[Emotions and bodily experience in Hidradenitis Suppurative-Acne Inversa].

Hidradenitis Suppurative-Acne Inversa is one of the most debilitating chronic skin diseases. It seriously affects the emotional and relational life of the patient, it has a significant psychiatric comorbidity and it impairs the quality of life. We present the report of a clinical situation with onset of the illness in a young woman during pregnancy, a case characterized by particular evolution, severe systemic involvement, strong psycho-emotional impact on the patient and impairment of subjective well-being of the caregiver. The clinical evaluation highlights mainly the relevance of the bodily experience, that stands out as a central issue in the sufference of the patient. She feels an uncanny foreignness to herself and a lacerating wound of her identity, related to her desirability, her femininity and her motherhood. Specific personality factors, which are likely to have influenced and guided the experience of illness and the quality of the relationship with the treatment team, are also evaluated. This case exemplifies, at different levels, the clinical complexity of Hidradenitis Suppurative-Acne Inversa and its impact on individual subjectivity. This disease requires an integrated intervention by a multidisciplinary team, providing for the assessment, the treatment and the evaluation of outcomes. It is necessary an effective operational link between different competences, in order to promote the patient compliance and to activate and develop the best care and the right psychological support.

Circadian rhythm of parasuicide in relation to violence of method and concomitant mental disorder.

Circadian occurrence of parasuicide was evaluated in relation to sex, violence of parasuicide method and psychiatric diagnosis. In all, 457 consecutive episodes of parasuicide were recruited during a 5-year period. Complete data for time of parasuicide, parasuicide method, parasuicide recurrency and psychiatric diagnosis (ICD-9) were available for 304 subjects. Parasuicide methods were classified into two groups depending on the violence of the method. Parasuicide occurred significantly more often in the afternoon and evening hours for both men and women, for both violent and non-violent methods, both in first-even cases and repeaters, and in the following diagnostic groups: organic mental and psychoactive substance disorders, neurotic disorders and personality disorders. The data support the hypothesis of a circadian rhythmicity of parasuicide, showing an area of chronobiological risk in the afternoon and early evening hours.

[Clinical consistency in the diagnostic approach to the patient. Notes relating to the use of psychometric procedures in clinical psychiatry]. / Coerenza clinica nell'approccio diagnostico al paziente. Alcune note relative alla utilizzazione delle procedure psicometriche in psichiatria clinica.

The authors underline the difficulties of the introduction and use of the psychometric approach in psychiatry. The use of protocols for the standardised evaluation and measurement of psychopathological phenomena is soon revealed to be open to criticism regarding the objective character of the object of the inquiry in psychiatry; at the same time there is an equally legitimate need not only for "forms" but also clinical "contents" without which the doctor's role loses its traditional target.

Growth hormone evaluation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Growth hormone (GH) release with pharmacological tests and sleep test, somatomedin C and auxological features were studied in 10 patients affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. GH release in these patients seems to be lower than normal; moreover some of them are of short stature without an evident relationship with GH deficit. The possible significance of the data obtained is discussed, particularly in relation to the clinical course of the disease, and to current therapeutic trials with a GH release inhibitor (mazindol).