An alternative biofeedback-based behavior modification treatment for a case of chronic constipation.

A 31-year old female with chronic constipation was referred for treatment of a paradoxical contraction of the external anal sphincter (EAS) muscle during straining to defecate. The patient was dependent on laxative use and the digital removal of feces. The present program emphasized biofeedback training of the EAS utilizing the inexpensive, noninvasive procedure of disposable surface electrodes placed on the anal verge. Outcome of treatment resulted in an 89% decrease in laxatives used, complete termination of the digital removal of feces, and a notable decrease in EAS tension. The patient was able to maintain these gains at an 8 month follow-up.

MMPI scale clinical correlates for adolescent inpatients.

This study examined descriptive correlates of single-scale, high-point elevations for Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales D, Hy, Pd, Sc, and Ma in a sample of 112 adolescent inpatients undergoing psychiatric treatment. Clinical descriptors were collected for subjects based on their psychometric self-reports and on ratings and evaluations of these patients by parents, nursing staff, and individual psychotherapists. Subjects were assigned to a high-point category based on their highest, single clinical scale elevation, with the restrictions that such elevations be greater than or equal to T-score values of 65 and that high-point groups contain a minimum of 10 subjects. Clinical descriptors for subjects in each high-point group were compared to descriptors for all remaining subjects by means of chi-square, Fisher's Exact Test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques. Findings were interpreted in terms of their general consistency with descriptors derived for these MMPI scales in the adult literature.