Personality Profile Of Patients Research Articles

A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF PSYCHOSIS AND PERSONALITY PROFILE IN PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH ALCOHOL USE DISORDER

Objectives: The objectives of the study are (1) to study personality profile in patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and (2) to study incidence of psychosis in patients with AUD. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the department of psychiatry of a tertiary care medical college. 70 patients presenting with a history of alcohol intake underwent diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) criteria for AUD were enrolled in the study on the basis of pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Post a 2-week detoxification period, psychiatric symptoms encompassing depression, anxiety, hallucinations, and unusual behavior were assessed using the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), while personality profiles were evaluated with the NEO Personality Inventory-3. Alcohol dependence levels were measured using the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire. Results: There were 60 (85.71%) males and 10 (14.29%) females. There was a significant male preponderance in studied cases with M:F ratio of 1:0.16. Highest number of patients, i.e., 63 (90%) patients were married, followed by 4 (5.71%) patients were unmarried and 3 (4.29%) patients were divorced. Among 70 studied cases, 5 (7.14%) patients were found to have some or the other degree of psychotic symptoms. There was a significant correlation between being unskilled worker and having low literacy or low income and AUD (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant association between severity of AUD and education (p=0.70), occupation (p=0.94), income (p=0.84), and family history of alcohol consumption (p=0.58). Participants have mild severity shown low to average score on neuroticism, average scores on extraversion, very low to low scores on openness, high to very high scores on agreeableness, and high to very high scores on conscientiousness. Conclusion: We found a significant correlation of AUD with increasing age, male gender, early alcohol initiation, and prolonged dependence. Lower education and unskilled occupations were also linked to AUD. Personality trait analysis revealed distinct patterns based on the severity of physical dependency.

‘Personality and bipolar disorder: personality profiles of patients with remitted bipolar disorder and matched controls in a Danish sample’

Background The aim of the study was to investigate whether patients with bipolar disorder (BD) in remission differ in personality traits compared with a healthy control group. Methods A sample of patients with BD (n = 44) was compared with an individually matched control group (n = 44) using the Danish version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R). Paired t-tests were used to analyze differences between the two groups and multiple regression models to evaluate predictors of NEO scores in the patient group. Results Patients with BD reported significantly higher scores on both Neuroticism and Openness to Experience and lower scores on Conscientiousness. No differences were found on Extraversion and Agreeableness. The effect size for Neuroticism and its facets had a range from 0.77 to 1.45 SD. Statistically significant group differences were seen on 15 of 30 lower-level traits within all five high-order dimensions. There were large effect sizes for Trust (0.77) and Self-discipline (0.85), while the other statistically significant group differences were smaller with effect sizes in the range from 0.43 to 0.74 SD. However, patients with BD showed a profile with high-order dimensions and lower-level traits within one standard deviation from the mean score except for the lower-level trait Depression. Conclusions Our findings suggest that patients with BD differ from healthy control persons with respect to higher levels of Neuroticism, Openness to Experience and lower scores on Agreeableness and on Conscientiousness, but prospective studies are needed to evaluate the implications of this finding.

Different personality profiles in patients with cluster headache: a data-driven approach.

Cluster headache (CH) is usually comorbid to mood spectrum disorders, but the psychopathological aspects are poorly explored. We aimed at identifying discrete profiles of personality traits and their association with clinical features. Based on the personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, principal component analysis (PCA) identified psychological patterns of functioning of 56 CH patients. PCA outcomes were used for hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for sub-groups classification. Eighty-seven percent of patients had personality dysfunctions. PCA found two bipolar patterns: (i) negativistic, sadic-aggressive, borderline, and compulsive traits were distinctive of the psychological dysregulation (PD) dimension, and (ii) narcissistic, histrionic, avoidant, and schizoid traits loaded under the social engagement (SE) component. PD was associated with disease duration and psychopathology. SE was related to educational level and young age. HCA found three groups of patients, and the one with high PD and low SE had the worst psychological profile. Personality disorders are common in CH. Our data-driven approach revealed distinct personality patterns which can appear differently among patients. The worst combination arguing against mental health is low SE and high PD. Linking this information with medical history may help clinicians to identify tailored-based therapeutic interventions for CH patients.

Peculiarities of Temperament and Character of Patients with Comorbid Psychiatric Pathology and Combined Dependence on Psychostimulants and Other Psychoactive Substances

INTRODUCTION: According to official statistics, there is an annual increase in the production and consumption of various psychostimulants, and as a result, an increase in the number of patients with addiction of psychostimulants. At the same time, there are no effective methods of treating such disorders within the framework of a modern personalized approach to therapy.
 AIM: To study peculiarities of the temperament and character of patients with combined dependence on psychostimulants and other psychoactive substances (PASs) and with comorbid psychiatric pathology to increase the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic methods in personalized therapeutic approach.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 325 patients (ethnic Russian men and women aged from 18 to 50 years) with the diagnosis: dependence on psychostimulants and dependence on psychostimulants in combination with comorbid psychiatric pathology, who signed the informed consent. R. Cloninger method of assessment of the temperament and character (Temperament and Character Inventory, TCI-125) was used.
 RESULTS: Patients were divided to groups depending on PASs used by them and the existence of comorbid psychiatric pathology. Of temperament dimensions, the novelty seeking predominated in all the groups (up to 15 points; р 0.002) in comparison with harm avoidance (up to 10 points; р 0.112), reward dependence (up to 9 points; р 0.442) and persistence (up to 3 points; р 0.226). This combination of temperament dimensions corresponds to antisocial personality disorder. High cooperativeness (17 points; p 0.005) was observed in patients with a full course of rehabilitation and remissions up to 12 months. The maximal self-transcendence (10 points; p 0.02) corresponded to psychiatric pathology.
 CONCLUSION: On the basis of the results obtained, personality profiles of patients were determined. Patients of the first profile with dependence only on psychostimulants with minimal novelty seeking dimension of the temperament along with high cooperativeness character trait were more communicative, adapted to the treatment and rehabilitation program, and had longer remission periods. Patients of the second profile with a combined dependence on psychostimulants and other PASs with maximal novelty seeking dimension in the temperament along with minimal values on the character scales required the maximal effort of the specialists to keep them in the treatment and rehabilitation program. Patients of the third profile with dependence on psychostimulants and comorbid psychiatric pathology with maximal novelty seeking dimension in the temperament together with maximal self-transcendence were characterized by suspiciousness and required a special gradual establishment of psychotherapeutic contact to involve them in the treatment and rehabilitation process.

Psychological Profile in Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain.

(1) Background: Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is a prevalent medical condition with a complex treatment due to different variables that influence its clinical course. (2) Methods: Psychological variables such as depression, anxiety, catastrophizing or neuroticism have been described as influencing CPP. This is a cross-sectional study of 63 patients with CPP sent for a psychological evaluation due to participation in group therapy for CPP. The main purpose of this study was to characterize the baseline psychological characteristics of women with CPP. The NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) were performed. (3) Results: The personality profile of patients (NEO FFI) shows high neuroticism, low extraversion and low conscientiousness. The 25.4% of patients had moderate or severe depression according to BDI-FS results, almost half of the patients had high levels of anxiety trait (>P75, 49.2%) and more than half the patients had high levels of anxiety state (>P75, 59.5%). Punctuations of PCS and CPAQ are similar to patients with fibromyalgia. (4) Conclusions: CPP is associated with high levels of depression, anxiety, neuroticism, catastrophizing and low pain acceptance. It is important to develop interventions that can modify these psychological factors in order to improve the clinical course of CPP.

Influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life following surgical treatment: A 1-year follow-up study.

The objectives of this study are to determine the influence of personality profile in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy on quality of life (QoL) after surgical treatment and compare the results with a non-surgical control group at the 1-year follow-up. We conducted a prospective, comparative, controlled study, including 70 patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy. Demographic, psychiatric, neurological, and psychological data were recorded at the baseline and at the 1-year follow-up. Assessment of personality dimensions was performed using the NEO-FFI-R questionnaire; severity of anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and QoL was evaluated using the QOLIE-31. At the 1-year follow-up, comparing the control and the surgical groups, we detected differences in scores of most items of QoL, which were higher in those patients who had undergone surgery. High levels of Conscientiousness and Openness to experience at the baseline in patients who underwent surgery predicted better post-surgical outcomes in the QoL scores, whereas high neurotic patients showed worse QoL results. Postoperative changes in QoL in patients were associated with the personality profile at the baseline. QoL measures significantly improved in the surgical group compared with the non-surgical group but were not associated with baseline or postoperative seizure frequency at 1year.

Personality profile of patients with alcohol related disorders: A cross sectional study in a Medical College of Eastern India

Background: In India, one of the most common substance for which people seek treatment is alcohol. 17.1% of adultpopulation consume alcohol in India with male to female ratio being 17:1. Various factors have been associated with theonset and maintenance of substance use disorders, for example, family history, getting involved with deviant peer group,presence of other psychiatric comorbidities and personality factors.Methods: 70 people with alcohol related disorders diagnosed by DSM 5 were interviewed with SADQ and NEO FFI3 toassess severity of alcohol related disorders and personality of those patients.Results: The study shows that most of the AUD patients were male. Mean age of AUD patients was 40.96±8.319. Majorityof the AUD patients belonged to rural background. Patients with mild physical dependency had high conscientiousness(40.33±4.73) followed by agreeableness (38.00±5.57) and openness to experience (35.00±3.46). Patients with severe alcoholdependence had high neuroticism (32.25±4.22) and high extraversion (31.50±3.94). Discussion: Previous studies showedagreeableness and conscientiousness were high in alcohol related disorders. Our findings are also in the same way butopenness to experience was neutral in our study. Hence, there was significant association between the personality profilefactors and alcohol dependence and severity of alcohol dependence.

Different personality profiles in patients with chronic cluster headache: A data-driven approach

Chronic Cluster headache (CH) patients are usually comorbid to mood spectrum disorders, psychopathological symptoms and personality disorders, but the role of psychopathological aspects is still insufficiently explored. Our aim is to verify, by a data driven approach, if CH patients may be classified on the basis of personality trait disorders.

A Commentary on “Eating Disorders and the Rorschach” (Guinzbourg de Braude et al., 2021)

A Commentary on “Eating Disorders and the Rorschach” (Guinzbourg de Braude et al., 2021)

Personality Profiles of Patients With Childhood Emotional Abuse are Present as Early as Adolescence

Personality disorders in adulthood correlate with adverse childhood experiences such as emotional abuse (EA). Even though the long-term consequences are well-known, most of the studies have focused on the adult consequences and very few have looked at the more proximal repercussions (during adolescence). It is not clear if these personality changes are detectable in early adolescence or if they develop later.

Personality dimensions could explain resilience in patients with eating disorders.

Resilience can be defined as the ability to maintain health in the face of adversity. Resilience has been associated with personality traits. Personality traits in the context of Eating Disorders (ED) have also been examined. However, the relationship between resilience and personality profile in patients with ED has not been studied. The aim of this study is to investigate whether personality dimensions impact on resilience, in patients with ED, compared to healthy participants. Connor and Davidson resilience scale, as a measure of resilience and temperament-character inventory, as a measure of personality dimensions, were completed by 100 participants: 50 (50%) healthy University students (controls subgroup) and 50 (50%) patients with ED, matched on age and gender. Patients with ED showed lower resilience than healthy participants and scored higher on harm avoidance, and lower on reward dependence, self-directedness and cooperativeness than controls. Lower harm avoidance, higher persistence and higher self-directedness were associated with resilience in both subgroups. Self-directedness and persistence predicted resilience in both subgroups. Only Harm Avoidance predicted resilience in patients' subgroup. To our knowledge, there are no existing data examining the effect of personality dimensions in resilience, in the context of ED. We found that only the effect of Harm Avoidance in resilience was different among the participants' subgroups. In conclusion, Harm Avoidance could explain differences in resilience between healthy participants and patients with ED. Level III: case-control analytic study.

Personality Profiles in Patients With Allergic Rhinitis

Background: Psychological factors can be associated with allergic disorders. However, no particular personality pattern associated with these disorders has yet been identified. Objectives: This study aimed at comparing the personality profiles of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and normal controls. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 50 adult people with persistent allergic rhinitis for at least one year and 50 age- and sex-matched normal controls that completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). A multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) was carried out to discover possible personality differences between the two groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS v. 19 software. Results: The results of the MMPI showed no significant difference between the two groups in the validity scales (P=0.29). The most common modal validity presentation style in both groups was neutral self-presentation. The MANCOVA analysis showed significantly high scores on the hypochondriasis (F=18.13, P<0.005, partial η2 =0.16) and hysteria scales in allergic rhinitis subjects (F=8.68, P=0.04, partial η2 =0.08) compared with normal controls. The most common profiles with high scores in the allergic rhinitis subjects were schizophrenia (52%, P<0.01) and hypochondriasis (50%, P<0.01). These scales emphasized the feelings of isolation and discomfort in allergic people. The frequency of psychasthenia scale, which measures long lasting anxiety, was significantly different between the two groups (40% in allergic rhinitis subjects vs. 10% in normal controls, odds ratio=6 [95%CI 1.9-22.3], P<0.001). Conclusion: The score of psychological health is lower among allergic people than in normal contro

Personality profiles in paradoxical insomnia: a case-control study.

IntroductionParadoxical insomnia (PARA-I) is a clinically challenging condition to diagnose and treat. Previous findings suggest that personality profiles of patients with PARA-I may be different from other subtypes of insomnia. Therefore, investigation of these profiles can be helpful in the clinical management of these patients.ObjectiveThe current study compares personality profiles of individuals with paradoxical insomnia (PARA-I), psycho-physiological insomnia (PSY-I), and normal sleepers (NS).Material and MethodsA cross-sectional case-control study was conducted in the Sleep Disorders Research Center of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran between 2015 and 2017. Patients with PARA-I (n=20), PSY-I (n=20), and NS (n=60) were matched for age, gender, education, and history of mental and/or physical illness and completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) short form. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare subscale means across groups.ResultsWith the exception of the schizophrenia scale (P =.059), significant differences were found in all subscales of the insomnia groups compared to the NS group (P=.001). Compared to the NS group, patients with PARA-I showed significant differences in the hysteria and hypomania subscales (P<.05) and patients with PSY-I showed significant differences in the hysteria, hypochondriasis, and psychopathic subscales (P=.001). No significant differences were found between the PARA-I and PSY-I groups on any subscale.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that significant differences in the personality profiles on the MMPI exist between PARA-I and PSY-I patients compared to NS. These findings should inform the diagnosis and future treatment approaches for insomnia.

Analysis of personality disorder profiles obtained by five-factor personality model

Background/Aim. In spite of the growing body of evidence in the field of personality disorders, these disorders still retain the lowest diagnostic reliability of any major category of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of personality profiles in patients diagnosed with personality disorder in comparison with the group of healthy control subjects, as well as to establish to what extent the five-factor personality model domains determine the specific clusters of personality disorders. Methods. The study group comprised 97 patients diagnosed as personality disorders (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ? DSM-IV criteria), aged between 18 and 65 years [mean = 35.78 years, standard deviation (SD) = 13.72 years], 67% were female. Control group included 58 healthy subjects (student population) aged between 20 to 35 years (mean = 22.48 years, SD = 2.56 years), 56% were female. The assessment was carried out by the new version of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PIR), form S, and the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID II) for DSM-IV disorders. Results. The three clusters were found by the use of regression analysis: cluster A ? eccentrics (low scores in agreeableness), cluster B ? dramatics (high score in extroversion, low score in agreeableness, and cluster C ? anxious (low score in extroversion). The findings showed that the high level of neuroticism was a non-specific predictor of all three clusters, while dimension openness to experience had no predictive power for any of the three clusters. Conclusion. Our findings support the meta-analysis which suggests consistently high level of neuroticism and low level of agreeableness in most personality disorders. The study showed that it is possible to conceptualize personality disorders by using five-factor personality model of normal personality. Integrating the psychiatric classification with the dimensional model of general personality structure could enable the uncovering of essential parameters for setting the diagnosis.

Type D personality is associated with poor quality of life, social performance, and psychological impairment in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: A cross-sectional study of 130 patients.

Psoriasis is a systemic autoinflammatory disease that is related to an increased risk of organic and psychological comorbidities. Type D personality has been related to poor quality of life and worse physical and psychological outcomes in different diseases. The aim of this study is to explore whether type D personality is associated with an increased risk of presenting physical and/or psychological comorbidities, their relationship with the capacity of social adaptation, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with psoriasis. This was a cross-sectional study. In all, 130 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were included in this study. Participants completed the DS14 test and different validated questionnaires regarding quality of life and psychological morbidities. Type D personality was present in 38.4% (50/130) of the participants of the study. Patients with psoriasis and type D personality presented a higher risk of depression and anxiety. We observed that type D personality was associated with a lower educational level. These patients also presented a worse HRQOL in different dimensions of the Short Form Health Survey-36 questionnaire, more sleep problems, poor social adaptation, and a higher frequency of sexual disturbances. Due to the cross-sectional design of the study, we could not confirm causality. Selection of sample was not random. Diagnoses of physical comorbidity were collected through clinical interview of patients under active treatment, which may imply a classification bias. Type D personality could represent a frequent personality profile in patients with psoriasis that could identify subjects with poor coping abilities to the disease with poorer levels of quality of life, increased psychological comorbidities, and inadequate social adaptation mechanisms.

The Eysenck Personality Profile in Selected Groups of Ophthalmological Patients.

Personality correlates in patients with eye diseases have bidirectional influence. It is possible that personality variables lead to behaviours that may influence the cause of eye problems, but the opposite is also possible, that eye problems could have a direct effect on personality. The aim of this study was to evaluate personality traits in patients with glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataract using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Obtained results showed similar personality profiles in patients with glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataract. However, extraversion and neuroticism were higher in patients with diabetes, while the psychopathic traits are the highest in the group of cataract. Age and gender of patients do not influence the scores obtained on the questionnaire confirmed with one way ANOVA. Not significant difference in parameters (tested with Student t-test) was obtained between groups. It is proposed psychological evaluation to be included in the assessment of more serious eye diseases for helping patients to adjust and adapt to the condition and treatment.

Psychiatric Assessment in Patients with Mild Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Objectives The findings of previous studies focused on personality disorders in epileptic patients are difficult to interpret due to nonhomogeneous samples and noncomparable methods. Here, we aimed at studying the personality profile in patients with mild temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) with psychiatric comorbidity. Materials and Methods Thirty-five patients with mTLE (22 males, mean age 40.7 ± 12.1) underwent awake and sleep EEG, 3T brain MRI, and an extensive standardized diagnostic neuropsychiatric battery: Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R), Beck Depression Inventory-2, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Drug history was collected in detail. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis was performed on TCI-R data, while all other clinical and psychological variables were compared across the resulting clusters. Results Scores of Harm Avoidance (HA), Reward Dependence (RD), Persistence (P), Cooperativeness (C), and Self-Transcendence (ST) allowed the identification of two clusters, describing different personality subtypes. Cluster 1 was characterized by an early onset, more severe anxiety traits, and combined drug therapy (antiepileptic drug and Benzodiazepine/Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) compared to Cluster 2. Conclusions Our findings suggest that different personality traits may play a role in determining the clinical outcome in patients with mTLE. Specifically, lower scores of HA, RD, P, C, and ST were associated with worse clinical outcome. Thus, personality assessment could serve as an early indicator of greater disease severity, improving the management of mTLE.

Personality profiles of patients with alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder in an inpatient treatment setting

The present study aimed to compare personality profiles of alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder patients in an inpatient chemical dependency rehabilitation unit using a multidimensional personality inventory, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). Ninety-six patients meeting DSM-IV-TR diagnoses for alcohol use or opioid use disorders completed the PAI at admission. Results revealed largely normative patterns across most PAI scales, though alcohol use disorder patients showed clinically elevated scores on Alcohol Problems and Drug Problems, and opioid use disorder patients showed clinical elevations on Antisocial Features, Borderline Features, and Drug Problems. Opioid use disorder patients showed, on average, significantly higher scores than alcohol use disorder patients on Borderline Features, Antisocial Features, Drug Problems, and Suicidal Ideation. Alcohol use disorder patients showed significantly higher scores than opioid use disorder patients only on Alcohol Problems. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) showed discriminability between patient groups using the PAI clinical scales and treatment scales, highlighting higher levels of disturbed functioning among opioid use disorder patients with respect to clinical syndromes, especially borderline features, antisocial features, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. These findings underscore the need to tailor treatment recommendations to distinctive patterns of personality pathology, especially among opioid use disorder patients.

Cancer Related Fatigue and Optimism in Cancer Patients

Summary: The symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion are considered to be the most common complaints amongpatients with malignant diseases during the process of treatment and upon its completion. The manifestations offatigue can be physical, cognitive and emotional. Particularly interesting are the risk factors for the emergence offatigue which persists for months or years upon the completion of the treatment. A number of studies have discussedthe significance of the psychological factors such as the personality traits, the person’s behaviour and the lifestyle.Objective: To examine the burden of fatigue among patients with malignant diseases undergoing radiotherapy andlong-term survivors and determine the effect of optimism on the burden of fatigue among them. Method: Aquestionnaire; MFI-20-A multidimensional questionnaire on fatigue; Method of examining the generalizedexpectations about the valence of the obtained results. 66 people with a confirmed oncological diagnosis wereincluded in the study, 36 of whom were undergoing radiotherapy at the time of the study. 30 of the examined peoplehave undergone radiotherapy and are presently long-term survivors who have lived over five years after beingdiagnosed with the disease. Conclusion: The patients that were undergoing radiotherapy at that time manifestedmore evident symptoms of fatigue within the dimensions of decreased motivation and decreased activity compared tothe patients belonging to the group of the long-term survivors. Optimism and the negative expectations correlatesignificantly with the dimensions of fatigue in both groups of patients, as the most obvious is the negative correlationof optimism with the decreased activity and the decreased motivation. The presence of optimism and low negativeexpectations within the personality profile of patients with oncological diseases suggests lower levels of fatigueregardless of the stage of the disease and the conducted treatment.

Musik und Glaukom

Music may have multiple influences on the human organism. A possible therapeutic effect for patients with glaucoma has been postulated, aside from the known impact of music on the cardiovascular system, psychogenic effects and a short-term improvement in mental performance (Mozart effect). The higher level of mental stress in patients with glaucoma and type-A personality behaviour may be related to higher intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. Relaxing music may have a positive impact in these patients, related to a reduction in intraocular pressure or its fluctuations. However, only limited data exist on the effects of music on intraocular pressure. No clinical studies have yet been performed to investigate the effect of music or music therapy on glaucoma progression. The music of Mozart may influence visual field examinations, possibly due to a positive short term effect on mental performance. This factor needs to be addressed in studies dealing with the effect of music in glaucoma. The relevance of intraocular pressure increases in professional wind instrument players is controversial. An increased level of care might be advisable in patients with advanced glaucoma. The influences of music on humans, altered personality profiles in patients with glaucoma and the studies showing some effect of stress on intraocular pressure stress the relevance of psychological support for glaucoma patients, who are confronted with a disease with a high longterm risk of blindness.