Frostconnell7956

While improper diagnosis and non-optimal treatment may have fatal consequences, in the case of proper diagnosis an effective treatment may be administered.

Cognitive and affective experiences considered typical of psychotic disorders may also occur in the general population,though in aless severe form. The ability to differentiate them from prodromal states, preceding the onset of full-blown psychosis, is an important element of prevention and early detection of high risk of asudden deterioration of mental state. In response to the current lack of questionnaire tools enabling assessment of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), an attempt was made to adapt the PQ-B questionnaire for use in the Polish population.

In the pilot study, a sample of 652 persons (66% women), aged 18-78 years, approximately 10% of whom were psychiatric patients, completed the Polish version of the PQ-B, and the O-LIFE, HCL-33, SWLS and TCT-DP measures.

Results yielded a one-factor structure, satisfactory reliability (α > 0.85) and construct validity of the 21-item self-report questionnaire assessing the incidence of PLEs in the past month and severity of accompanying distress. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between PQ-B scores and symptoms of schizotypy (especially unusual perceptual experiences and cognitive disorganization), emotional lability (p < 0.05) and depressed mood (p > 0.001) typical of hypomania, as well as unconventional thinking (p > 0.05).

The PQ-B(PL) can be a useful tool in both Polish clinical practice and scientific research, filling the existing gap among screening tests for traits on the border of health and psychopathology.

The PQ-B(PL) can be a useful tool in both Polish clinical practice and scientific research, filling the existing gap among screening tests for traits on the border of health and psychopathology.

The main goal of the study was an adaptation and validation of the Hinting Task to Polish language. The Hinting Task is the main instrument used to assess theory of mind deficits in individuals with schizophrenia.

Two groups were compared in the course of the study individuals with schizophrenia and people without a history of mental and neurological disorders. Psychometric properties of the instrument were analysed. Between-group difference in the mean scores of the Hinting Task was also calculated. Additionally, in the clinical group, the correlation of the severity of psychopathological symptoms with the result of the Hinting Task was also assessed.

Results indicated satisfactory psychometric properties (internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and external validity) sufficient for between-group comparisons for research purposes. The presented test highly distinguished two assessed groups individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Contrary to the expectations, in the clinical group scores in the Hinting Task did not correlate with the severity of psychopathological symptoms.

Polish translation of the Hinting Task has psychometric properties appropriate for the research setting. Usefulness of the Hinting Task in other clinical groups should be addressed in future research.

Polish translation of the Hinting Task has psychometric properties appropriate for the research setting. Usefulness of the Hinting Task in other clinical groups should be addressed in future research.Pregnancy is a special period in any women's life. A pregnant woman who suffers from schizophrenia is a special patient and a huge challenge both for the psychiatrist and gynecologist. Such pregnancy is associated not only with the higher level of risk because of inappropriate diet, insufficient prenatal care and smoking but also because of the risk of possible mental degradation of a pregnant woman - occurrence or exacerbation of psychotic symptoms. Moreover, pharmaceutical treatment during pregnancy and its influence on fetus rises doubts and controversy. The aim of the study is to show three stories of pregnant patients treated for schizophrenia in a context of up to date knowledge on anti-psychotic treatment and to pay attention to the need of interdisciplinary approach to this special group of patients. Every pregnant woman suffering from schizophrenia requires individual approach in terms of treatment and care. The problem, which is still ignored, is the need of effective and constant cooperation between the doctors a psychiatrist and a gynecologist since the very beginning of pregnancy, in order to assess the risk factors associated with pregnancy and periparturient period.This paper describes the positive psychotherapy for psychosis (PPP) - a new approach for psychiatric rehabilitation for patients with chronic schizophrenia. Unlike some traditional methods of psychotherapy, PPP focuses on positives rather than on problems. PPPwas shown in the context of other therapeutic approaches used in psychiatric rehabilitation and a mechanism of changes in the functioning and thinking of patients using this approach was described. PPP strengthens the patients'resources, including positive emotions, positive features of character, sense of life, positive relationships, and internal motivation. PPPdoes not suggest that other approaches are inappropriate and it is not intended to replace well-established treatments. A program of 13 PPP sessions adapted for patients with schizophrenia was also described. PPP sessions were divided into 3 thematic groups and according to the degree of difficulty "the easiest" (savoring, positive things - sessions 1-4), "medium" (strong character traits, recognition of strengths in oneself, perceiving strengths in other people, positive communication - sessions 5-7) and "the most difficult" (bad vs. good memories, gratitude, forgiveness, hope, optimism and posttraumatic growth - sessions 8-13). The PPP has been introduced in the Day Care Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw. After 13 weeks, the initial observations were collected. They indicated that PPP can be successfully used in psychiatric rehabilitation.The sense of humor has a positive influence on mental and social functioning of humans by supporting interpersonal competences and effective coping with difficult situations. The aim of this study was to present research conducted to this date and concerning processing of humoristic content by people with schizophrenia in relation to cognitive deficits associated with this illness and their neurobiological background. Understanding of humor and its effective use require many linguistic and extralingustic skills, including processing of signals from social environment, such as correct recognition of emotional messages, understanding of a context of a humoristic situation, or drawing correct conclusions on a mental status of other people. An efficient use of the metaphorical language allows experiencing amusement resulting from inaccuracies, different semantic interpretations, irony, and sarcasm. A tendency for excessive concretism reflected in problems with understanding nonliteral content and semantically complex language structures, as well as other cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia patients, frequently hinder the use of humoristic messages. Better understanding of mechanisms controlling the effective use of humor may help to develop therapeutic tools to improve the communication efficiency of schizophrenia patients, as well as positively influence their social functioning.Schizophrenia is an illness with a large variety of symptoms, significant variability of the individual course, and still not fully explained etiology. It is suggested that genetic, infectious and immunological factors may be involved, and neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and neurotransmitter hypotheses have been proposed. Detection of the measurable and reproducible biological indicators of the clinical picture and the course, referred to as biomarkers, may be essential to elucidate the etiopathogenic mechanism of the illness. For schizophrenia, this function may be performed by the retina of the eye and other elements of the visual pathway. The observed abnormalities are of a structural and functional nature. They concern virtually the entire visual system, and, in accordance with the neurodevelopmental theory of schizophrenia, arise at the early stages of brain formation. What is essential - the specific structure of the human eye, its translucency, lack of myelin and low concentration of glial cells provide excellent opportunities for non-invasive assessment of the microstructure and function of the central nervous system. The following paper discusses the most important changes in the visual apparatus observed in patients with schizophrenia. Particular attention was paid to retinal vascular changes, anomalies in the electroretinogram and optical coherence tomography, structural and functional disorders of cortical centers and neurochemical disorders in the cells of the visual pathway.Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (E/PAS) in the context of unbearable psychological or emotional suffering related to psychiatric disorders (psychiatric E/PAS) is ahighly debated topic. In Belgium and The Netherlands, the law allows for psychiatric E/PAS since 2002. The aim of this article is to give an overview of the Belgian and Dutch experiences and the questions raised during the last decade of real-life experiences with psychiatric E/PAS. We use the available national data on psychiatric E/PAS to present a quantitative overview of the current situation. In addition, we identified different challenges; i.e. ethical, medicalpsychiatric and legal, that increasingly impact and change the attitudes within the medical and psychiatric professional community towards psychiatric E/PAS.The last half-century, thanks to the efforts of outstanding researchers, brought about great progress in the pathogenesis and clinics of affective illnesses. The catecholamine and serotonin hypothesis delineated in the 1960s have retained significant merit. PYR41 Since the 1990s, the theories have pointed on excessive immune activation and impairment of neuroplasticity under stress. Since the 1970s, asystematic subclassification of unipolar and bipolar affective disorder has proceeded. Epidemiological studies of the last half-century indicated a significantly higher prevalence of depression compared with previous decades. The 21st century brought evidence for agreater frequency of various forms of bipolar affective disorder. During the last 50years, the etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of affective disorders were my favorite and fascinating clinical and research topics. This initiated in 1970 when I began my work in the Department of Psychiatry, Medical Academy in Poznan, on account of the introduction of lithium salts for the treatment of these disorders. In 1976-1977, I received afellowship of the National Institutes of Health at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and participated in research that elucidated the mechanism of lithium transport across cell membranes. I carried out the studies on the pathogenesis of affective disorders for more than 40 years afterward. They concerned abnormalitiesof transport across cell membranes, the activity of stress system, excessive pro-inflammatory activation, molecular genetics, dysfunctions of cognition and neurotrophins, especially the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Atthe beginning of the 21st century, I coordinated two Polish epidemiological projects DEP-BI and TRES-DEP. For my research on bipolar disorders, I received many international awards. I am also the author of the book The faces of manic-depressive illness which had three Polish editions as well as English and Russian versions.