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Biomedical subjects

C Scharfetter

Publications and source records attributed to C Scharfetter.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

[The shaman: witness of an old culture--is it revivable?].

The shaman concentrates a multitude of functions in the presecularized culture. In it disease is, as any experience of reality, hierophania, manifestation of transcendence. The shaman is a specialist in producing and managing altered states of consciousness. The constitutive criteria of shamanism are discussed. In the social network the shaman is a central and marginal "gestalt" at the same time, ambivalent for his community. In the postshamanic culture derivatives of shamanism and non-inspirational healers (naturalists) are active. Corresponding to the mystic concept of illness the various healing techniques of the shaman are intended to reestablish a harmonized cooperation with transintelligible powers. The therapeutic efficacy appears unsatisfactory inasfar severe somatic or psychic disorders are concerned. Empirical medicine still lacks a culturadequate holistic concept of illness offering a basis for sufficient treatment of psychosocially determined disorders.

Consciousness↗
PubMed1985

[Psychopathology and genetics of schizophrenia].

The history of psychopathology of schizophrenia from Kahlbaum to Kraepelin is reviewed: Bleulers concept of symptoms and his construct of primary disorder. Today symptomatology and syndrom - construction by modern techniques of evaluation are prominent aims of research. The ego-psychopathology is an example of a new empirical approach. The hereditary predisposition for the manifestation of schizophrenialike psychoses is empirically well founded.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗
PubMed1985

[Premorbid personality of schizophrenic patients].

This review summarizes different studies on schizophrenics regarding their premorbid personality. Schizophrenics do not average other social classes (father's profession) than endogenous or reactive depressives do, nor do they differ from the general population in that respect. On the other hand, schizophrenics show an inferior schooling achievement, as compared to depressives, and partially for that reason belong to lower social classes prior to the onset of their illness. Detailed studies of the respective social network show that schizophrenics develop in a less emancipated manner than controls, that they stick more to their families of origin, and that they engage in fewer interpersonal relationships. The latter not only are quantitatively inferior to those of healthy people, but also in quality; their relationships are often distant and alienated. In a prospective epidemiological study, 28 schizophrenics were assessed with a multi-dimensional personality test, the FPI, on average 2 years prior to the onset of their illness. The selfrating results show that schizophrenics are introverted premorbidly, as compared to control groups; it is assumed that this personality trait will be understood as "schizoid" in non-selfrating. Surprisingly, schizophrenics premorbidly have a normal neuroticism score, i.e. they are not more irritable, more aggressive, more depressive or emotionally unstable than controls.

Achievement↗
PubMed1984

The syndrome concept: history and statistical operationalizations.

A historical analysis of the syndrome concept shows that this term has been used in many different ways, ranging from clinical experience to records of coinciding symptoms. However, there seems to be broad agreement on the use of the word 'syndrome' in daily practice. If empirical-mathematical methods are applied in syndrome detection, however, a precise operationalization of the syndrome concept is needed. Traditional procedures have often used models more dictated by methodological considerations than derived from the field of application, i.e. psychiatric syndromatology. An alternative approach, Boolean factor analysis, is presented in this paper. This relatively new method is illustrated by means of the analysis of a small artificial sample with a known structure. As a point of reference, traditional methods (factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling) are also briefly discussed. It is demonstrated that they all share a deficiency of information about inter-group structure. In contrast, Boolean factor analysis uses a syndromic definition which builds on the basic notion of concurrent symptoms. Moreover, this approach can easily be understood by clinicians.

Computers↗
PubMed1984

[An objective of the education of mankind: delegated destructiveness. Mass murder of psychiatric patients in Hitler Germany].

The extermination of 100,000 inpatients of mental hospitals and 5,000 mentally retarded children in NAZI-Germany under the Hitler régime between 1939 and 1941 is reported. The ideological precursors of these actions are traced. The ethological and anthropological aspects of inner-species destruction in the phylogenesis of mankind are traced. Psychological and social conditions of social destructiveness under "normal" and exceptional conditions are discussed and the consequences for education drawn.

Germany↗
PubMed1983

Classification of schizo-affective patients by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.

269 patients with schizophrenia, schizo-affective or affective disorders admitted to a hospital in Zürich were examined by the AMP system and the syndrome checklist of Wing and co-workers. The data were analyzed using a special set-theoretical similarity measure for nonlinear graduations, multidimensional scaling to achieve a metric representation of the similarity matrices, and a cluster analysis, originally described by Meisel in 1972.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1982

Schizophrenia's classical subtypes. A family heredity study.

A genetic family study of the classical schizophrenic subgroups (33 hebephrenics, 38 catatonics, 69 paranoid schizophrenics) demonstrated a tendency towards differences in the global morbidity risk of schizophrenia (greatest in the relatives of catatonics) and a tendency towards a predominance of homotypical secondary cases. However, as these results are statistically not significant, they cannot be used as arguments in discussing the genetic separation of schizophrenic subtypes.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

Subdividing the functional psychoses: a family hereditary approach.

Family genetic data, based on standardized and independent diagnostic procedures of index and secondary cases, confirmed the dichotomy between schizophrenias and affective disorders. The classical schizophrenic subtypes exhibited a significant tendency towards homotypia among their secondary cases. The genetic evidence did not support the monopolar-bipolar subdivision of affective disorder. Schizo-affective disorders impinged on the clear-cut schizophrenic and affective psychotic disorders and there was no homotypical tendency among the relatives of index cases with this diagnosis.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1981

[Trampers in India - Description of a population (author's transl)].

50 trampers in India and Sri Lanka were studied in a semistructured interview by a questionnaire for socio-demographic data, for their medical and psychiatric history and their drug-experience. The MPI (Eysenck) and SSS (Zuckermann) were applied as tests for describing personality. Most of the trampers are around 25 years, stem from medium economical strata, have an education of high school or university. Nearly all of them are experienced drug-users (mainly hashish), most of them for long time without increase of intake and without bodily or mental or social deterioration. In the MPI the score for extraversion and neuroticism is within the (English) norm rage. Female probands showed a higher score of neuroticism than males. The total score in the SSS was significantly higher than in the standard population, mainly due to significantly elevated scores in the scale for disinhibition and boredom susceptibility.

Adult↗