Dream content and intrusive thoughts in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Although central to any exhaustive theory of human subjectivity, the relationship between dream and waking consciousness remains uncertain. Some findings suggest that dream consciousness can be influenced by severe disorders of thought content. The suppression of unwanted thoughts has been shown to influence dream content in healthy individuals. In order to better define this phenomenon, we evaluated the persistence of obsessive/compulsive themes across the dream and waking cognition of OCD patients and in a control group of healthy subjects. Participants were administered a shortened version of the Thematic Apperception Test to produce a waking fantasy narration, and were trained to keep a dream diary. Dream and waking narrative contents were analyzed in order to recognize obsessive/compulsive themes, and to calculate Mean Dream Obsession/Compulsion (MDO, MDC) and Mean TAT Obsession/Compulsion (MTO, MTC) parameters. No differences were found between the two populations in terms of MDO, MDC, MTO, nor MTC. Density of obsessive and compulsive themes were significantly higher in dream reports than in waking narratives for both groups. No correlation was observed between MDO/MDC scores and Y-BOCS obsession/compulsion scores in the OCD group. These findings strengthen the discontinuity hypothesis, suggesting that ruminative aspects of cognition are somehow interrupted during dream activity.

[Medication adherence rating scale]. / Adaptação e validação da versão portuguesa da escala de adesão à terapêutica.

UNLABELLED: Medication compliance is one of the foremost problems affecting neuroleptic efficacy in psychiatric patients. It is a crucial point to dispone of useful instruments that allow us a fiable assessment of patients' medication adherence in order to plan more appropriate therapeutical interventions. The aim of our study was to validade the Portuguese versión of the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), a concise instrument for assessment of medication compliance in psychosis. METHODS: A translation-backtranslation of the original scale was elaborated. The sample consisted of 77 psychotic patients according to the DSM-IV criteria. Feasibility and reliability were calculated. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that the MARS has a good internal consistence (Cronbach α = 0,73) and reliability (Pearson's r = 0,76; p < 0,05). DISCUSSION: These coefficients were similar to those found by the researchers who developed this scale. The MARS scale has proven to be easily applied and may be deemed a valid and reliable measure of compliancy for psychoactive medications.

[Portuguese version of the Marková and Berrios Insight Scale]. / Adaptação para português da escala de Insight Marková e Berrios.

Lack of insight into mental disorder is a frequent phenomenon in patients affected by a psychotic disorder and can be an important predicting factor involving the course of the disease mainly regarding compliance with treatment. The aim of the present study was to validate the Portuguese version of the Marková and Berrios Insight Scale, a self-report instrument that allow us to evaluate insight into psychotic illness. After a translation-back translation process, the Portuguese version of the scale was administered to a sample of 83 psychotic patients (DSM-IV). The results demonstrated that the Marková and Berrios Insight Scale achieved a excellent viability, internal reliability (a = 0,80). These coefficients were similar to those found by the researchers who developed this scale. The Marková and Berrios Insight Scale has proven to be easily applied and deemed an useful and valid instrument in researches involving psychotic subjects.