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Biomedical subjects

A T Beck

Publications and source records attributed to A T Beck.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Correlates of self-reported and clinically assessed depression in male heroin addicts.

Used the Raskin Depression Scale, Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Profile of Mood States' Depression-dejection scale to measure depression in 152 male heroin addicts who were seeking methadone maintenance. To derive an estimate of depression that combined the former two instruments' clinical ratings and the latter two measures' self-reports, a principal component analysis was performed on the intercorrelations among the four scales. One significant component emerged, and its component scores then were correlated with some of the addicts' background characteristics. Living with another addict, being unemployed, and having previously attempted drug abuse treatment were related positively to the combined estimate of depression. The four scales, mean scores also indicated that the sample was mildly depressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

A cognitive investigation of schizophrenic delusions.

Delusions have traditionally been regarded as unmodifiable false beliefs. Both Freud (1911) and Jaspers (1968) argue that there is a unidirectional relationship between a delusional belief and consensually validatable realtiy: the delusion structures reality in accordance with the delusion's demand. In contrast, we postulate that there is a bidirectional interaction between the delusion and external events. We believe that external events might modify the rigid belief when there is a dramatic incongruity between specific beliefs and selected events. The following investigation was motivated by a desire to understand more clearly how some overtly delusional patients come to lose their delusions during the course of treatment for schizophrenia. Do delusions simply melt away under the influence of major tranquilizers, or does the delusional patient play some active part in assessing the validity of this belief?

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Depression in treated narcotic addicts, ex-addicts, nonaddicts, and suicide attempters: validation of a very Brief Depression Scale.

Samples of heroin-addicted veterans in treatment at a VA drug clinic, ex-addict and nonaddict Vietnam veterans followed-up after return to the United States, and male suicide attempters who were not drug abusers completed a very short (five item) form of the Beck Depression Inventory developed for screening and research purposes. Results confirmed prior findings of high rates of depression among narcotic addicts in treatment. Two samples of patients assessed at intake to treatment did not differ significantly from the suicide patients in BDI-5 scores. Methadone maintenance patients and ex-addicts scored below those groups, but higher than nonaddicts. Relief of inner tensions or worries was chosen most frequently as the reason for continuing use of narcotics by patients in treatment, suggesting that self-medication for psychiatric problems may be common. The BDI-5 proved to be an efficient method for screening for depression in these samples, and thus might be useful in clinical or research settings when a very brief method is needed.

Depression↗
PubMed1979

Drug abuse, hopelessness, and suicidal behavior.

This study focused on assessing variables which may differentiate suicidal drug abusers from nonabusers. Data from a sample of drug abusing (n = 86) and nonabusing (n = 298) suicide attempters were subjected to a stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify factors related to suicidal intent. The analysis revealed that in our sample of suicide attempters, drug abuse status was not a significant contributor to the severity of suicidal intent. However, it was found that hopelessness accounted for a significant proportion of the variance of intent. The findings suggest that hopelessness among drug abusers, an important determinant of suicidal behavior, presents an important target for therapeutic intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Cognitive aspects of suicidal behavior.

Recent efforts to quantify various aspects of suicide ideation are described. The Suicide Intent Scale, Hopelessness Scale, and the Scale for Suicide Ideation all assess components of the individual's suicidal ruminations. Hopelessness seems to account for the bulk of the relationship between depression and suicidal intent. The Scale for Suicide Ideation seems to show promise as a predictive instrument, as a dependent variable in research on treatment efficacy, and as a tool for clinical assessment of suicide potential. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed.

Cognition↗
PubMed1978

Maladaptive cognitive structures in depression.

According to the cognitive view, the individual's negative and distorted thinking is the basic psychological problem in the depressive syndrome. The distorted cognitions are supported by maladaptive cognitive schemata, which involve immature "either-or" rules of conduct or inflexible and unattainable self-expectations. These schemata are probably acquired early in development and, if uncritically carried into adulthood, serve to predispose the individual to depression. Since these schemata are long-term identifiable psychological patterns that influence attitude and behavioral responses, they may constitute a cognitive dimension of the depression-prone individual's personality. The authors discuss the treatment implications of the cognitive approach to depression.

Attitude↗
PubMed1978

Cognitive therapy of depression and suicide.

This article reviews the cognitive therapy of depression. The psychotherapy based on this theory consists of behavioral and verbal techniques to change cognitions, beliefs, and errors in logic in the patient's thinking. A few of the various techniques are described and a case example is provided. Finally, the outcome studies testing the efficacy of this approach are reviewed.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1977

Suicidal wishes and depression in suicidal ideators: a comparison with attempted suicides.

A depression inventory was administered to a sample of psychiatric patients who had some suicidal ideation. A factor analysis of their responses to the inventory resulted in a factorial structure similar to that obtained for attempted suicides. The suicidal ideators were found to have higher depression scores on the inventory than the attempted suicides. It was suggested that this study supported the notion that individuals who show differing kinds of suicidal behavior nonetheless may show similar psychological phenomena.

Cognition↗
PubMed1977

The wish to die and the wish to live in attempted suicides.

The internal struggle hypothesis of suicidal behavior suggests that suicidal individuals wish both to die and to live. To test this hypothesis, spearate self-ratings of the Wish to Die and the Wish to Live were obtained from 64 women and 42 men hospitalized for suicide attempts. The dependent variable was the severity of suicidal intent assessed by a quantitative instrument. The results indicate that 50% of the sample experienced internal debates over death and life, 40% wanted to die, and 9% wanted to live. Internal struggle over the issues of death and life was related to lower suicidal intent scores than a unidirectional motivation toward death. It also appeared that the actual magnitudes of death and life wishes were not as crucial to suicidal intent as the degree of congruence between them. However, two-way analysis of variance yielded only a significant Wish to Die main effect. The discussion centers on the heterogeneity of the sample's motivational stance and the therapeutic and empirical usefulness of the scales to identify ambivalent and monambivalent patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

The communication of suicidal intent. A reexamination.

Verbal expressions and nonverbal indicators of suicidal intent have been frequently regarded as pleas for rescue and help. We investigated the clinical and empirical significance of verbalizations of suicidal ideas, putting one's affairs in order, and previous suicide attempts as forms of "communication of suicidal intent." The patient sample consisted of 211 suicide attempters: 71 "communicators" and 140 "noncommunicators." The results indicated the following: (1) there is no clear evidence that verbal communication, final acts, and previous suicide attempts are justifiably labeled together as ways of communicating suicidal intent; (2) prior verbalization of suicidal ideation or intent bears little relationship to the extent of the wish to die experienced at the time of the suicide attempt; and (3) "talking" or "not talking" about suicidal plans may be a manifestation of personal style rather than an index of despair or hidden motives.

Communication↗
PubMed1976

Classification of suicidal behaviors. II. Dimensions of suicidal intent.

A factor analysis of a scale to assess suicidal intent showed four major dimensions: expectancies and attitudes, premeditation, precautions against intervention, and oral communication. Certain types of actions associated with attempted suicide such as seeking help or social isolation appear to be revealing of particular behavioral patterns or motives. Dealing with intent only as a global concept is an oversimplification. Suicidal ideation and suicidal acts are seen as complex patterns of behavior requiring increasingly thorough analyses for better understanding, prediction, and prevention.

Attitude↗