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Biomedical subjects

G A Fava

Publications and source records attributed to G A Fava.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Hypochondriacal symptoms in pregnancy.

Illness attitudes were evaluated in 26 pregnant women and 26 control subjects matched for sociodemographic variables, by means of a self-rating scale, on three different occasions. In each trimester of pregnancy, women displayed more hypochondriacal fears and beliefs and conviction of disease (disease phobia) than normal controls (p less than 0.001). The findings should alert physicians to ask their pregnant patients whether they are preoccupied with fear of dying, or are concerned that they suffer from an undiagnosed physical illness, or dread a specific illness such as cancer or heart disease. Hypochondriacal fears and beliefs are liable to affect the well-being and health attitudes of pregnant women. If properly recognized, they may effectively be treated.

Female↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of social phobia by homework exposure.

Ten consecutive patients suffering from DSM-III-R social phobia were treated by homework exposure assignments, without therapist-aided exposure or other cognitive-behavioral methods. The 7 patients who completed therapy displayed highly significant decreases in social phobic symptoms and anxiety. Such improvements were maintained on a 1-year follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in agoraphobia: changes with treatment.

Ten patients suffering from agoraphobia with panic attacks reported significantly more obsessive-compulsive symptoms on the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale and Marks' Compulsion Checklist than healthy control subjects matched to the patients on sociodemographic variables. Behavioral treatment directed toward agoraphobia was associated with significant improvement in obsessive-compulsive complaints. On retesting, there were no significant differences in such symptoms between patients and controls. The results should alert the physician to inquire about the presence of agoraphobia in patients complaining of obsessive-compulsive disturbances.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Fading of therapeutic effects of alprazolam in agoraphobia. Case reports.

1. A decrease in therapeutic effects of alprazolam after an initial good response is described in three patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia. 2. The possibility of fading of therapeutic effects of alprazolam (defined as a progressive decrease of therapeutic effects refractory to dosage increase, after non-immediate symptomatic improvement) in such cases is discussed. 3. Fading may not be apparent from large scale controlled studies with alprazolam, since its detection requires a prolonged time of observation and a specific design.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Stressful life events in the pathogenesis of Cushing's syndrome.

Some clinical observations suggested that stressful life events may play an aetiological role in Cushing's syndrome. However, there are no controlled investigations using standardized methods of life events assessment to substantiate this hypothesis. Events in the year before the first signs of disease onset were investigated in 30 consecutive patients with Cushing's syndrome (26 with a pituitary-dependent form, three with an adrenal adenoma, and one with an adrenal carcinoma) and 30 control subjects matched for sociodemographic variables by means of Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. Patients with Cushing's syndrome reported significantly more stressful life events than a normal control group (P less than 0.001) and had significantly more of the following: exits (P less than 0.05), undesirable (P less than 0.01) and uncontrolled (P less than 0.01) events. More events that had an objective negative impact (P less than 0.001) and more independent events (unlikely to be a consequence of the illness; P less than 0.001) were also reported. Such ratings were carried out by an independent rater unaware whether the event had occurred in patients or controls. The results are suggestive of a causal relationship between stressful life events and Cushing's syndrome. Such relationship largely pertains to the hypothalamic-pituitary forms of the illness. This is in agreement with a multifactorial model of pathogenesis in Cushing's disease and with current understanding of the complex interdependence of neurophysiological, biochemical and behavioural factors.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1988

Management of depression in medical patients.

The management of depression in the medically ill is a complex task that requires considerable clinical skills. The aim of this review is to outline evaluation strategies which may lead to a more effective use of current psychiatric diagnostic criteria and to suggest clinical guidelines for the use of antidepressant medications and psychotherapeutic techniques. The multifactorial determinants and modes of expression of depression in the medical patient require further research. Treatment outcome studies involving drug treatment or short-term psychotherapeutic approaches or both are needed. Antidepressant drugs remain the most specific and readily available treatment of major depressive disorders in the setting of medical disease. In case of organic affective syndromes, treatment should be primarily directed to the physical condition.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1988

Psychological reactions to ultrasound. Examination during pregnancy.

Twenty women underwent ultrasound examination three times during low-risk pregnancy. Before and after ultrasonography, the Symptom Questionnaire was applied to evaluate changes in psychological distress. Anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and hostility significantly decreased after the patients received video and verbal feedback during the first ultrasound examination. Such changes were consistently observed also during the subsequent two examinations.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Prodromal symptoms in panic disorder with agoraphobia.

Of 20 patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia, 18 reported experiencing agoraphobic avoidance, generalized anxiety, and/or hypochondriacal fears and beliefs before the first panic attack. The prevalence of these symptoms in the patients was significantly higher than the prevalence in 20 healthy control subjects. The results indicate that phobic avoidance in panic disorder with agoraphobia may not be secondary to the panic attacks, a finding that runs counter to the current DSM-III-R classification of anxiety disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Duration and symptoms of bipolar prodromes.

The duration and symptoms of manic and depressive prodromes of 20 bipolar patients showed much interindividual variation. However, these features were consistent in successive episodes of the same type in the same patient. Manic prodromes were longer than depressive prodromes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Prolactin, cortisol, and antidepressant treatment.

In four depressed patients with abnormal dexamethasone suppression test results before treatment, plasma prolactin levels significantly increased after successful amitriptyline therapy. Such an increase did not take place in five depressed patients with normal dexamethasone suppression test findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Nocturnal prolactin and cortisol secretion and recovery from melancholia.

Spontaneous prolactin and cortisol patterns were determined at 20 min intervals over 3 hr during the night in eight patients with melancholia, both during illness and after treatment with amitriptyline. Mean plasma prolactin levels were greater after recovery in the seven patients who responded to treatment. Mean cortisol secretion decreased upon recovery from melancholia, and such changes in two patients paralleled normalization of dexamethasone suppression test responses. The influence of assumptions of lack of interaction on the statistical significance of the analysis of variance with repeated measures for prolactin and cortisol values was evaluated.

Adult↗