The effect of early childhood experiences on neurotic disorders in the adult

"Empiricists" and "clinicians", in especial those in the field of psychoanalysis, have reached divergent views on the significance of early childhood experiences for neurotic affections in the adult. The present paper discusses the need to resolve such "apparent" differences. To be effective, models of psychological development should, besides taking into account biological hereditary influences and the psychosocial conditions of childhood, also consider the ongoing perpetualisation of neurotic behavior through social feedback.     

Differentiation between primary and neurotic sexual disorders

The object of this paper is to show that there are different forms of sexual anomalies which permit of basic and therapeutic differentiation. Atavisms of responding have been observed to play an essential role in real perversions.     

Psychological test differentiation of neurotic and organically induced performance disorders

Current methods of diagnosing psychological performance, which are primarily status-oriented, are inadequate to permit satisfactory differentiation between brain-organically and neurotically induced performance disturbances. We therefore attempted to contribute to the solution of this problem by adopting a new psychodiagnostic approach (measurement of intraindividual variability) and using multi-point measurements with the aid of attentiveness tests. The fact that 80 to 90% of 254 neurotic and brain-damaged subjects could be correctly diagnosed in the way indicates that the new approach to performance diagnosis is suitable for clinical use.     

Treatment of neurotic sleep disorders with the use of V. E. Frank's logotherapy

V. E. Frankl's logotherapy is a useful method of treatment in the psychotherapy of neuroses. Its systematic approach to reorientation, the assistance it provides is adopting an optimistic outlook on life, and its dynamic character and comparative limitation in time make it ideal for outpatient therapy. Patients easily adopt its two recommendations, the "paradoxical intention" and "dereflection", and these have a capacity for overcoming symptoms. This frees the patient sufficiently to make it possible for him to deal with the causes of his crisis. Through analyzing his conflict with the environment he can arrive at a new synthesis and find a meaningful philosophy of life.     

Incidence and significance of anamnestically indicated neurotic disorders in young applicants for flight training

The histories of 17 years old clinically normal subjects show that 10% of them had functional disturbances or abnormalities in behaviour which are not to be considered as indications of latent neurotic development. Significant differences in EEG, size distribution, and reaction of the circulatory system during psycho-emotional stress (low-pressure chamber testing) may indicate a disharmonious physical maturation with increased disposition to circulatory lability and psychological abnormalities. The good intellectual performances and the favourable prognosis with regard to flight training are reasons for not disqualifying this group of applicants.     

Transdiagnostic processes in emotional disorders and insomnia: results from a sample of adult outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders

Conceptual similarities between recent models of insomnia and emotional disorders suggest there may be common factors that underlie or maintain these difficulties. Maladaptive cognitive and behavioral processes similar to those described in connection with emotional disorders have been cited as key mechanisms in the maintenance of primary insomnia. Unfortunately, research on this potential overlap is lacking. The present study examined the relationship among anxiety sensitivity (AS), dysfunctional beliefs, fatigue, safety behaviors, and insomnia severity in 59 outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders. Key insomnia processes (dysfunctional beliefs, fatigue, safety behaviors) were all related to insomnia severity in the comorbid sample, although AS was not. However, as hypothesized, AS did moderate the relationship of both dysfunctional beliefs and fatigue with insomnia severity. The relationships between key insomnia processes and insomnia severity was strongest among individuals high in AS. Results support the hypothesis that common mechanisms are involved for insomnia and emotional disorders. AS might function as a mechanism for the maintenance of sleep disturbance in the context of anxiety and mood disorders, suggesting a promising avenue for future research.     

Co-occurrence of personality disorders with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in a young adult population

The purpose of this study was to determine the co-occurrence of DSM- III-R personality disorders (PDs) with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in a young adult population. The members of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Project, living in the city of Oulu with an age of 31 years (N = 1,609) were invited to participate in a two-phase field study. The SCID I and II were used as diagnostic instruments. One hundred and seventy-seven out of 321 interviewed subjects met the criteria for mood, anxiety, or substance use disorders. Altogether 72 (41%) of the subjects with an Axis I disorder met the criteria for at least one PD. The weighted co-occurrence rate of any PD varied from 28% for mood disorders to 47% for anxiety disorders. PDs, especially those in Cluster C, are highly associated with Axis I psychiatric disorders in population.     

Comprehension disorders in aphasia: a historical review.

This paper reviews the clinical reports and theoretical inferences made by early scientists in regard to the impairment of auditory comprehension so often found in aphasics. It first presents an analysis of the literature on and the interpretation of comprehension disorders in aphasia up to the time of Pierre Marie and Arnold Pick. It then reviews early attempts to assess and quantify receptive impairment. Finally, it discusses the historical origin of some of the questions on comprehension currently under investigation by contemporary researchers.     

The Death Anxiety Inventory: a revision

This work was an analysis of responses to the Death Anxiety Inven tory from 866 Spanish participants, 673 women and 193 men. Eliminating an item with a negative corrected item-total correlation and two more items which had low loadings on all factors yielded a 17-item inventory with a Cronbach coefficient alpha of .92 and a factorial structure of four significant factors which accounted for 65.8% of the total variance. These four factors were labeled Death Acceptance, Externally Generated Death Anxiety, Death Finality, and Thoughts About Death.