Self-esteem and depressive symptomatology in children with somatoform disorders.

This study investigated levels of self-esteem and self-reported depressive symptomatology in a sample of children diagnosed with somatoform disorder. The somatoform sample, a sample of children with depressive disorders, and a sample of children with no DSM-III-R diagnosis differed significantly on measures of depression and self-esteem. Specifically, the somatoform group consistently scored between the depressed and no-diagnosis groups, although most of the statistically significant differences occurred between the depressed and no-diagnosis groups. Significant differences between the somatoform group and the other groups were found for behavioral self-esteem.

Use of hypnosis following training in a psychiatry residency and psychology internship program: a brief communication.

Despite growing numbers of internships and residencies offering training in hypnotherapy, no systematic attempt has been made to assess hypnotherapy beliefs and use among former trainees in these settings. This study investigated posttraining hypnotherapy use and effectiveness beliefs in a sample of 77 former psychiatry residents and psychology interns. Over 50% of the study sample had sought additional hypnotherapy training beyond the standard lectures and seminars, and almost 30% had attended external hypnotherapy workshops or presentations. Beliefs in hypnotherapy effectiveness were high, but use of hypnotherapy in clinical practice was very low. Former residents and interns who had received supervised training with patients, who had attended hypnosis workshops, and who had a colleague using hypnotherapy were more likely to use hypnotherapy following training.

Consultation on the medical frontier. A preliminary survey of the attitudes of infant intensive care nurses.

Advancing medical technology presents problems to medical professionals previously unforeseen. Psychiatric consultants are frequently called upon to assist staff, patients, and families in addressing these issues. The nursing staff of an infant intensive care unit was surveyed as to their perceptions of their work and their coping strategies. The results confirmed that in this technologically novel environment, staff were still attempting to acquire coping strategies to effectively meet demands placed upon them. The present study indicates that consultants need to be cognizant of such concerns to effectively assist such staff.

Hypnosis in the management of symptoms in a young girl with malignant astrocytoma: a challenge to the therapist.

This paper presents the case of a 6.5-year-old girl with malignant astrocytoma of the left brain hemisphere. During the course of her chemotherapy treatment, severe vomiting developed to the degree that on several occasions she became dehydrated. Discontinuation of chemotherapy was being considered when she was referred for hypnotherapy. Despite severe neurological impairments which excluded many traditional techniques, hypnosis was successful in eliminating emesis. Hypnosis was also utilized to decrease pain and to improve sleep patterns. Drawings are presented to help show how this child resolved anxiety associated with treatment and fears surrounding the knowledge of her impending death.

Reframing to deal with patient resistance: practical application.

Patient resistance presents many therapeutic challenges. Reframing has proven to be a potent method of circumventing such issues. The present article describes methods of constructing, cultivating, and delivering reframes. Several examples of this intervention strategy are provided.

A survey of attitudes of burn unit nurses.

The staff of a burn unit was surveyed concerning attitudes about their patients and the treatment procedure. Previous research indicates that in such medical settings paradoxical interactions (double binds) may occur among staff, patient, and family. We hypothesized that the paradoxical environment of burn care units facilitates individuals who can change their perspective (or reframe these situations) and that this ability is related to attitudes and feelings about burn patients and their treatment. Contrary to expectation, however, reframing ability and attitudes about burn care were not related. Staff members are quite positive about burn treatment and agree that the staff instills hope. The staff's endorsement of providing accurate information, while behaving optimistically even if pessimistic about the patient's condition, does represent possible double-binding communication patterns. Nursing managers with high reframing ability may facilitate staff coping with these issues.