Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Battegay

Publications and source records attributed to R Battegay.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

[Aggression inhibition and increased sympathetic nervous reactivity in the development of essential hypertension].

Suppressed aggression and activity of the sympathetic nervous system were assessed in two risk groups for essential hypertension, viz. 24 borderline hypertensives (18 men, 6 women, age range 18-24, 18 with a family history of hypertension) and 24 normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents, and in a control group exactly matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status. In the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration test, both potential hypertensive groups were significantly less aggressive compared with the controls, and additionally the borderline hypertensives internalized their aggression. Plasma noradrenaline concentrations, as a marker for sympathetic nervous system activity, increased significantly before and during mental stressors (Stroop colour-word conflict test, mental arithmetic) in both groups, whereas in normotensive controls no significant increase occurred. These findings point to a psychosomatic factor in the development of essential hypertension.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The psychiatric significance of dermatitis artefacta.

A total of 71 patients (12 males and 59 females) who attended the University Skin Clinic of Basle in the years 1956-1982, have been investigated by a dermatologist, a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Among 55 female patients (group I and II) 14 had a suicide attempt in their history. Of the 39 female patients of group I 25 (64%) had suffered from a stressful childhood event. Of group I (39 female patients) 19 (48.7%) had had psychiatric therapy in the past or at the time of investigation; 23 patients (59%) had suffered from depressions either in the past or at the time of investigation. Among group II (16 patients) 11 (68.7%) had had psychiatric therapy in the past or at the time of investigation. The psychological test investigation (Colour Pyramid Test and Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Test) revealed artefact patients to be in a state of considerable depressive-aggressive tension without being able to handle their emotions and impulses in an adequate manner.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Critical views on narcissism theories].

After having given an overview about the different definitions of the Self, I have defined it as the seat of narcissism which furnishes the instances of Ego, Id and Super-Ego as well as to the body this narcissistic investment or information which gives the individual the feeling that the different instances and his body are belonging to his own and giving him throughout his life a feeling of continuity. Otto F. Kernberg describes, contrary to Heinz Kohut, the primarily pathological nature of narcissism of individuals having an Ego prone to fragmentation and very rigid defense mechanisms, e.g. splitting, projective identification, blind rage, hostility etc. The pathological narcissism results out of an early pathological object-relationship and of an Ego prone to fragmentation with a consecutive disturbance of the development of the Self. From these borderline personalities with their pathology of narcissism I differentiate the narcissistic neuroses--called by Kohut narcissistic personality disorders or behavior disorders--in individuals with a strong Ego, which are due to a lack--or more rarely to a surplus--of warmth-, stimulation- and cognition-experiences in early childhood. They have a tendency of undergoing more than usual a fusion with a Self-object, mirror transferences and developing a grandiose Self in their fantasy as compensations or defense mechanisms. The schizoid personalities are intermediate forms, which show a rigid defense, however do not have like the borderline-personalities the tendency to occasional break-throughs of the primary process. Whereas in the treatment of narcissistically disturbed borderline conditions early interpretations of the rigid archaic defense mechanisms and furthering reality testing are necessary, in narcissistic neuroses primarily the building up of a consistent Self and then a working through of the named narcissistic compensations and defense mechanisms are necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Long-term and short-term patients in a psychiatric university-polyclinic: a comparison of their social indicators using the AMDP system].

Although a remarkable knowledge about socioeconomic variables of psychiatric outpatients has been gathered until now little is known how their social conditions influence their duration of psychiatric service utilization. In this paper two groups of clients of the University Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic of Basle with different durations of treatment were compared by using the social indicators of the AMDP-System: the first group of outpatients has been in treatment for less than one year (short term patients, KZP), the second has been in treatment for more than five years (long term patients, LZP). Long term patients are more often than short term patients unmarried. They live more often in family fragments, are/were less often in professional leading positions and are less often integrated in the labour-market. Before as well as after their first contact to the University Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic long term patients were more often hospitalized in psychiatric clinics. Social sex differences are elaborated for both groups. The heavier institutional dependence of the second group is discussed in the light of their greater social disintegration. The importance of the social indicators as determinators for the institutional selection is stressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

[Comparative socioeconomic, anamnestic and psychological studies of patients with uterine myoma and uterine prolapse].

30 female patients with the diagnosis of "uterus myomatosus" and a control group of also 30 women with the diagnosis "descensus uteri et vaginae" were examined by a standardized questionnaire containing socio-economic, anamnestic and psychological data. To get information about their personality the "Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar" (Freiburg Personality Inventory), half-form A, was administered at the end of the interview. The age limits were 35 and 55 years. The main socio-economic results are the following: during childhood and adolescence the myom-patients lived mainly near towns (p less than 0,01). The women of this group have better relationships to their husbands than the descensus-patients (p less than 0,01) and the husbands of the myom-patients are more often (p less than 0,01) of the same age or younger than their women. 18 out of the 30 women of the myom-group (i.e. more than 50%) said that their wish to become a mother has not been fulfilled while this answer was given by none of the 30 descensus-patients (p less than 0,01). The question is discussed in how far the uterus-myom can be understood as a somatic expression of the frustrated wish to get a child, as a "compensatory growth". Beside this, the authors are aware of the fact that other aspects, f.e. hormonal factors, may be important.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

[Discriminant analytic study of factors in relation to alcohol consumption of females].

On behalf of the Swiss Federal Commission against Alcoholism, a pilot study on drinking habits in women was made, in accordance with an earlier investigation of drinking habits in young men (Battegay et al. 1977). Employed women of Swiss nationality, in an industrial area in a northwestern agglomeration were questioned using a standardized questionnaire about appropriate facts. As participation in this inquiry was voluntary, only 436 (31%) of the 1362 employed women took part. Since, by the usual statistical procedures significant differences between heavier and lighter consumers were found, the extent of separation of the two groups was examined by means of a discriminant analysis, and the most important factors of separation were fixed by stepwise regression. The division into one of the two groups resulted from a quantity-frequency-index. An intake of an equivalent of 30 g of pure alcohol (100% alcohol) per drinking situation was sufficient to result in Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 1% in a woman of mean body weight. Subjects who consumed 30 g of pure alcohol (100% alcohol) or more per drinking situation were characterized as heavy consumers, those who took in a lower amount as light consumers. The two groups could be well separated by variables which had shown in other investigations, significant relationships to alcoholism or which had a strong association with heavy consumption in our own inquiry. By a direct discriminant analysis, a mean-value of 88.5% of the subjects could be classified in the correct group. The variability of 56% was explained by this procedure (P less than 0.001). In a stepwise regression, a mean-value of 80.5% of the subjects could be classified, and 41% of the variability was explained (P less than 0.001). A set of 20 variables was found to increase the discrimination, all of them significant with P less than 0.01. The variables entered into this discrimination analysis can partly be interpreted on the basis of the examination of the univariate evaluation as variables with a function of risk on one side or protection on the other.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Follow-up examination of former recruits regarding their alcohol, tobacco, drug and medicine consumption].

On behalf of the Swiss Federal Commission Against Alcoholism, 1103 former military recruits were surveyed in 1979 with regard to consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit and psychotropic drugs. The men had been surveyed for the first time with regard to the same factors when under military training in 1972-73 (Battegay, Mühlemann et al.). With regard to alcohol consumption, the 1979 results showed a larger number of consumers than in 1972/73, i.e. an increase of 6.1% from 88.5% in 1972/73 to 94.6% in 1979. In 1979 the men, aged approximately 26 years, in the main (73.8% of subjects) mentioned only low alcohol consumption (10-150 g alcohol 100% a week). Heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (greater than 350 g alcohol 100% a week) was indicated in a lower .e. an increase of 6.1% from 88.5% in 1972/73 to 94.6% in 1979. In 1979 the men, aged approximately 26 years, in the main (73.8% of subjects) mentioned only low alcohol consumption (10-150 g alcohol 100% a week). Heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (greater than 350 g alcohol 100% a week) was indicated in a lower .e. an increase of 6.1% from 88.5% in 1972/73 to 94.6% in 1979. In 1979 the men, aged approximately 26 years, in the main (73.8% of subjects) mentioned only low alcohol consumption (10-150 g alcohol 100% a week). Heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (greater than 350 g alcohol 100% a week) was indicated in a lower number of cases than in 1972/73. In 1972/73, 6% of the men, aged approximately 20 years, indicated this level of alcohol consumption, compared with 3.2% in 1979. With regard to tobacco consumption, no major changes were found between the two investigation periods. The proportion of nonsmokers had risen from 43.8% in 1972/73 to 46.4% in 1979, whereas the proportion of heavy consumers (more than 24 g tobacco a day) remained almost unchanged at 13% in 1979 against 13.5% in 1972/73. There was a major fall in the number of drug consumers. In 1979, 85.8% said they had been drug abstainers since 1972/73. In 1972/73, only 75.2% had said they had never taken drugs. The fall in the number of subjects who consumed drugs can be explained by a reduction in the number of "drug experimenters" (1--8 drug intakes) in the period from 1972/73 to 1979 compared with the years before 1972/73. The number of those reporting more than 48 drug intakes remained virtually unchanged (1.6% in 1979 against 1.3% in 1972/73).

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Total fusion with an object and its destruction].

On the basis of four partly narcissistic-neurotic, partly narcissistically disturbed borderline-patients who are very severely disturbed in their self- and in their object-representation the author explains how total fusion-tendencies may become fatal for the object, if this wants to separate itself even just a bit. The object turns then abruptly from a "good" into a "bad" one. In a fifth example it is described how, in deep and especially in the endogenous depression, the fusion-tendency with a near object may lead to an expanded suicide. The danger, which should not be underestimated, for near related persons of these heavily narcissistically disturbed, respectively - in the depression - emptied human beings is underlined. Forensic viewpoints which follow the destruction of the object because of a total fusion-tendency are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

[Comparative follow-up survey of psychiatric invalids].

Within a five-years-period data about 200 psychic disabled patients (100 from the canton of Basel-country, and 100 from the canton of Basel-town) were collected in respect to their person as well as to the progress of their illness. These patients differed from the general population in the following important points: More single people (unmarried and divorced persons) are found that in the general population of the same age (p less than 0.01). Foreigners are underrepresented (p less than 0.01). Subdivided into social classes (Bolte) it was striking that 71% of the patients belong to the lower class, whereas the upper class is not represented. 10.5% of all patients were not able to finish their professional education because of their illness. Schizophrenia was the most mentioned diagnosis (46.5%), followed by the diagnosis "abnormal psychic development" (inclusively neuroses: 34.5%). The progress of illness shows that 7% of all patients did not need the invalidity-pension any more after five years. Half of them are patients who fell ill already in the late puberty. Patients who were taken ill on abnormal psychic development after their 40th year show unfavourable progress of illness: Except for one foreign patient and two of nine patients who returned to their home-country and who were not included in this study, no tendency of recovery has been noticed. The number of patients who died during the five years of observation (21 deceased on 200 living) is very high. This figure of mortality is 7.4 times (canton of Basel-country) and 8.1 times (canton of Basel-town) higher than the mortality of the same age group of the general population. It is also higher in comparison with the average of the respective illness groups as stated by Ciompi and Müller. The cause of death is suicide in 48%. In another 24%, suicidal impulses could have been inherent. Also the number of hospitalisations is very high: Only 22% of the patients were never in a hospital. In comparison 12% were once and 66% more than once or longer than one year in a hospital.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Long-term treatment with diazepam. Investigation of consumption habits and the interaction between psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy: a prospective study.

In a prospective study over 6 months involving 54 psychiatric outpatients with neurotic disorders, the habits of diazepam or placebo intake and the attitudes towards psychotherapy and the medication were studied. The patients, divided into two groups, received in a double-blind setting either diazepam or placebo. They were also seen for psychotherapy every 14 days. The patients were advised to use the medication according to their personal needs but not to take more than 6 tablets of 6 mg diazepam (or placebo) daily. All patients showed controlled use of the drug. No dependency was observed. The patients stopped taking the medication gradually in each group, but faster in the placebo group. 18% of the placebo group and 52% of the diazepam group were 'high' consumers (more than 200 tablets within a period of at least 20 weeks). The intake of the drug was mainly dictated by the symptoms. A second important factor modifying the intake habits was the fear of possible adverse effects of the medication. At the end of the treatment period the attitude towards psychotherapy was more favorable than that towards psychopharmacotherapy irrespective of the drug taken. Long-term intake of diazepam did not lead to a decrease in the motivation of working through the existing problems. In contrast, the diazepam group felt less than the placebo group that medication could be a long-term solution for personal or social problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Psychiatric aspects in the starting and ending of chronic dialysis].

Various symptoms are discussed which are of importance in patients undergoing maintenance dialysis for chronic renal failure, such as depression, organic brain syndrome, ambiguity regarding a chronic "incurable" disease, sexual dysfunction and suicidal behaviour. A number of criteria that should be considered at the beginning and termination of regular dialysis treatment are described. Six case reports of selected patients with chronic renal failure and psychiatric problems are discussed. For psychiatric reasons one female patient was not started on maintenance dialysis. One of the patients, a female, did well on maintenance dialysis. One patient died due to medical complications for which treatment was withheld. Two patients decided to quit maintenance dialysis with their doctor's approval. One patient committed suicide unexpectedly.

Depression↗