Prozess – Entwicklung – Persönlichkeitswandel

The"erlebnisbedingte Pers?nlichkeitswandel" (reactive personality change) described by Venzlaff in 1958 is characterized here as a prototype of "enduring personality change after catastrophic experience" (ICD-10 F62.0). The symptoms of this post-traumatic syndrome indicate profound and irreversible changes in the individual's view of the world and herself. Referring to more anthropologically oriented psychotraumatological studies by Straus and Müller-Suur, Venzlaff interprets this syndrome as an "incurable disruption of the patient's existence" ("unheilbarer Bruch der Daseinsordnung"). The author attempts to integrate the phenomenon of reactive personality change into the wider context of the psychopathological problem of process and development and to understand it, in the term of Jaspers' "general psychopathology", as a "psychic process".     

Feministische Therapie – frauenspezifische Therapie – gendersensible Therapie

Psychotherapie Forum - Feministische, frauenspezifische und gendersensible Therapieansätze haben sich als schulenübergreifende Perspektive in den meisten westlichen Ländern seit...     

Telewissenschaft – Telescience

Background

What is telescience? Is it feasible to transfer academic information with the help of telematics to educate and teach young scientists over large distances? The term telescience has so far not been defined but covers a variety of possibilities, which could be successfully implemented worldwide. This article gives examples and highlights the feasibility analysis of telescience.

Methods

We have carried out feasibility analyses for neurological functional diagnostics, an epidemiological cross-sectional study as well as a laboratory study for detection of thrombocyte function during dengue fever with the help of telemedicine. The basis for all these projects was a telemedical transcontinental cooperation over a distance of 12,000?km.

Results

All performed studies demonstrated the feasibility. With the help of telematics the laboratory techniques, planning, conduction and interpretation of results as well as publication skills can be transferred.

Discussion

Telescience is feasible. Our studies showed that telescience is a very promising option to transfer knowledge, which will help to enable professional expertise to be transferred directly to the region/country without a brain drain. All too often young motivated scientists are enticed to move to well-known institutions, which involves the danger of a brain drain. Brain drain can be avoided in favor of local implementation of scientific projects. Our results illustrate that it is feasible to educate and guide scientists with the help of telematics infrastructures.

     

Haloperidol – induced neurotoxicity – possible implications for tardive dyskinesia

Summary. Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is one of the major side effects of long – term neuroleptic treatment. The pathophysiology of this disabling and commonly irreversible movement disorder is still obscure. The traditional concept of supersensitivity of striatal dopamine receptors as the mechanism involved in the development of TD is not satisfying, and current studies have focused on the role of neuroleptic – induced neuronal toxicity in the development of TD. We performed a series of experiments to gain a better understanding on the mechanisms involved in induction of TD. We have evaluated the direct neurotoxic effect of haloperidol (HP), a widely – used neuroleptic drug, and its three metabolites, in mouse neuronal cultures and in PC-12 cells. We found that the features of HP-induced cell death were apoptotic rather than necrotic, as indicated by different DNA-staining methods and specific caspases inhibitors. Moreover, cotreatment with antioxidants such as vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) significantly protected the cultures. Further studies on the mechanisms underlying HP-induced toxicity may lead to the development of new neuroprotective therapeutic strategies. Received May 10, 1999; accepted September 6, 1999     

Persönlichkeitsstörungen – Diagnostische Konzepte – Neurobiologie-Pharmakotherapie

Zusammenfassung  Eine moderne psychiatrische Sicht auf Pers?nlichkeit und Pers?nlichkeitsst?rung betont ein multifaktorielles Modell, in dem psychobiologische und psychosoziale Faktoren eng miteinander verwoben sind. Kategoriale und dimensionale Diagnosekonzepte zu Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen werden derzeit intensiv diskutiert. Für künftige Klassifikations-systeme k?nnen bedeutsame ?nderungen erwartet werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird zun?chst das Thema der Diagnostik von Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen in seiner Grundproblematik skizziert. Mittlerweile vorliegende neurobiologische Erkenntnisse zu einzelnen Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen werden dargestellt. Sie bilden das theoretische Rationale für die empirische Erprobung von psychopharmakologischen Ans?tzen in der Behandlung von Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen. Eine übersicht über kontrollierte empirische Studien wird gegeben. Die Resultate werden in Anlehnung an die DSM-IV Clusterbildung von Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen pr?sentiert. Einige Anmerkungen und Empfehlungen zum Einsatz von Medikamenten bei Pers?nlichkeitsst?rungen in der psychiatrischen Behandlungspraxis werden gemacht.      

Ned Kelly – Stock Thief,Bank Robber,Murderer – Psychopath

In his boyhood, Edward “Ned” Kelly began “lifting” cattle and horses. His early convictions included assault (1870), “feloniously receiving a horse” (1870) and resisting arrest (1877). On 15 April 1878, a lone police constable who visited the Kelly home to arrest Dan Kelly for horse theft later alleged that Ned Kelly shot and wounded him and that he had been assaulted by Kelly's family members. With a warrant for his arrest on a charge of attempted murder, in October 1878, Kelly and his gang ambushed and shot dead three policemen in remote bushland near Mansfield. On 1 November 1878, as a result of the Felons’ Apprehension Act, the Kelly gang were proclaimed “outlaws” and initially rewards of £200 for each was offered alive or dead. After robbing banks in Euroa and Jerilderie in NSW, and murdering a police informant, Kelly and his gang planned to derail a special train carrying police and black-trackers. The derailment was averted and police laid siege as sixty hostages huddled inside the Glenrowan Hotel. Kelly always claimed that he and his family had been victimised by police and that he had been driven to lawlessness. Many historians and authors have attempted to make connections between the Kelly gang outbreak and social conflicts of the period. However, a close examination of his developmental history and subsequent criminal behaviour reveals that Kelly was a violent and vindictive man who demonstrated prominent psychopathic features including pathological lying, callous lack of empathy for others and a parasitic lifestyle. As Kelly terrorised country Victoria, he showed little concern other than for his own gratification and self-justification. Kelly's own florid diatribes and correspondence further illuminate his grandiose sense of self-worth and his inability to accept responsibility for his criminality.     

Frauenk?rper – Frauenseele

In the seventeen??s psychosomatic diagnostic and therapy has entered into the gynecology and obstetrics. This includes a great cope of diseases. These are psychosomatic as well as somatopsychic diseases in gynecology and obstetrics. Additionally psychic reactions after severe life events are included. The treatment regards ??psychosomatische Grundversorgung?? (the basic psychosomatic approach), which is an obligatory detail of gynecology as well as single- and group- psychotherapy. These are practiced according to the principles of psychotherapy. In this aspect the application of psychotherapy should regard the different gender conditions. The specific situations of life in personal and social-cultured aspects should be regarded.     

Vaginismus – ein geteiltes Geheimnis

Sexual therapies are being conducted at the Psychotherapy Unit of Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine??s Department of Psychiatry for 30 years. While the main therapist who is a female clinical psychologist and psychodramatist remained the same, the Psychiatry resident co-therapists both male and female would change every 8 months. The Psychotherapy methods have changed and developed over 30 years. We started sexual therapy with classical couple therapy, and after 10 years sex therapy was combined with interactive group therapy. Psychodrama with sex therapy method is the leading treatment method for the last 20 years. We continue using this since it is fruitful in treatment as well as in training. In this paper, the history of the treatment process in a traditional culture will be given and the importance of psychodrama in sexual therapies will be underlined.     

Classifying psychosis – Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Within the efforts to revise ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR, work groups on the classification of psychotic disorders appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have proposed several changes to the corresponding classification criteria of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in order to increase the clinical utility, reliability and validity of these diagnoses. These proposed revisions are subject to field trials with the objective of studying whether they will lead to an improvement of the classification systems in comparison to their previous versions. Both a challenge and an opportunity, the APA and WHO have also considered harmonizing between the two classifications. The current status of both suggests that this goal can only be met in part. The main proposed revisions include changes to the number and types of symptoms of schizophrenia, the replacement of existing schizophrenia subtypes with dimensional assessments or symptom specifiers, different modifications of the criteria for schizoaffective disorder, a reorganization of the delusional disorders and the acute and transient psychotic disorders in ICD-11, as well as the revision of course and psychomotor symptoms/catatonia specifiers in both classification systems.     

Validation of the Lebanese Childhood Autism Rating Scale – Second Edition – High Functioning Version

This paper presents the psychometric properties of the Lebanese version of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale Second Edition, High Functioning Version (CARS2-HF). The participants consisted of 30 children aged 6–18 years among which 24 had a clinical diagnosis of Asperger disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified and 6 had a clinical diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). All participants were verbally fluent and had IQ estimates of 80 or higher, determined with the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability (WNV). Forward and backward translation of the CARS2-HF and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale Second Edition, Questionnaire for Parents or Caregivers (CARS2-QPC) was completed before the administration of the scales. The results of this study showed that the Lebanese CARS2-HF has a high degree of internal consistency (.92), inter-rater reliability (.97), and test–retest reliability (.99). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis determined that individuals with total raw scores below 26 are less likely – to be in the autism spectrum. This instrument can be used in screening and assessing for ASD in high-functioning Lebanese and Arab speaking individuals.     

Psychodrama und Neurobiologie – eine Begegnung

Psychodrama and Neurobiology – an EncounterThe knowledge about dynamic procedures in the brain has rapidly grown in the last years, particulary through the application of new research methods. Quite a number of publications address the influence of neurobiological findings on psychotherapy. Important results of neurobiological research like flexibility and adaptability of the brain (neuroplasticity and neurogenesis) are explained as well as some human genetic aspects of personal behaviour and finally the research on memory and its influence on psychotherapy. While doing so the central role of empathy for any social interaction is given a separate paragraph. Following up to this, the author poses the question of the neurobiological effects on psychotherapy. Finally, the author tries to appreciate the looming importance of these results for psychodrama in short.     

Entstehungsmechanismen der Epilepsie – unkonventionelle Hypothesen

The conventional views on the mechanisms of epileptogenesis and neuronal hyperexcitability usually consider one of two theories: the channelopathy theory and the inhibition-excitation imbalance theory, which have already been reviewed in a previous issue [13]. Recent – and some not so recent – data however challenge these traditional hypotheses, inasmuch experimental evidence is mounting indicating GABAergic activity not to be antiepileptic, but indeed pro-epileptic. Departing from a neuronocentric view, glia cells draw our attention not only as carriers of drug-transporting proteins, but also as active players shaping network excitability. This can occur via direct release of transmitters such as glutamate by failure of excitatory amino acid carriers as documented in glioma models or via a break-down of spatial buffering. Furthermore, a generally overlooked issue is the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Lastly, channelopathies may in some instances also have to be revisited inasmuch as simple physical measures such as pH control can prevent long-lasting alterations.