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[A case of depression whose symptoms cured by setting her psychological base on the transcendent level]

Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 2009;111(10):1203-11

Authors: Ogasawara M, Tagami S, Inoue Y, Takeda M

We report the case of a female in her 40s diagnosed with depression. She was raised by an eccentric father, suspected of having pervasive developmental disorder, and a dominant mother. After graduating from high school, she worked as a clerk in a company for twenty years or so; however, a change in her work environment made her fall into a depressive state. Her worsening depression caused her impulsive resignation and disappearance for about four months. She spent the duration of her disappearance traveling the country, with no dissociative episodes. After returning, she received treatment for depression as an inpatient for about four months. During the first month of hospitalization, she mainly complained of a depressive mood and anxiety over the prognosis of her disorder, while she made scarcely any progress in introspection. In the second month, she gradually advanced with introspective work, but, as her introspection progressed, her depressive mood became aggravated. The therapist avoided intervention to modify her cognition, and told her the following: “it is better not to persist in managing your depressive mood itself because curing depression does not mean resolving the superficial depressive mood, but to achieve a condition not directly influenced by mood.” Then, at the beginning of the third month, she became aware of “the presence of God” and, at the same time, her depressive mood greatly improved. She extended her sympathy to her mother with her unfortunate life history, and expected her mother to change as she herself had experienced, but, disappointed by her mother, she experienced anxiety attacks and came to realize her own internal rage against significant persons in her life including her mother. After “the Great being” experience, she, who had formerly attended Christian church for a short time, started to read the Bible, but she still hesitated about committing herself to “religious following.” One day during the last month of hospitalization, as she prayed to God for healing when she read a part in the Bible about a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed immediately (Matthew 9:20-22 and Luke 8:43-48), the patient suddenly experienced “the salvation of God” and realized what trust really meant. Through the experience, her clinical problems became totally cured, and the therapy concluded with her discharge from hospital. Several months later, she sent the therapist a letter including the following message: “I am grateful to the Lord for salvation from anxiety and irritation, but to the therapist for helping me realize it.” This clinical course can be understood based on the patient’s clinical problems (e.g., despair, anxiety, and depression), arising from the breakdown of her efforts to maintain stability by founding her psychological base on her feelings of omnipotence, avoiding facing her internal negative psychological factors (e.g., rage), and these were automatically resolved when her psychological base was switched to the transcendent level through “the Great being” experience and “the salvation of God.” Such a sudden, marked improvement resembles what Miller and C’de Baca reported as “quantum change,” of which the characteristics are vividness, surprise, benevolence, and permanence. The therapist paid attention to maintain a constant psychological distance from the patient, not persisting in modifying her cognition, with the transcendent level being the basis for the entire therapy. This stance of the therapist itself was considered to prompt her transcendence and bring about her eventual cure. This clinical course seemed to be highly suggestive of a psychotherapeutic mechanism, indicating the close relationship between the transcendent level and basic trust.

PMID: 20058675 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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[Long-term management of complex or difficult psychotic states]

Encephale. 2009 Oct;35 Suppl 5:S155-9

Authors: Vacheron MN

PMID: 19909837 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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[Awareness of illness]

Encephale. 2009 Oct;35 Suppl 5:S160-3

Authors: Gay C, Margerie JJ

PMID: 19909838 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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[Hallucinations attributed to djinns]

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2009;154(3):A973

Authors: Blom JD, Eker H, Basalan H, Aouaj Y, Hoek HW

Individuals with an Islamic background who suffer from hallucinations often attribute these to djinns, invisible beings. The treatment of these hallucinations is complicated by the patients’ reluctance to discuss them, and by their doubts concerning the usefulness of a biomedical treatment for a problem which they experience as metaphysical in nature. In this clinical lesson, we present case studies of three Moroccan patients who attributed their hallucinations to djinns. The first was a 30-year-old factory worker whose compulsive complaints had started when he saw a white figure in the basement who asked him ‘What are you doing here?’ The psychiatric diagnosis was obsessive-compulsive disorder. The patient was prescribed cognitive behavioural therapy, an SSRI and a consultation by the imam, but he refused. The second patient was a 25-year-old unemployed man, who had auditory hallucinations, delusions, behavioural problems, and alcohol and cannabis abuse. He heard voices which he attributed to maleficent djinns. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but his compliance with antipsychotics was insufficient. The imam who was consulted reassured him that his complaints were not caused by djinns. After prolonged treatment with clozapine and cutting down on cannabis use the patient recovered sufficiently to be discharged. The third patient was a 26-year-old unemployed woman who was hearing voices that her imam thought were caused by a djinn. She was examined because of serious self-mutilation and was diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder. Treatment with an antipsychotic, lithium and valproic acid and a consultation by a second imam, who found no signs of evidence of djinns, was successful. We recommend to ask individuals with an Islamic background specifically whether djinns might be involved, especially in cases of mental problems and unexplained symptoms, and to seek the cooperation of a qualified imam or traditional healer for treatment purposes.

PMID: 20132570 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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. . . And a simple way to manage functional abdominal pain in children?

Child Health Alert. 2009 Dec;27:2

Authors:

PMID: 20143475 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Refeeding syndrome in a patient with anorexia nervosa.

BMJ. 2010;340:c56

Authors: Gunarathne T, McKay R, Pillans L, McKinlay A, Crockett P

PMID: 20147361 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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My wife suffers terribly from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Other than light therapy, are there any other treatments that could help get her through the dreary winter months?

Duke Med Health News. 2010 Jan;16(1):8

Authors:

PMID: 20148482 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Chronic fatigue syndrome.

BMJ. 2010;340:c738

Authors: Santhouse AM, Hotopf M, David AS

PMID: 20150199 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Impact and clinical management of depression in patients with coronary artery disease.

Pharmacotherapy. 2010 Mar;30(3):304-22

Authors: Summers KM, Martin KE, Watson K

Abstract The rates of major adverse coronary events, including recurrent ischemic events and death, in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been shown to be significantly increased in patients with depression. In addition, health care costs are higher and health-related quality of life is lower in depressed patients with CAD. Several pathophysiologic mechanisms have been proposed for the association of increased events seen in this population. Studies have focused on antidepressants (specifically, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and mirtazapine), psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy), and a wide range of other nonpharmacologic interventions. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments are known to improve depressive symptoms in patients with CAD, but their effects on outcomes such as mortality and hospital admissions remain controversial. If treatment of depression is warranted, strategies should include sertraline or citalopram, with or without cognitive behavioral therapy, based on the known efficacy and safety of the drugs in this population. Nonpharmacologic therapy such as aerobic exercise has been shown to improve not only depression but also cardiovascular health. When selecting an appropriate antidepressant, clinicians should consider their patients’ comorbid conditions and the potential for drug interactions, and treatment should be frequently monitored. Screening for depression in patients with cardiac disease should be instituted on a routine basis by using either case-finding or symptom-triggered approaches. Based on the high prevalence of depression and its known adverse effects in patients with CAD, future research is needed to help determine the role of antidepressants and nonpharmacologic strategies in improving outcomes in patients with both comorbidities.

PMID: 20180613 [PubMed - in process]

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Adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy to borderline personality disorder: a comparison of combined therapy and single pharmacotherapy.

Can J Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;55(2):74-81

Authors: Bellino S, Rinaldi C, Bogetto F

Objective: Combined treatment with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and antidepressants (ADs) has been found more effective than single pharmacotherapy in patients with major depression and concomitant borderline personality disorder (BPD). The aim of our study is to investigate whether combined treatment with a modified version of IPT is still superior to ADs when treating patients with a single diagnosis of BPD. Method: Fifty-five consecutive outpatients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, diagnosis of BPD were enrolled. They were randomly assigned to 2 treatment arms for 32 weeks: fluoxetine 20 to 40 mg per day plus clinical management; and fluoxetine 20 to 40 mg per day plus IPT adapted to BPD (IPT-BPD). Eleven patients (20%) discontinued treatment owing to noncompliance. Forty-four patients completed the treatment period. They were assessed at baseline, and at week 16 and 32 with: a semi-structured interview for demographic and clinical variables; Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S); Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS); Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS); Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS); BPD Severity Index (BPD-SI); and a questionnaire for quality of life (Satisfaction Profile [SAT-P]). A univariate general linear model was performed with 2 factors: duration and type of treatment. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Remission rates did not differ significantly between subgroups. Duration, but not type of treatment, had a significant effect on CGI-S, HDRS, SOFAS, and total BPD-SI score changes. Combined therapy was more effective on the HARS; the items: interpersonal relationships, affective instability, and impulsivity of BPD-SI; and the factors: psychological functioning and social functioning of SAT-P. Conclusions: Combined therapy with adapted IPT was superior to fluoxetine alone in BPD patients, concerning a few core symptoms of the disorder, anxiety, and quality of life.

PMID: 20181302 [PubMed - in process]

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