EFFECT OF APPLYING “ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY” ON AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS AMONG PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Experiencing persistent auditory hallucinations may contribute to unproductive struggle and interference with valued living among patients with schizophrenia. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) represents a new generation of behavior therapies that proposes active acceptance and achievement of worthwhile goals despite experiencing auditory hallucinations. Utilization of acceptance commitment therapy may assist in reducing auditory hallucinations and may increase patient's feeling of control. Aim: Determine the effect of applying acceptance and commitment therapy on auditory hallucinations among patients with schizophrenia. Setting: The study was conducted at El-Maamoura Hospital for Psychiatric Medicine in Alexandria, Egypt. Subjects: A random sample of 70 male inpatients with schizophrenia was selected and divided equally into a study and a control groups (35 patients in each group). Both groups were matched as much as possible in relation to socio- demographic and clinical data. Tools: Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS-AHs) and Voices Acceptance and Action Scale (VAAS). A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. Results: Significant differences were found between the study and control groups immediately post and after 3 months of ACT on baseline PSYRATS& VAAS scores. Conclusion: ACT offers a promising new treatment for auditory hallucination among patients with schizophrenia. A significant improvement in auditory hallucination was found in the study group immediately after implementing ACT and after 3 months. As well as a decrement in re hospitalization rate and improvement in drug compliance for the study group compares to control one. Recommendations: ACT should be integrated in psychiatric treatment and nursing interventions of inpatients with schizophrenia who experiencing auditory hallucination.     

“FALSE POSITIVE” CLAIMS OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES AND “FALSE NEGATIVE” DENIALS OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES

ABSTRACT

Some persons who claim to have had near-death experiences (NDEs) fail research criteria for having had NDEs (“false positives”); others who deny having had NDEs do meet research criteria for having had NDEs (“false negatives”). The author evaluated false positive claims and false negative denials in an organization that promotes near-death research and in psychiatric outpatients. The frequency of false positives and negatives varied in samples that differed in prevalence of, and knowledge about, NDEs. The influence of participants’ knowledge about NDEs on the findings of near-death research makes it critically important to use standardized criteria for identifying NDEs.     

THE FACTORS CONCERNED IN THE APPEARANCE OF NUCLEATED RED BLOOD CORPUSCLES IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD : I. INFLUENCE OF PROCEDURES DESIGNED TO INCREASE THE RATE OF BLOOD FLOW THROUGH THE BLOOD-FORMING ORGANS—EXERCISE AND NERVE SECTION.

1. Increase in circulatory rate caused by hard exercise has no power to dislocate nucleated red cells from the bone marrow either in normal, in anemic, in hyperplastic, or in anemic and hyperplastic animals. 2. In anemic and hyperplastic animals pseudocrises of nucleated red cells can be produced at certain periods by hard exercise, but careful analysis leads inevitably to the conclusion that the increase in these cells is merely a more accurate expression of circulatory content at the time of the procedure. 3. Section of the vasomotor nerves to the four limbs with consequent dilatation of the marrow vessels and increased blood flow through the tissue does not result in the freeing of nucleated red cells from the bone marrow.