospitalizations had an impact on severity of illness and social functioning at follow-up. Our findings reveal a good overall predictive value for the clinical and psychosocial variables within each of the diagnostic categories studied.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[Individual differences in solving spatial problems of the IST and IST-70 subtest on "cube problems"].

Spatial ability is one of the primary mental abilities which has been subject of many empirical studies--especially in the factor analytical research. Analysing the mental processes when solving space tasks, e. g. by means of retrospective verbal reports, two different strategies can be distinguished. The first strategy (called "holistical" strategy) can be described as a mental rotation of the given stimulus, the second one (called "analytical" strategy) is characterised by nontransformal mental processes, e. g. pattern matching processes. In order to identify those different strategies, test items are required, which have different solution probabilities when being solved with different strategies. The "cube tasks" of the IST and IST-70 by Amthauer (1953, 1970) are of this type, as Putz-Osterloh (1977) has found in an experiment. The hypothesis of individual differences in solving space tasks was tested in two different samples. First the "cube tasks" of the IST-70 were administrated to 264 applicants for the pilot job. Data analyses using the mixed-Rasch-model (Rost, 1990) confirmed the hypothesis of an "analytical" and "holistical" strategy. In the second study 2558 pupils of the 7th grade were tested with the "cube tasks" of the IST. A latent class analysis of their response patterns revealed basically the "holistical" and "analytical" strategy and, in addition, four strategies which can be explained by motivational factors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Stability of diagnoses in various psychiatric disorders: a study of long-term course.

The frequency of diagnostic shift was investigated in 267 patients diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders according to the 9th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). Forty-six patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenic psychosis, 71 for affective psychosis, 66 for neurotic disorder, 24 for personality disorder, and 40 for psychogenic reaction. The remaining 20 patients were diagnosed with heterogenous disorders. The mean follow-up time was 12.5 years. Every episode of inpatient treatment was diagnosed cross-sectionally. Patients with an initial episode of schizophrenic psychosis showed by far the greatest stability (93%). A high stability was found in patients diagnosed with neurotic disorders (79%). Forty-two patients with an index diagnosis of affective psychosis suffered more than one type of episode during the course of disease. The lowest stability was noted in patients with a psychogenic reaction (10%). Eleven percent of patients with a final diagnosis of schizophrenia had an index diagnosis of psychogenic reaction. Our findings demonstrate that the course of disease should be considered in making the final diagnosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Duration of inpatient treatment of various psychiatric disease categories. A follow-up study].

The frequency and duration of in-patient treatment in psychiatric and general hospitals was observed over an average 14-year period for 328 patients with different psychiatric diseases. Schizophrenics were more frequently admitted and spent longer in psychiatric institutions than all other diagnostic groups, but were admitted less frequently and for shorter periods to general hospitals. Patients suffering from organic mental illness and those with neurotic disorders had more frequent and longer periods of general hospital care. Drug dependent and neurotic patients were hospitalised more frequently and longer for psychiatric rather than for medical reasons in general hospitals. The total frequency and duration of psychiatric in-patient treatment was distinctly less frequent and of shorter duration for neurotic disorders as compared with schizophrenic or affective psychoses.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Psychiatric and somatic hospitalisations of different diagnostic groups: a long-term follow-up study.

Out of 328 cases with different diagnoses, including those without pathological findings at follow-up, the frequency and duration of in-patient treatment in psychiatric and somatic institutions was observed over an average 14-year period. Schizophrenics were more frequently and longer in psychiatric institutions, but they were less frequently and for shorter periods in somatic care compared with all other diagnostic groups. Patients suffering from affective psychosis had comparatively long psychiatric and somatic periods of hospitalisation. Dependents were hospitalised more frequently and longer for psychiatric rather than for medical reasons in somatic institutions. The total psychiatric in-patient treatment time was distinctly shorter for neurotic disorders compared with schizophrenic psychosis or affective psychosis cases.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting the utilization of homecare supports by caregiving relatives of Alzheimer patients.

Thirty-six homecare patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) and their caregiving relatives were studied to determine the factors influencing their use or nonuse of available medical, institutional, instrumental, and legal supports. The rate of utilization of homecare support was found to be surprisingly low. Only when the burden of providing care had become intolerable did relatives resort to homecare support (homecare allowance, counseling, outpatient services, etc.). The main reason for the low utilization was poor knowledge regarding the availability of homecare supports. Since all of the DAT patients were under the care of a family doctor, this information deficit could best be overcome by improved counseling from personal physicians.

Aged↗