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V Hobi

Publications and source records attributed to V Hobi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Contingent negative variation and attention in schizophrenic and depressed patients.

Contingent negative variation (CNV) is supposed to be a psychophysiological indicator of attention and arousal. Both have been reported to be deteriorated in schizophrenic and depressed patients. Thirty-four patients with major depression, 43 patients with schizophrenia and 49 healthy subjects were investigated during acute illness with a complex three-stimulus go/no-go task which requires different states of attention: trials consisted of three complex figures that were tachistoscopically presented. Three identical figures had to be confirmed by pressing a button (target condition). CNV was measured: (1) after the first figure waiting for the second (baseline condition), (2) after two identical figures waiting for the third (response-relevant condition), (3) after two different figures waiting for the third (response-irrelevant condition). The response-relevant condition compared to baseline significantly intensified CNV in healthy controls and to a minor extent in depressed patients but not in schizophrenics. In the response-relevant conditions in healthy controls, CNV was significantly reduced compared to the response-relevant condition. This clear discrimination between response-relevant and response-irrelevant conditions was not observed in either group of patients. Thus, the applied CNV paradigm was able to discriminate schizophrenic and depressed patients from healthy controls. Furthermore, subtle differences between schizophrenic and depressed patients were detected, reflected by the different CNV development across experimental conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Vigilance-decreasing effects of 2 plant-derived sedatives].

Previous studies on the efficacy of valerian extracts have given occasional hints of possible side effects involving impaired vigilance. Because of the currently insufficient knowledge about potential impairment of vigilance by plant-based sedatives, we have conducted a controlled study to assess the effects of two plant-based sleep remedies in comparison with flunitrazepam and placebo after single oral administration. Aim of the study was to derive recommendations concerning potential hazards in driving or operating machinery. Residual sedative effects (hangover) were examined in four groups of 20 healthy volunteers, receiving either tablets containing valerian and hops or syrup containing valerian only or flunitrazepam or placebo; furthermore, immediate sedative effects of the two plant preparations have been examined in comparison with placebo (three groups of twelve healthy volunteers). The tests included objective measurements of cognitive psychomotor performance as well as subjective questionnaires on well-being. Tolerability was assessed from spontaneous reports of side effects and a verbal inquiry at the end of the tests. We found that objectively measurable impairment of performance on the morning after medication occurred only in the flunitrazepam group, a finding which was even more pronounced in the subjective questionnaires. In addition, 50% of the volunteers in the flunitrazepam group reported mild side effects in the inquiry at the end of the tests, compared with only 10% from the other groups. The subjective perception of sleep quality was improved in all three medication groups, when compared to placebo. Examination of acute effects of the plant remedies 1 to 2 hours after administration revealed no changes in the more important lead variables; however, a very slight impairment of vigilance after taking syrup was statistically significant as well as a retardation in the processing of complex information for the tablets. The subjective perception of effects was more pronounced (shaky legs, feeling less active). In conclusion, the residual sedative effects (hangover) observed in some earlier studies cannot be confirmed for the recommended doses of the two plant-based sleep remedies which we have examined with respect to vigilance and cognitive performance. On the contrary: our findings show improved subjective self-assessment (more alert, more active, feeling better). Hangover effects on the following morning need not be a cause for concern, which is of particular interest to car drivers; however, a slight impairment of performance during the first few hours after ingestion should be anticipated. Impairment of vigilance on the morning after ingestion of benzodiazepines, frequently reported and confirmed by our results, constitutes a potential hazard. In this situation, plant remedies such as those examined in this study should be considered as viable alternatives.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[The psychology of sleep].

As a prerequisite for the understanding of waking and sleeping some facts about the bio-psycho-social functioning of human experience and behavior are taken up. Like other functions sleep can only (approximately) be understood holistically from this point of view. Healthy sleep requires a switch from activation to relaxation. It is mainly this switch which is often disturbed in all forms of psychogenic sleep disorders. Anxiety and stress are the main causes. Any physiological, psychological, or social factor enhancing this trigger will improve sleep. Ultimately the expression "sleep the sleep of the just" holds good.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

[Acute sedative effect of a herbal relaxation tablet as compared to that of bromazepam].

The relaxing effect and the systemic tolerance of a single oral dose of Valverde relaxation dragées have been examined double-blinded against 3 mg of bromazepam and placebo in groups of 20 healthy male volunteers each treatment. The systemic tolerance was assessed at the end of the examination, relying on spontaneous remarks or comments made on side effects upon questioning. As the four plants from which Valverde has been extracted (valerian, balm, passion-flower, and pestilence wort) have a reputation of being tranquilizing agents with spasmolytic effect, not only this effect needs to be demonstrated, but also sedative side effects and impairment of vigilance must be assessed to explore the risk for accident proneness. We expected that the relaxing-tranquilizing effect of bromazepam as well as of Valverde relaxation dragées compared with placebo is perceived subjectively. A potentially existing impairment of performance due to Valverde was assumed to be milder than impairment due to bromazepam. The study, however, inspite of a sophisticated test battery with extended testing, could not detect any effect for either of the two drugs; nor could it detect a side effect. The sedation and reduction of vigilance observed in a pre-study without placebo controls (Gerhard and Hobi, unpublished) was explained by natural fatigue which appeared in the course of the morning also under placebo. Therefore, sedative side effects, leading to an impairment in performance, can be excluded for both drugs at the studied dose level.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Psychosomatic factors in borderline hypertensive subjects and offspring of hypertensive parents.

Psychosomatic factors, sympathoneural and sympathoadrenal as well as cardiovascular mechanisms, were studied in 24 patients 18-24 years of age with borderline hypertension, 50 age-matched normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents, and 49 controls with no family history of hypertension. They were compared by projective and questionnaire-based psychological tests and their circulatory and neurohormonal reactivity to mental (Stroop color-word conflict test and arithmetic test) and physical stressors (orthostasis and bicycle ergometry test) were measured. Borderline hypertensive subjects externalized aggression less (p less than 0.05) but internalized it more (p less than 0.05) and were more submissive (p less than 0.05) when compared with controls. Offspring of hypertensive parents showed a similar but weaker pattern. Both risk groups reported more positive interactions with their parents (genetic risk subjects versus controls, p less than 0.05; borderline hypertensive patients versus controls, p = 0.08) and had higher state-anxiety levels (p less than 0.05). There were more subjective symptoms of beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated functions (e.g., tachycardia, tremor) in borderline hypertensive subjects and offspring of hypertensive parents, elevated heart rates (analysis of repeated measures, p less than 0.001), and enhanced plasma norepinephrine concentrations (p less than 0.05) when compared with controls. These findings in subjects at risk for the development of hypertension suggest that psychosomatic factors and sympathetic overactivity are involved in the early phase of hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Ambulatory psychotherapy management (as exemplified by Urban-Basel and Rural-Basel cantons)].

In 1977 a cantonal regulation for the independent practice of psychotherapists, the first in Switzerland, came into effect in Basel-Stadt and Baselland. In 1982 psychologists with a postgraduate formation in psychotherapy were surveyed with a first questionnaire. A second such questionnaire has been sent out in 1988 of which the results are presented here. In Basel-Stadt (about 190,000 inhabitants) about 64 psychologists and 104 psychiatrists in private practice provide psychotherapeutic services for outpatients. In Baselland (about 233,000 inhabitants) the number of psychotherapists is roughly one fourth, indicating the center function of the city with regard to psychotherapeutic services. In the two cantons a total of 4,800 weekly therapy sessions are provided. This amounts to a sharp increase of psychotherapeutic services rendered. Inspite of an often heard trend toward group therapy individual therapies dominate with 82%. The postgraduate therapeutic formation of psychiatrists and psychologists continues to be dominated by psychoanalyticly oriented schools. The clients served by psychologists do not differ dramatically from those of psychiatrists: Mainly neuroses, psychosomatic diseases and neurotic depressions are treated, only a few addictions and psychogeriatric problems. 80% of the psychiatrists judge the effect of the regulation positively. The cooperation between psychologists and psychiatrists is closer than generally assumed. Finally some fundamental questions about the psychotherapeutic maintenance are discussed.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1989

[A report on experiences using Goldberg's GHQ (General Health Questionnaire)].

The General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg and Hiller, 1978, 1979) is a screening instrument for clinical and preclinical assessment of psychosomatic disorders and proneness to such disturbance. It has been translated into German by F. Gutzwiller for a national health survey (SNF 8/SOMIPOPS) and has been used thereafter in several studies in combination with other psychometric instruments. This current paper presents a set of test-related theoretical and statistical parameters of the GHQ (28-item version). The specificity of the proposed scales (somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, severe depression) is relatively low in the German version. Nevertheless may the questionnaire be recommended for nonclinical and nonpsychiatric in-patient use, as it picks up aspects of depression and suicidal behavior, of a general disturbance feeling, and of mental and psychophysical stress and exhaustion. Further evaluation is recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Dyskinesias in a clinical population. Results of a comparative follow-up].

646 patients of a psychiatric clinic (272 m, 374 f) have been examined for tardive dyskinesia by two physicians, a neurologist and a psychiatrist. 192 patients exhibited some dyskinetic disturbances (32%). Thus the prevalence in this sample is rather high. The applied rating scale has proved successful (interrater reliability of .88). A year later the same sample of 192 patients (shrunk by 63 patients due to releases from the clinic and cases of death, non availability) was reexamined by the same physicians. The following results are noteworthy: Age exercises the strongest influence on the severity of tardive dyskinesia; women are more heavily affected than men; the clinical differential diagnosis has little influence on the degree of the disturbance; the same holds true for duration of therapy and dose. In the reexamination (computed as a dependent sample on the basis of 129 complete cases) a reduction of the intensity of dyskinesias has been observed. The results are discussed thoroughly from a clinical and methodological point of view.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1986

[A new rating for the detection of dyskinesias. Clinical and metric problems].

In context with a study on tardive dyskinesia in a psychiatric clinic, two ward psychiatrists rated patients with respect to extrapyramidal dyskinetic reactions. (Age, sex, type of neuroleptic treatment and diagnosis were taken into account.) Few multiple dyskinesias have been found. When they occur at all then predominantly in the area of head and limbs; dyskinesia of the eyes and joints of knee and elbow are rare. Although three factors can be extracted by a factor analysis (head, trunk, and limbs) the insufficient reliability of single subscales becomes evident. In spite of these metric problems the use of the rating in the existing version is justified for clinical and educational reasons. It is recommended to secure statistical reliability mainly with the total score which provides a good interrater reliability (.88 and .82) and a sufficient internal consistency (.70). For analyses of the course we suggest a data screening at the level of single items or subscales.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1985

Prevalence of tardive dyskinesia in a clinic population.

The reported prevalence of tardive dyskinesia (TD) widely ranges from 0.5% to 70%. This variability is probably due to many factors, including different patient characteristics, drug treatment exposures, and investigator biases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, severity, and symptom type of TD in all 646 patients residing in a psychiatric hospital. Each patient was assessed by a psychiatrist and a neurologist with a special rating scale after drug dose had been stabilized for a minimum of 1 week. The overall prevalence was 32%, with a slightly higher rate and more severe symptoms in women. Age positively correlated with increasing prevalence and severity of TD. Psychiatric diagnosis and duration of neuroleptic therapy were not significantly correlated with TD prevalence. The results are generally consistent with the majority of findings in other studies of the epidemiology of TD.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[Aggression inhibition and increased sympathetic nervous reactivity in the development of essential hypertension].

Suppressed aggression and activity of the sympathetic nervous system were assessed in two risk groups for essential hypertension, viz. 24 borderline hypertensives (18 men, 6 women, age range 18-24, 18 with a family history of hypertension) and 24 normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents, and in a control group exactly matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status. In the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration test, both potential hypertensive groups were significantly less aggressive compared with the controls, and additionally the borderline hypertensives internalized their aggression. Plasma noradrenaline concentrations, as a marker for sympathetic nervous system activity, increased significantly before and during mental stressors (Stroop colour-word conflict test, mental arithmetic) in both groups, whereas in normotensive controls no significant increase occurred. These findings point to a psychosomatic factor in the development of essential hypertension.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Different steps in construct validation of the Basel Drug and Alcohol Questionnaire (BDA)].

In a first study we developed a test (BDA) for measuring the degree of dependence on alcohol, medicaments and drugs in alcoholics as well as drug addicts. The present study analysed this test according to the principles of construct validity. The aim was to create a test with those items that optimally fulfil some of the following criteria. This was achieved with 22 out of the original 59 items of the test. The shortened test contains those items that optimally differentiate both externally (the addicted population from the rest of the sample: depressives, neurotics and normals) and internally (the degree of dependence). The score obtained with 22 items was more efficacious in differentiating the addicts from the rest of the sample than the total score of 59 items. 86% of the 22 items are sufficiently sensitive to measure changes during hospitalisation in a psychiatric clinic. However only 33% of the 22 items can effectively discriminate between alcohol-, medicaments- und drug-dependence. Intercorrelation and factor analyses with other variables that were also measured indicate that a large part of the variance arises from unspecific "general psychopathology" and only a small part is specific for drug-dependence. The test is sufficiently reliable (rtt = .89), unifactoral, and with clear mean test-item correlation (rit = .54), to justify further investigation. We recommend this 22 items test for scientific research into dependence, in spite of the questions that still remain open. The English version of the 22 items is given in the appendix.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Cognitive-psychomotor functions with regard to fitness for driving of psychiatric patients treated with neuroleptics and antidepressants.

In contrast to the usual type of drug studies it is not our intention to single out specific drug effects, but we are interested in cognitive-psychomotor functioning of psychiatric patients across various periods of therapy, whether due to drug treatment or to underlying mental-affective disorders. 3 groups of psychiatric male patients (7 anxious/inhibited depressives, 7 schizophrenics, 6 patients with psychotic episodes) matched for age (mean = 30 years) and education (no academic training) with a group of healthy controls (n = 7) were examined three times during the first 6-8 weeks of their ordinary clinical therapy. The major criterion for the inclusion of a patient next to these diagnostic categories was an initial favorable response to the specified drugs (amitriptyline for the depressives, haloperidol for the schizophrenics, and thioridazine for the patients with psychotic episodes). Each subject was tested in an experimental laboratory with respect to cognitive-psychomotor performance (vigilance, divided attention, choice reaction time), mood, subjective fitness for driving, depression, and paranoia. All groups of patients improved significantly between the acute and the chronic phase. However, healthy controls showed a sharper increase of achievement. While the depressives and the patients with psychotic episodes function on a level of questionable fitness for driving, schizophrenics vary greatly intra- and interindividually, generally on a lower level.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1984

[Self-evaluation questionnaires--factorial structure and indications for general practice].

The following self-rating inventories were administered to 613 subjects (289 psychically ill patients and 324 healthy persons): The Basel Mood Inventory (BBI), the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI), the Giessen-Test (GT), the Complaint-List (HHM), and the Paranoid-Neuroticism-Depression-Scale (PND-S'). The main interest was put on examining the dimensionality of each inventory separately and all the inventories combined. The results are discussed with respect to the practical applicability. FPI and GT proved as two polyvalently applicable personality inventories (clinically as well as non-clinically) whose factorial structure is essentially verified. It was justified to eliminate "N" (neuroticism) from the PND in the newly revised version. Although "P" (paranoid) covers only a particular domain of paranoid tendencies the new test version (PD and PD') will be valuable in clinical use for group differentiation (a.o. for global diagnoses of depression and schizophrenia) in longitudinal as well as cross-sectional studies. The HHM covers mood state variables additionally, little differentiated though. The newer parallel forms suffer from the same deficiency. It could be confirmed that the BBI measures a particular mood-drive dimension and thus can be used independently or in combination with multidimensional personality inventories in longitudinal studies.

Adult↗