IS A LITTLE (PSYCHIATRIC) KNOWLEDGE A DANGEROUS THING?

One hundred thirty-four participants completed a revised Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), which included criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Two weeks later the participants again completed the revised MDQ after reading either the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnostic criteria for the PMDD or a copy of the same criteria retitled "Episodic Dysphoric Disorder," with all menstrual cycle references removed. Knowledge of the diagnosis did not affect women's perceptions of their own menstrual cycle-related symptoms, but it increased participants' perceptions of premenstrual changes as a problem for women in general. Chi-square analyses revealed that participants were more willing to attach a psychiatric diagnosis to women they know if they believed the diagnosis was related to the menstrual cycle.     

Development of a Culturally Responsive Group Counseling Model for Mexican American Adolescents

This article discusses a group counseling model specifically targeted for Mexican American adolescents with behavior problems including substance abuse. An integrated model is proposed, with the model assumptions clearly articulated and specific therapeutic goals addressed in a culturally responsive manner. Foci of the model are ethnic identity, affective expression, and life choices. Preliminary findings indicate that the youths are retained in the groups at a higher rate than predicted. To live in the Borderlands means you are neither hispana India negra espanola ni gabacha, eres mestiza, mulata, half-breed caught in the crossfire between camps while carrying all five races on your back not knowing which side to turn to, run from; To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads. —Gloria Anzaldua (1987)