Psychopathological Reactions Research Articles

ПСИХОТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКОЕ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЕ НА ПСИХОЭМОЦИОНАЛЬНОЕ СОСТОЯНИЕ ДЕТЕЙ И ПОДРОСТКОВ С ОНКОПАТОЛОГИЕЙ С ПОМОЩЬЮ МУЗЫКОТЕРАПИИ

The need to study the impact of art therapy, in particular music therapy, on the psycho-emotional state of children and adolescents with cancer is dictated by the high prevalence of mental disorders during hospitalization. Purpose: to analyze the literature to study the impact of music therapy on the psycho-emotional state of children and adolescents with cancer during treatment. General information. The most common symptoms experienced by children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer are depression, anxiety, pain associated with diagnostic procedures and treatment, nausea and fatigue, sleep disturbances and fatigue. Variations of art therapy using active and receptive methods of music therapy effectively influence the psycho-emotional status of patients, help children get rid of feelings of fear and cope with their anxiety, promote wellness, stress management, pain relief and more. The use of music therapy methods normalizes the psychosomatic state. The goal of psychotherapeutic work with adolescents and children with cancer is, first of all, prevention and correction of psychopathological reactions. Timely psychotherapy provided to cancer patients in childhood will help harmonize the psycho-emotional state associated with the treatment, especially after mutilating operations. The technique is universal and integrative; it can be successfully used in the treatment of many psychological disorders, as well as integrated and combined with other therapeutic approaches (body-oriented approach, drawing, dance-movement method, etc.). To reduce the incidence of mental pathology after illness and achieve its maximum compensation, a multidisciplinary approach is required.

ТЕЛЕСНО-ОРИЕНТИРОВАННАЯ ПСИХОТЕРАПИЯ ДЕТЕЙ И ПОДРОСТКОВ С ОНКОПАТОЛОГИЕЙ

The need to study the influence of body-oriented psychotherapy on the psycho-emotional consequences of cancer in children and adolescents during treatment is dictated by the high prevalence of mental disorders during hospitalization and insufficient knowledge of the possibility of their compensation. Purpose: to analyze the literature to study the influence of body-oriented psychotherapy on the psycho-emotional consequences of cancer in children and adolescents during treatment. General information. The most commonly reported and most concerning symptoms are pain associated with diagnostic procedures and treatments, nausea and fatigue, and negative self-perception of body image leading to low self-esteem and affecting the ability to form healthy relationships with peers. Children experience increased levels of depression and anxiety, as well as social skill deficits, greater physical weakness during physical activities, sleep disturbances and body image disturbances. Body techniques effectively open the way to the somatic unconscious and the elimination of the blocks identified in it, since the human body is a material reflection of all the emotional states he has experienced. The use of body-oriented psychotherapy methods normalizes the psychosomatic state. Taking into account the psychological characteristics of children and adolescents, the most common methods of body-oriented psychotherapy in this age category of patients are various variations of touch and movements in combination with other methods. The goal of psychotherapeutic work with adolescents and children with cancer is, first of all, prevention and correction of psychopathological reactions. Timely psychotherapy provided to cancer patients in childhood will help harmonize the psycho-emotional state associated with the treatment, especially after mutilating operations. Among the many psychotherapeutic techniques used in the structure of helping children and adolescents, body-oriented therapy has found the most widespread use. One of the advantages of TOP is its versatility. That is, the technique can be successfully used in the treatment of many psychological disorders, as well as integrated and combined with other therapeutic approaches (art therapy, music therapy, acupressure, etc.). To reduce the incidence of mental pathology after illness and achieve its maximum compensation, a multidisciplinary approach is required.

ПСИХОЭМОЦИОНАЛЬНЫЕ ПОСЛЕДСТВИЯ ОНКОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЙ У ДЕТЕЙ И ПОДРОСТКОВ НА ОТДАЛЁННЫХ ЭТАПАХ И ИХ ПСИХОТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКАЯ КОРРЕКЦИЯ. ОБЗОР ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ

The need to analyze the literature to study information about the psycho-emotional consequences of cancer in children and adolescents at long-term stages, as well as their psychotherapeutic correction, is dictated by the high prevalence of mental disorders in the long-term period and insufficient knowledge of the possibility of their compensation. Purpose: to analyze the literature to study the psycho-emotional consequences of cancer in patients who suffered cancer in childhood or adolescence, as well as the psychotherapeutic correction of these patients. General information. Stress factors associated with cancer cause many psychological problems and affect all aspects of a child’s life, including causing serious changes in the emotional, cognitive, personal and behavioral spheres. Many emerging disorders persist even in the stage of long-term remission, causing a decrease in the quality of life and difficulties in social adaptation. In pediatric patients, the condition is characterized by pronounced asthenia, emotional instability, a large number of fears, and aggressive manifestations. neurocognitive disorders, difficulty learning, mastering new skills, problems with memory, concentration and attention, speed of information processing, depression. Also often mentioned: fear of illness, low self-esteem, difficulty returning to school and to a group of emotionally significant peers, dependence on adults who care for them during treatment, behavioral deviations, sleep disorders, more frequent depressive reactions, increased anxiety, change perception of the world and oneself in it and much more. Psychotherapeutic correction in combination with psychopharmacotherapy shows itself to be the most effective. In some cases, psychotherapeutic effects used as monotherapy are effective. Psychotherapy for conditions caused by stress is based on pathogenetic principles based on the psychology of relationships. The goal of psychotherapeutic work with adolescents and children with cancer is, first of all, prevention and correction of psychopathological reactions. Individual psychotherapy, which allows you to devote more time and attention to the child than group work, is proving to be the most effective in practice today. Among the many psychotherapeutic techniques used in the structure of assistance to children and adolescents, the most widely used are body-oriented therapy, short-term interpersonal therapy, and art therapy. To reduce the incidence of mental pathology after illness and achieve its maximum compensation, a multidisciplinary approach is required.

Стресові реакції у хворих з розладами спектру шизофренії та комплексний підхід в їх лікуванні

Abstract The psychotraumatic factors that occurred during the war of 2022-2023 significantly affect on the onset and dynamics of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Objective. To study the relationship between the influence of stress factors in patients with SSD with the dynamics of exacerbation of psychopathological symptoms and to create complex of treatment and rehabilitation (CTR) for these patients. Methods and materials. There was psychopathological examination of 68 patients with different types of SSD who experienced severe stress during the war and assessed the clinical features of theire psychotic state, and the content of stress factors. Results. In the research the largest number were patients with schizophrenia (Sch, 42.6% of cases), most often with paranoid form with progressive paroxysmal course, as well as patients with acute and transient psychotic disorders (APD), schizoaffective disorder (SchAD) and schizotypal disorder (StD). There were diagnosed affective and delusional symptoms (54.4% of cases) most often as the leading psychopathological reaction to the psychotraumatic stress effects in patients with SSD. Only patients with Sch had the highest incidence of hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome (71.4% of cases). The onset or relapse of a psychotic episode among patients with SSD developed as a result of a significant impact of stress factors with different content, but related to the war in all cases. The most frequent of these were difficulties during evacuation, which caused increasing in family conflicts, especially in patients with Sch and StD. It was found the stressful media impact caused an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in one third of patients with Sch and StD. There was essential psychotraumatic impact to patients with SSD as of the repeated bombing; the death of relatives; fears experienced during the occupation; inability to continue treatment; and psychotraumatic circumstances associated with the loss of work or no money to live. The CTR for patients with SSD who have been significantly affected by stress based on the analysis of the relationship between nosology, clinical symptoms and stress factors. The aim of the CTR is effective treatment of a psychotic episode or reactive psychotic state, should be steady and consist of the following stages: diagnostic; emergency, outpatient and/or inpatient care; psycho-rehabilitation, as well as support and psychoprophylaxis. Its structure should combine the use of psychopharmacotherapy with psychotherapy (psychocorrection) and psychoeducation, followed support of the patient at the stage of remission.

"Faith Is Not Enough?" Ego-Resiliency and Religiosity as Coping Resources with Pandemic Stress-Mediation Study.

Based on the concepts of Pargament's adaptational functions of religiosity, Huber's centrality of religiosity, and Block's conceptualisation of ego-resiliency as psychosocial resources, a nonexperimental, moderated mediation project was designed for a group of 175 women and 57 men who voluntarily participated in an online study to determine whether and to what extent religiosity mediated or moderated the relationship between ego-resiliency and the severity of PTSD and depression during the COVID-19 epidemic. The analyses carried out showed that the studied variables, ego-resiliency and centrality of religiosity, were predictors of the intensity of some psychopathological reactions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but were not connected via a mediation relationship. Therefore, one question remains open: what is the role of ego-resiliency and the nature of the stated immunogenic effect of the centrality of religiosity in dealing with the critical threat to mental health that is the COVID-19 pandemic?

Нейропатичний біль при анкілозивному спондиліті та особливості психопатологічного реагування

The purpose of the work was to study the features of psychopathological symptoms in ankylosing spondylitis with and without neuropathic pain. Materials and methods. We clinically examined 142 patients treated between 2019 and 2022 who were diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis according to the modified New York criteria. These patients were divided into two groups: the first group had the signs of neuropathic pain; the second group had no signs. The study of the psycho-emotional sphere was carried out using the The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, scales for assessing the level of personal and reactive anxiety by S. Spilberger, and the Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire was used to determine cognitive function. Results and discussion. It was found that the basis of psychopathological reactions in ankylosing spondylitis are mild and moderate depressive and anxiety symptoms: the average score on The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in patients without neuropathic pain was 48.1 ± 13.1 points, and in patients with neuropathic pain – 58.1 ± 4.6 points (p<0.01). 28.9% had no signs of depression, 45.1% showed signs of mild depression, and 26.0% – moderate depression. In 41.5% of patients without neuropathic pain, no signs of depression were found, in 40.4% – mild depression, in 18.1% – moderate, in patients with neuropathic pain – 4.2%, 54.2%, and 41.6%, respectively. The average value of the reactive anxiety index in the examined was 47.2 ± 12.2 points, in patients without neuropathic pain – 45.5 ± 12.7 points, in patients with neuropathic pain – 50.4 ± 10.5 points (p<0.05); personal anxiety indicator was 45.5 ± 10.1, 43.7 ± 10.6 and 49.0 ± 8.2 points, respectively (p<0.05). A low level of reactive anxiety in patients with neuropathic pain was found in 2.1%, without neuropathic pain – in 13.8% (p<0.05); medium – respectively in 31.3% versus 36.2% (p>0.05), high – respectively in 66.6% versus 50.0% (p<0.05). There were significantly more patients with low levels of personal anxiety among those who did not have neuropathic pain – 20.2% versus 6.3% (p<0.05), and with high levels – among patients with neuropathic pain: 56.2% versus 38.3% (p<0.05). The average value of the Mini Mental State Examination index in all patients was 27.46 ± 1.77 points; in patients with neuropathic pain – 26.29 ± 1.39 points, without neuropathic pain – 28.06 ± 1.64 points (p<0.01). Conclusion. Correlation analysis made it possible to establish the presence of significant correlations between expressiveness of neuropathic pain and depression and anxiety. Depressive and anxious manifestations in ankylosing spondylitis reflect psychopathological reactions to severe disease, pain and somatic discomfort, and personal anxiety as a stable personality characteristic, in ankylosing spondylitis patients primarily reflects the formation of patho-characteristic features as a result of long-term somatogenic influence. Cognitive impairment is probably mediated by depressive and anxiety symptoms and the influence of pain syndrome. The presence of a neuropathic component of the pain syndrome is a factor that aggravates the state of the psycho-emotional sphere, which justifies the feasibility of prescribing psychopharmacological therapy for ankylosing spondylitis

Prior histories of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression and their onset and course in the three months after a motor vehicle collision in the AURORA study.

A better understanding of the extent to which prior occurrences of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE) predict psychopathological reactions to subsequent traumas might be useful in targeting posttraumatic preventive interventions. Data come from 1306 patients presenting to 29 U.S. emergency departments(EDs) after a motor vehicle collision (MVC) in the advancing understanding of recovery after traumastudy. Patients completed self-reports in the ED and 2-weeks, 8-weeks, and 3-months post-MVC. Associations of pre-MVC probable PTSD and probable MDE histories with subsequent 3-months post-MVC probable PTSD and probable MDE were examined along with mediation through intervening peritraumatic, 2-, and 8-week disorders. 27.6% of patients had 3-month post-MVC probable PTSD and/or MDE. Pre-MVC lifetime histories of these disorders were not only significant (relative risk = 2.6-7.4) but were dominant (63.1% population attributable risk proportion [PARP]) predictors of this 3-month outcome, with 46.6% prevalence of the outcome among patients with pre-MVC disorder histories versus 9.9% among those without such histories. The associations of pre-MVC lifetime disorders with the 3-month outcome were mediated largely by 2-and 8-week probable PTSD and MDE (PARP decreasing to 22.8% with controls for these intervening disorders). Decomposition showed that pre-MVC lifetime histories predicted both onset and persistence of these intervening disorders as well as the higher conditional prevalence of the 3-month outcome in the presence of these intervening disorders. Assessments of pre-MVC PTSD and MDE histories and follow-ups at 2and 8 weeks could help target early interventions for psychopathological reactions to MVCs.

Psychological consequences of hospital isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic - research on the sample of polish firefighting academy students

Currently, a very important thread of research on COVID-19 is to determine the dimension of the psychopathological emotional reactions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. A non-experimental online research project was designed to determine the predictors of the severity of psychopathological symptoms, such as depression and PTSD symptoms, and the nature of the feedback mechanism between them in groups of men, remaining in hospital isolation due to infection and at-home isolation during the COVID-19 epidemic. The presence of symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a sense of threat due to the pandemic were assessed using the following screening tests: IES-R by Weiss and Marmar, PHQ-9 by Spitzer et al., and a self-constructed sliding scale for assessing COVID-19 anxiety. The study was carried out on a group of 57 firefighting cadets, hospitalized in a COVID-19 isolation room (Mage = 23.01), staying in isolation due to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and a control group of 57 healthy men (Mage = 41.38) staying at home during quarantine and national lockdown. COVID-19 pandemic causes many psychopathological reactions. The predictive models revealed that the predictors of symptoms of PTSD in isolated patients included depression and the experienced sense of COVID-19 threat resulting from the disease, while in the control group the symptoms of depression were the only predictor of PTSD. PTSD experiences are usually associated with depression. It may also be a form of the re-experiencing process or the effect of high affectivity, indirectly confirmed by the participation of hyperarousal in the feedback loop. Our findings highlight the importance of mental health aspects in patients treated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic requires social distancing, quarantine and isolation, which may cause psychopathological symptoms not only in affected people, but also in the general population. Moreover, the need for greater psychological support can be emphasized for both: the sick and the general population.

“Dies Irae?” The Role of Religiosity in Dealing with Psychological Problems Caused by The COVID-19 Pandemic—Studies on a Polish Sample

Based on Huber’s centrality of religiosity concept, a non-experimental research project was designed in a group of 178 women and 72 men, voluntary participants in online studies, quarantined at home during the first weeks (the first wave) of the pandemic, to determine whether and to what extent religiosity, understood as a multidimensional construct, was a predictor of the worsening of PTSD and depression symptoms in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study made use of CRS Huber’s scale to study the centrality of religiosity, Spitzer’s PHQ-9 to determine the severity of depression, and Weiss and Marmar’s IES-R to measure the symptoms of PTSD. Our study, which provided interesting and non-obvious insights into the relationship between the studied variables, did not fully explain the protective nature of religiosity in dealing with pandemic stress. Out of five components of religiosity understood in accordance with Huber’s concept (interest in religious issues, religious beliefs, prayer, religious experience, and cult), two turned out to contribute to modifications in the severity of psychopathological reactions of the respondents to stress caused by the pandemic during its first wave. A protective role was played by prayer, which inhibited the worsening of PTSD symptoms, whereas religious experience aggravated them. This means that in order to interpret the effect of religiosity on the mental functioning of the respondents in a time of crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic), we should not try to explain this effect in a simple and linear way, because religious life may not only bring security and solace, but also be a source of stress and an inner struggle.

Algorithm of medical and psychological support for servicewomen, ATO/JFO female veterans

The psychotherapeutic program included targeted use of cognitive-behavioral therapy, personality-oriented therapy, biosuggestion, non-directive Rogerian psychotherapy, art therapy, biofeedback, trauma-focused therapy, EMDR. PTSD coping strategies program was used for the military Pucelik Consulting Group. The psychotherapeutic intervention was aimed at the affective reappraisal of the traumatic experience; correction of behavioral patterns associated with combat stress; development of skills for mastering anxiety and emotional reactions, constructive forms of cognitive and emotional response in the face of changing life stereotypes; return to a peaceful life. An important component of the program of medical and psychological support is psychoeducation. It is aim: to develop an adequate system of conceptions about the consequences of combat stress and peculiarities of adjustment reactions during changes of life stereotype; to understand the main consequences and psychopathological reactions caused by psychic trauma; to train in methods of mastering the consequences of combat mental trauma, to learn basic self-help techniques for intrusive memories, alarming paroxysms, skills of self-regulation and self-management for own mental state. A complex system of medical and psychological support for servicewomen at the stage of readaptation to a peaceful life after demobilization should be aimed at reducing the level of emotional tension; affective reassessment of traumatic experiences; the formation of a positive attitude towards the future; correction of experiences associated with changes in life stereotype (feeling of helplessness, difficulties associated with social adaptation), creation of a new cognitive model of life; family psychotherapy and spousal psychocorrection; medical assistance in case of stress-related disorders.

COVID-19–ՈՎ ՀԻՎԱՆԴՆԵՐԻՆ ՄԱՍՆԱԳԻՏԱԿԱՆ ՕԳՆՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ ՑՈՒՑԱԲԵՐԱԾ ԲՈՒԺԱՇԽԱՏՈՂՆԵՐԻ ՀՈԳԵԿԱՆ ՎԻՃԱԿԸ ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆՈՒՄ / MENTAL HEALTH OF MEDICAL WORKERS PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL CARE TO PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

In these difficult days, the "white army", doctors and paramedics, perform the most important, responsible work with a number of risks, fighting for the lives of people on the front line. The article represents the types of emotional temperament of medical personnel working in various medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia providing professional aid to patients infected with COVID-19. As a result of the study we revealed the following data: 56 per cent of respondents showed an immature type of emotional temperament, that is the way to develop a predisposition to depressive, manic, psychopathological emotional reaction, which can be already found in the clinical picture of the spectrum of affective disorders. Only about 4% had a mature type of emotional temperament. In addition, 75% of doctors and medical staff working in various medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia had an average aggressiveness, 25% has a decrease in working capacity, and 28% had difficulties with communication due to irregular working conditions because the epidemic. Thus, in order to prevent the above-mentioned negative phenomena among doctors and medical staff, it is necessary to ensure a high level of organization of work in medical institutions, particularly, the organization of medical-psychological care, which will lead to a reduction of poor mental conditions in the crisis time.

FEATURES OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL REACTION IN PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS

The aim: Was exploring features of psychopathological reaction in parents whose children suffer from chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Materials and methods: Clinically, 40 fathers and 64 mothers of children suffering from chronic muscular motor pathologies using M. Hamilton’s Depression and Anxiety Scale and Buss-Durkee Hostility Invertory were examined. Results: It was revealed that the foundation of psychopathological reactions of parents to the chronic illness of children is depressive (from 68,2% to 97,0%) and anxiety (from 40.9% to 100.0%) disorders, and dyssomic disorders as well (from 18.2% to 93.9%), asthenic (from 9.1% to 81.8.%), affective lability (from 9.1% to 36.4%), apathetic (from 4.5% to 42.4%), cognitive (from 4.5% to 42.4%) and obsessive-phobic (from 4.5% to 39.4%) disorders. Mothers with longer and shorter periods of illness in children showed higher levels of depression (20.82 ± 5.94 and 20.26 ± 6.59 respectively) and anxiety (19.06 ± 5.00 and 17, 77 ± 5.65) compared with fathers (17.44 ± 8.78 and 10.82 ± 6.21, respectively; 14.72 ± 5.57 and 14.95 ± 4.45), but fathers showed higher levels of aggression 65.59 ± 10.42 and 63.21 ± 10.31 (respectively versus 55.27 ± 6.97 and 49.72 ± 10.00). Conclusions: А high level of psychopathological reaction in mothers is detected at short periods of disease, and in fathers it significantly grows as the duration of child’s illness increases.

Measuring Psychosocial Reactions to COVID-19: The COVID Reaction Scales (COVID-RS) as a New Assessment Tool.

Knowing and measuring the psychosocial reactions of people to the coronavirus crisis could be useful for predicting citizen responsibility and psychological well-being in the general population. In this research, we present the COVID Reaction Scales (COVID-RS), a new tool that can measure and quantify the psychopathological reactions of the population to the COVID-19 crisis. The sample consisted of 667 subjects. Explorative and confirmative factor analyses were applied to examine the validity and reliability of the COVID-RS. Five dimensions were extracted that predicted 35.08% of the variance of the psychopathological reactions: (1) disorganized behaviors, (2) avoidant behaviors, (3) maladaptive information consumption, (4) herd behaviors and (5) loneliness. The results indicated that social quarantine induces and increases psychopathological reactions. However, emotional loneliness is reduced for each person with whom the respective subject lives during the quarantine. Finally, we can conclude that the COVID-RS has satisfactory validity and reliability. Measuring dysfunctional reactions to COVID-19 can enable the prediction of citizen responsibility.

Post-traumatic stress spectrum symptoms in parents of children affected by epilepsy: Gender differences

PurposeTo investigate psychopathological reaction to traumatic stress, addressing in particular gender difference, in parental couples of children affected by epilepsy. Methods50 mothers and 50 fathers, paired for one’s child, of children followed at the Pediatric Unit of a major Italian University Hospital with a diagnosis of epilepsy were enrolled, screened by means of the Semi-structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) and filled the Trauma and Loss Spectrum Self-Report (TALS-SR), an international instrument to evaluate post-traumatic stress symptomatology. Results25 % of the total sample presented a diagnosis of PTSD with a statistically higher prevalence of mothers (36 % and 14 %, respectively; p = .021). Furthermore, 44 % (48 % mothers and 40 % fathers) presented a partial PTSD. Important gender differences emerged also for all cluster dimensions of the TALS-SR except for the Avoidance. Finally, the analysis of the single items of the TALS-SR evidenced that in mothers subgroup prevail cognitive symptoms of fear and sadness as well as somatic manifestations. ConclusionsOur results point out the differences between mothers and fathers in trauma response and underline the need to develop gender targeted models of healthcare prevention and assistance.

Взаимосвязь механизмов психологической защиты и ценностных ориентаций личности с психопатологическими реакциями

Взаимосвязь механизмов психологической защиты и ценностных ориентаций личности с психопатологическими реакциями

Ways to implement aggressive motives and ideas of revenge in the context of experiencing high-intensity stresses

The first part of the article provides a theoretical analysis of the study of the problem of PTSD, its impact on the development of various psychopathological reactions, as well as the role in the emergence of aggressive motives and ideas of revenge The results of empirical studies conducted at different times among the population of the Chechen Republic, which revealed the presence of a large number of examined post-traumatic disorders, are described separately. The second part presents the results of our own empirical study of the ideas of revenge and methods for their implementation, as well as the manifestations of various forms of aggressive behavior.

Oral-Facial Manifestations Caused by the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Psychiatric Patients

The development of psychotropic chemotherapy with widespread use in the psychiatric clinic for its anxiolytic, hypnotic, antidepressant, psychostimulant or psycho-destructive sedative effects has given rise to a new pathology secondary to increased abuse and accessibility. Their neurotropism is generally exerted on the central nervous system at the level of the complex meso-diencephalo-striate structures, influencing the elementary psychic functions, but also the activity of the whole organism through the neuro-humoral system. The clinical investigation of the patient must be interdisciplinary in nature, as human beings are characterized by a bio-psycho-social unit, in which the various biological and psychological components, influenced to a greater or lesser extent by the social environment, are involved in a special way, which gives an original personality to everyone. There are five fundamental axes, which are usually evaluated: thinking, memory, attention, emotion and behavior. A disorder in any of these axes, intense enough to interrupt the normal activity in more than one operating field over a sufficiently long period of time, is diagnosable as a mental disorder. There is an indication borrowed from internal medicine regarding the acute character (weeks), subacute character (months) and chronic character (years), which is attached to the diagnosis. A small part of the entire psychiatric population suffers from severe conditions, which involve intermittent episodes of severe disinhibition, aggressive behavior and self- or hetero-directed violence. In most cases, we talk about conditions such as depression or anxiety disorders (panic disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder), which do not make him a social predator, although they cause enormous suffering to the individual. This study includes 67 patients with mental illness. While conducting the study, we took into account that the first contact with the patient is essential for the results of the anamnesis, oral examination, risk assessment and provisional treatment plan. In the 67 cases there were performed mycological analyses. It is necessary that dentists have certain knowledge of psychology and psychopathology, in order to understand the mechanism of psychopathological reactions and avoid them.

Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) in parents of pediatric patients with epilepsy: Correlations with post-traumatic stress symptoms

Increasing literature has shown the usefulness of a dimensional approach to mental disorders, particularly when exploring subjects exposed to traumatic experiences such as a severe illness in one's child. Recent evidence suggests an increased vulnerability in subjects with autism spectrum symptoms to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of adult autism subthreshold spectrum in a sample of parents of children with epilepsy and its impact on post-traumatic stress spectrum symptoms in the same study sample. Results revealed noteworthy correlations between post-traumatic stress symptoms and adult autism subthreshold spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) only in the subgroup of the fathers. In particular, were evidenced correlations between AdAS Spectrum domain of rumination and narrow interests and some TALS-SR nuclear domains: reaction to traumatic events, reexperiencing and arousal. These findings corroborate the hypothesis that subthreshold autistic features may influence the possible psychopathological reaction to trauma.

Working memory function is linked to trauma exposure, independently of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The purpose of the study was to examine how working memory (WM) may be related to exposure to potentially traumatic events and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Method: In four studies, we measured WM function using adaptations of the running span and the reading span tasks. We compared the performance of women reporting experiences of sexual abuse to control participants (total n = 144 controls and 84 victims). We measured severity of the sexual abuse experiences as well as exposure to general life stress.Results: In all studies, trauma-exposed participants showed significantly lower WM function compared to control participants. In addition to traditional null hypothesis testing, we used a mini-meta analysis to estimate the combined estimated effect size of this difference, which was in the moderate range (d = 0.43 with 0.15–0.70 95% confidence interval). Regression equations showed that PTSD symptoms did not mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and WM function.Conclusions: Our results show that trauma exposure per se can be associated with important cognitive correlates even in individuals who do not develop psychopathological reactions.

Sleep-related experiences longitudinally predict elevation in psychopathological distress in young adult Israelis exposed to terrorism

Unusual sleep and dream experiences—such as elevated dream recall, nightmares, hypnagogic hallucinations, flying dreams, or waking dreams—constitute a trait of atypical nocturnal cognitions that has been associated with life stress and psychopathological distress, as well as terrorism-related stress. In the present study, this trait was explored as a predictor of psychopathological distress following Israel's 2012 “Operation Pillar of Defense” by employing a prospective-longitudinal design. Fifty-three participants, for whom baseline data on psychopathology, sleep, and dreaming were previously assessed, were contacted again in the week following the conclusion of the Operation. They filled out questionnaires regarding sleep experiences, psychopathological distress, the degree of exposure to terrorism, dissociative experiences, and sleep quality. An elevation in psychopathological symptoms, from pre- to post-Operation measurements, was predicted by degree of exposure to terrorism, but also by pre-Operation sleep experiences. This effect of unusual dreaming in prospectively predicting psychopathological reactions to terrorism-related stress was also replicated when reanalyzing existing longitudinal data from a previous study on exposure to terrorism. These novel findings point to the importance of individual differences in nocturnal cognition as clinical indicators of risk for stress reactivity and psychopathology in the face of traumatic stress.