[VISPA's group (evaluation of the implementation strategies of the measurements instruments adopted in the Italian nursing practice)]. / Come imparare a fare ricerca nell'infermieristica: sintesi di un'esperienza applicativa.

An innovative teaching strategy focused on problem based approach rather than theorical aiming to facilitate the learning of the research methodology in advanced nursing student has been introduced. Through out a qualitative evaluation of the diary kept by the student nurses involved, advantages and disadvantages of this innovative approach have been evaluated. This paper reports a synthesis of the teaching strategy and its impact on the competences in the research methodology as it has been perceived by the students participants.

Gender-related differences in body dysmorphic disorder (dysmorphophobia).

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), which consists of pathological preoccupations with defects in different body parts, has been systematically studied only in the last decade. We hypothesized that gender would differentially influence the localization of the preoccupations as well as the extent and type of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. With the use of a specially constructed semistructured interview, we evaluated 58 consecutive outpatients with DSM-III-R BDD (women = 41.4%, men = 58.6%). Women had significantly more preoccupations with breast and legs, checking in the mirror and camouflaging, as well as lifetime comorbidity with panic, generalized anxiety, and bulimia. Men had significantly higher preoccupations with genitals, height, excessive body hair, as well as higher lifetime comorbidity with bipolar disorder. Although BDD is almost never found without comorbidity, it does appear to be an autonomous syndrome, and gender tends to influence the nature and extent of this comorbidity.

Fluvoxamine in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (dysmorphophobia).

Fifteen consecutive patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) were included in a 10-week open clinical trial of fluvoxamine. Treatment began at 100 mg/day fluvoxamine and was increased to a maximum of 300 mg/day or until intolerable side effects developed or a complete or nearly complete resolution of symptoms occurred. At baseline and at weeks 2, 6 and 10, patients completed the Hopkins Symptoms Check-List (HSCL-90) and a specific rating scale for BDD symptoms (BDDSS), and clinicians completed a Clinical Global Improvement Scale. Twelve of the 15 patients completed the trial. Of the three patients who did not complete the study, one improved moderately during the placebo phase, one showed a marked worsening of the depressive symptoms during the wash-out phase and one showed adverse side effects, such as nausea and diarrhoea, after the first week of treatment and was unable to continue the trial. After 10 weeks, of the 12 remaining patients, 10 were considered to be markedly improved, one minimally improved and one unchanged. Several outcome measures showed a significant improvement from baseline to week 10. Our findings suggest that fluvoxamine may be effective in the treatment of BDD. Double-blind studies will be required to investigate these findings further.