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Biomedical subjects

Richard Balon

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Balon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Mood, anxiety, and physical illness: body and mind, or mind and body?

This research review examines the recent articles that have investigated the relationship between mood, anxiety, and physical illness (e.g., asthma, autoimmune disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and sexual dysfunction). There is growing evidence of an overall negative impact of depression and other mood states, and anxiety on numerous physical illnesses and conditions, and their outcome.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed2006

Reflections on relevance: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2005.

This article focuses on the mission and relevance of articles published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2005. Four areas of articles relevant to the mission of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics are reviewed: (1) new (psycho-)therapies; (2) cognitive-behavioral therapy; (3) new or newly defined psychopathology, and (4) the impact of or impairment due to various illnesses or treatments. In addition, other clinically important and relevant issues, such as the need for new treatments, suicide during psychotherapy, technological innovations used in psychotherapies and methodology of psychotherapy trials are discussed.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Measuring anxiety: are we getting what we need?

This article discusses several studies describing either the reevaluation and validation of existing scales for measuring anxiety (i.e., the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for adults and for children and adolescents, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the Self-Rating Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist), or the development and validation of new scales (i.e., the Social Thoughts and Beliefs Scale, the Social Phobia Diagnostic Questionnaire, the Aberdeen Trauma Screening Index and the Health Anxiety Inventory). As an increasing number of rating scales have been developed over the past several years, a critical review of their usefulness and psychometric properties seems pertinent and prudent.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed2005

Reflections on relevance: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2004.

Relevance of an article is a highly desirable yet hardly predictable quality at the time of its publication. Article relevance is frequently measured by the impact factor of the journal where the article is published. Furthermore, impact factor, citation index and citation analysis are used as a measure of research progress and scientific wealth of a nation. The wisdom and significance of this approach to relevance is debatable and thus discussed here. In 2004, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics published a variety of articles which, in the author's view, are clinically relevant. Several selected clinically relevant issues reviewed in this article include: the conceptualization of fibromyalgia as a stress disorder; the psychosocial impact and psychosocial interventions in cancer; the impact of alexithymia on patient care; the possible relationship between depression and nutrition (namely intake of folate and pyridoxal phosphate); the significance of hypercoagulability in panic-like anxiety; the questionable value of single isomer drugs, and the relevance and adequacy of clinimetrics versus psychometrics in clinical research. The reviewed issues seem to be relevant to clinical practice, research or both, but also to our critical thinking, and the critical review of the developments in psychiatry and psychology.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed2005

Attitudes and views on psychiatry: a comparison between Spanish and U.S. medical students.

OBJECTIVE: In order to gain a broader view about the process of recruitment, we decided to compare and analyze the differences between the attitudes and views of Spanish and U.S. medical students towards psychiatry. METHODS: The opinions of 151 students who had completed psychiatry at the end of their fourth year were sought on the basis of their responses to a 33-item questionnaire, using a cross sectional design. RESULTS: Although in general, Spanish students showed a positive attitude towards psychiatry, the opinion about certain aspects like the biopsychosocial concept of illness, salary, social pressure and respect from nonpsychiatry staff were different from U.S. students' opinions. CONCLUSION: These opinions may have influenced the 6% of Spanish students who chose psychiatry as a possible specialty, somewhat higher than the 4.5% of U.S. students.

Attitude↗
PubMed2004

Developments in treatment of anxiety disorders: psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and psychosurgery.

A selection of articles that focus on psychosocial treatments, pharmacotherapy, and psychosurgery of anxiety disorders are reviewed. While some medications look clearly beneficial or potentially effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders, other compounds seem less promising or not effective. A combination of proven pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies may be the most clinically prudent approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders. Thermocapsulotomy may be an "extreme" option in selected cases of severe nonobsessive anxiety but may carry a significant risk of adverse effects indicative of frontal lobe functioning impairment. In spite of all the research and progress in studying relatively well-defined therapies, many patients suffering from anxiety and depression still use complementary and alternative therapies. The use of alternative and complementary is likely to increase as insurance coverage expands.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed2004

Complex demodulation of cardiac interbeat intervals: increased cardiac sympathovagal interaction during human sexual activity.

In this study, we analyzed heart rate variability during sexual activity using complex demodulation, which is a useful technique to study continuous changes in different frequency bands over short periods of time. Complex demodulation has the advantage of having higher time resolution compared to spectral analysis. We quantified the low frequency (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF: 0.15-0.5 Hz) amplitudes, and the LF/HF ratio before, during, and after the occurrence of orgasm. LF power is dually mediated by cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic systems while HF power is mainly influenced by cardiac vagal function. We found a significant increase of cardiac sympathovagal interaction (LF/HF ratios) during the phase of orgasm. These findings are discussed in light of normal sexual physiology and the effect of sex on cardiac autonomic function in patients with heart disease, such as myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Burnout comparison among residents in different medical specialties.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate resident burnout in relation to work and home-related factors. METHOD: Maslach Burnout Inventory was mailed to residents in eight different medical specialties, with a response rate of 35%. RESULTS: Overall, 50% of residents met burnout criteria, ranging from 75% (obstetrics/gynecology) to 27% (family medicine). The first year of residency, being single, personal stress, and dissatisfaction with faculty were independently associated with burnout. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to reduce resident burnout nationally would benefit from expanding beyond the work-hours regulation.

Burnout, Professional↗
PubMed2003

Nocturnal panic: biology, psychopathology, and its contribution to the expression of panic disorder.

The latest studies on psychopathology and biology of nocturnal (or sleep) panic attacks and other findings related to sleep in panic disorder are reviewed. While some of the newer articles doubt that nocturnal panics present a more severe variation of panic disorder, older studies and some newer articles support this notion. Some studies suggest that nocturnal panic maybe also be associated with other, more severe pathology. This interesting syndrome, or variant of disorder, may have its own etiology, psychopathology, and underlying biology.

Adult↗