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Biomedical subjects

L Solyom

Publications and source records attributed to L Solyom.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Mood and food: an analysis of bulimic episodes.

The present study examined those factors which differentially lead to normal eating and binge eating. Twenty-one bulimic subjects and comparison subjects monitored their mood, hunger, and food intake hourly over a number of days. The bulimic sample ate fewer meals and had lower overall mood. Positive mood, food abstinence combined with intensified hunger, and being in the company of another person preceded normal eating (i.e. retained meal). Negative mood, recent consumption of food, and being alone preceded bulimic episodes.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The prediction of relapse in bulimia nervosa.

Thirty-nine women successfully treated for bulimia nervosa were followed up six months after the conclusion of treatment and classified as maintaining recovery or partially or completely relapsed. Clinical and psychometric variables including body image disturbance and dissatisfaction were entered into regression equations to identify predictors of relapse. Dissatisfaction with body image at the end of treatment was the most potent predictor of relapse. The finding is interpreted as underscoring the importance of addressing issues of body image in therapy if treatment gains are to be maintained.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Is there an obsessive psychosis? Aetiological and prognostic factors of an atypical form of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

The study explores whether an atypical form of obsessional illness can be delineated and separated from the conventional form of obsessive-compulsive neurosis (OCN). From a group of 45 obsessive patients, 8 were selected on the basis of 3 criteria: presence of a severely debilitating main obsessive symptom; bordering on the delusional; no schizophrenic symptoms. Assessment and outcome measures included the Psychiatric Questionnaire, the Leyton Obsessional Inventory, Fear Survey Schedule, and IPAT Self-Analysis Form. Self-assessment forms allowed patients to make social adjustment and neurotic symptom ratings. In a multimodal approach, patients were assigned to behavioural and pharmacological treatments on the basis of severity. Reassessment took place after 50 sessions of therapy. Results of analysis of variance statistics indicated that the atypical group had a more malignant form of illness, with more varied and severe obsessions. A poorer prognosis for the atypical group was indicated by: greater social maladjustment, poor employment records, illness of longer duration showing no remissions despite more courses of treatment, and poor response to treatment throughout. The atypical group manifested fewer characteristic features of OCN (example: fewer precipitating events). On the other hand, schizophrenia was not imputed, although delusion-like experiences in the atypical group suggest a psychotic form of illness. The term "obsessive psychosis" suggested by Strauss and recently investigated by Weiss et al and Robinson et al is proposed for our atypical group. Results are compared with those of other investigators. It is concluded that the delineation of a subgroup of obsessional illness is desirable for research and therapy since a form of atypical obsessional illness or obsessive psychosis can be differentiated on aetiological, phenomenological and prognostic factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

A modified video camera for measuring body image distortion: technical description and reliability.

Previously employed techniques for the measurement of body image are briefly described, with a short consideration of methodological or procedural limitations associated with each technique. A new procedure is described which employs a simple modification to a standard video camera to produce an image which appears from 20% thinner to 40% fatter than the actual person, without other distortion of the image. Reliability and preliminary validity data for the new procedure are presented.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMed1984

Body image perception and preference in anorexia nervosa.

Nineteen female anorexics (10 restrictors and 9 with episodes of bulimia) and 19 matched normal weight females participated in a study of dimensions of body image perception and preference. Nineteen silhouettes which varied systematically in size of breasts, abdomen, buttocks, and legs were sorted according to perceived similarity and ordered according to preference by the subjects. Subjects also selected the silhouette which resembled themselves most. Multidimensional scaling analyses were performed. Five dimensions of perception were interpreted: four dealt with size of buttocks and abdomen and one with breast size. The perceptual dimensions were similar for both groups. No group differences were found regarding body image preference. Preference ratings of own body silhouette were lower for anorexic restrictors than for bulimic anorexics and normals. Thus, a distorted body image and a thin body ideal may not be as critical to anorexia nervosa as has been assumed.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1984

The effects of timolol maleate on subjective and physiological components of air travel phobia.

Twenty-one monophobic patients with moderately severe fear of flying were exposed to two 40 minute challenge flights after taking either Timolol 20 mg/day or placebo. Heart rate, blood pressure, subjective ratings of anxiety, fear and palpitation and Hamilton Anxiety Scale ratings were made at the predetermined assessment intervals. Post-treatment global ratings of improvement were provided by patients and the attending psychiatrist. Results showed that heart rate significantly increased from baseline with placebo while Timolol successfully inhibited tachycardia during the challenge flights. Subjective ratings of anxiety, fear and palpitations did not show any drug group differences. These variables, however, showed a non-significant decrease from outgoing to return flight assessments after an initial significant increase from baseline scores. Hamilton Anxiety Scale ratings showed a significant decrease from baseline to post-treatment assessments, irrespective of drug group. Global improvement ratings revealed no significant differences between drug groups. Overall ratings by the psychiatrist were generally more positive than patients' ratings, with the difference between the two sources of assessment reaching significance only in the placebo group. Disregarding group membership, heart rate was positively and significantly correlated with subjective ratings of fear, but not with palpitations or ratings of overall anxiety.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Alprazolam in the treatment of generalized anxiety and panic disorders: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

In a double-blind controlled study lasting 8 weeks, 50 anxious psychoneurotic outpatients with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety or panic disorder were randomly assigned to alprazolam (n=30), a new benzodiazepine, or placebo (n=20), after a washout period of 1 week. Alprazolam at dosages between 0.25 and 3 mg/day was found to be significantly better than placebo in the treatment of either disorder. The finding that alprazolam was effective in the treatment of panic disorder is of interest as this diagnostic category is usually treated with tricyclic antidepressants or MAO inhibitors.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A comparative psychometric study of anorexia nervosa and obsessive neurosis.

Similarities between anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder have been described by a number of authors but few empirical investigations have been reported. In the current study, 15 female anorexics were compared with 14 age-matched female obsessives on a variety of psychometric tests, psychiatrist's ratings and self-rating scales. Obsessives and anorexics obtained similarly high obsessive symptom and trait scores on the Leyton Obsessional Inventory LOI). Both groups were rated by the psychiatrist as similarly obsessive, and there were no significant group differences in self-ratings of obsessive symptoms. Both groups were characterized by high levels of neuroticism and anxiety and low levels of extraversion. In the anorexic group the 6 abstainers had higher resistance scores on the LOI and higher extraversion scores on th MPI than the 9 bulimics. Findings are discussed with reference to the "sorcerer's apprentice" syndrome which appears to characterize both the obsessive and the anorexic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Phenelzine and exposure in the treatment of phobias.

A double-blind study was carried out on 40 agoraphobic and socially phobic patients, matched, then randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups; phenelzine-exposure, phenelzine-no exposure, placebo-exposure, and placebo-no exposure. Exposure consisted of encouraging the patient to face the phobic situation a predetermined number of times. Assessments, made at the beginning and end of 8 weeks of therapy and 8 weeks thereafter, showed that the phobia ratings of groups decreased significantly. The combined exposure group improved significantly more than the combined no exposure group during treatment. At 8 weeks follow-up there was some deterioration in the phenelzine-exposure and placebo-no exposure groups. Exposure, with or without phenelzine, was the superior treatment modality. The antiphobic effect of phenelzine was not supported, although it seemed to reduce subjective anxiety during exposure experiences. The possibility that effect of phenelzine is dose-related is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Chlorimipramine therapy for obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Twenty patients with a history of treatment-resistant obsessional neurosis underwent a 4-week clinical trial of chlorimipramine. Scores on the Psychiatric Questionnaire for Obsessive Compulsive Neurosis, the Leyton Obsessional Inventory, and 3 self-assessments indicated that although there was no significant change in obsessive ruminations, obsessive rituals, horrific temptations, or pervading doubt, there was a substantial significant improvement in the obsessive symptom item and severity of obsessions, as well as anxiety, depression, and phobia. Side effects were mild. The authors believe that chlorimipramine is the most promising treatment for obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Severe depersonalization treated by behavior therapy.

The author reports the use of behavior therapy in the treatment of two cases of severe intractable depersonalization. Outcome criteria included full psychiatric assessment, patients' self-ratings, and psychometric test scores. Treatment by flooding was highly effective in one case, and associated obsessive symptoms and anticipatory anxiety were substantially decreased in the other. Behavioral techniques may prove especially helpful in cases in which anticipatory anxiety, phobic avoidance, and obsessive perseveration are exacerbating features.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Characteristics of the contingent negative variation in patients suffering from specific phobias.

The essential clinical feature of phobic neurosis is the anticipatory fear of certain objects and situations. Since an important factor in the generation of the contingent negative variation (CNV) is the anticipation of the imperative stimulus, records of CNVs were used as an indicator of electrocortical activity in a group of 14 patients suffering from specific phobias. After clinical evaluation, a CNV to a picture of a nondisturbing object was obtained. The amplitude of the CNV and duration of the PINV (postimperative negative variation) were taken as reference values against which response to the phobic objects were evaluated. Reaction time was automatically measured between the period of S2 and the button press. Significant differences, viz., larger CNV amplitude, longer PINV duration, and shorter reaction time, were found with phobogenic than with nondisturbing stimuli. After behavioral recovery with behavior therapy, no differences were noted in the CNVs obtained with the presentation of non-disturbing and the ones that were phobogenic stimuli. The significance of the results for an understanding of phobic neurosis and behavior therapy are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

A comparison of clomipramine hydrochloride (Anafranil) and behaviour therapy in the treatment of obsessive neurosis.

A six-week trial of 300 mg clomipramine hydrochloride (Anafranil, Geigy Pharmaceuticals) was compared to a six-month twice weekly therapeutic programme with two widely used behavioural techniques, flooding and thought-stopping. Clomipramine had a substantial ameliorating effect on the number and severity of obsessional symptoms, reducing the total obsessive symptomatology by half. The trends suggested that the drug was as effective as flooding and more effective than thought-stopping in reducing the ruminative symptoms, and was especially effective in reducing pervading doubt. It was considerably less effective than behaviour therapy in reducing the compulsive symptoms. This suggests, and confirms the authors' clinical impression, that a combination of pharmacotherapy and behaviour therapy is the optimal treatment of choice for ritualistic patients who are almost always very ruinative, doubtful and highly anxious. Clomipramine had the most substantial anxiolytic effect of three groups and seemed to be as effective as behaviour therapy in reducing phobias.

Adult↗