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Biomedical subjects

J L Griffith

Publications and source records attributed to J L Griffith.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Mind-body patterns of symptom generation.

Effective ways for joining family therapy with other treatment modalities are becoming increasingly important as the efficacy of family therapy gains acceptance in the medical and mental health community. When one interfaces family therapy with medical and psychopharmacological treatments, which find the sources of symptoms within individuals, rather than interpersonal systems, careful attention must be paid to the mind and body relationships that guide interactions between family behavior and the somatic physiology of each family member. We present six mind-body patterns of symptom generation found to be particularly useful for designing multimodality treatments and for communicating the treatment rationale to medical and psychiatric clinicians or to family members. Case examples illustrate their clinical use.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1989

AIDS: how to protect your lab on legal issues.

Here's the evolving law on such matters as transfusion-transmitted AIDS, false positives and negatives, disclosure of test results, protection of the health care staff, and employees who refuse to work with AIDS patients.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1989

Münchausen syndrome by proxy and sleep disorders medicine.

Münchausen syndrome by proxy is a factitious disorder of childhood in which a parent fabricates medical history or produces signs of illness in a child to keep the child in a sick role. Since approximately half of all cases of Münchausen syndrome by proxy are presentations of central nervous system illness, such as excessive daytime sleepiness and near-miss sudden infant death syndrome, sleep disorders centers are likely diagnostic consultants for the evaluation of children involved in this disorder. We review characteristics that may suggest that a particular case has an increased likelihood of Münchausen syndrome by proxy. The recent presentations of two cases of Münchausen syndrome by proxy to sleep disorders centers are discussed as examples.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1988

The family systems of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy describes a parent who fabricates the appearance of physical illness in a child. Previous descriptions of the syndrome have focused exclusively upon medical or psychiatric assessments of the involved child and perpetrating parent. The family evaluations of two cases presented here suggest that Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy may be a systemic syndrome generated when a mother already possessing a somatoform or factitious disorder joins an enmeshed, authoritarian family system possessing a systemic history of exploitation of children. We suggest that measures instituted to protect the abused child must take into account the systemic function of the Munchausen by Proxy behavior in maintaining family stability, lest such measures be rendered ineffective by family members. When there is ongoing victimization of perpetrating parents in a similar pattern of dominance/submission within their own family of origin, disruption of these intergenerational patterns of exploitation may be a necessary component of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

How do physicians adapt when the coronary care unit is full? A prospective multicenter study.

Reducing the numbers of coronary care unit (CCU) beds would decrease expensive unnecessary admissions, but might also block appropriate admissions. To study how physicians adapt to limited CCU beds, we compared their decisions to admit patients to the CCU when the CCU was full with those made when the CCU was not full. We studied 4479 patients who presented with symptoms suggesting acute cardiac ischemia to six New England hospital emergency rooms over 16 months. Of the 2931 patients found on follow-up not to have acute ischemia, 33% of those presenting when the CCU was not full were admitted to the CCU vs 24% of such patients presenting when the CCU was full (P = .0005), a 27% drop. Of the 725 patients proving to have angina pectoris, 74% of those presenting when the CCU was not full were admitted to the CCU vs 62% of such patients presenting when the CCU was full (P = .007), a 16% reduction. Of the 823 patients found to have myocardial infarction, 90% were admitted to the CCU both when the CCU was not full and when it was full. Importantly, for no group did mortality increase when the CCU was full. These data suggest that physicians can safely adapt to substantial reductions in the availability of CCU beds.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Employing the God-family relationship in therapy with religious families.

In many religious families, God functions as a crucial family member, stabilizing interpersonal relationships and engaging in daily family transactions. In the psychological role of a transitional object, God can be usefully employed by the family therapist in therapeutic interventions, when the therapist keeps the focus upon the interpersonal relationship with God rather than the specific content of religious beliefs. This approach can access a vital resource in the family, particularly when conditions for therapy are otherwise difficult, such as an isolated, enmeshed dyad presenting alone for therapy. Four case examples illustrate how one may use this approach in family therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Clorazepate in the treatment of complex partial seizures with psychic symptomatology.

Clorazepate frequently can control symptoms in complex partial seizure disorders with psychic symptomatology at dosages less than those recommended for its use as an adjunctive anticonvulsant. Four case examples illustrate this use. These beneficial effects may reflect a heightened response by limbic seizure foci to the anticonvulsant effects of nordiazepam, or a potentiation of its anticonvulsant effects through attenuating patient anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Differences in eye-hand motor coordination of video-game users and non-users.

The recent proliferation of electronic video games has caused an outcry from those who question the merits of the games, while others maintain the games improve eye-hand coordination. At present, no empirical data are available to indicate whether there are differences in eye-hand coordination between video game users and non-users. Comparing 31 video game users and 31 non-users showed users have significantly better eye-hand motor coordination on a pursuit rotor. However, no relationship was found between an individual's eye-hand motor coordination and the amount of time spent weekly playing video games or the length of experience with video games.

Adult↗