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[Premorbid characteristics and nature of the mental disorders in patients with neurocirculatory dystonia and heart rhythm disorders (clinico-psychological research)].

Forty-two patients with different types of functional cardiac arrhythmias were examined. Clinico-psychological examination revealed such general and relatively independent of the personality type features as conservatism, predisposition to anxiety reactions, hypochondriac readiness, symptomatic lability, poor self confidence in relation to interpersonal interrelations, poorly expressed ability to dominate with a tendency toward submission. Neurotic reactions and phases were a predominant feature in accentuated (n = 20) and psychopathic persons (n = 10). Slowly progressive schizophrenia and cyclothymia were diagnosed in 8 and 4 cases respectively. Treatment of functional cardiac arrhythmias with lexotan yielded good response in 50% of cases. In cases when lexotan alone failed to be effective, the use of this drug in combination with antiarrhythmic drugs effected good results in 61.8% of the patients.

Adult↗

Personality, interpersonal, and motivational predictors of the working alliance in group cognitive-behavioral therapy for partner violent men.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the working alliance predicts treatment outcome for partner violent men. This study examined the influence of personality and interpersonal characteristics, motivational readiness to change, and demographic factors on working alliance formation among a sample of men (N = 107) participating in a cognitive-behavioral group treatment program for partner violence. Motivational readiness to change was the strongest predictor of the working alliance. Psychopathic personality characteristics also emerged as a strong (negative) predictor of the working alliance. Lower levels of borderline personality characteristics and interpersonal problems, self-referred status, married status, and higher age and income predicted higher working alliance ratings. The results support recent clinical efforts to address motivational readiness in programs for partner violent men.

Adult↗

[The clinical characteristics of psychogenias in dental practice].

A total of 90 stomatological patients were subjected to clinico-psychopathological examinations. Of these, 70 were therapeutic and 20 orthodontic ones. The functional stomatological diseases in the form of stomatalgias were revealed in all the patients suffering from neurasthenia, neurotic depression, neurotic development of the personality as well as from psychopathy decompensation. The hypochondriac syndrome was marked by senestopathic and algesic disorders and in some cases, by anxious-phobic disturbances. Associated stomatalgias and neurotic symptomatology resulted in the lingering course and unfavourable dynamics of neuroses. The origin of stomatalgias in psychopathic personalities was accompanied by its decompensation, leading not infrequently to the development of the litigious and quarrelsome personality.

Adult↗

Some recent developments in psychiatric genetics.

The methods and results of some recent family, twin and adoption studies of childhood behaviour disorders, crime, alcoholism, psychopathic personality and neurosis are briefly described. The data of Slater (1938) on the parents and children of manic-depressives are reanalysed. Bipolar affective illness were more frequent in the families of bipolar than unipolar probands. There was no support for sex-linked inheritance in either group or for further genetic subdivision of the unipolar group according to age of onset or alcoholic or psychopathic family history. It is suggested that for the time being we may have to be satisfied with three broad and aetiologically overlapping clinical types of depression: bipolar, unipolar and reactive.

Adoption↗

[The psychological characteristics of patients with drug addictions].

The paper presents results of the examination of 70 patients with different forms of drug addiction (opium, heroin, pervitin addictions, including patients with polynarcomania). Psychologic tests were used to evaluate personal traits of the patients (MMPI variation), peculiarities of the emotional sphere (test of Lusher) and the intellectual level (Progressive Matrices of Raven). It was revealed that chronic drug dependence resulted in considerable disorders of personality--psychopathization and schizoidization. Intellectual abilities of the patients were on the low normal level.

Adolescent↗

Gender differences in the relationship of antisocial personality disorder criteria to Psychopathy Checklist-Revised scores.

The relationship among adult, child, and full antisocial personality disorder (APD) criteria with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) (Hare, 1991) scores, an alternative to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' APD diagnosis, is examined in 395 men and 121 women substance abusers. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that the correlations among childhood, adult, and full APD criteria and PCL-R Total, Factor 1 (Psychopathic Personality Traits), and Factor 2 (Antisocial Lifestyle) scores would differ for men and women. There was no difference between men and women in the correlations between full APD and PCL-R scores. Adult APD, however, had a stronger relationship to the Total and Factor 1 PCR-R scores in women compared to men, whereas child APD criteria were significantly related, although weakly, to Factor 1 scores for men, but not for women.

Adult↗

[Psychiatric hospitalization of divorced persons].

100 records of divorced inpatients were compared with 100 records of married inpatients after having been matched according to sex, age, and social background. Almost 50% of the divorced patients were hospitalized within the first year after their divorce, i.e, this is the period which should be concentrated on when taking preventive measures. The most frequent duration of the marriage was between 5 to 10 years whereas in the population it was only between 3 and 5 years. This suggests that divorces after only a few years of marriage do not have such traumatic effects. The diagnoses of psychopathic personality, alcohol and drug dependence, attempted suicide and neurotic and reactive depressions were more frequently made with divorced that with married patients. Affective psychosis and cerebral-organic illnesses, however, were not so often found. The divorced patients being hospitalized within the first year after their divorce could be divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup comprised patients with frequent diagnosis of personality disorders and attempted suicide who were hospitalized for the first time after their divorce and needed only a short-term stay in hospital. In the second subgroup were patients who had already been hospitalized before their divorce - frequently with the diagnosis of schizophrenia -; that means they became recidivous after their divorce and needed a long-term stay in hospital. Social problems were especially relevant with divorced patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Cyclothymia and labile personality: is all folie circulaire?

BACKGROUND: Historically, cyclothymia has been used broadly to refer either to a temperament (Kretschmer) or the entire range of bipolar disorders. Within this spectrum, it is uncertain whether it characterizes the "hard" (or manic-depressive) forms (as Kurt Schneider argued) or its "soft" expressions (bipolar II and highly recurrent depressions); the latter perspective is in line with Falret's view that the melancholic expressions of his folie circulaire (circular insanity) were highly prevalent in the community. METHODS: Eight hundred forty-three outpatients were interviewed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia without regard to hierarchical exclusionary rules. RESULTS: Compared to 630 psychiatrically interviewed outpatients who did not have cyclothymia, 163 cyclothymics were significantly more likely to have most of the disorders listed in the SADS in univariate analyses. Discriminant analyses limited the significant associations to labile personality, bipolar II, intermittent depression, secondary depression, hypomanic disorder and schizoaffective mania. LIMITATION: The RDC construct of cyclothymia is rather broad. CONCLUSIONS: Despite such operational breadth, cyclothymia was nonetheless largely limited to the soft end of the bipolar spectrum where labile moods and depressive recurrence predominate. In this sense, it is natural to place it on the border of manic-depressive psychosis. Although Kurt Schneider was the first to describe the "labile psychopath" [personality], he believed it was unrelated to his narrow concept of cyclothymia, which he used synonymously with manic-depressive psychosis. Our data do not support his position. Instead, they support both Kretchmer's and Falret's views.

Bipolar Disorder↗

The language of the psychopath: characteristics of prisoners' performance in a sentence completion test.

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Verbal productions of prisoners were studied as possible correlates of psychopathic personality. METHOD: A sample of 76 inmates of a German high-security prison were administered a new sentence completion test (SCT). The subjects' verbal responses to 63 sentence cues were coded using 23 content and linguistic categories which had been derived from Loevinger's stage model of ego development. Moreover, the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL R) was scored for each subject after a clinical interview and a perusal of the prisoner's file. RESULTS: Moderate positive correlations were found between PCL R scores and cognitive and linguistic characteristics in the SCT (concerns with exerting power and being dominated, use of coarse language and the expression of dysphoric emotions). These characteristics were highly sensitive but not specific to psychopaths. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of recent research, verbal patterns are seen, together with interpersonal behaviour patterns and linguistic properties, as valid indicators of psychopathy and might be particularly useful when biographical information is lacking.

Adult↗

[Max Scheler and Kurt Schneider. Scientific influence and personal relationship].

Two years after Kurt Schneider had finalised his thesis qualifying him as a lecturer at Cologne University, he completed his doctorate dissertation in philosophy, also at Cologne University. His advisor was Max Scheler. Schneider published the results of his researches in a short monograph. It appears that at this time Scheler's phenomenology began to influence psychiatry. However, Kurt Schneider made only passing references to Max Scheler in this regard. Nevertheless, Scheler's influence on Schneider remained noticeable even in his most famous book "Clinical Psychopathology". Years after their academic contacts, Scheler, on several occasions, asked Schneider's advice concerning his psychically disturbed son Wolfgang. Schneider's diagnosis amounted to a case of a severely psychopathic personality. He informed Max Scheler on this and, subsequently, Wolfgang Scheler was interdicted, i.e. legally incapacitated.

Germany↗

[Humanitarian aid to persons with mental disorders].

The role of psychiatrists in the Czechoslovak committee for human rights and humanitarian collaboration has its practical justification. Every year some three thousand applications of different character are addressed to the committee. Ten per cent are formed by mentally altered applicants. Lawyers are unable to evaluate these applications correctly. The task of the psychiatrist is to assess, as far as possible, the clinical diagnosis of the applicant. This is very difficult as the psychiatrist uses as a basis only a written document where he evaluates the contents and the formal aspect. A psychopathological analysis leads frequently to clear diagnostic conclusions. Statistical evaluation reveals that about one third of the applications are submitted by psychopathic personalities, one third is formed by applications of subjects suffering probably from mental disorders or diseases and the last third are paranoid patients. The ethical problem is how to react to the different types of applications. From the legal aspect the committee is not entitled to abuse the confidence of the applicant and even in case of serious mental disease to ask the community psychiatrist for intervention. At present the problem is solved by suggesting to the applicant to attend of his own free will the appropriate psychiatrist. Very frequently it is apparent from the reply that the applicant does not consider this suggestion suitable because he is not aware of his mental disease. In case of paranoid development the position is simplified by the fact that any treatment is without effect.

Czechoslovakia↗

Investigation of alcohol use disorders in a group of driving-while-intoxicated offenders.

This preliminary study was carried out to investigate alcohol use disorders and personality profiles in a group of driving-while-intoxicated offenders. Thirty nine volunteer offenders were assessed by CAGE, while 21 of them were assessed by SCID-I Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders module and 14 drivers completed MMPI test. According to CAGE scores, 11 was found to have an indication of alcohol problem and 7 had clinically significant alcohol use disorder. Within 21 drivers, 4 had a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol abuse. Independent of their diagnosis, MMPI profiles revealed the psychopathic personality characteristics which might explain drinking while driving as a risky behaviour in this group. These results suggest that, besides legal applications, referring offenders to associated centers, in order to be evaluated and informed about alcohol use disorders, would be an important step in the prevention of recurrent alcohol impaired driving as well as alcohol related incidents.

Adult↗

Psychological profile and sleep organization in young subjects with poor quality of sleep.

The personality traits defined by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and sleep data were analyzed in 45 young subjects with poor quality of sleep. The subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1 had no T score greater than or equal to 70, Group 2 had one or more single T scores greater than or equal to 70, and Group 3 had T scores greater than or equal to 70 in one or more specific groups of scales. The first 2 nights of sleep were polygraphically recorded. Subjects in Group 1 were considered to be normal, those in Group 2 were characterized by depression and anxiety, and those in Group 3 had psychopathic personality traits and somatic disorders. Differences in sleep data were noted among groups. The severity of the sleep disorders was related to the degree of the psychological problems.

Adult↗

Identifying inmates at risk for disciplinary infractions: a comparison of two measures of psychopathy.

Poythress, Edens, and Lilienfeld (1998) recently reported a moderately strong correlation between Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and a newly developed self-report measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) of Lilienfeld and Andrews (1996), in an ethnically diverse sample of 50 inmates from a youthful offender prison. The present study reports follow-up data regarding disciplinary infractions in this sample and examines the utility of the PCL-R and PPI for identifying those at risk for institutional misbehavior. Generally modest, but statistically significant, correlations were obtained between both measures and indices of aggressive institutional behavior. Multiple regression analyses revealed that both measures accounted for common variance in the criterion but that neither accounted for significant unique variance. Results are discussed in terms of the clinical utility of these measures in populations of young offenders.

Adolescent↗

Female serial killing: review and case report.

BACKGROUND: Single homicide committed by women is rare. Serial killing is very infrequent, and the perpetrators are usually white, intelligent males with sadistic tendencies. Serial killing by women has, however, also been described. AIM: To conduct a review of published literature on female serial killers and consider its usefulness in assessing a presenting case. METHOD: A literature review was conducted, after searching EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO. The presenting clinical case is described in detail in the context of the literature findings. Results The literature search revealed few relevant publications. Attempts to categorize the phenomenon of female serial killing according to patterns of and motives for the homicides have been made by some authors. The most common motive identified was material gain or similar extrinsic gratification while the 'hedonistic' sadistic or sexual serial killer seems to be extremely rare in women. There is no consistent theory of serial killing by women, but psychopathic personality traits and abusive childhood experiences have consistently been observed. The authors' case did not fit the description of a 'typical' female serial killer. DISCUSSION: In such unusual circumstances as serial killing by a woman, detailed individual case formulation is required to make sense of the psychopathology in each case. Publication of cases in scientific journals should be encouraged to advance our understanding of this phenomenon.

Adult↗

Sexual development and life of psychiatric female patients.

Using a structured interview and four questionnaires we examined the sexual development and life in the following groups of psychiatric female patients: 51 with schizophrenia, 50 with manic-depressive psychoses, 50 with neuroses, 30 with hysterical psychopathic personality, and 20 with anorexia nervosa. The results were compared with a control group of 101 gynecological spa patients. The sexual development of the schizophrenic patients was found to be retarded, whereas that of the patients with anorexia nervosa accelerated in the initial stages. The sexual development of patients with hysterical personality was found to be disharmonious. No differences were found between patients with manic-depressive psychoses and the control group as far as the sex life in adulthood is concerned. However, all the other groups of psychiatric patients showed decreased sexual activity and/or reactivity. Sexual dysfunctions in the female psychiatric population are frequent, especially with schizophrenic patients, females with anorexia nervosa, and with hysterical personality. The etiological factors responsible for these sex disturbances are different in the individual groups of psychiatric patients.

Adult↗

The language of the psychopath.

The language of the psychopathic personality is described along with a review of the literature and various psycholinguistic examples of its importance for theory and research. Recommendations are made for future advancements in this field.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗

Psychopathy and violence risk assessment in youth.

Requests for forensic evaluations about youths' risk of violence are on the rise. Assessments of risk of violence are important for both decision making in some juvenile justice procedures and for the prevention of chronic violent offending through appropriate interventions. Psychopathic personality disorder has received much attention as an indicator of the risk of violence and treatment resistance among youth, but there are significant concerns about the use of assessments of psychopathy in youth populations. This article reviews the utility and limitations of assessments of psychopathy in youth and describes other tools available for assessing the risk of violence in youth. The article concludes with recommendations for forensic evaluators based on current empiric evidence.

Adolescent↗