The New York Presbyterian Pediatric Crisis Service.

This paper outlines the structure of the Pediatric Psychiatry Crisis Service at New York Presbyterian Hospital, a service that provides twenty-four hour emergency psychiatric evaluation and intervention to children, adolescents and families in northern Manhattan. Structure and staffing of the service, usage of the service and the presentation of three cases addressing high, moderate and low risk crisis patients are discussed. Finally, future challenges facing the Crisis Service are addressed.

Distribution of alexithymic characteristics within an adult outpatient population.

Utilizing the MMPI Alexithymia Scale (MMPI-AS), a retrospective study was undertaken to determine the distribution of alexithymia within an outpatient population. Approximately 7.64% of the outpatient population displayed the alexithymic trait. Analysis of alexithymia by sex revealed that 10.61% of males and 5.13% of females evidenced alexithymia. This does not correspond with other studies on the distribution of alexithymia within other nonpsychosomatic populations. Issues regarding the measurement instrument, distribution of alexithymia, as well as areas for further investigation are addressed.

Alexithymia in chronic bronchitis/emphysema: personality characteristics and illness attitudes.

Personality characteristics and illness attitudes of alexithymic and nonalexithymic chronic bronchitis/emphysema patients were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) along with supplementary scales and the Respiratory Illness Opinion Survey (RIOS). Two validity scales, three clinical scales and one supplementary scale from the MMPI along with one illness attitude category from the RIOS discriminated alexithymic and nonalexithymic patients. These findings are disparate from those observed in an asthmatic population and point to an interplay between illness type and alexithymia in terms of personality and illness attitudes.

Alexithymia and chronic respiratory disease. A review of current research.

Alexithymia within a chronic respiratory illness population has been given considerable attention in the psychiatric/psychological literature over the course of the past 5 years. Various observations as to the alexithymic trait within the chronic respiratory diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis/emphysema, and tuberculosis) have revealed significant findings as to the manner in which alexithymia manifests itself and impacts on chronic respiratory disease. The present paper reviews the literature on alexithymia that has emanated from National Jewish Hospital and Research Center/National Asthma Center and raises questions for future research as regards alexithymia in chronic respiratory diseases.

Alexithymia in chronic bronchitis/emphysema patients. Communication of subjective symptomatology.

Affective, somatic, and collateral experiences of alexithymic and nonalexithymic patients to their chronic bronchitis/emphysema was analyzed in reference to 11 symptom categories of the Bronchitis/Emphysema Symptom Checklist. Unlike alexithymic asthmatics who tend to minimize their self-reports of physical and emotional difficulties during acute illness episodes, chronic bronchitis/emphysema alexithymics do not differ from nonalexithymics in their self-reports of physical and emotional difficulties.

The battery of asthma illness behavior, III: independence from longitudinal pulmonary functions.

Previous research has demonstrated that the Battery of Asthma Illness Behavior is related to a wide variety of medical outcome variables in bronchial asthma. It has been maintained that BAIB scores reflect the degree to which psychological and behavioral factors can adversely affect medical management and prognosis. The present study advances previous research by investigating the relationship between BAIB scores and average longitudinal spirometry.

Alexithymic asthmatics: age and alexithymia across the life span.

The relationship between age and alexithymia was evaluated within a large (n = 476) group of asthmatic patients ranging in age from 14 to 76 years. Alexithymia was found to occur more frequently in the upper age ranges (middle and late adulthood) than in adolescence and early adulthood. Hypotheses regarding this relationship are addressed.