Review of Understanding biological psychiatry.

Reviews the book, Understanding biological psychiatry by Robert J. Hedaya (see record 1996-97828-000). This book is designed to bridge the gap between most psychotherapists and the topic of psychotropic medication. The clearly stated intention of Hedaya's book is to provide non-physician mental health practitioners with an adequate understanding of biologic mechanisms in the major mental disorders, sufficient for them to make informed decisions about whom to refer, when to refer, and how to evaluate outcomes. On the whole, the reviewer thinks Hedaya's book succeeds mightily. His contact with the basic literature surrounding the various disorders, including OCD, the impulse disorders, substance use difficulties, and attentional problems, all mark this as a sophisticated text that is broadly applicable for psychotherapists. This is true virtually regardless of the domain of human difficulties with which readers regularly work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental illness stigma and the fundamental components of supported employment.

Purpose/Objective: The success of supported employment programs will partly depend on the endorsement of stigma in communities in which the programs operate. In this article, the authors examine 2 models of stigma--responsibility attribution and dangerousness--and their relationships to components of supported employment-help getting a job and help keeping a job. Research Method/Design: A stratified and randomly recruited sample (N=815) completed responses to a vignette about "Chris," a person alternately described with mental illness, with drug addiction, or in a wheelchair. Research participants completed items that represented responsibility and dangerousness models. They also completed items representing 2 fundamental aspects of supported employment: help getting a job or help keeping a job. Results: When participants viewed Chris as responsible for his condition (e.g., mental illness), they reacted to him in an angry manner, which in turn led to lesser endorsement of the 2 aspects of supported employment. In addition, people who viewed Chris as dangerous feared him and wanted to stay away from him, even in settings where people with mental illness might work. Conclusions/ Implications: Implications for understanding supported employment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Print exposure as a predictor of word reading and reading comprehension in disabled and nondisabled readers.

The relation of print exposure, measured by a revised version of A. E. Cunningham and K. E. Stanovich's (1990) Title Recognition Test (TRT), to word reading and reading comprehension was examined in disabled and nondisabled readers, Grades 5–9. In disabled readers, the TRT was a significant predictor of word reading when phonological skill was accounted for but not when orthographic ability was added to the regression equation, suggesting that the TRT overlaps considerably with orthographic skill. The TRT significantly predicted nondisabled readers' word reading after both phonological and orthographic skills were accounted for. The TRT contributed significantly to reading comprehension once variance was partialed from higher order reading processes for disabled readers only. The TRT's power to predict comprehension may be ascribed to the effects of print exposure on automaticity of word recognition, knowledge, or familiarization with text structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sexuality and chronic illness: A comprehensive approach.

Reviews the book, Sexuality and chronic illness: A comprehensive approach by Leslie R. Schover and Soren Buus Jensen (see record 1988-98146-000) as well written and carefully organized. Part 1 covers an integrative model of sexuality assessment and treatment, Part 2 covers specific illnesses and sexuality, and Part 3 discusses training and ethical issues. The text is designed for clinicians addressing sexuality concerns of patients with chronic illness as well as health care professionals. The authors assume that readers will need basic information about sexuality and, therefore include reviews of theoretical approaches to sexuality and sexual dysfunction, the sexual response cycle, and intervention strategies used with people with sexual dysfunction. The medical information provided allows the non-physician to understand the physiological bases of sexual response and dysfunction, and the medical interventions described in the text is comprehensive and easy to understand. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does priming a specific illness schema result in an attentional information-processing bias for specific illnesses?

Objective: To test a hypothesis derived from H. Leventhal, D. Meyer, and D. Nerenz's (1980) commonsense model that people possess implicit schemas for specific illnesses. Design: A 2 (illness vs. neutral shopping prime) × 2 (illness-related vs. control word) mixed design with repeated measures on the second factor. Participants primed for the common cold (Experiment 1) and cardiovascular disease (Experiment 2) were compared with participants receiving a neutral shopping prime on a modified Stroop color naming task. Main Outcome Measures: Attentional bias to illness related words was calculated as the difference between response latencies to illness words and neutral words under the prime conditions. Results: In Experiment 1, participants primed with common cold showed a response bias to words related to the common cold but not to words related to cardiovascular disease. Attentional bias among participants primed for common cold was significantly correlated with explicit illness representations assessed by the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. Experiment 2 replicated the findings in a different illness domain. Conclusion: Illness-specific illness schemas can be activated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of topic label repetition and importance on reading time and recall of text.

College students read one of 2 versions of a chapter of text in which target topic labels appeared either with high frequency or low frequency. In 2 experiments, frequent repetition of a token in the passage increased the likelihood that the token was listed as a main topic, regardless of the importance of the topic. Also, in Experiment 2, readers with lower verbal ability spent more time reading high-frequency/low-importance material than did high-verbal-ability readers. These experiments show that readers with low prior knowledge are more likely to make use of surface cues to identify important elements of text. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families of psychiatric patients: a critical review and future research directions

It is generally acknowledged that mental illness creates burdens for family caregivers. Since the 1950s, medical literature has identified the type and extent of those burdens, especially for families of patients with schizophrenia. Whereas the imperative to identify interventions for these families is clear, there has been a lack of systematic research of families' responses to and management of mental illness, resulting in significant gaps in knowledge. The rapidly changing health-care environment suggests that our understanding of families' responses to mental illness need to be reexamined for current relevance and new insights. This article critically examines the research to date and identifies gaps in knowledge related to family experience of mental illness. It argues the need to continue studies of caregiver burden and the stress resulting from that burden. Future directions for research are suggested.     

Determinants of health knowledge: An investigation of age, gender, abilities, personality, and interests.

Ten areas of health knowledge were investigated in 2 studies, 1 of college students (N=169) and 1 of adults from the community (ages 19-70; N=176). Measures assessed knowledge of aging, orthopedic/ dermatological concerns, common illnesses, childhood/early life, serious illnesses, mental health, nutrition, reproduction, safety, and treatment of illness/disease. Significant gender differences favoring women were found for most areas of health knowledge, especially reproduction and early life. Results showed that cognitive ability accounted for the most variance in health knowledge with nonability (personality and interest traits) and demographic variables accounting for smaller but significant amounts of variance across most knowledge domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Resilient readers? University students who are poor recoders but sometimes good text comprehenders.

The authors screened 194 university students to determine whether some could comprehend text well despite very poor recoding skills, measured by pseudoword reading. Most of the 17 poorest recoders had never been identified as reading disabled. We classified 6 poor recoders as "resilient readers" because their text comprehension scores were average or above, relative to the sample as a whole. They were indistinguishable from 6 matched typical readers on measures of text comprehension derived from oral-reading think-aloud protocols. There was no evidence that the resilient readers relied on superior verbal ability or working memory to compensate for poor recoding. The resilient readers were poor at spelling, reading isolated words, and reading text rapidly, but they showed adequate phonemic awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Text comprehension, memory, and learning

People are often able to reproduce a text quite well but are unable to use the information in the text for other purposes. Factors that help people to reproduce a text have been studied for some time. This article explores ways that enable people to learn from texts. Content overlap between a text and the reader's prior knowledge is identified as one factor, and methods are proposed to identify whether a text is suitable for readers with given background knowledge. For readers with low background knowledge, a text should be as coherent and explicit as possible to facilitate learning. However, data are presented to show that for readers with adequate background knowledge, texts with coherence gaps that stimulate constructive activities are in fact better for learning.     

Preschoolers' understanding of mental and bodily reactions to contamination: What you don't know can hurt you, but cannot sadden you.

Evidence of the operation of a biological theory might be found in children's distinction between mental (emotional) and bodily (illness) reactions to contamination. Study 1 explored whether children see emotions as voluntary but illness as outside of intentional control. Three- and 5-yr-olds judged that simple volitions were insufficient to alter either outcome. Study 2 suggested that children distinguish reactions mediated by representations from those mediated by physical interactions. Children indicated that knowledge determines mental reactions to contamination, but physical contact determines bodily reactions. Study 3 explored knowledge about particulars of emotional and illness reactions. Most preschoolers did not realize that illness takes time to develop. These data suggest that preschoolers do distinguish between physical and mental reactions to contamination but have a poor understanding of the actual bodily processes involved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religious activity and depression among community-dwelling elderly persons with cancer: the moderating effect of race

OBJECTIVES: Research has been oriented toward elucidating the links between religion and mental health. The purpose of this article is to further our knowledge in this area by examining the effect of religious activity on depressive symptomatology among community-dwelling elderly persons with cancer. We also test whether these effects differ between Blacks and Whites. METHODS: We use two waves of data collected from a community-dwelling sample of elderly persons living in North Carolina. Depressive symptomatology is measured using four subscales from the CES-D 20 scale: somatic-retarded activity, depressed affect, positive affect, and interpersonal relations. Measures of religious activity include service attendance, religious devotion, and watching or listening to religious programs. RESULTS: The findings indicate that among Blacks with cancer, religious activity is related to lower levels of depressive symptomatology; no such relationship is found for respondent with other illnesses or no illness. Further, the effects of religious activity are stronger among Blacks than Whites. DISCUSSION: The analyses lend support to the hypothesis that religious activity is a strong predictor of depression in elderly adults with cancer. This finding, however, is not as strong as we had anticipated.     

To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood.

This research synthesis examines whether the association between print exposure and components of reading grows stronger across development. We meta-analyzed 99 studies (N = 7,669) that focused on leisure time reading of (a) preschoolers and kindergartners, (b) children attending Grades 1–12, and (c) college and university students. For all measures in the outcome domains of reading comprehension and technical reading and spelling, moderate to strong correlations with print exposure were found. The outcomes support an upward spiral of causality: Children who are more proficient in comprehension and technical reading and spelling skills read more; because of more print exposure, their comprehension and technical reading and spelling skills improved more with each year of education. For example, in preschool and kindergarten print exposure explained 12% of the variance in oral language skills, in primary school 13%, in middle school 19%, in high school 30%, and in college and university 34%. Moderate associations of print exposure with academic achievement indicate that frequent readers are more successful students. Interestingly, poor readers also appear to benefit from independent leisure time reading. We conclude that shared book reading to preconventional readers may be part of a continuum of out-of-school reading experiences that facilitate children's language, reading, and spelling achievement throughout their development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Television is "easy" and print is "tough": The differential investment of mental effort in learning as a function of perceptions and attributions.

Addressed the question of how learners' a priori perceptions of message categories relate to their perceived self-efficacy in handling them, and how perceptions relate to the amount of invested mental effort (AIME) and learning. The AIME was defined as the number of nonautomatic mental elaborations applied to material and measured by learners' self-reports. It was hypothesized that in the absence of instructions, AIME expended in elaborating materials varies as a function of initial perceptions even when the material warrants otherwise. TV and print were considered categories for which children have general perceptions. 124 6th graders were tested for their perceptions of self-efficacy with print and TV, perceived media realism, and attributions of failure and success with each medium. Half the Ss viewed a silent film, while the other half read a comparable text. Measures of AIME and achievement were then taken. As expected, Ss felt more efficacious with TV, and perceived it as more realistic and easy. Print was reported to demand more effort, but led to better inference making. Efficacy correlated positively with AIME in print and negatively in TV. Discussion focuses on the roles of a priori perceptions and AIME in learning. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making sense of posttraumatic stress disorder: Illness perceptions among traumatic injury survivors.

More than 1.5 million persons in the United States sustain traumatic physical injuries each year. A significant proportion of traumatic injury survivors develop serious mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet few obtain professional mental health care. According to the commonsense model of self-regulation (Leventhal, Diefenbach, & Leventhal, 1992), illness-related perceptions can influence coping responses, including the use of professional treatment. Using the commonsense model as a guiding framework, we conducted semistructured interviews with nontreatment-seeking trauma injury survivors with PTSD (N = 23). Illness perceptions regarding the following key conceptual dimensions were examined: PTSD symptoms (identity), experienced or perceived consequences of PTSD symptoms, and beliefs about the causes, controllability, and course of PTSD symptoms. Results revealed that no respondents identified their symptoms as indicative of PTSD. Common illness perceptions included believing that symptoms would be short-lived, that symptoms were reflective of poor physical health or were a natural reaction to life in a violent community, and that symptoms were functionally adaptive. Respondents also reported exerting some limited control over symptoms by relying on religious forms of coping. None of the respondents perceived professional treatment as being able to completely control symptoms. Findings indicated that respondents' conceptualizations of PTSD symptoms might have inhibited the recognition of symptoms as a serious mental health condition that warrants professional treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pure Types are Rare.

Reviews the book, Pure Types Are Rare by Irwin Silverman. This is a provocative book. In it, Silverman, with ambitious abandon, sets out to denude the "medical model of mental illness" of its Emperor's Clothing. Unceremoniously, Silverman strips away the clothing of the medical model: psychiatric diagnoses are unreliable and invalid, labels are applied at the whim of the psychodiagnostician; mental illness bears no resemblance to physical disease, mental "illness" is a myth; biological causes of mental illness do not exist; biological treatments serve only to mask the real social and psychological causes of madness; psychotherapy is no treatment at all, there are no "treatment" principles or methods. What remains after Silverman's assault on the medical model? The medical model as Emperor remains, albeit naked. Silverman views the medical model and the entire mental health enterprise as an Emperor indeed: it is a political ideology that serves to control the socially and economically impoverished. Silverman goes on to offer an alternative to the medical model, a social psychological perspective on madness. He favours a view of madness as a social role which may be adopted by a person in the process of coping with life conflict. Silverman attacks practically all of the important assumptions and practices of psychiatry and clinical psychology. His radical social perspective on mental illness is at such odds with the common psychological perspective that, obviously, most psychologists, be they practitioners or researchers, will not like this book. Silverman insists on too radical a departure from our common beliefs. Despite the reviewer's disagreement with Silverman's radical social perspective on mental illness, he thinks that this is a worthwhile book. While the reviewer disagrees with his premise that clinical practices are exclusively or primarily political in essence, the reviewer does agree that there are essential social and political functions served by our practices. Silverman relentlessly and effectively uncovers important social and political meanings of diagnostic and treatment practices. This, according to the reviewer, is the strength of the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transgene expression kinetics after transfection with cationic phosphonolipids in hematopoietic non adherent cells

Persons with chronic mental illnesses have a higher prevalence of medical illnesses and higher mortality rates than the general population. Those living in the community are usually linked with mental health services but are expected to manage their own medical care. The ability to manage their health care and the ability of "surrogate families" to assist them were measured among residents and staff of supervised community residences. In its surrogate role, the agency promoted routine health examinations and follow-up care. Its staff was a central resource for the residents, who sought out staff members for assistance with their health problems. However, residents and staff alike lack knowledge about health problems, medications, and approaches to modifying unhealthy lifestyle practices. Although residents identified lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases as a major concern, staff indicated discomfort with this topic. These findings suggest the importance of supporting chronically mentally ill persons and residential staff in managing residents' health care functions.     

Review of Black families in therapy: A multisystems approach.

Reviews the book, Black families in therapy: A multisystems approach by Nancy Boyd-Franklin (see record 1989-97374-000). In this book, the author develops the thesis that the sine qua non for successful engagement and treatment of Black families is an informed understanding both of the cultural heritage and of the current socio—politico—economic issues faced by Black Americans. The author supports her thesis by blending relevant literature from a wide range of disciplines with her own extensive clinical experience and that of her colleagues. The book is intended for trainers and practitioners from the different mental health disciplines. Although not a basic text on family therapy, it would make an excellent primary reference in courses on marital and family therapy. Clearly, the book is useful as a general reference for therapists whose work brings them into contact with culturally diverse families, and should be required reading for therapists who work or plan to work with Black families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Estimates of the severity of illnesses associated with bathing in marine recreational waters contaminated with domestic sewage

BACKGROUND: During the summers of 1989-1992 we conducted four randomized intervention trials at four separate UK bathing locations judged of acceptable quality under current USEPA and EU criteria. The results showed bathers to be at increased risk of gastroenteritis, acute febrile respiratory illness (ICD-9 461-466, 480), ear and eye infections relative to non-bathers. The public health significance of these findings has been questioned based upon the unproven assumption that these illnesses are minor in nature and thus of questionable public health significance. METHODS: The severity of these illnesses or ailments in terms of duration of illness, percentage of participants seeking medical treatment, and number of days of lost normal daily activity among study participants reporting specific illnesses or ailments were assessed. In addition the attributable proportion of illness among the exposed (bathers) was calculated for each illness or ailment. RESULTS: Average duration of illness ranged from approximately 4 days to approximately 8 days depending on the specific illness reported. The percentage of study participants seeking medical treatment ranged from 4.2% to 22.2% while the percentage reporting the loss of at least one day of normal daily activity ranged from 7.0% to 25.9% depending on the illness reported. The overall percentage of each illness that can be directly attributable to exposure to marine waters contaminated with domestic sewage ranged from a low of 34.5% for gastroenteritis to a high of 65.8% for ear infections. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess and report the severity of illnesses associated with bathing in recreational waters contaminated with domestic sewage. Illness associated with bathing in marine waters contaminated with domestic sewage can no longer be viewed as minor, and indeed can have a substantial impact on the public health.