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Hypnotic drugs in a population. Prescriptions by the specialist and the general practitioner
No full textThe efficiency of motor activity in Psychiatry: An experimental clinical study
No full textIntroduction
The aim of the study was to individuate the characteristics of motor activity that improve health and autonomy in psychiatric patients. As is evident from numerous reports, physical
activity has positive benefits in terms of prevention and therapy in psychiatric pathologies (Artal,
1998 - Hale, 2002 – Morgan, 1997 – Carraro, 1996 – Phillips, 2003). Despite these findings,
physical activity is still not widely employed as a therapeutic tool. The benefits of physical activity
do not appear to be limited to selected types of exercise, but rather, are conferred by a wide range of
activities and modalities (aerobic, muscular tonification, articular mobility). Some studies have
indicated that improvements in psychiatric pathologies may occur without significant increases in
aerobic performance, although the physiological mechanisms behind motor activity improvements
on psychiatric pathologies is still not well-understood. Considering present knowledge, we formulated a research protocol based on the hypothesis that Fitness Therapy can offer physical, cognitive, and emotional experiences that might help patients in obtaining better self-awareness and self-acceptance of one's body and motor abilities. This would improve self-perception, self-esteem, physical conditions, and utilization of the surrounding environment.
Methodology
A total of 224 patients with an age between 17 to 70 years affected by personality disturbances as well as depressive and sleep disorders were included in the study. The average admission time was 26.8 ± 12.4 days. Upon admission and discharge, patients were subjected to a psychiatric evaluation scale (BPRS – BDI – WHODAS II) and an evaluation protocol for motor ability. The experimental group was composed of 31 patients selected by request of the curing physician or by the patient himself. The control group was composed of the remaining patient population that was present during the same period.
Conclusions
The fitness program was demonstrated to be useful and had no contraindications in patients
undergoing psychiatric therapy. Even if no statistically significant differences were noted between
the control and fitness therapy groups, psychiatric sessions revealed an important gratification of the
physical experience during the hospital stay that may favour greater adherence to therapeutic
protocols. This research should be considered at an initial phase that merits further exploration in
psychiatric medicine. Other efforts must also be done in more specific pathologic contexts using
more sophisticated instruments of physical assessment
Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient with Chronic Catatonia: Clinical Outcomes and Cerebral 18[F]Fludeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Findings
No full textCatatonia is a psychomotor syndrome that can be associated with both psychiatric diseases (mainly mood disorders, but also psychotic disorders) and medical conditions. Lorazepam (6-21 mg/day, occasionally up to 30md/day) is the first choice treatment and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the second line, regardless of the underlying clinical condition. There are some evidences also for effectiveness of other medications. Patients treated acutely usually show rapid and full therapeutic response but even longstanding catatonia can improve. However, some authors suggested that chronic catatonia in the context of schizophrenia is phenomenologically different and less responsive to lorazepam and ECT, especially if associated with echophenomena. We present here the case of a patient with longstanding catatonic schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics who significantly improved after ECT. Improvement regarded mainly catatonia, but also negative symptoms, cognition and psychosocial functioning. A slight amelioration in prefrontal metabolism (Brain(18)[F]FDG PET) one month following the ECT course was also noted
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) serum concentration during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treatment resistant depressed patients.
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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