Eine erfolgreiche Behandlunsgkette bei Zwangsstörung

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) belongs to a group of disorders with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 2?%, associated with a high socio-economic burden and the risk of chronification. In the latest version of the DSM-5, OCDs were detached from the chapter of anxiety disorders, similar to the ICD-10. Consequently, the fifth revision of the DSM highlights the fact that scientific results so far, like the overactivation of basal-ganglia thalamocortical circuits, basically support a common model for OCDs. Although in the past, OCDs have been ignored as a diagnostic entity, in the DSM-5, the concept of obsessive–compulsive spectrum disorders according to Hollander was partly realized. The present case report outlines an example of a successful therapeutic chain in the treatment of a severe case of OCD with a 90?% reduction of symptoms throughout a calendar-year, emphazising the importance of efficient treatment chains within psychiatric disorders.     

A Gricean approach to the use of consensus and distinctiveness in causal attributions of verbally described interpersonal events

Various causal attribution theories, starting with the covariation model, argue that people use consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency information to causally explain events and behaviors. Yet, the visual presentation of the covariation model in the form of a cube is based on the assumptions that these dimensions generally affect attributions independently, symmetrically, and equally. A Gricean analysis suggests that these assumptions may not generally hold in the case of causal judgments for verbally communicated interpersonal events. We had participants judge the causal role of an actor and a patient in interpersonal events that were described through actor‐verb‐patient sentences under high versus low consensus and distinctiveness (Studies 1, 2, and 3) or without such information (Studies 2 and 3). As predicted by Gricean logic, consensus and distinctiveness effects on causality ratings depended on the target whose causal role participants assessed, on the information about the alternative dimension, and, most consistently, on consensus and distinctiveness being high versus low. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Das psychische Erbe der Menschheit

The historical development and importance in theory and practice of the term archetype, the core concept of Analytical Psychology, is extensively presented. Beginning with C.G. Jung’s definition of archetype through to the current state of the discussion, various conceptualizations of biological, developmental psychological and cultural theoretical basis are presented. The results show that there is empirical evidence for psychological archetypes, for instance in the neurosciences, developmental psychological and anthropological research and that the classical conception of inheritance of complex symbolic patterns cannot be substantiated by more recent results in human genetics and particularly in epigenetics. The prominent attempts at solving this problem from the contempory Analytical Psychology will be discussed, in particular emergence and system theoretical argumentation. Finally, various empirical, partially experimental studies from Analytical Psychology, among others from the authors themselves, will be presented which confirm the hypothesis of the existence of archetypes and of a collective (unconscious) memory. The article gives a total overview of the state of specialist discussions on the archetype concept for the readership above and beyond the narrow field of Analytical Psychology.     

Dissociable effects of auditory attention switching and stimulus–response compatibility

Using a task-switching variant of dichotic listening, we examined the ability to intentionally switch auditory attention between two speakers. We specifically focused on possible interactions with stimulus–response compatibility. In each trial, two words, one spoken by a male and another by a female, were presented dichotically via headphones. In one experimental group, two animal names were presented, and the relevant animal had to be judged as smaller or larger than a sheep by pressing a left or right response key. In another group, two number words were presented and had to be judged as smaller or larger than 5. In each trial, a visual cue indicated the gender of the relevant speaker. Performance was worse when the gender of the relevant speaker switched from trial to trial. These switch costs were larger for animal names than for number words, suggesting stronger interference with slower access to semantic categories. Responses were slower if the side of the target stimulus (as defined by the relevant gender) was spatially incompatible with the required response (as defined by the size judgment). This stimulus–response compatibility effect did not differ across stimulus material and did not interact with attentional switch costs. These results indicate that auditory switch costs and stimulus–response compatibility effects are dissociable, referring to target selection and response selection, respectively.     

„Rocken statt Ritzen“

Background

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) starts in adolescence and decreases during young adulthood. Despite a high prevalence among adolescents only a few therapeutic interventions directly addressing adolescents exist.

Aim

By connecting music therapy with elements from behavioral therapy an attempt was made to create a therapeutic program which is attractive to adolescents.

Material and methods

A pilot trial of the program “Stop cutting - rock!” was conducted with 12 adolescent females with a mean age of 15.15 years (standard deviation SD ±1.34). The study aimed to compare the frequency of NSSI throughout the treatment phase as well as a pre-post comparison of depression scores.

Results

The results showed a trend towards a decreasing frequency of NSSI. Depression scores decreased significantly between the assessment before therapy and at a 3-month follow-up after the end of the therapy.

Conclusion

The positive feedback concerning music therapeutic elements points to the attractiveness of the approach. By integrating multimodal therapeutic strategies it seems possible to create an individually tailored intervention for adolescents with NSSI.     

Psychodynamische Kurzzeittherapie bei dependenter und vermeidender Persönlichkeitsstörung

Although dependent and avoidant personality disorders are frequent in patient populations, there are only few studies in which the efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions for these two personality disorders was reviewed. The purpose of this study was to examine whether psychodynamic short-term therapy based on the model of the cyclic maladaptive pattern (CMP) is effective for reducing the mental impairment of patients diagnosed with a dependent or an avoidant personality disorder. Data were collected via a self-report scale (Symptom-Checklist, SCL) and expert ratings by therapists [Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale and Severity of Impairment-Score (Beeinträchtigungsschwere-Score, BSS)]. In the study 20 patients received 25 sessions of outpatient therapy. Mental impairment decreased significantly from the beginning to the end of the therapy; moreover this decrease remained stable over a 2-year period following completion of the therapy. The findings show that psychodynamic short-term therapy can lead to an enduring improvement in the mental health of patients with a dependent or an avoidant personality disorder.