[Personality of a mental anorexia patient and of her monozygotic twin. Comparative study].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
C Mormont
Publications and source records attributed to C Mormont.
[A long-acting neuroleptic. 3. Pilot study of penfluridol (R 16341)].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adult↗
[Flight into the imaginary world and dependence: personality trait or opportunist defence mechanism in the transsexual].
While analysing the psychological functioning of sex reassignment candidates, it appeared that they frequently use the mechanism which consist in taking refuge in passivity and fantasies so that they can avoid displeasing situations, responsibilities and decisions making. This unconscious process, identified by Exner in the Rorschach as the Snow-White Syndrome seems to take place in a specific way regarding the real situation faced by the sex reassignment candidates: the achievement of their aim (the sex reassignment) actually depends on the medical crew (doctors, psychologists, surgeons). We wondered if this fact consisted in a stylistic component, that is to say a stable feature of transsexuals' personality or in an opportunist defence. The dependence on the third, executor and decision-maker could be seen either as the indication of this feature being a favourable condition to the construction of the transsexual Issue or a consequence the transsexual's real situation. The hypothesis of the situational use of this process is studied by comparing the frequency of the Snow-White Syndrome during the moment before giving the surgical response with its appearance frequency after the sex reassignment. The individuals' retest (7MF/7FM) after the operation brings favourable arguments to the second interpretation since the process stops being used as soon as the passive dependence position doesn't exist anymore (the Snow-White Syndrome disappears in 70% of cases). So, as the goals are reached (the medico-surgical transformation materialising the desire), the flight in fantasies and passivity is not necessary anymore and the dependence on contributors disappears. During the psychological follow-up, attention should be paid to this psychic impact of anatomical reality so that it favours an earliest access to autonomy the transsexual is able to prove. In regard of a psychological view (in opposition with a surgical view), this autonomy could be researched before the body transformation, validating the "Real Life Test" experience.
Adult↗
[Was Snow White a transsexual?].
The Rorschach Ink Blot test is considered to be an essential analytical instrument when studying the personalities of individuals presenting identity disorders, in particular, in the context of a sex change request. Nevertheless, there exist less than 20 studies of transsexualism utilising the Rorschach since the creation of this diagnostic category in 1953. This research has mostly concerned itself with relations between psychopathology and transsexualism. Practically non-existent are studies investigating the psychological conditions that permit, shape or induce sex change requests in individuals. Transsexuals request the removal of their genitals through mutilation surgery, which can be seen as subjects literally crying out to be castrated. This request is all the more surprising given that castration, in psychoanalytic terms, is considered to be the most severe punishment that an individual (woman or man) can be threatened with. Therefore, we asked ourselves which psychic conditions could motivate such as request. Based on any earlier study where answers (some explicit, others symbolic) given by sex-change applicants tested on the Rorschach were analysed, results seemed to suggest a counter-phobic attitude underlying sex-reassignment requests (28). According to these hypotheses, the fear of castration (banal as such) can only be overcome through the active search for castration itself. In opting for castration, the transsexual puts an end to the states of anxious waiting that are dominated by feelings of the incertitude and unpredictability of an eventual castration. Once obtained, the threat it constituted disappears, and with it so does the fear. Thus, by taking this active and voluntary step, the subject is no longer exposed to an imminent danger in a passive manner. This in itself creates a great feeling of relief, if not of actual pleasure in the subject (28). In this article, we postulated in a purely speculative manner, the existence of one or several modalities in the transsexual dynamics. Nevertheless, one can ask oneself about the possibility of a request based on a desire rather than on a defense, or even on the existence of a defensive process diametrically opposed to the counter-phobic attitude and which, instead of actively provoking the dreaded reality, would privilege its avoidance and the search of passivity. This latter hypothesis has the advantage of being rather easy to explore with the Rorschach because, according to Exner, the predominance of passive compared to active human movement responses (which he terms the Snow White Syndrome) indicates the propensity to escape into passive fantasies and the tendency to avoid the initiative for behaviour or decision-making, if other people can do it in the subject's place (12). Our results largely confirmed the hypothesis of the existence of an opposite mechanism, as a third of subjects (n = 26) presented Snow White Syndrome. According to Exner, these transsexuals are typically characterized by hiding into a world of make believe, avoiding all responsibility, as well as any decision-making. This passivity in our Snow White Syndrome group was all the more remarkable in that, on the whole, it infiltrated into all the movement responses and seemed to define a rigid style of thinking and mental elaboration, in addition to a suggestive content of passivity. However, this condition cannot be associated with a general lack of dynamism or energy. In fact, the treatment of information, which provides data concerning the motivation to treat a stimulus field of the stimulus--whether this concerns the capture (L) of the stimulus or the elaboration (DQ+) of the response--displayed a sufficient amount of motivation. Furthermore, internal resources (EA) were considerable and were brought into play whenever it was necessary to adopt a behaviour or make a decision. Furthermore, based on these Rorschach findings, we note that in transsexuals with Snow White Syndrome, there is a stereotyped tendency to shy away from difficulties by seeking refuge in realistic representations (but that lack in variety), which could be materialized by actions, but where the initiative is delegated to others. These transsexuals appear to shy away from the difficulties of life by seeking refuge into a world of fantasy, which they fill with the representations borrowed from reality (rather than fantasy) and consequently that are liable to be transposed, if necessary, back into reality. Therefore, one can better understand why they shun away from the deceiving reality that their physical sex represents, into the satisfying dream where they possess the genitals of the opposite sex, that is, a perfectly real organ, no longer the result of the subject's fantasy world.
Adult↗
[Interpretation of behavior in terms of corresponding internal state].
Scientific observations, empirical and theoretical data that argue for psychological interpretation of non verbal behaviour are critically discussed. The author demonstrates that interpreting these behaviours in term of corresponding internal state is rather hazardous and useless.
Humans↗
[Projective methods and dangerous behavior].
The prediction of dangerousness by projective methods deals with some specific problems related to the bound between projective material and overt behaviour.
Dangerous Behavior↗
Time-blind videotaped evaluation of injectable diazepam, lorazepam and placebo.
Eighteen inpatients suffering from a severe anxiety received in double-blind and crossover conditions iv and im injections of 10 mg diazepam, 5 mg lorazepam or saline t.i.d. during 5 days. The morning injections was made iv in a CCTV studio. Before injection and 20 mn after it, the patient filled out a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale; his doctor-in-charge proceeded to a standard interview and to physiological measurements (tremor of hand, patellar reflexes, blood pressure, pulse rate). The videotaped interviews were randomly, i.e. time-blind, rated by two independent observers on 3 scales: the VAS, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and an ad hoc Verbal and Non-Verbal Anxiety Scale (VNVA). The statistical analysis was completed by a logical analysis according to Lewis Carroll. The results demonstrate the superiority of lorazepam over diazepam on psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety, sleep and blood pressure, the only significant side-effect being drowsiness.
Adult↗
[Standardization of the clinical interview as a function of the AMDP scales].
A semi-structured interview, which systematizes and standardizes the clinical interview, is a technique in agreement with the basic rationale of the AMDP-System since it allows a more reliable collection and retrieval of the observation of psychopathology. The present versions (for the AMDP-4 and -5), which are still subject to changes, have been extensively used and are easily applicable if the rater has been previously trained to psychopathology and to the AMDP scales.
Humans↗
[A problem detected by the AMDP rating of the Mar. case: the relation between phobia and obsession].
The rating of the videotaped interview of the Mar. case during three meetings of the French-speaking section of the AMDP has revealed the problem of the relationships between phobia and obsession. These ratings triggered a critical reflection based on the theoretical framework from the literature, on the clinical material (the videotaped interview) and on the pragmatic difficulties which appeared during the discussions of the ratings.
Aged↗
[AMDP profile of endogenous and non-endogenous depressions].
The multifactorial, comprehensive description--as allowed by the AMDP scales--of two samples of depressed patients (95 endogenous vs. 86 nonendogenous according to ICD-9) illustrates a common pattern dominated by anxiety, depression, retardation and hostility but also significant differences: endogenous depressives reach higher Depression and Apathy-Retardation scores, whereas nonendogenous depressives have higher Dramatization and Hostility scores. The methodological aspects linked to the extraction of factorial profiles and the implications of the endogenous/nonendogenous differences are discussed.
Depression↗
[Psychological indices and longevity].
Among 63 former prisoners of war, aged 54 to 65 years, submitted to a psychometric battery, 16 died within the next three years. The comparison of the deceased and surviving groups indicates that personality variables (MMPI) are more predictive of death than mental deterioration.
Aged↗
[Psychological theories and treatments of erectile impotence].
The conceptual inaccuracies and the diagnostic difficulties encountered in the study of erectile impotence are underlined by the author. After a review and critique of the psychoanalytical and behavioral trends, of the "new sex therapy" and of cognitivism, the therapeutic methods which derive from these concepts are compared with each other. A particular attention is devoted to anxiety since its definition and prevalence varies considerably in the literature despite a misleading superficial similarity.
Anxiety↗
[Preliminary construction and validation of an anxiety scale derived from the French version of the AMDP, the AMDP-AT].
The authors have applied to 493 Belgian and French patients the French version of the AMDP Psychopathology and Somatic scales, made of 140 items from the original German version and of 22 items specific to its French adaptation, among others anxiety items. By applying a principal components factor analysis to this sample, a 17-items. Anxiety Scale was extracted from the 162-items complete scales. This new scale is characterized by a predominence of tension/irritability items over somatic items as compared to the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. On 116 cases, the correlation between both scales is .59 (p less than .0001). A cut-off score for anxiety and an inclusion score for drug trials are suggested on the basis of statistical data.
Adolescent↗
[Graphic and effective rhythm].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adolescent↗
[Psychometric approach to aging. Brief review].
The longitudinal and more focused studies of the mental functioning show that the aging effects are varying with individuals and functions. The precise evaluation of aging is uneasy because a lot of variables occurs simultaneously. The review of literature points out the influence of some factors (like initial intellectual level), but it remains many shaded areas in the field.
Adult↗
The influence of age and depression on intellectual and memory performances.
Since we know that both aging and depression impair intellectual functioning, a question arises about specificity of impairment in each condition. Intellectual and memory performances (WAIS, visual and verbal tests, attention task) were correlated on the one hand with a mood score (BfS) and one the other with age in a group of 101 men (age: 49 to 86; means = 59). We found that: 1 degree some intellectual tasks are more impaired by depression than by aging; 2 degrees the digit symbol substitution test (WAIS) and the V.R.T. scores (Benton) are correlated with both mood and age; 3 degrees a weakened mental control appears among the older patients.
Aged↗
[Introduction to the Seminar of the Association of Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry in honor of Jean Bobon].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Europe↗
[Factor analysis of the French revision of the AMDP rating scales. Results of an international study of 388 cases].
A total of 388 patients from 10 Belgian and French Centers were evaluated with the 1981 revision of the psychopathological and somatic scales of the AMDP System. Principal components factor analyses indicate that the somatic items contribute little to the structure. A 10-factors solution of the psychopathological items generate the following factors after orthogonal rotation: Obsessions-Phobias, Dramatization, Anxiety, Depression, Retardation, Organicity, Dissociation, Delusions, Mania, Dysphoria. This structure is similar to the analyses of the previous German edition except for Anxiety (due to additional French items) and Dramatization (which replaces the German factor on Hypochondriasis). The correlations between raw factor scores and item scores of the BPRS and of a similar AMDP-derived scale contribute to the validation of the AMDP factors and to the justification of a 13-item AMDP Syndromic Scale.
Adolescent↗