Early memories: Clinical relevance and significance.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to examine earliest memories in patients with a mental disorder and their clinical relevance to diagnosis and treatment. METHOD: A semi-structured early memory questionnaire was developed and 50 patients with anxiety, depression or a psychotic disorder were interviewed. A thematic analysis was conducted to extract dominant themes from the qualitative data. RESULTS: Family events, play, and receiving attention were dominant themes of pleasant memories, while unpleasant memories consisted of fear-provoking situations, abuse/violence, and death-related themes. Participants were able to recall the feelings they had experienced at the time of their earliest memories and most participants stated that their first memories had significant impact in their lives. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this exploratory study suggest that earliest memories may be of clinical significance for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in psychiatry.

Somatoform disorders in patients with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency and characteristics of somatoform disorders in patients with chronic pain. METHOD: The study took place in the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a rehabilitation hospital. Participants were interviewed using the World Health Organization Somatoform Disorders Schedule (WHO-SDS) version 2.0. Thirty new and 30 current attendees to the clinic were interviewed following referral by pain medicine specialists. RESULTS: Somatoform disorders were commonly co-morbid with chronic pain in the study population. Persistent somatoform pain disorder (PSPD) was the commonest somatoform disorder. There was a significant difference between women and men suffering from somatic autonomic dysfunction (SAD). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study confirm that somatoform disorders are common co-morbid diagnoses in patients with chronic pain. Combining psychological treatments with medication, appropriate physical treatments and attending to social issues, may indeed improve the well-being of such patients.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression: an Australian pilot study.

AIMS: Aims were to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression, and to assess beliefs, attitudes and treatment experience. METHOD: Participants received acupuncture or acupuncture and Chinese herbs combined for five weeks. Acupuncture was given for 30 min twice a week and herbs taken three times a day. A Beliefs and Attitudes questionnaire was administered at baseline and Treatment Experience questionnaire post treatment. Outcome measure was improvement in depressive symptoms at the end of treatment period. RESULTS: Nineteen participants completed 5 weeks of treatment, 12 in the acupuncture group and 7 in the combined group. Treatment significantly improved depressive symptoms, however, there were no differences between groups. At baseline, participants were positive about the perceived effectiveness of treatment, and treatment experiences were positive. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture was effective in reducing depressive symptoms. However, herbs did not have an additional treatment effect. Beliefs and attitudes were positive.

After the fire: the mental health consequences of fire disasters.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article aims to summarize recent findings relating to the impact of fire disasters on the mental health of victims, responders, families and communities within the context of the existing literature. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies support previous findings that fire disasters are associated with a negative impact on the mental and physical health of victims, their families and professional and voluntary responders to the disasters. These effects can be delayed in onset and can persist over at least several years, although long-term follow-up studies over 20 years or more indicate that the psychological effects on victims are minimal relative to controls by this stage. SUMMARY: Fire disasters, like other natural or man-made disasters, can have significant mental health impact on individuals directly and indirectly affected and on communities caught up in the events.

It is too early for adjusting the adjustment disorder category.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the relative frequency with which the diagnosis of adjustment disorder is made, there is a very limited research literature in regard to its cause, epidemiology and treatment. This review summarizes recent papers and findings in relation to this diagnostic category. RECENT FINDINGS: The conceptual underpinnings of the diagnosis adjustment disorder is the subject of ongoing debate as is its differentiation from other psychiatric disorders such as depressive disorders. One group has proposed and tested a diagnostic model of adjustment disorder as a stress-response syndrome, related to posttraumatic stress disorder, which is a distinct psychopathological entity rather than a diagnosis of exclusion. Initial neuroimaging work in adjustment disorder indicates that this may be a helpful approach for increasing understanding of the biology of the disorder. Recent studies support the use of brief psychotherapy in the treatment of adjustment disorder. SUMMARY: Although the studies and articles described in this review raise some interesting questions in relation to the diagnosis, cause, epidemiology and treatment of adjustment disorder, much more research is needed before we can draw some firm conclusions about the need for the redefinition and reclassification of this diagnostic category.

Aromatherapy in nursing and mental health care.

There is well documented evidence for the increasing and widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of symptoms of both physical and mental disorders within Western populations. This paper aims to provide a focused review of recent literature on the use of one of these therapies, namely aromatherapy, in nursing and mental health care of people suffering from anxiety and depressive disorders. The evidence base for the efficacy of aromatherapy used to treat these conditions remains poor with a particular paucity of methodologically rigorous studies. However, there are some promising results which suggest that further research is warranted to investigate the potential of essential oils in treating anxiety, depression and symptoms of stress. The experimentally designed inhalation studies are of particular importance as both health professionals and consumers demand more accurate and scientifically based information about the effects and safety of essential oils.