Treatment of anxiety: a comparison of the usefulness of self-hypnosis and a meditational relaxation technique. An overview.

We have investigated prospectively the efficacy of two nonpharmacologic relaxation techniques in the therapy of anxiety. A simple, meditational relaxation technique (MT) that elicits the changes of decreased sympathetic nervous system activity was compared to a self-hypnosis technique (HT) in which relaxation, with or without altered perceptions, was suggested. 32 patients with anxiety neurosis were divided into 2 groups on the basis of their responsivity to hypnosis: moderate-high and low responsivity. The MT or HT was then randomly assigned separately to each member of the two responsivity groups. Thus, 4 treatment groups were studied: moderate-high responsivity MT; low responsivity MT; moderate-high responsivity HT; and low responsivity HT. The low responsivity HT group, by definition largely incapable of achieving the altered perceptions essential to hypnosis, was designed as the control group. Patients were instructed to practice the assigned technique daily for 8 weeks. Change in anxiety was determined by three types of evaluation: psychiatric assessment; physiologic testing; and self-assessment. There was essentially no difference between the two techniques in therapeutic efficacy according to these evaluations. Psychiatric assessment revealed overall improvement in 34% of the patients and the self-rating assessment indicated improvement in 63% of the population. Patients who had moderate-high hypnotic responsivity, independent of the technique used, significantly improved on psychiatric assessment (p = 0.05) and decreased average systolic blood pressure from 126.1 to 122.5 mm Hg over the 8-week period (p = 0.048). The responsivity scores at the higher end of the hypnotic responsivity spectrum were proportionately correlated to greater decreases in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.075) and to improvement by psychiatric assessment (p = 0.003). There was, however, no consistent relation between hypnotic responsivity and the other assessments made, such as diastolic blood pressure, oxygen consumption, heart rate and the self-rating questionnaires. The meditational and self-hypnosis techniques employed in this investigation are simple to use and effective in the therapy of anxiety.

A psychiatrist's experience in a primary health care setting.

Psychiatrists have, for years, offered consultation to their nonpsychiatrist colleagues in many settings and have worked with them in a variety of ways. The development of new programs in primary medical care offers new challenges and opportunities to the liaison psychiatrist. This paper describes the experience of a full-time psychiatrist in a hospital-based primary health care setting. Special problems are encountered in developing working relationships with patients, physicians, nurses, social workers, administrators, and other members of the health care team. Effective resolution of these problems makes it possible to offer comprehensive mental health services as an integral part of primary health care. This psychiatrist's role differs from other consultation-liaison functions by virtue of full-time economic, patient care, academic, geographic and administrative assimilation into the primary health care setting itself. It is suggested that this role is an effective way to bring supportive and educational psychiatric services to patients and providers of all levels of sophistication and need.