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Biomedical subjects

M H Hollender

Publications and source records attributed to M H Hollender.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Lies and liars: psychiatric aspects of prevarication.

The authors discuss the phenomenon of lying, a common psychic process that has received remarkably little scrutiny. The ubiquity of lying and others forms of deception suggests that they have "normal" aspects, but lying which is persistent or destructive to the quality of a person's life becomes pathological. Lying has many determinants, including developmental, biological, social, and psychodynamic. Antisocial, histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, and compulsive personalities have been associated with lying. The treatment of lying needs to be individualized according to the overall symptom complex in which it is embedded.

Adolescent↗

The age of sexual consent.

In 1899 the age of sexual consent in some American jurisdictions was 9 years. It has ranged from 7 to 21 years and at present the range is from 11 to 18 years. The age selected seems to be an arbitrary matter, the product of legislative compromise. The age of sexual consent should not be so early that little protection is provided for a child. Conversely, it should not be so late that a man can be held for statutory rape when the "victim" is fully capable of informed consent and readily acquiesced to a proposal or even invited a sexual relationship.

Adolescent↗

Double parricide--matricide and patricide: a comparison with other schizophrenic murders.

Two paranoid schizophrenic young men murdered their mother and father while acutely delusional. To delineate the characteristics of homicidal, particularly parricidal patients, these two patients are compared with one parricidal and six homicidal patients. Preliminary warning signs, the contributory role of family life to the psychopathology, and the occurrence of parricide in schizophrenia are discussed.

Adult↗

Violence in geriatric patients.

Two hundred twenty-two patients admitted to a geriatric psychiatry unit were surveyed for the commission of acts dangerous to others. Eighteen of these patients had used either guns or knives in acts of violence. Organic illness accounted for a minority of such acts, the majority having been perpetrated by patients with functional diagnoses of late paraphrenia, schizophrenia, or mania. The most dangerous patients were those who, in a clear sensorium, experienced paranoid delusions, hallucinations, or both, and believed that they were in danger of being attacked. One hundred twenty-one aggressive patients who did not use weapons against others were also identified. This group, which included a larger percentage of patients suffering from dementia, posed a much less serious threat to others than the violent group.

Aged↗

The medical student's choice of psychiatry as a career: a survey of one graduating class.

The authors distributed a questionnaire to all members of a medical school graduating class (N = 85) to identify those students who had "seriously considered psychiatry as a career choice at any time." Eight such students were identified, 5 of whom chose specialties other than psychiatry. The authors' objective was to identify the critical factors in these 8 students' final selection. Their results support the importance of the clinical clerkship in the students' decision making; the results also indicate considerable shifting in career choice during the students' medical school years and reveal a strong antipsychiatry bias on the part of nonpsychiatric faculty.

Adult↗

The case of Anna O.: a reformulation.

The best known of all psychotherapy patients. Anna O., entered treatment with Josef Breuer in December 1880. Modern psychotherapy begins with that encounter. Information gathered in the intervening years places us in a favorable position to review and reformulate the case. To do so may have practical and theoretical, as well as historical, importance.

Adult↗

Recurrent pathological jealousy.

A 36-year-old man suffered from pathological jealousy during three marriages. The episodes involving delusions of infidelity were usually preceded by premonitory symptoms. At first, the patient responded by discontinuing his medication (a phenothiazine) so that he might remain vigilant. Later he came to recognize the premonitory symptoms as signals indicating a need for help, and he would request hospitalization. In the periods between his marriages he was never troubled by feelings of jealousy. The chief determinant of delusions of infidelity in this instance, as in three reported by Docherty and Ellis, seemed to be exposure to the mother's extramarital sexual relations. This case, in which three different wives were subjected to the same pattern of behavior, would seem to be an exception to the rule that if marital problems occur both partners are responsible for creating them.

Adult↗

The wish to be held and hold in couples.

Information pertaining to the wish to be held and to hold was gathered from 56 couples to answer the following questions: 1) What sex difference is there in the preference for being held or holding? 2) Which of the 2 meanings for the wish to be held is usually described? 3) Are men able to separate the wish for body contact as an end in itself from it as prelude to sexual intercourse? 4) Is disparity in body contact desires a cause of marital disharmony?

Adult↗

Pathological intoxication--is there such an entity?

Pathological intoxication appears as a diagnostic term in DSM-II and DSM-III, is defined in a psychiatric dictionary and is described in several textbooks. Still, is there really such an entity? Is the small amount of alcohol inbibed incidental rather than causal? It should be borne in mind that alcohol is the popular explain-all of our culture and as such is used as an excuse for everything from sexual indiscretions to well-planned "impulsive" acts. It is likely--and evidence is presented for this conclusion--that so-called cases of pathological intoxication are really dissociative reactions. The existence of pathological intoxication as an entity must remain in doubt unless the disorder can be reproduced under controlled conditions.

Adult↗

Funeral mania.

Funeral mania, as the term is used here, refers to a typical manic episode occurring within 1 week of the loss by death of an immediate family member. The case history of a patient manifesting this rare reaction is presented and discussed. Comments are also made on the relevant psychiatric literature. Although funeral mania is probably a psychiatric curiosity it merits attention because it serves to remind us, even at a time when genetic factors in manic-depressive illness are in the forefront, that we should not overlook the role of emotional trauma.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The seductive patient.

Women referred to as hysterical personalities comprise the largest group of seductive patients. We will discuss (1) how to recognize them, (2) how they behave with physicians, (3) the reactions evoked by them, (4) what brings them to physicians, (5) what they are really seeking, and (6) how to cope with them. To supplement information obtained from patients seen in psychiatric practice, information was gathered from 15 practitioners representing surgical as well as medical specialties.

Female↗