1,720,975 research outputs found
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) and Recurrent Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder
No full textThe term depression comes from the Latin “depressio” and indicates a state of dejection perceived by the subject accompanied by extreme suffering and discomfort. “Melancholia” (melas means black and cholé means bile), the term historically used to describe this condition, was first introduced by Hippocrates in the treatise On the Nature of Man [1] based on the humoral theories of Alcmaeon of Croton and then resumed by Galen, who described a melancholic temperament characterized by a black bile excess. This belief was still solid in the sixteenth century, when the French physician Andreas Laurentius related the cause of this pathology to the “coldness and darkness of this humor.” In the nineteenth century, Pinel eventually proposed a new theory discontinuing the connection between humor and black bile and describing four new mental disorders, which included Melancholia and Mania [2]. Kraepelin unified all types of affective disorders in the unitary concept of manic-depressive illness, which included “periodic circular insanities,” “mania,” and “melancholy” [3]. In opposition to this view, Wernicke distinguished five different types of melancholia, going back to taking into consideration the possibility of single episodes of melancholia [4]. Nowadays, the term melancholic represents a subtype of major depressive disorder
Antiglutamatergic agents for obsessive-compulsive disorder: Where are we now and what are possible future prospects?
Full text link: Recent data suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is driven by an imbalance among the habit learning system and the goal-directed system. The frontostriatal loop termed cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry loop is involved in habits and their dysfunction plays an important role in OCD. Glutamatergic neurotransmission is the principal neurotransmitter implicated in the CSTC model of OCD. Hyperactivity in the CSTC loop implies a high level of glutamate in the cortical-striatal pathways as well as a dysregulation of GABAergic transmission, and could represent the pathophysiology of OCD. Moreover, the dysregulation of glutamate levels can lead to neurotoxicity, acting as a neuronal excitotoxin. The hypothesis of a role of neurotoxicity in the pathophysiology of OCD clinically correlates to the importance of an early intervention for patients. Indeed, some studies have shown that a reduction of duration of untreated illness is related to an earlier onset of remission. Although robust data supporting a progression of such brain changes are not available so far, an early intervention could help interrupt damage from neurotoxicity. Moreover, agents targeting glutamate neurotransmission may represent promising therapeutical option in OCD patients
Empathy Regulation in Crisis Scenario
No full textEmpathic communication represents the first step of the “END” Communication procedure, which is followed by normalization and de-escalation communication. In this chapter, our view of empathy is conceived not only as an ability of inferring and representing the other one’s mental state but also all the interpersonal procedures and expressions given in a reciprocal and mutual communication. First, we focus on the theoretical aspects of empathic communication and even on practical aspects of this skill; that is not innate but can be learned. Then we present the neural basis of empathy, which are important for having a “neural guide” to address our communication procedures. In this chapter, we provide a number of case vignettes to better explain the difference between a “good/bad” communication and empathic communication and the different results in terms of compliance, therapeutic alliance and outcomes in crisis scenario. Furthermore, the chapter provides practical examples of “empathic” phrases that can be used by clinicians in emergency situations with psychiatric patients but even in other medical settings: the common fields of application of empathic communication basically involve all those contexts in which a healthcare professional-patient relationship is involved. Empathic communication has a cost for the clinician because if in several cases it is easy to represent the mental state of the other and tune in to it, in some cases it can be very difficult and constitute a considerable effort: that’s why we recommend a training and a careful supervision for clinicians and healthcare professionals
Mental health across two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: a 5-wave longitudinal study in Germany
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has been negatively associated with mental health. However, little is known about the temporal dynamics of mental health in the longer term of the pandemic. We aimed to investigate symptom levels and changes of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and loneliness spanning two years of the pandemic; and to examine associated risk factors. This five-wave, longitudinal online study from May 2020 to April 2022 included 636 adults (Mage = 39.5 years, SD = 16.11; 84.1% female) from the German general population who completed the international COVID-19 Mental Health Survey. Symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), posttraumatic stress (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5; PCL-5), and loneliness (“Do you feel lonely?”) were assessed using mixed-effects models. Associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms were examined with having children, student status, financial worries, contamination fear, and loneliness. PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, and loneliness scores overall decreased throughout the two-year period of the pandemic but exhibited an increase during two national lockdowns. Controlled for significant associations with female gender and younger age, increased PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were associated with contamination fear, financial worries, and loneliness. No associations were found with having children and student status. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and loneliness decreased over time but varied along with the dynamics of the pandemic. Longitudinal monitoring of mental health in vulnerable subgroups is required, especially those of younger age, females, and the financially insecure
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
Variations 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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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