Bipolar affective disorder and dissociation--comparison with healthy controls.

INTRODUCTION: According to recent findings, certain clinical symptoms of patients suffering from affective and anxiety disorder can be related to dissociation. The aim of our study was to examine if the level of dissociation in bipolar affective disorder differed from the level of dissociation in healthy volunteers. METHODS: 41 patients suffering from bipolar disorder (51.2% females), and 198 healthy controls ( 71.2% females) were included in the study. The patients with bipolar affective disorder in remission were recruited from the Outpatient department of the Department of Psychiatry of the University Hospital Olomouc. They were psychiatrically assessed and the state of the disorder was evaluated by an experienced psychiatrist. Only patients in remission, evaluated as 1 or 2 points of clinical global impression-severity scale, were included in the study. All participants were assessed with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). RESULTS: There were no differences in the two groups in demographic variables like age, gender and education. Patients had a significantly higher mean score on the DES and pathological DES than healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the level of psychological dissociation in bipolar affective patients is higher than in healthy controls.

Obsessive compulsive disorder and dissociation - comparison with healthy controls.

The aim of our study is to examine if the dissociation can influence the intensity of psychopathology in patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and to compare the levels of dissociation in the groups of the patients and healthy subjects. Method. Fifty five patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and 123 healthy controls were included into the study. The patients were psychiatrically assessed. The diagnosis was made using ICD-10 research criteria confirmed with structured interview MINI. The subjective intensity of anxiety and depressive symptoms was evaluated using Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. The intensity of obsessions and compulsions was evaluated using Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. All participants were assessed with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Results. Level of the psychological dissociation assessed with the DES was correlated with the severity of subjective anxiety (p<0.0001), depression (p<0.0001), and with the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p<0.005). Patients have significantly lower mean score on the DES than healthy controls (p<0.0001). Conclusion. Our results suggest that the level of psychological dissociation in OCD patients is lower than in healthy controls, and is associated with the severity of anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive symptoms.

Panic disorder and dissociation - comparison with healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE: According to recent findings, clinical symptoms of the patients suffering from panic disorder are related to dissociation. The aim of our study is to examine if the dissociation, can influence the intensity of psychopathology in patients suffering from panic disorder with or without agoraphobia and compare the levels of dissociation in the patients and healthy subjects. METHODS: 41 patients suffering from panic disorder (70.1% females) and 66 healthy controls (77.3% females) were included in the study. The patients were psychiatrically assessed and the subjective intensity of symptoms was evaluated using Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. All participants were assessed with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). RESULTS: The two groups didn't differ in demographic variables like age, gender and education. Level of the psychological dissociation assessed with the DES was correlated with the severity of subjective anxiety symptoms (p<0.0001), but not with the severity of depression symptoms. Patients did not have significantly higher mean score on the DES than healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the level of psychological dissociation in panic disorder patients is associated with the severity of anxiety but not depressive symptoms.

Dissociative disorder and dissociation - comparison with healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is to examine if the dissociation, can influence intensity of psychopathology in patients suffering with dissociative disorders compare the level of dissociation of the patients with the data of healthy subjects. METHODS: 32 patients suffering with various types of dissociative disorder (9 males and 23 females) and 93 healthy controls (29 males and 64 females) were included into the study. The patients were psychiatrically assessed and the subjective intensity of symptoms was evaluated by Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. All participants were assessed with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). RESULTS: The two groups didn't differ in demographic variables like age, gender and education. Level of the psychological dissociation assessed with the DES was correlated with the severity of subjective anxiety symptoms (p<0.0001), and with the severity of depression symptoms (p<0.0001). Patients had statistically significant higher mean score of DES than healthy controls (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the level of psychological dissociation in dissociative disorder patients is associated with the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Assessment of the influence of exercise on heart rate variability in anxiety patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the status of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in anxiety disorder patients and to evaluate possible exercise intervention in order to improve the ANS and overall psychiatric status of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The ANS function was monitored via means of heart rate variability (HRV) changes during a 6-week hospitalization at the Psychiatric Clinic of University Hospital in Olomouc. The status of ANS was monitored by the new evaluation method of spectral analysis (SA) of HRV. The research involved 43 anxiety patients (29 women and 14 men) who underwent six weeks of intensive psychotherapy; part of the test group also participated in regular aerobic exercise. RESULTS: In the sense of autonomic dysfunction we can not give clear-cut answers to the question whether the autonomic dysfunction could be one of the predictors of anxiety disorder, although our results suggest lower vagal representation in the spectra. Unlike in the healthy population the exercise had a positive impact only on a limited number of patients. Regular endurance exercise on a stationary bicycle had a positive impact on the ANS efficiency only in patients with primary ANS activity reduction. In patients with normal ANS efficiency the exercise intervention had no effect; in some cases we even found activity reduction during the hospitalization period. However, the exercise had a positive effect on the course and outcome of the applied therapy in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: ANS disturbances have not been exhibited in some patients suffering from anxiety disorder. Due to the positive impact of regular physical activity on cardiovascular, metabolic, neural, and psychological changes in organism, monitored exercise should be implemented into therapeutic programs for patients with anxiety disorders.