Psychopathic States Research Articles

Special psychophysical condition as a circumstance that mitigates punishment in Art. 117 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine

The article is devoted to elucidating the essence of a special psychophysical condition as a circumstance that mitigates the punishment in Art. 117 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine «Intentional murder by the mother of her newborn child.» It has been established that this type of murder is a privileged murder. It has been proven that it has an extremely powerful effect on the psycho-emotional state of a woman giving birth and the process of giving birth to a child, which is recognized as a stressful factor, as a result of which she may lose the ability to behave adequately. Emphasis is placed on the presence of certain features of the psychophysical state in a woman during the commission of a murder, which are caused by a combination of emotional tension caused by pregnancy and childbirth and the mental processes that accompanied them, which weaken the mother’s ability to be aware of her actions and control them. The factors that can cause disorders of the psycho-emotional state of a woman are singled out: the coincidence of difficult personal and family circumstances; divorce from the child’s father; unwanted pregnancy; difficult financial situation; negative microenvironment. It was established that there is no indication in the disposition of Art. 117 of the Criminal Code on the presence of a special psychophysiological condition of a woman as a mandatory feature of this criminal offense, which creates some problems in the qualification of criminal offenses. It has been proven that a mitigating circumstance in the case of a mother committing the murder of her newborn child during childbirth or immediately after it should be recognized precisely the psychopathic state that led to a mental disorder, which does not exclude the sanity of the person, but significantly weakens the possibility of realizing such actions and manage them. It was found that a woman in the process of childbirth cannot be considered as fully aware of her actions and in control of them. At the same time, it is not excluded that a woman at the time of childbirth or immediately after it may be in a state of morbid mental disorder, that is, be of limited sanity, in connection with which it is concluded that in such a case a special psychophysical state may coincide with limited sanity. It was concluded that the existence of a privileged type of murder provided for in Art. 117 of the Criminal Code, caused only by the possibility of the existence of a special psychophysiological state of a woman during childbirth or immediately after it. It is proposed to improve the current wording of Art. 117 of the Criminal Code by means of a legally defined indication of the need to establish the fact that a woman is in a special psychophysiological state.

Окремі аспекти співвідношення причин та наслідків шкільної дезадаптації

The article highlights different interpretations of the causes of the occurrence and development of school maladjustment in children of primary school age. Within the framework of the concept of "introduction to the disease", maladaptation is considered as a transitional, pre-pathological state, the main difference of which is the lack of clear grounds for establishing a nosological diagnosis. The development of the disease can go through the stage of various dysfunctions, extremely uncertain in terms of prognosis and nosological affiliation, and most often reversible. The stage of such dysfunctions is considered as maladaptation, that is, as one of the intermediate states of human health in the continuum from normal to pathology, closest to the clinical manifestations of the disease. Such states are characterized by the increased readiness of the body for the occurrence of one or another disease, which is formed under the influence of various adverse factors, both exogenous and endogenous. In the context of the chosen problem, the greatest risk is the moment the child enters school and the period of the primary level of assimilation of the requirements presented by the new social situation. However, the same symptoms can appear when describing the widest spectrum of mental disorders: from extreme variants of the norm (accentuation of character, patho-characteristic personality formation) and borderline disorders (neuroses, neurotic-like and psychopathic states, residual organic disorders) to severe mental illnesses.This allows us to list the main identified factors that are potential causes of school failure: deficiencies in preparing a child for school, socio-pedagogical neglect; prolonged and severe mental deprivation; somatic weakness of the child; violation of the formation of individual mental functions and cognitive processes; violation of the formation of school skills; family troubles; emotional disorders. Solving the problem of school maladjustment is impossible without studying the entire complex of difficulties that arise in a child and the mutual influence of factors affecting him at school.

Bokelmann. Epilepsy and its treatment. Modern clinic and therapy. № 10 & № 11 1908

The subject of the author's review is "real" epilepsy; he defines it as "a chronic disease of the nervous system, which is caused by a change of the brain, mainly the cerebral cortex, and is expressed clinically by periodic recurrence of seizures, resp' peculiar psychopathic states and a persistent change in mental personality. Suffering is generally based on a persistent epileptic change in the brain.

"Gründerzeit" ethics in the dramas by Paul Lindau and Richard Voss

In the “Grunderzeit” period (1870 ˗ 1890), German dramatists promoted the values created in the spirit of the dominant, particularly conservative patriarchal ideology. They were not encouraging critical self-examination of the co-relation of double standard of morality and social repression ; theatre arts contributed to creating certain conservative utopias which can be considered in the light of wider political discourse. Only few writers critically approached the philosophy of life of that period and represented the other side of a culture which to a great part was founded on bourgeois values. Here, two authors will be considered in particular: The first is Paul Lindau (1839 ˗ 1919) who uncritically pampered to the tastes of the public at that time for which he was rewarded by being extremely popular while the other is Richard Vos (1851 ˗ 1918), an author who troubled the public with his view of justice and morality. While Paul Lindau in his dramas extolled and idealised the world of “Grunderzeit”, Vos showed the psychopathic state caused by the suppression of emotions and libido. The dramas by Paul Lindau (Marion, Maria und Magdalena) and Richard Vos (Alexandra, Eva) can be viewed in the light of the political discourse which was present in theatre of that time ; “Grunderzeit” ethics in them show their front and flip side, power and weakness, hypocrisy and social conditioning.

Psychopathy in Everyday Life

Psychopathy is a spectrum of possibilities linked with survival drives. It appears in commonly accepted forms in everyday life and more egregious, devastating ways as well. Often extreme manifestations of psychopathy become part of everyday existence, almost taken as normal while its cumulative destructiveness mounts. This paper explores a range of psychopathic states in individuals and groups, including positive and negative contributions these tendencies can make. Psychopathy in individuals and culture interweave in many ways, and some of the latter are discussed.

P-942 - Clinical-dynamic approach to borderline personality disorders systematic

Current difficulties in systematic of borderline personality disorders are associated not only with work within ICD-10, in the essence ignoring contribution of Russian researchers in the field of mental and behavioral pathology, but also with removal of its clinical-dynamic and methodological approaches. We have based proposed by us (Semke V.Ya., 1982, 1994, 2005) classification on etiologic, pathogenetic and clinical-dynamic principles. Depending on genesis (predominant role of constitutional-biological, psychogenic, exogenous-organic and somatogenic factors), degree of severity and length of symptoms, we have distinguished 4 groups of borderline states: neurotic, pathocharacterological, neurosis-like, psychopath-like. Everything from them is characterized by gradual formation of clinical symptoms: initial stage (pre-neurotic, pre-psychopathic); stage of structuring; period of relative stabilization of personality pathology (formation of neurotic, pathocharacterological, pathological development of the personality). Proposed working grouping of borderline personality disorders reflects, in our opinion, current state of conceptual principles and methodical approaches in the field of modern study of borderline personality disturbances. The idea is to identify cause-effect interrelationships reflecting clinical-pathogenetic and clinical-dynamic stages of formation of variable - according to genesis, course, prediction, and outcome - abnormal symptoms. Special attention has been deserved by early “pre-nosological stage” of their development: abnormal personality reactions are nosologically non-specific and can further transform into neurotic (neurosis-like) and psychopathic (psychopath-like) states, developments.

P.1.075 SSRI's therapy in depressive outpatients:Personality changes and predictors of response

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the differential predictive validity of four factors — hyperactivity/impulsivity, attention/socialization problems, antisocial behavior, learning problems — derived from Tarter's ‘hyperactivity/ MBD’ questionnaire. One hundred forty five inpatient alcoholic men were evaluated in the first study and 34 first or second year college men in the second study. Our previous research had revealed significant relationships between the total hyperactivity/MBD score and psychopathology (MMPI, Psychopathic State Inventory), alcohol use patterns and consequences/ and several areas of life functioning (Addiction Severity Index). Factor 1 was revealed in both studies to be associated with hypomania and impulsive behaviors. Factor 2 was associated with many of the same MMPI scales as the total hyperactivity/MBD score, including psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia and social introversion, as well as other measures of sociopathy and criminal behavior. A subsequent breakdown of Factor 2 into its attention and socialization components provided further meaningful differentiations. Factor 3 was found in both studies to be predictive of antisocial and criminal personality and behavior. Both factors 2 and 3 were also closely associated with difficulties in interpersonal relations. Factor 4 bore few relationships with personality, but was found to be related to visuospatial performance deficits. The research therefore supported the differential predictive validity of the four factors. The examination of the individual relationships of these factors enabled a more precise delineation of underlying relationships than was achieved by the total hyperactivity/MBD score.

Underlying Common Factors of Adolescent Problem Behaviors

The Buffalo Longitudinal Study of Young Men was used to address the possibility of a common factor underlying adolescent problem behaviors. First, a measurement model with a single first-order factor was compared to a model with three separate correlated first-order factors. The three-factor model was better supported, making it logical to conduct a second-order factor analysis, which confirmed the logic. Second, a substantive model was estimated in each of two waves with psychopathic state as the common factor predicting drinking, drug use, and delinquency. Psychopathic state was stable across waves. The theory that a single latent variable accounts for large covariance among adolescent problem behaviors was supported.

Psychopathy, aggression, and family history in male veteran substance abuse patients: A factor analytic study

Forty-one male patients consecutively admitted to an inpatient VA substance abuse program completed the Psychopathic States Inventory, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and the WAIS. Multiple significant intercorrelations between scale scores were noted, prompting a factor analysis to identify constructs to explain these correlations. Four orthogonal factors were isolated: Factor I — impulsivity/narcissism/sociopathy; Factor II — assaultive aggression; Factor III — irritative aggression; Factor IV — IQ. Patient factor scores were distributed independent from family history of alcohol or other substance abuse among first-degree relatives. Family history status did not discriminate onset of substance abuse, ’pure‘ alcohol abuse versus mixed substance abuse, educational attainment, or socioeconomic status. These factors may have further utility in investigating the relationship between psychopathy, aggression, and substance abuse.

Predictive validity of four factors derived from an ‘hyperactivity/MBD’ questionnaire

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the differential predictive validity of four factors — hyperactivity/impulsivity, attention/socialization problems, antisocial behavior, learning problems — derived from Tarter's ‘hyperactivity/ MBD’ questionnaire. One hundred forty five inpatient alcoholic men were evaluated in the first study and 34 first or second year college men in the second study. Our previous research had revealed significant relationships between the total hyperactivity/MBD score and psychopathology (MMPI, Psychopathic State Inventory), alcohol use patterns and consequences/ and several areas of life functioning (Addiction Severity Index). Factor 1 was revealed in both studies to be associated with hypomania and impulsive behaviors. Factor 2 was associated with many of the same MMPI scales as the total hyperactivity/MBD score, including psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia and social introversion, as well as other measures of sociopathy and criminal behavior. A subsequent breakdown of Factor 2 into its attention and socialization components provided further meaningful differentiations. Factor 3 was found in both studies to be predictive of antisocial and criminal personality and behavior. Both factors 2 and 3 were also closely associated with difficulties in interpersonal relations. Factor 4 bore few relationships with personality, but was found to be related to visuospatial performance deficits. The research therefore supported the differential predictive validity of the four factors. The examination of the individual relationships of these factors enabled a more precise delineation of underlying relationships than was achieved by the total hyperactivity/MBD score.

Differentiation of alcoholics high and low in childhood hyperactivity.

Fifty alcoholics who reported a greater number of childhood hyperactivity/minimum brain damage (MBD) symptoms (HA+ alcoholics) were compared to 49 alcoholics low in childhood hyperactivity/MBD (HA- alcoholics) with respect to patterns and severity of alcoholism, psychosocial functioning and physical status, personality and psychopathology, and familial alcoholism. HA+ alcoholics were found to report considerably more psychopathology on the MMPI and the Psychopathic State Inventory (PSI), findings which were suggestive of an underlying personality disorder. HA+ alcoholics were also found to differ significantly from the HA- alcoholics in several areas of psychosocial functioning and with respect to their pattern of alcoholism. That is, HA+ alcoholics had more interpersonal difficulties and had experienced more psychological/emotional problems; they were more likely to use alcohol to alter their moods and to use non-alcoholic illicit drugs; and they had less ability to internalize control of their impulses to consume alcohol. These findings, taken together, suggest that alcoholics reporting more symptoms of childhood hyperactivity/MBD may represent a subgroup within the larger alcoholic population. High and low hyperactivity alcoholics did not differ in severity of alcoholism or in alcohol-related physical effects or medical problems. Additionally, no evidence was obtained for a significant relationship between childhood hyperactivity and familial alcoholism.

精神神経症状が先行あるいは前景を占めるSLEについて

Internal Medicine, Saiseikai Izuo Hospital, Osaka, Japan Collagen diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are often accompanied by psychoneurological disorders. But, it is a rare instance that these disorders appear prior to the physical symptoms. In such cases, as to the correlation between the collagen diseases and the antecedent psychoneurological disorders, several possibilities should be considered, although definite conclusion may not always be obtained.We have recently experienced such fo ur cases as follows:Case 1: T. Y.,40 y. o., female. (Table 1)The patient was diagnosed as thrombocytope nic purpura, and also as epilepsy eight and six years ago respectively. After six years administration with phenobalbital alone, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and seral anti-DNA antibody (×160) have been detected.In this case, a possibility that the prior epilepsy (grand mal) and the status suspicious of collagen disease, especially SLE, have developed relatedly should be preferred to other possibilities.Case 2: N. E.,50 y. o., male. (Table 2)After treatment with diphenylhydantoin and phenobalbital under the diagnosis of epilepsy (grand mal) for thirty-four years, the patient obtained complains of fever, polyarthralgia and butterfly erythema. Laboratory examinations revealed ANA (×320), Anti-DNA antibody (×80), BFP (+), while CHSO being normal.In this case, diphenylhydantoin ind uced SLE should be most preferable as the diagnosis.Case 3: T. T.,44 y. o., female (Table 3)The patient has been showing schizophren ia-like psychopathy since 24 to 25 years of age, i. e.7 to 8 years antecedent to the diagnosis of SLE, which was established on the basis of symptoms and signs, i. e. fever, butterfly erythema, positive LE phenomenon, ANA (×648), Anti-DNA antibody ( x 160), low CHSO, anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and proteinuria. Corticoid therapy resulted improvement of her physical laboratory findings except for psychopathy. In spite of her psychopathic disposition (her grandmother: mental disease), the possibility of SLE initiating with antecedent symptomatic psychopathy should be most preferable as the diagnosis.Case 4: M. T.,54 y. o., female. (Table 4)A depressive psychopathic state appeared, accompanied by fever and skin eruption. Her laboratory findings such as anemia, leucopenia, ANA (×640), Anti-DNA antibody (×29), RA BFP (+), low CHSO, Microsome test ×6400, and Thyroid test ×400 suggested SL E. Thereafter, her psychopathic state fluctuated concomitantly with her physical and laboratory abnormalities. Corticoid administration resulted subsequent improvement of all of the abnormal findings including the psychopathic disorder. In this case, the psychopathy ma y seemed to be a symptomatic psychosis, while her psychopathic disposition was suggested by her family history, i. e. her sister had schizophrenia.

Psychopathic State Inventory (PSI): Development of a Short Test for Measuring Psychopathic States

Six rational psychopathic state scales for Impulsivity, Egocentricity, Needs, Hypophoria (negative feeling states), Sociopathy, and High (search for "highs") were revised by selecting items within a rational category which most highly differentiated psychopaths as exemplified by opiate addicts (N = 28) and alcoholics (N = 53) from normals (N = 54) and which also most highly correlated with the parent rational scale or correlated most highly with the differentiating items. These procedures were effective in deriving scales which more highly differentiated alcoholics and addicts from normals and which were more reliable in each criterion group. It is thought that the scales will be useful in the study of the prevalence of or changes in psychopathic states.

Differences between single- and multiple-automobile fatal accidents

This communication discusses probable similarities and differences between single-vehicle and multiple-vehicle accidents. The investigation is based upon all fatal automobile accidents in the whole of Sweden [1975]. It is shown that single-vehicle accidents are more common on weekends and late in the day. Collisions between vehicles occurred often during bad weather conditions. Single-vehicle accidents happened more often on roads with lower speed limits than did collisions between vehicles. In single-vehicle accidents the drivers were markedly younger, more often drunken, and showed severe signs of social deviance. These features of the drivers in single-vehicle accidents significantly differed from drivers involved in collisions between vehicles even when results were corrected with regard to the fact that there are always two drivers involved in collisions between vehicles, and thus 50% of the drivers in these accidents supposedly represent what could be called average drivers. The use of seat belts and possession of driver's licenses were much lower in single-vehicle accidents. The question of psychopathic states in drivers involved in single-vehicle accidents is raised.

Durkheim's Suicide and the Question of Intention

Durkheim dismissed “intention” and “motives” from his conceptual framework in his effort to analyze suicide as a social fact He also rejected psychopathic states, heredity, and other “extra-social” factors as possible causes of suicide on the basis of statistical information available to him. This paper examines the way in which Durkheim worked out his position on the social conditions he regarded as responsible for suicide, and discusses some of the major problems involved. It is argued that Durkheim did not achieve the consistent position for which he strived, and that his methods did not always parallel his views on the use of “intention.”

ASPECTS OF THE PSYCHODYNAMICS OF THE PSYCHOPATH.

A survey of the literature on the psychopathic states, which is akeady extensive and which is increasing steadily, reveals a lack of unanimity on many points, not only those related to etiology( 1-6), psychodynamics and psychopathology(7-10), and diagnosis( 11-13), but also the gamut of symptomatology( 14-18) of those conditions grouped under the same categories by different authors. Cleckley’s( 19) portrait of the psychopathic personality stands as well as any since described, though his criteria are not by any means found to be present uniformly and, indeed, some characteristies of individual patients in particular circumstances are the reverse of those usually associated with the condition. The compilers of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association have defined two groups of psychopathic personalities described under the headings of antisocial reaction and dyssocial reaction(20). This differentiation appears to be related primarily to the problems of superego formation and superego management. It would appear that those individuals called dyssocial have identified with, and developed a superego consistent with, the social value system of their parents; i.e., superego formation and its derivative structure appear within the range of normality. The aberrant features, in a normative sense, are the reflections of the particular social concepts and practices of the parents. Those individuals who fit into the category of “antisocial reaction” appear to be of another breed. They seem to be characterized by distinguishing qualities which imply an almost complete absence of culturally acceptable supergo values. Yet, here too, upon closer observation, there are revealed aspects of behavior which seem to contradict the individual’s usual character-

Psychopathic states and attempted suicide.

Psychopathic states and attempted suicide.

Patterns of electrical skin resistance following sympathectomy.

SINCE the psychogalvanic reflex, or Fere's phenomenon, was first described, in 1888, 1 there has been a continued and increasing interest in the study of the electrical resistance of the skin, first in Europe and since the 1920's in this country. For over twenty years the investigations of Richter 1 have served as the basis for studies of skin resistance in the United States. Used first by psychiatrists in an attempt to characterize certain psychopathic states, the electrical resistance of the skin has become important to surgeons dealing with the nervous system, particularly to those dealing with the sympathetic nervous system and with injuries of the peripheral nerves. The resistance offered by the body to the passage of a delicate constant current is localized almost entirely in the skin. This is shown quite conclusively by the fact that a minute puncture through the skin causes the resistance to drop from

THE VALUE OF THE RORSCHACH TEST IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES

The diagnosis of typical or advanced cases of the various psychiatric syndromes is made without difficulty by competent psychiatrists. One’s diagnostic acumen is often put to a severe test, however, in the differentiation of early and incipient cases of mental illness. Probably the 3 more common disorders which give the most difficulty in this respect are certain of the psychoneuroses, psychopathic personalities, and the schizophrenias. Often the diagnosis is made principally on anamnestic data and less on the signs and symptoms which may be observable in the patient. Difficulties in the determination of early schizophrenia have been recognized by Polatin and Hoch( I) and of psychopathic states by Karpman(2). The initial symptoms of these 3 disorders indicate varying degrees of social maladjustment and illogical behavior which are often interpreted and explained by the psychiatrist as pointing to one of these syndromes. Often in staff discussions there may be a division of opinion and consequent difficulty in arriving at a definite decision in determining what the treatment should be. After a lapse of time, varying from weeks to months or even years, the symptoms and findings become more clear-cut and the patient can finally be accurately labeled but, in the meantime, treatment may have been unscientific. In this type of case the Rorschach test can play the decisive role in the determination of the personality type and diagnosis. Rorschach diagnostics are not by rule of thumb but often when there has been a marked diversity of opinion among psychiatrists the findings according to this test are more definite and clear-cut and point without doubt to one diagnosis rather than several. Personality types probably do not change. The neurotic, the psychopath, and the schizophrenic have a more or less characteristic way of thinking and deciding problems. The

Leucotomy in the Treatment of Psychopathic Feeble-Minded Patients in a State Mental Deficiency Institution

The results of leucotomy in mental hospital practice are already well known and are familiar from the Board of Control's review of 1,000 cases published in 1947.I am not aware that in mental deficiency institutions the operation has become a practice in application to cases presenting gross abnormality of conduct having its origin in mental disorder which, though not amounting to one of the insanities, has the characteristics of a psychopathic state.