CORRELATION OF SKIN POTENTIAL AND SKIN RESISTANCE MEASURES

Simultaneous measurements of skin potential (SP) and skin resistance (SR) obtained from 20 male and 20 female adult subjects during 2 sessions held 2 to 9 days apart were used in studying (1) the correlation of change measurements and prestimulus level in the two measures, and (2) the amount of correlation between SP and SR using both simple difference and residual change scores in which the regression of poststimulus values on initial level (prestimulus) has been controlled. Correlations within Ss and correlations among Ss showed large individual variability, correlation differences between males and females, and high correlation between SP and SR change scores. Although the law of initial value (LIV) seemed to have little applicability to the measurement of electrodermal responses, the results underscored the need to control for contamination of change measures by initial level regardless of direction.     

Dissociative detachment relates to psychotic symptoms and personality decompensation

Previous studies have addressed the prominence of psychotic symptoms in conjunction with multiple personality disorder (now dissociative identity disorder). The present study examines the relation between psychotic symptoms and a more pervasive form of dissociative disturbance, namely dissociative detachment. Two hundred sixty-six women in inpatient treatment for severe trauma-related disorders completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and 102 of these patients also completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-111). A factor analysis of the DES yielded two dimensions of dissociative detachment: detachment from one's own actions and detachment from the self and the environment. Each of these DES dimensions relates strongly to the thought disorder and schizotypal personality disorder scales of the MCMI-III. We propose that severe dissociative detachment, by virtue of loosening the moorings in inner and outer reality, is conducive to psychotic symptoms and personality decompensation.     

An Analysis of Home Practice Patterns for Non-Drug Headache Treatments

Regular home practice of non-drug training techniques is assumed essential for improved headache control. In numerous research studies on non-drug treatment efficacy, subjects have been routinely required to practice daily self-regulation techniques. This paper examines the relationship between amount of home practice and treatment outcome, and the extent to which subjects adhere to training requirements. A total of 42 subjects completed daily home practice records for 32 weeks. Fourteen subjects had randomly been assigned to an autogenic phases group, 17 to an electromyographic biofeedback group, and 11 to a thermal training group. All subjects charted frequency of practice, change of feeling in the target area, time required to bring about the change, and general body relaxation. Relationships between subject compliance and 11 selected variables including demographics, headache activity components, treatment group, and treatment outcome were evaluated. Results support home practice, but place greater emphasis on its quality rather than its quantity.     

Alterations in EEG Amplitude, Personality Factors, and Brain Electrical Mapping after Alpha-Theta Brainwave Training: A Controlled Case Study of an Alcoholic in Recovery

A controlled case study was conducted of effects of EEG alpha and theta brainwave training with a recovering alcoholic patient who experienced craving and fear of relapse after 18 months of abstinence. Training consisted of six sessions of thermal biofeedback to increase central nervous system (CNS) relaxation. Effects were documented with pretreatment and post-treatment personality testing, 20-channel digitized EEG evaluations both under relaxed conditions and under stress, minute-by-minute physiologic recordings of autonomic and EEG data during each training session, blood pressure, and heart rate indications taken both during relaxation and under stress, and by clinical observation. Results replicated those of a previous controlled study with chronic alcoholic patients not abstinent prior to treatment. New findings include post-treatment indications of more relaxed CNS functioning under stress, and of reduced autonomic activation both during relaxation and under stress. Brain-mapping indications of anxiety associated with painful cold-pressor stimulation were seen only in the pretest readings; at post-test the brain map indicated pain-associated EEG activity in the contralateral somatosensory area, but no apparent anxiety-associated EEG activity. At 4 months post-treatment the patient's wife and colleagues report the patient appears to function in a more relaxed way under the impact of stress, and he reports no longer experiencing craving for alcohol. Overall, support is provided for the possibility that alpha and theta brainwave training may be a useful intervention for the abstinent alcoholic experiencing stress-related craving and fear of relapse.     

Toward a Rapprochement of Empirical and Clinical Inquiry in Evaluation of Psychologically Oriented Alcoholism Treatment

The need to synthesize clinical and empirical considerations in naturalistic studies of psychologically oriented alcoholism treatment is discussed. Well done naturalistic studies are viewed as a necessary complement to more traditional controlled studies of treatment in order to maintain an interface of clinicall reality with scientific respectability. A general clinical framework and scientific model for naturalistic study are proposed by which scientific and clinical considerations may be reconciled.     

Results of a controlled,experimental, outcome study of nondrug treatments for the control of migraine headaches

Headache variables were examined for 136 subjects who participated for 36 weeks in one of four groups-No Treatment, Autogenic Phrases, Electromyographic (EMG) Biofeedback, and Thermal Biofeedback. All subjects kept daily records of headache activity and medication usage and participated in 22 laboratory sessions during which frontalis electromyographic and handtemperature measurements were taken; those in the three treatment groups practiced at home. There was a substantial reduction in headache variables in all groups. The No-Treatment Group differed significantly from the treatment groups combined, with the least reduction in headache variables. The Thermal Biofeedback Group vs. EMG Biofeedback and Autogenic Phrases Groups showed a suggestive trend toward improvement in the frequency and intensity of total headache.This work was supported by Grant MH26026 from the National Institute of Mental Health and by grants from the National Migraine Foundation and the P. W. Skogmo Foundation.     

Child abuse and treatment difficulty in inpatient treatment of children and adolescents

This study examined the associations between abuse and staff perceived treatment difficulty in sixty-nine hospitalized children and adolescents. Subjects were rated on a treatment difficulty scale, and clinical charts were reviewed for evidence of physical abuse, sexual abuse, abuse between parents, and parental history of abuse. Subjects with histories of abuse were not rated as more difficult or less responsive to treatment than other patients. Physically abused youngsters were rated as more self-destructive and more accessible to treatment than non-abused children, while sexually abused youngsters were self-destructive and demanding, and their families were seen as more distant and unavailable.