[Depersonalization in panic disorders]. / La despersonalización en los trastornos de pánico.

Several studies which focus on the clinical study of the panic disorder have shown its clinical variety, subject to individual variations and which, up to a certain point, may justify a different response to the treatment used. In this sense, but focused on the presence of the depersonalization symptom we have directed our study to see if depersonalization is associated to socio-demographic characteristics, clinical and or personality traits which allow us to differentiate two sub-types of this disorder. Twenty-eight patients with panic disorder completed a structured interview which included a list of symptoms from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III -Upjohn version, together with impairment in social or occupational functions. Fisher's Exact Test and Student's T test were used to analyse the results and showed for depersonalization an earlier onset (p < 0.05) and a more important impairment (p = 0.0021). Thus, the most important conclusion we have reached is an association between depersonalization, an earlier onset of the panic disorder and a more important impairment.

[Self-aggressive behaviors in the emergency service]. / Las conductas autoagresivas en el servicio de urgencias.

OBJECTIVE: To discover the characteristics of self-damaging acts attended at a casualty department. DESIGN: Descriptive/retrospective study. SETTING: Hospital context. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Those attended for damage to themselves in the Avila Hospital Casualty Department over a two-year period. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: For the 62 cases surveyed, age, gender, source of referral, the method used, diagnosis, hour of arrival, length of time in the Department, destination on release and the seriousness of the act, were all evaluated. The most common method was taking drugs (72.6%). Among women (56.4%), emotional, personality and adaptive disorders predominated. Men (43.5%) were more commonly schizophrenic and showed abuse of/dependence on alcohol and drugs. They were also the most serious cases. 53.2% of cases required psychiatric admittance. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional disturbances and personality disorders were the most common cause of this type of behaviour.

[Clinical application of the dexamethasone suppression test in the differentiation of subgroups in anorexia nervosa]. / Aplicación clínica del "test" de supresión con dexametasona en la diferenciación de subgrupos en la anorexia nerviosa.

This paper analyzes the usefulness of DST to identify subgroups in 27 patients with anorexia nervosa. The results obtained from this investigation don't show significant differences between the suppressors and nonsuppressors based on any of the following variables: weight loss, age, duration of the illness, weight at admittance, percentage of ideal weight and cortisol and ACTH baseline levels. However, we have found a correlation between substantially underweight patients (less than 75% of the ideal weight) and nonsuppression, and between bulimic episodes and suppression. 74.1% of our patients had abnormal DST. The DST does not appear to be useful to establish anorexia nervosa subgroups.

[An MMPI subscale for assessment alexithymia in duodenal ulcer patients]. / Una subescala del M.M.P.I. para la medida de la alexitimia en pacientes con E.U.D.

We measured the alexithymia by the Kleiger-Kinsman scale in 36 patients with D.U.D. We employed 34 patients with irritables Bowel Syndrome and 30 patients with chronic organic pathologia as control groups. Our results show two possible conclusions: 1) The absence alexithymia's specificity in our ulcerous patients and/or the incapacity of this M.M.P.I.'s subescale to discriminate this feature in the psichosomatic diseases.

[Psychosocial and clinical-course factors in anorexia nervosa]. / Estudio de factores psicosociales y evolutivos en la anorexia nerviosa.

This study assesses the psychosocial factors of 27 patients diagnosed of Anorexia Nervosa and studies them in three different context: the age at which the illness appears, presence or absence of bulimic episodes and the evolution of the illness. The masculine sex and the lower middle class are factors that appear to be associated with an unfavorable evolution. Finally there is a discussion about the relevance of the different psychosocial factors.

[Measurement of aggressiveness and its direction in patients with duodenal ulcer. A double-control study]. / La medida de la agresividad y su dirección en pacientes con ulcus duodenal. Un estudio de doble control.

We measure aggressivity in 36 patients with DUD (duodenal ulcer disease). We use two control groups as sample: normal population and other group of chronic organic pathologies. The results denote that the autoaggression-inhibition factor is the best discriminate variable to our group of duodenal ulcer patients of both sexes.