Lamotrigine treatment of aggression in female borderline patients, Part II: an 18-month follow-up.

Borderline patients often display pathological aggression. We previously tested lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, in therapy for aggression in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (J Psychopharmacol 2005; 19: 287-291), and found significant changes on most scales of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) after eight weeks. To assess the longer-term efficacy of lamotrigine in therapy for aggression in women with BPD, this 18-month follow-up observation was carried out, in which patients (treated with lamotrigine: n = 18; former placebo group: n = 9) were tested every six months. According to the intent-to-treat principle, significant changes on all scales of the STAXI were observed in the lamotrigine-treated subjects. All subjects tolerated lamotrigine relatively well. Lamotrigine appears to be an effective and relatively safe agent in the longer-term treatment of aggression in women with BPD.

Men with chronic occupational stress benefit from behavioural/psycho-educational group training: a randomized, prospective, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Overworking is one of the most frequent stressors. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of behavioural/psycho-educational group training in men who are chronically stressed from overworking. METHOD: Of 72 male subjects, 36 were randomly assigned to training for 8 weeks and another 36 formed the control group, which received a placebo intervention. Primary outcome measures were systolic blood pressure, salivary cortisol concentration upon awakening, and self-reported changes on the scales of the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: A significant reduction in mean values was observed in daily systolic blood pressure and salivary cortisol concentration on all the TICS and most of the STAXI and SF-36 scales. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioural/psycho-educational group training appears to be effective in the treatment of men suffering from chronic stress due to overworking.

Cabergoline treatment in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

The effectiveness of cabergoline in 50 men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction was investigated in a 4-month, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study with validated psychological tests, and prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and testosterone serum levels. Cabergoline treatment was well-tolerated and resulted in normalization of hormone levels in most cases. In the cabergoline-treated group, significant interactions between prolactin and testosterone serum concentrations were observed. Erectile function improved significantly. Sexual desire, orgasmic function, and the patient's and his partner's sexual satisfaction were also enhanced. Cabergoline may be an effective and safe alternative agent for men with psychogenic ED.

[Treatment results from inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation of Turkish migrants: a prospective study]. / Behandlungsergebnisse stationärer psychosomatischer Rehabilitation bei türkischen Migranten: Eine prospektive Studie.

Psychosomatic rehabilitation and the concluding social-medical assessment constitute a particular challenge. The aim of this study was to examine whether inpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation in the context of an integrated treatment concept, conducted in Turkish and German, is effective in the rehabilitation of Turkish migrant laborers, and what concluding socio-medical assessment results from this treatment. 195 Turkish patients--44 male and 151 female--received inpatient psychosomatic treatment for approximately 40 days. Sociodemographic, psychiatric and social-medical data were recorded, as well as Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R) testing upon admission and discharge. A predominant number of patients were laborers, with a low level of primary education, who were afflicted with psychosocial problems and dissatisfaction with their workplace and who first came into psychosomatic treatment many years following the onset of their illness. Many of them had a clearly defined desire to retire. At the end of their admission, a significant improvement in almost all the scales of the SCL-R-90 was ascertained on the one hand, but on the other, adequate socio-medical results were hardly observed. The symptoms' improvement would confirm that the combination of service offerings in Turkish and German proved themselves. A portion of the patients (approx. 40 %) were classified subsequent to treatment as capable of working for 6 hours or more. Nevertheless, approximately approx. 75 % still sought to retire. Timely psychosomatic treatment could counteract chronification of the illness and the establishment of a steadfast desire to enter retirement, and consequently represent an improvement in the prognosis. Likewise, consistent psychosomatic training of physicians, as well as systematic prophylactic measures with the migrant laborers, should be considered.

[Treatment motivation and results of inpatient psychotherapy for women with depressive disorders: a prospective study]. / Behandlungsmotivation und Ergebnisse der stationären Psychotherapie bei Frauen mit depressiven Erkrankungen: eine prospektive Studie.

Whether the treatment results in inpatient psychotherapy are significantly influenced by the patient's motivation is a subject of discussion. The goal of this study was to assess whether the primary motivation for therapy in depressive women influences the results of psychotherapeutic treatment. In a prospective study, the monitored results from 64 female inpatients (32 who were highly motivated to enter therapy, and 32 who were minimally motivated) were compared to each other. The period of observation was six weeks. As instruments of assessment, the Fragebogen zur Therapiemotivation (FMP) (Questonnaire on Motivation for Entering Therapy) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were aministered upon admission; after the fourth and sixth weeks of therapy, the Veränderungsfragebogen des Erlebens und Verhaltens (VEV) (Questionnaire of Changes in Experience and Behavior) was administered as well. All patients who had applied for a pension were found in the group of less motivated patients and consolidated into a subgroup. The analysis was carried out according to the intent-to-treat principle. The variance analysis for the repeat measurements showed significant differences on all the FMP scales and on the BDI (all P< 0.001). The measurements with VEV likewise resulted in a significant difference (P< 0.01). The subgroup of "pension patients" showed significantly less change in all three of the above measurements. Patients with depressive symptomology who essentially are relatively highly motivated for therapy could profit significantly more from inpatient psychosomatic treatment than those who are less motivated. Establishing and developing motivation prior to inpatient hospitalization could possibly contribute to more efficient and cost-effective clinical treatment. Where legal proceedings pertaining to a pension are pending, relatively less motivated patients fare significantly worse not only in their motivational development for therapy, but also in their final treatment results. It should be noted, however, that the relatively small random sample, the restricted blinding, which was only partially possible, could have led to possible distortions.

[Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) -- a case series]. / Multiple Chemikalienüberempfindlichkeit (MCS) - eine Fallserie.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The phenomenon of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity which generally cannot be explained organically is frequently associated with psychic impairment. This case series deals with the question if in addition to a standardized interview a routine psychiatric-psychosomatic examination alters the classification if a patient suffers from symptoms compatible with MCS or not. METHODS: Nine consecutive outpatients (m = 3, f = 6, mean age 44 yrs) of the environmental medicine centre were investigated. Somatic diseases were evaluated by standard medical procedures and emotional disturbances were assessed by the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) and a psychiatric-psychosomatic examination. RESULTS: In all but one patients emotional disturbances (F-codes of the ICD-10) were diagnosed by the M-CIDI and the psychiatric-psychosomatic examination. The diagnoses of the M-CIDI and the psychiatric-psychosomatic examination often did not match. MCS was ruled out in seven patients. CONCLUSIONS: According to the criteria defined by Cullen (5), emotional disturbances must be ruled out before MCS is diagnosed. Therefore, an examination by a specialist in psychiatry or psychosomatics is mandatory because evaluation solely based on the M-CIDI is insufficient. Performing a routine psychiatric-psychosomatic examination, MCS could be ruled out much more often than previously.

[Current aspects of psychosomatic and endocrine stress research]. / Aktuelles zur psychosomatischen und endokrinologischen Stressforschung.

This review covers basic principles of (neural-)endocrine and psychosomatic aspects and its relationship to stress science. The term stress is rather imprecise, recent reviews defined stress in biological systems as any condition that seriously perturbs the physiological and psychological homeostasis of concerning organism. The review summarizes current knowledge of regulation of the HPA axis and other neural-endocrine-systems. The neurobiological data obtained suggest that inappropriate stress control involve dysfunction of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, limbic system and other brain regions. Stress induced different functional (increase of catecholamines and glucocorticoids) and structural changes in brain regions such as the hippocampus, with suppression of adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. These stress associated changes can potentially influence among other things learning and memory processes. The plasticity of brain allows to conceptualize a neurobiological perspective on psychotherapy that reflects the dynamic nature of the interaction between genes and the environment, respectively the consequences of stress. These developments point the way towards a new era of psychotherapy research and practice.

[Current aspects of attachment theory and development psychology as well as neurobiological aspects in psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders]. / Aktuelles zur Bindungstheorie und Entwicklungspsychologie sowie neurobiologische Aspekte bei psychiatrischen und psychosomatischen Erkrankungen.

This review covers basic principles of attachment research and its relationship to and implications for psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders. A great number of studies deal with the importance of attachment theory in the development of these disorders associated with distinct attachment styles. The most well-known concept is the attachment theory created by John Bowlby (1907-1990), which has strengthened our knowledge on early mother-infant relationships and influenced guidelines for child care. Within this concept, family structure is of great importance for the psychological development of the child and later the adult. Attachment research indicates that disturbances of patients with psychosomatic, e.g., somatoform disorders, in establishing relations must be seen in a developmental genetic context. A model of vulnerability is introduced which describes the development of psychopathology concerning the formation of representations taking advantage of attachment theory. Additionally, recent progress in cognitive neurosciences addresses attachment theory. During the last decade, neurobiological studies in rodents, primates, and humans indicate that early influences of psychosocial factors could have permanent consequences for brain structure and function. Besides the psychoanalytical and behavioral view concerning psychiatric and especially psychosomatic disorders, the integration of neurobiological findings will be a major challenge for the generation of further concepts.

Intolerance to neuroleptics and susceptibility for malignant hyperthermia in a patient with proximal myotonic myopathy (PROMM) and schizophrenia.

We report a patient with proximal myotonic myopathy who was treated with neuroleptics because of exacerbating schizophrenia. Under therapy with fluanxol, the patient developed muscle stiffness and oculogyric cramps. Treatment with both amisulpride and olanzapine lead to markedly elevated serum creatine kinase levels. An in-vitro contracture test was positive for halothane. Thus, in patients with all kinds of multisystemic myotonic myopathies, a susceptibility for malignant hyperthermia and intolerance towards neuroleptics should be taken into account.

[Incompatibility of olanzapine and amisulpride in multisystemic myotonic myopathy]. / Unverträglichkeit von Olanzapin und Amisulprid bei multisystemischer myotoner Myopathie.

There is evidence for the occurrence of psychopathological symptoms in the adult form of myotonic dystrophy such as disturbance of concentration and memory, chronic depression, disturbed social behaviour, mental retardation, and hypersomnia. In this report we present a patient suffering from multisystemic myotonic myopathy without a cytosine-thymine-guanine [corrected] repeat expansion on chromosome 19q13.3 and schizophrenia. In this patient, a severe increase of creatine kinase (CK) occurred during treatment with olanzapine and amisulpride. The following risperidone medication was well tolerated without side effects. Susceptibility for malignant hyperthermia was detected by a positive in vitro contracture test. The occurrence of elevated muscle enzymes during treatment with atypical neuroleptics is suspicious as a possible side effect of neuroleptic medication and muscle disease.

Asymptomatic bradycardia associated with amisulpride.

Well-known adverse effects of amisulpride include nausea, insomnia or tiredness, gastrointestinal, extrapyramidal and endocrine symptoms. Cardiac disorders, however, appear to be an extremely rare complication of the drug. Only a few case reports on this complication have been published so far, which deal with QT prolongation, hypotension, hypertension and palpitations. Bradycardia has not yet been mentioned. Here, we will report on a case of asymptomatic bradycardia that developed subsequent to therapeutic doses of amisulpride in a 25-year-old male patient with chronic paranoid-hallucinatory schizophrenia. The patient had been rehospitalized for an acute exacerbation of the psychosis. When the patient failed to respond at the beginning of hospitalization, the treatment was changed from clozapine to amisulpride. After a complete switchover to amisulpride, the patient's ECG showed sinus bradycardia and QT prolongation. When the daily dose of amisulpride was reduced from 800 mg/d to 600 mg/d, the patient's ECG quickly normalized (including blood pressure and pulse rate) within a few days. The patient did not report any cardiovascular-related complaints. Since the cardiovascular-specific diagnostics did not yield any indicative results, bradycardia may be a rare complication of amisulpride treatment.

[Reform of psychiatry in Spain]. / Die Reform der Psychiatrie in Spanien.

Since the 1980's psychiatric care in Spain changed considerably (Reforma psiquiátrica española). In the course of this reform, many positive results were achieved. An extensive community network of mental health centres was build up which resulted in the majority of psychiatric patients being integrated in the Spanish general health care system and making a better organized mental health care structure possible. New legislation also improved the care and civil rights of patients. An analysis of the experiences of the Spanish psychiatric reform shows that the tendency to retain the old mental hospitals, alongside the other institutions still exists. The process of deinstitutionalization and the original aims of the psychiatric reform cannot only be satisfied by the closure of large psychiatric hospitals as during the reform new aspects and problems as well the great complexity of the task have become apparent. This article together with the details of the Spanish sources gives the German public a good overview of the developments in Spanish psychiatry.