Hospitalized psychiatric and medical patients and the clergy

Earlier research suggested that persons in a community with significant psychiatric disorders seek relief from their clergy as often as from trained mental-health professionals. In this research, contacts with clergy about current hospitalization by matched samples of inpatient psychiatric (N=51) and medical/surgical (N=50) patients were compared, as were responses to structured interviews about the importance of religion, religious affiliation, and participation, spiritual needs, and spiritual well-being. The findings suggest that the two groups were similar in demographics, the degree to which religion was a source of strength and comfort in their lives, and percentages reporting as having a clergy person; the group of hospitalized psychiatric patients was significantly less likely, however, than the sample of medical/surgical patients to have discussed their current hospitalization with their clergy persons. Possible causes for this difference as well as areas of further research are discussed.     

Chaplains' medical approach to psychiatric patients

Chaplains' understanding of people's psychiatric and medical problems may aid them in dealing with people's spiritual problems. However, exploratory interviews and observations of chaplains and inpatients at a VA psychiatric facility indicate that chaplains take a medical model perspective with patients, often attempting to treat patients' psychiatric problems rather than focusing on their reliigious needs. Chaplains avoid one-on-one religious discussions despite the importance of these conversations to patients. Discussed are implications for the utilization of health services and for the formation of treatment teams.This paper is a revised version of a paper presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology meetings held in Lexington, Kentucky, March 1982.     

Group therapy reduces medical and psychiatric hospitalization.

This article studies the impact of outpatient group therapy on medical care at a large city-county hospital. Of the 65 group therapy outpatients, 33 persons met the criterion of having attended at least 12 group sessions over the course of a year. We compared a control period (the year prior to initiating group therapy) with a study period (months 6-18 after starting group) and found a sharp decrease in the number of hospitalizations and in-hospital days. There was significantly increased use of neuroleptics and nonpsychotropics and increased attendance at nonpsychiatric clinics.     

Somatization, psychiatric disorder, and stress in utilization of ambulatory medical services

Examined the prediction from Mechanic's (1972) attribution theory of somatization that somatizers who are under stress will overuse ambulatory medical services. Two hundred fourteen volunteer patients from university ambulatory care clinics completed the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Life Experiences Inventory. We examined somatization, psychiatric diagnoses, and life stress-and the interaction of these factors-in predicting frequency of medical visits during the preceding year, after controlling for need (active medical problems) and predisposing factors. As hypothesized, life stress interacted with somatization in predicting number of medical visits; somatizers who were under stress made more visits to the clinics than did nonsomatizers or somatizers who were not under stress. Although stress affected somatizers most, stress was predictive of increased medical utilization for all patients. These results suggest that psychological services intended to reduce overutilization of outpatient medical services might best focus on stress reduction and be most beneficial to somatizers.     

Suicidal ideation, psychiatric disorder, and medical illness in a community epidemiological study.

Many epidemiological studies have analyzed suicidal ideation in clinical samples, but only a few have been performed in the general population. We present the results of a two-stage epidemiological study in the general population on the island of Formentera (Balearic Islands, Spain), which used the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) in the first stage (n = 697) and the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) in the second (n = 242). We also recorded medical illnesses diagnosed in the subjects at the second stage. Four items on the GHQ-28 ask directly about suicidal thoughts or ideation. From the sample, 6.5% have reported suicidal ideation. Mental disorders are the most important factor associated with suicidal ideation; medical illnesses seem to play a secondary role.     

Stomatologic studies in schizophrenic patients--contributions to the problem of medical and social integration of psychiatric patients

Stomatological examination was carried out on 173 patients with schizophrenia (IKK-Nr. 295). It was observed that this group of patients showed a diminished dental and oral care in comparison to the average population of the same region. The close cooperation of dentists with the institutions for chronic patients will be as prophylactic measure in favour of the patients encouraged.     

Remembering in signs

In a short-term memory experiment, signs of American Sign Language in list lengths of three to seven items were presented to deaf college students whose native language is American Sign Language. A comparable short-term memory experiment for words (words representing the English translation-equivalents of the signs) was presented to hearing college students. Recall was written, immediate and ordered. Overall, short-term memory mechanisms in the deaf seem to parallel those found in hearing subjects, even with the modality change. A significant number of multiple intrusion errors made by deaf subjects to signs were based on formational properties of the signs themselves, a result paralleling the phonologically based errors in experiments with hearing subjects.Our results are consistent with a theory that the signs of American Sign Language are actually coded by the deaf in terms of simultaneous formational parameters such as Hand Configuration, Place of Articulation and Movement. Evidence is given that signs are treated by the deaf as consisting of independent parameters — specific to American Sign Language — which are essentially arbitrary in terms of meaning.     

Examining the impact of psychiatric diagnosis and comorbidity on the medical lethality of adolescent suicide attempts

Specific psychiatric diagnoses and comorbidity patterns were examined to determine if they were related to the medical lethality of suicide attempts among adolescents presenting to an urban general hospital (N=375). Bivariate analysis showed that attempters with substance abuse disorders had higher levels of lethality than attempters without substance abuse. Regression results indicated having depression comorbid with any other diagnosis was not associated with medical lethality. However, having a substance abuse disorder was associated with higher suicide attempt lethality, highlighting the importance of substance abuse as a risk factor for lethal suicide attempts in adolescents. This finding stimulates critical thinking around the understanding of suicidal behavior in youth and the development and implementation of treatment strategies for suicidal adolescents with substance abuse disorders.     

Astrological signs and personality in Kuwaitis and Americans

Samples of Kuwaiti (N=460) and American (N=273) undergraduates responded to six personality questionnaires to assess optimism, pessimism, suicidal ideation, ego-grasping, death anxiety, general anxiety, and obssessive-compulsiveness. Each participant was assigned to the astrological sign associated with date of birth. One-way analyses of variance yielded nonsignificant F ratios for all the seven scales in both Kuwaiti and American samples, except for anxiety scores among Americans. It was concluded that there was little support for an association between astrological sun signs and scores on the present personality scales.     

Numerosity and number signs in deaf Nicaraguan adults

What abilities are entailed in being numerate? Certainly, one is the ability to hold the exact quantity of a set in mind, even as it changes, and even after its members can no longer be perceived. Is counting language necessary to track and reproduce exact quantities? Previous work with speakers of languages that lack number words involved participants only from non-numerate cultures. Deaf Nicaraguan adults all live in a richly numerate culture, but vary in counting ability, allowing us to experimentally differentiate the contribution of these two factors. Thirty deaf and 10 hearing participants performed 11 one-to-one matching and counting tasks. Results suggest that immersion in a numerate culture is not enough to make one fully numerate. A memorized sequence of number symbols is required, though even an unconventional, iconic system is sufficient. Additionally, we find that within a numerate culture, the ability to track precise quantities can be acquired in adulthood.