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Biomedical subjects

H Merskey

Publications and source records attributed to H Merskey.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Is the temporo-mandibular pain and dysfunction syndrome a disorder of the mind?

It was assumed that patients with temporo-mandibular pain and dysfunction syndrome (TMPDS) would represent a population whose pain resulted from their emotional state. It was anticipated in the light of existing reports in the literature that they would score like patients with anxiety neurosis or other psychiatric illness on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index (CCEI: a measure of anxiety and other emotional characteristics). It was also anticipated that patients with facial pain associated with lesions would show evidence of similar emotional disturbance secondary to their pain. It was postulated, however, that the TMPDS patients would be separated from the others by a scale which measured their attitudes to parents and childhood experience, namely, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The actual comparison of TMPDS patients and patients with facial pain and lesions or pathophysiological disorders showed little evidence of neuroticism in either group; nor were the parental bonding attitudes found to be abnormal. It is questioned whether TMPDS is primarily psychological in origin.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Hysteria: the history of an idea.

Hysteria has long been recognized as a condition involving multiple somatic symptoms and resulting from a state of the emotions. By the time of Charcot, it became possible to attribute a hysterical symptom to an idea. It appears that the first detailed statement to this effect was made by Russell Reynolds (1) and it was adopted by Charcot (2), particularly because of his experience that hypnosis could be used to suggest hysterical symptoms. These concepts provided the starting point for Freud's theories.

England↗
PubMed1983

Classification and associations of hyprochondriasis in patients from a psychiatric hospital.

This study investigated the application of two commonly used classification systems for hypochondriacal patients from a psychiatric hospital as well as other aspects of their condition. Twenty patients with marked hypochondriacal features were examined. One satisfied criteria of the diagnosis of primary hypochondriasis and nine more had secondary diagnoses of hypochondriasis or somatization disorder. It is suggested that a secondary diagnosis of hypochondriasis would be useful for those patients with marked hypochondriacal features who have other psychiatric disorders and are at present excluded from the diagnosis of hypochondriasis in these classification systems.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A description of the psychological effects of chronic painful lesions.

The social adjustment and psychological characteristics of a group of patients with lesions presumed to be representative of an 'ordinary' pain clinic population have been examined. As expected there was a significant degree of disturbance of work, sleep, sport, exercise, leisure and social activities and sexual relationships. Patients with back pain found sitting to be particularly troublesome (P less than 0.0001) which suggests that they would have physical reasons for responding to programmes emphasizing 'activity.' They used more affective words proportionately to describe it than those with pain elsewhere, but both groups used far more sensory words overall than affective ones. Formal depression of the type measured by the Levine-Pilowsky Depression Questionnaire which corresponds to the psychiatric interview was not prominent. On the SCL-90, a more widely ranging type of psychological test, there were marked elevations on the somatization scale which are partly artifact, and also significant elevations for obsessive traits, depression, anxiety and general symptoms. Questions in the tests concerning irritability and frustration were frequently answered affirmatively. Low-back pain patients and compensation patients did not differ significantly from the remainder on the SCL-90 or on the Levine-Pilowsky Questionnaire. The findings are taken to indicate an understandable pattern of emotional response to chronic pain whether in the low back or elsewhere, as well as a specific difference in descriptions in patients with low-back pain. They are held to support the view that many patients receiving compensation have the same pattern of emotional response as those who do not obtain financial payment because of their illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1982

On the recording of mental illness for civil commitment.

The survey of 102 consecutive certificates for involuntary admission and a review of the case material demonstrated that in 78 cases the form was completed adequately. In 13 cases full description of evidence of mental disorder was lacking on the certificate but after reviewing the cases it would appear that clear evidence of mental disorder was probably present at the time of certification. In this survey, suicidal or homicidal risk alone was not considered evidence of mental disorder. In the full 11 cases the grounds for diagnosing mental disorder rested upon the presence of phenomena like anger, alcoholism, or mild mental retardation or the presence of a personality disorder, all of these being associated with risk to the patient or another person. Compelling evidence for the necessity of psychiatric commitment in these complex situations cannot be described briefly; thus it does not appear that an altered certification form would solve the problem.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

An investigation of the possible inverse relationships between the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and schizophrenia.

One hundred and eleven inpatients with schizophrenia and 51 with other psychiatric conditions were compared for the frequency of rheumatoid arthritis, other connective tissue disorders and other physical illness. Evidence both of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis was significantly less in the schizophrenia group. Latex Agglutination Tests were positive to the same extent in both groups. One possible explanation of the findings is that they are due to the reduced frequency of trauma or stress to the joints in schizophrenic inpatients, many of whom lived in hospital, compared with the control group. Other explanations are also considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A double-blind comparison of fluspirilene and fluphenazine decanoate in schizophrenia.

A double-blind comparison of fluspirilene and fluphenazine decanoate in 28 schizophrenic patients over six months showed equal improvement and the same incidence of side-effects in each group of patients. It would be expected from the literature that a better ratio of therapeutic to side-effects would appear with fluspirilene than with fluphenazine. The absence of such an effect in this study may be attributable to an initial lack of familiarity by the investigators with the use of fluspirilene, indicating an important potential variable in the comparison of a new drug with an established one.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Parental representations of hypochondriacal patients from a psychiatric hospital.

This study investigated parental bonding patterns of hypochondriacal patients using the Parental Bonding Instrument. Hypochondriacal patients and a matched control group were drawn from in and out-patients of a psychiatric hospital. Maternal over-protection was found much more frequently (P less than .005) in the hypochondriacal group than in the control group. This offers support for previous clinical observations on hypochondriacal patients. The implications of this and other findings of the study are discussed.

Adult↗