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Biomedical subjects

R Balmer

Publications and source records attributed to R Balmer.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Potential toxicity.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Aluminum Compounds↗
PubMed2004

Anxiety related to dental general anaesthesia: changes in anxiety in children and their parents.

AIM: To examine the anxiety levels of children referred for dental general anaesthesia and their parents at various key points of the referral and anaesthetic procedure. METHODS: Structured interviews and anxiety measures were conducted with 50 children attending the Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Leeds Dental Institute, and progressing to general anaesthetic (GA) and their parents. Interviews were conducted with parents and children prior to initial assessment, following assessment and prior to a GA. Anxiety was measured at each interview, using the Visual Analogue Scale for parents and the Venham's Picture test for children. A fourth telephone interview was conducted with parents one week after the GA when the degree of upset caused to parents and children by the procedure was evaluated. RESULTS: Anxiety of children remained constant at each interview. Parent and child anxiety were not related. There was a rise in parent anxiety following initial assessment in those families attending in response to a routine referral and progressing to GA (p<0.05). There was a further rise in parent anxiety in these families immediately prior to the GA itself (p<0.001). Parent upset was strongly related to their anxiety at each of the three interviews prior to the GA (p<0.01, 0.05 and 0.001 respectively) and to the distress of their child (p<0.02). Child distress was strongly related to anxiety at each of the three interviews prior to the GA. CONCLUSION: The anxiety levels of children did not appear to change throughout the whole GA assessment and treatment process. Parent anxiety rose significantly following assessment and again just prior to the GA. Factors contributing to parent upset post treatment were child upset and pre treatment parent anxiety levels. Children who were most anxious prior to GA found the procedure most distressing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Social psychiatry in private practice].

Though in general the practice of Community Mental Health (or "Social Psychiatry") is a task of the State, the County or the City governments, the panel discussed two instances of sizeable contributions by private practices to the tasks of community mental health, such as crisis intervention or the care of the chronically psychiatrically handicapped, which are not commonly treated in psychiatrists' offices. The "Psychosoziale Arbeitsgemeinschaft" of Basle began in a psychiatric group practice through common sessions with public health nurses, social workers and other community helpers and served a workers' section of the city. In the course of five years several other services could be built up, such as a day-care center for psychically handicapped, a patient visiting program through voluntary helpers and a rehabilitation workshop. Ultimately subsidy from State and Federal funds could be obtained. Another program, in Zurich, started in a nonpsychiatric general practice, also in a workers' section. The physicians of that group hired, at their own expense, a social worker-educator and psychotherapist with a five year experience in community mental health work to care for the social and psychological problems commonly found in every general practice. The costs of her work cannot be generally billed to the health insurance carriers, but it is possible for the therapist to negotiate case by case with the insurance, this with success in a good many cases. The discussion with the audience shows that, in spite of considerable difficulty, it appears that private practice and especially a group practice, can make a valuable contribution to the mental health care of a disadvantaged segment of the population.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1981

Long-term treatment with diazepam. Investigation of consumption habits and the interaction between psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy: a prospective study.

In a prospective study over 6 months involving 54 psychiatric outpatients with neurotic disorders, the habits of diazepam or placebo intake and the attitudes towards psychotherapy and the medication were studied. The patients, divided into two groups, received in a double-blind setting either diazepam or placebo. They were also seen for psychotherapy every 14 days. The patients were advised to use the medication according to their personal needs but not to take more than 6 tablets of 6 mg diazepam (or placebo) daily. All patients showed controlled use of the drug. No dependency was observed. The patients stopped taking the medication gradually in each group, but faster in the placebo group. 18% of the placebo group and 52% of the diazepam group were 'high' consumers (more than 200 tablets within a period of at least 20 weeks). The intake of the drug was mainly dictated by the symptoms. A second important factor modifying the intake habits was the fear of possible adverse effects of the medication. At the end of the treatment period the attitude towards psychotherapy was more favorable than that towards psychopharmacotherapy irrespective of the drug taken. Long-term intake of diazepam did not lead to a decrease in the motivation of working through the existing problems. In contrast, the diazepam group felt less than the placebo group that medication could be a long-term solution for personal or social problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Treatment, follow-up and prognosis of drug addiction (author's transl)].

Using a standardised psychological questionnaire (self-estimation scale, personality-inventory FPI of Fahrenberg and Selg) and serial examinations, the effectiveness of a therapeutic concept combining drug, environmental and group therapy was tested. The psychological parameters objectified stabilisation of the psychological-autonomic and emotional areas as well as ego functions. The follow-up study extended over an average of five years and included 101 former drug addicts (14 could not be interviewed, 10 had died). Social stability was observed in 63% (satisfactory working performance, reduction of sexual problems, contacts with friends). 36% of the group had abstained from further drug taking, 27% were taking them periodically, 32% had to be treated again and 5% had deteriorated (trend towards invalidism).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sick behavior of patients with rheumatic diseases].

The illness behavior of 119 patients with rheumatic disorders (predominantly nonarticular rheumatism) has been studied. The behavior differed in relation to the rheumatological diagnosis, the personality and the previous stress situations.

Acupuncture Therapy↗