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Objective: Solitude is a common experience that can elicit both positive (e.g., relaxation) and negative (e.g., loneliness) emotions. But can changing the way we think about solitude improve its emotional effects? In a previous study, our team found that positively reframing solitude buffers against a reduction in positive affect when alone. Yet, it is unknown whether people who are lonely—and thus more likely to experience solitude negatively—benefit from modifying their beliefs about being alone. Method: Here, we test whether reframing solitude as a beneficial experience or de‐stigmatizing loneliness helps people experiencing moderate‐to‐severe loneliness (N = 224) feel more positive emotion and less negative emotion during solitude. We randomly assigned participants to read about either the benefits of solitude, the high prevalence of loneliness, or a control topic. Then, participants spent 10 min alone in the laboratory. State affect was assessed before and after the solitude period. Results: Across conditions, the solitude period reduced high‐arousal positive (e.g., excited) and high‐arousal negative (e.g., anxious) affect. Notably, people who read about the benefits of solitude experienced a significantly larger increase in low‐arousal positive affect compared with the control condition. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that lonely individuals can more readily reap the emotional benefits of solitude when they reframe solitude as an experience that can enhance their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controversy over alleged repressed and recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was among the most contentious ever to embroil psychology and psychiatry. Adapting paradigms from cognitive psychology, my research group tested hypotheses pertinent to repressed memory and false memory interpretations of recovered memories. We tested adults who: (1) report recovering memories of CSA after not having thought about their abuse for years; (2) report never having forgotten their CSA; (3) believe they harbor "repressed" memories of CSA; and (4) deny having been sexually abused. We tested hypotheses about mechanisms that might figure in the inability to recall memories of one's abuse and those that might render one susceptible to developing false memories of abuse. The purpose of this article is to summarize this work. Finally, I draw on the work of Lionel Penrose to speculate about why the popularity of the concept of repressed memories of trauma—or its synonym, dissociative amnesia for trauma—may be rising today. Experimental cognitive psychology research has failed to support claims that people possess the capacity to repress memories of trauma. Lionel Penrose's viral model of "fads" may explain the persistence (or resurgence) in belief in repression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many war survivors suffer from chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unraveling the complexities of PTSD symptoms over time is crucial for understanding this condition. Going beyond a common pathogenic pathway perspective, we applied the network approach to psychopathology to analyze longitudinal data from war survivors with PTSD in five Balkan countries approximately 8 years after war in the region and a follow‐up assessment 1 year later (N = 698). PTSD diagnosis was established using the Mini‐International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Impact of Events Scale–Revised. Undirected cross‐sectional networks for baseline and follow‐up revealed no differences in the overall connectivity between these two networks. The intrusion symptom "I had waves of strong feelings about it" had the strongest expected influence centrality. Directed cross‐lagged panel network models indicated that hyperarousal symptoms predicted other PTSD symptoms from baseline to follow‐up, whereas several avoidance symptoms were predicted by other PTSD symptoms. The findings underscore the importance of emotional reactions and further suggest that hyperarousal symptoms may influence other PTSD symptoms. Future research should investigate causality and associations between between‐person and within‐person networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a traumatic experience is central to an individual's identity and worldview, it can result in either severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceived posttraumatic growth (PTG), or, paradoxically, both. To resolve this apparent paradox, we used network analytic methods to estimate the relations among components of event centrality (EC), PTSD symptoms, and PTG in 1,136 undergraduates who had experienced trauma. Participants completed surveys on their experiences with traumatic events as well as the degree to which they experienced PTSD symptoms, components of EC, and components of PTG. We performed network analysis to examine EC, PTSD, and PTG and identify which components of EC were most conducive to its associations with PTSD versus those with PTG. We found that the components of EC most associated with PTSD, the extent to which trauma serves as a script for the future, were markedly distinct from the components associated with PTG, the extent to which trauma is seen as a turning point in one's life. The combined findings suggest that EC may be a catalyst for subsequent positive or negative effects contingent upon how an individual interprets the centrality of their traumatic experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The centrality of a traumatic event to one's autobiographical memory has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. In the present study, we investigated the associations between specific features of event centrality (EC), as measured using the Centrality of Event Scale, and specific symptoms of PTSD. We computed a cross-sectional graphical lasso network of PTSD symptoms and specific features of EC in a sample of trauma-exposed individuals (n = 451), many of whom met the clinical threshold for a PTSD diagnosis. The graphical lasso revealed intrusive memories, negative trauma-related feelings, and the perception that the traumatic event was central to one's identity to be influential nodes. Viewing the future through the lens of one's trauma exposure was the EC feature most strongly linked to PTSD. Among all PTSD symptoms, blaming oneself or others for the traumatic event showed the strongest link to EC. The network was stable, allowing for reliable interpretations. Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify the associations among EC features and PTSD symptoms over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Emotional or psychological pain is a core symptom of complicated grief (CG), yet its correlates are largely unexamined among bereaved individuals. Method: Bereaved adults (N = 135) completed self‐reports regarding psychological pain, CG, depression, and suicidality. We assessed correlations among these variables and tested whether psychological pain was elevated among individuals with CG and individuals with current or past suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Using logistic regression, we also assessed psychological pain, depression, and CG symptom severity as predictors of suicide risk. Results: Psychological pain was strongly associated with both CG and depression severity and was elevated among subjects reporting current or past suicidality. CG and depression were not statistically significant predictors of suicidal ideation after accounting for the effects of psychological pain. Conclusions: Psychological pain is strongly associated with bereavement‐related psychopathology and warrants further investigation in studies examining the nature and treatment of CG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) are complex, heterogeneous, and severe psychiatric syndromes. They are highly comorbid with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) which exacerbates the course of illness and impedes treatment. However, the direct functional relations between EDs and OCD symptoms remain largely unexplored. Hence, using network analysis, we investigated the relationship between ED and OCD at the level of symptoms in a heterogeneous clinical sample. Method: We used cross sectional data of 303 treatment‐seeking patients with clinically relevant ED and OCD pathology. We constructed a regularized partial correlation network that featured both ED and OCD symptoms as nodes. To determine each symptom's influence, we calculated expected influence (EI) as an index of symptom centrality (i.e., "importance"). Bridge symptoms (i.e., symptoms from one syndromic cluster that have strong connections to symptoms of another syndromic cluster) were identified by computing bridge expected influence metrics. Results: Fear of weight gain and dietary restraint were especially important among the ED symptoms. Interference due to obsessions was the key feature of OCD. ED and OCD clustered distinctly with few potential bridges between clusters. Discussion: This study underscores the importance of cognitive symptoms for both ED and OCD although direct functional links between the two clusters are missing. Potentially, a network incorporating nodes capturing features of personality may account for diagnostic comorbidity better than specific symptoms of EDs or features of OCD do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive vulnerability theories of depression outline multiple, distinct inferential biases constitutive of cognitive vulnerability to depression. These include attributing negative events to internal, stable, and global factors, assuming that negative events will lead to further negative consequences, and inferring that negative events reflect negative characteristics about the self. Extant research has insufficiently examined these biases as distinct, limiting our understanding of how the individual cognitive vulnerability components interrelate and confer risk for depression symptoms. Thus, we conducted exploratory network analyses to examine the relationships among the five components of negative cognitive style and explore how components may differentially relate to depressive symptoms in adolescents.Methods: Participants completed measures of negative cognitive style twice over a two-year period. We estimated Graphical Gaussian Models using contemporaneous data and computed a cross-lagged panel network using temporal data from baseline and 2-year follow-up.Results: Results reveal interesting structural dynamics among facets of negative cognitive style and depressive symptoms. For example, results point to biases towards stable and future-oriented inferences as highly influential among negative cognitive style components. The temporal model revealed the internal attributions component to be heavily influenced by depressive symptoms among adolescents, whereas stable and global attributions most influenced future symptoms.Conclusions: This study presents novel approaches for investigating cognitive style and depression. From this perspective, perhaps more precise predictions can be made about how cognitive risk factors will lead to the development or worsening of psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mitochondrial disease associated with the pathogenic m.3243A>G variant is a common, clinically heterogeneous, neurogenetic disorder. Using multiple linear regression and linear mixed modelling, we evaluated which commonly assayed tissue (blood N = 231, urine N = 235, skeletal muscle N = 77) represents the m.3243A>G mutation load and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number most strongly associated with disease burden and progression. m.3243A>G levels are correlated in blood, muscle and urine (R2 = 0.61–0.73). Blood heteroplasmy declines by ~2.3%/year; we have extended previously published methodology to adjust for age. In urine, males have higher mtDNA copy number and ~20% higher m.3243A>G mutation load; we present formulas to adjust for this. Blood is the most highly correlated mutation measure for disease burden and progression in m.3243A>G‐harbouring individuals; increasing age and heteroplasmy contribute (R2 = 0.27, P < 0.001). In muscle, heteroplasmy, age and mtDNA copy number explain a higher proportion of variability in disease burden (R2 = 0.40, P < 0.001), although activity level and disease severity are likely to affect copy number. Whilst our data indicate that age‐corrected blood m.3243A>G heteroplasmy is the most convenient and reliable measure for routine clinical assessment, additional factors such as mtDNA copy number may also influence disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study investigated annual and seasonal death trends for infants of <1 year of age in Hungary between 1963 and 2012 and analysed commonly accepted risk factors. Methods: Data on the numbers of live births and infant deaths were obtained from the published nationwide population register. Negative binomial regression was applied to investigate the yearly trends in rates and also the effect of possible risk factors - low birthweight, maternal education and sex - on infant mortality. Cyclic trends were investigated using logistic regression. Results: Annual infant mortality declined significantly (p<0.001) from 42.9 to 4.9 per 1000 live births per year during the study period and significantly increased (p<0.001) in the low birthweight group and lower maternal education groups. A significant (p<0.001) cyclic trend in mortality was revealed, with a peak in deaths in late February for all infants and a double peak, in May and November, in the group of cases who died during the early neonatal period. Conclusion: This Hungarian study suggests that there was a significant seasonal effect on neonatal and infant mortality at the end of winter between 1963 and 2012. We speculate that this may have been related to respiratory infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires exposure to a traumatic stressor, as defined by Criterion A in the DSM criteria for PTSD. Yet, over the course of successive revisions of the diagnostic manual, the range of qualifying stressors has expanded considerably (e.g., watching terrorist attacks on television). Moreover, stressors that fall short of qualifying for even an expanded Criterion A can produce apparent PTSD. Taken together, these findings imply that people who do satisfy symptomatic criteria for PTSD following exposure to less severe stressors carry a heavy burden of risk factors. Method: To test this hypothesis, we examined whether the association between the risk factor of lower intelligence and more severe PTSD and depression symptoms would be greater among women reporting less severe CSA (n = 15) relative to women who reported moderate (n = 54) or high (n = 31) severity CSA. Results: The evidence was consistent with this hypothesis for subjects in the low and moderate severity groups, but less so for those in the high severity group. Conclusions: Lower intelligence was a more potent risk factor for posttraumatic distress among people exposed to less severe relative to moderately severe stressors. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theorists have posited that regarding a trauma as central to one's identity leads to greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. To test this hypothesis, we administered the Centrality of Events Scale (CES) to women reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse ( N = 102). The CES scores were correlated with PTSD symptom severity, depression severity, and self-esteem. In addition, we conducted a principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate factors underlying the CES. The PCA yielded 3 factors reflecting (a) the centrality and integration of the trauma, (b) whether the event is regarded as a turning point in one's life story, and (c) whether the event is a reference point for expectations about the future. Each factor was associated with PTSD symptom severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor about cutaneous malignant melanoma in teenagers and young adults is presented.

Basta NO, James PW, Craft AW, McNally RJQ. Season of birth and diagnosis for childhood cancer in Northern England, 1968–2005. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 309–318. The aim of this study was to investigate seasonal variation in the incidence of cancer in children aged 0–14 years. Details of 2959 primary malignant cases (1659 males, 1300 females), diagnosed during the period 1968–2005, were extracted from a specialist registry (the Northern Region Young Persons' Malignant Disease Registry). Seasonal variation was analysed with respect to month of birth and diagnosis. The chi-squared heterogeneity test was used to test for non-uniform variation. Poisson regression analysis was used to fit sinusoidal (harmonic) models to the data, using month of birth and month of diagnosis, respectively, as covariates in separate models. There was significant sinusoidal variation based on month of birth for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) aged 1–6 years ( P = 0.04; peak in March). For 0- to 14-year-old boys, there was statistically significant sinusoidal variation in month of birth for acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia ( P = 0.04; peak in September) and astrocytoma ( P = 0.03; peak in October). Based on month of diagnosis, there was statistically significant sinusoidal variation in girls for all lymphomas ( P = 0.048; peak in March) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) ( P = 0.005; peak in January), and in boys for osteosarcoma ( P = 0.049; peak in October). This study confirms previous findings of seasonal variation around the month of birth for childhood ALL (at the peak ages) and provides further evidence of seasonal variation around month of birth for astrocytoma and around month of diagnosis for HL. The results are consistent with a role for environmental factors in the aetiology of these diagnostic groups. Further studies are needed to examine putative candidate agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found a relationship between sleep paralysis (SP) and anxiety states and higher rates have been reported among certain ethnic groups. To advance the cross-cultural study of SP, we developed a brief assessment instrument (which can be self-administered), the Unusual Sleep Experiences Questionnaire (USEQ). In this article, we report on a pilot study with the USEQ in a sample of 208 college students. The instrument was easily understood by the participants, with one quarter reporting at least one lifetime episode of SP. As in previous studies, SP was associated with anxiety (in particular, panic attacks). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author provides suggestions in revising Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V) to improve the validity of the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He says that some people develop symptoms like PTSD after being exposed to subtraumatic stressors. Problems caused by conceptual bracket creep in the definition of trauma are discussed. Recommendations for DSM-V are offered.

Research indicates that a repressive coping style is psychologically protective against the stress of trauma, yet it is unclear whether this finding generalizes to suicide bereavement. Thus, we assessed cognitive ability and mental health among individuals who lost a loved one to suicide. The results indicate that repressive coping may be associated with greater emotional health during suicide bereavement. Interestingly, "repressors" also had lower scores on both cognitive tasks compared to "nonrepressors," but it is unclear whether their more recent loss accounts for this difference. These results are based on cross-sectional data, and should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Hypoglycaemia may be a frequent occurrence in young GH deficient patients and so we studied the response to fasting in children and adolescents with GH and/or cortisol deficiency. Methods A total of 20 patients (2–18 years) fasted for 14 h (22·00–12·00 h) on two occasions as part of a randomized cross-over study. Fourteen had pituitary hormone deficiency (PHD) including GH deficiency (GHD). Of the 14 patients, seven were ACTH sufficient (PHDC+) and seven ACTH deficient (PHDC–). Six had primary adrenal failure (PAF). Subjects administered or omitted their normal dose of evening GH and/or morning hydrocortisone. Glucose, insulin, GH, cortisol, ketones and catecholamines were measured at 04·00 h and regularly from 07·00 to 12·00 h. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by HOMA and hypoglycaemia defined as a blood glucose (BG) ≤ 3·3 mmol/l. Results BG was related to age and body mass index on treatment but no subject became hypoglycaemic on or off therapy prior to 07·00 h. Five children (aged 3, 4, 7, 8 and 11 years) were hypoglycaemic between 07·00 and 12·00 h off treatment. There was a positive relationship between GH AUC and minimum BG in patients with PHD on treatment ( r2 = 0·45, P = 0·012) with increased insulin sensitivity off treatment. Increased cortisol levels were seen in PHDC+ patients off GH ( P < 0·001). A negative relationship was observed between minimum BG and adrenaline ( r2 = 0·37, P = 0·01), ketone bodies ( r2 = –0·20, P = 0·05) and NEFA ( r2 = –0·35, P = 0·02). Noradrenaline levels were reduced in patients with PHDC–. Low BMI (on treatment) and young age (off treatment) were determinants of low BG levels in a multiple regression model. Conclusions Unrecognized overnight hypoglycaemia in children and adolescents on pituitary hormone replacement is uncommon but BG levels quickly become abnormal when treatment and meals are omitted. The insulin antagonistic actions of GH are important in preventing hypoglycaemia. Patients with PHD have altered sympathetic nerve activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the relative importance of “fear of arousal symptoms” (i.e., anxiety sensitivity) and “dissociation tendency” in generating ataque de nervios. Puerto Rican patients attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic were assessed for ataque de nervios frequency in the previous month, and they completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and the Dissociation Experiences Scale (DES). ASI scores were especially high in the ataque-positive group (M=41.6, SD=12.8) as compared with the ataque-negative group (M=27.2, SD=11.7), t(2, 68)=4.6, P<.001. Among the whole sample (N=70), in a logistic regression analysis, the ASI significantly predicted (odds ratio=2.6) the presence of ataque de nervios, but the DES did not. In a linear regression analysis, ataque severity was significantly predicted by both the ASI (β=.46) and the DES (β=.29). The theoretical and clinical implications of the strong relationship of the ASI to ataque severity are discussed. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–7, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critics of the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) suspect that the NVVRS overestimated the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam veterans. Dohrenwend et al. (2006) confirmed this suspicion. Dohrenwend et al.'s reanalysis of the NVVRS data resulted in a prevalence estimate 40% lower than the original NVVRS estimate. Furthermore, had they required clinically significant functional impairment, the prevalence rate would have been 65% lower than the original NVVRS rate. That is, the current (late 1980s) prevalence estimates for PTSD are 15.2% (original NVVRS), 9.1% (Dohrenwend et al.), and 5.4% (clinically significant functional impairment). The policy implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the biological measures in the field of traumatic stress studies, the script-driven imagery paradigm has yielded the most consistent data. Approximately, two-thirds of individuals with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit heightened psychophysiologic reactivity while listening to audiotaped descriptions of their traumatic autobiographical memories. Nevertheless, these findings do not necessarily indicate the presence of PTSD or even that the memories are genuine. For example, people reporting (presumably) false memories of having been abducted by space aliens similarly exhibit heightened reactivity, even though they do not suffer from PTSD. To enhance the validity of diagnostic decision making in the forensic and policy arenas, we can use the methods of historians, specifically, consulting archival records to verify trauma histories and supplement biological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic (n=100), 49% (49/100) had at least one episode of sleep paralysis (SP) in the previous 12 months. The annual and monthly SP prevalences were much higher in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than in non-PTSD patients. Among the PTSD patients, 65% (30/46) had monthly episodes of SP versus 14.85% (8/54) among non-PTSD patients (χ2[2, n=100]=26.78, P<.001). Moreover, patients with SP in the last month (n=30) versus those without SP had much higher PTSD severity scores. In the entire sample (n=100), the PTSD severity scores correlated significantly with the rate of SP in the last month. During SP, Cambodian refugees usually hallucinated an approaching figure (90%, 44/49). The rate of SP-associated and post-SP panic attacks was high, indicating the great distress caused by the phenomenon. SP seems to be a core aspect of the Cambodian refugee's response to trauma. When treating Cambodian refugees, and traumatized refugees in general, clinicians should assess for its presence. Depression and Anxiety 22:47–51, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are three current hypotheses concerning infectious mechanisms in the aetiology of childhood leukaemia: exposure in utero or around the time of birth, delayed exposure beyond the first year of life to common infections and unusual population mixing. No specific virus has been definitively linked with childhood leukaemia and there is no evidence to date of viral genomic inclusions within leukaemic cells. The case–control and cohort studies have revealed equivocal results. Maternal infection during pregnancy has been linked with increased risk whilst breast feeding and day care attendance in the first year of life appear to be protective. There is inconclusive evidence from studies on early childhood infectious exposures, vaccination and social mixing. Some supportive evidence for an infectious aetiology is provided by the findings of space-time clustering and seasonal variation. Spatial clustering suggests that higher incidence is confined to specific areas with increased levels of population mixing, particularly in previously isolated populations. Ecological studies have also shown excess incidence with higher population mixing. The marked childhood peak in resource-rich countries and an increased incidence of the childhood peak in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) (occurring at ages 2–6 years predominantly with precursor B-cell ALL) is supportive of the concept that reduced early infection may play a role. Genetically determined individual response to infection may be critical in the proliferation of preleukaemic clones as evidenced by the human leucocyte antigen class II polymorphic variant association with precursor B-cell and T-cell ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criticizes the thought field approach introduced by psychologist Roger Callahan in the October 1, 2001 issue of the periodical 'Journal of Clinical Psychology.' Effectiveness with patients with post traumatic stress disorder; Clarification of the phrase 'power therapy'; Problems in the collection and presentation of verifiable and characteristic data; Issue of openmindedness and respect in the face of alternative approaches.

Presents information on a study which tested whether film-induced sadness enhances food intake in restrained female eaters. Methodology of the study; Results and discussion; Response of restrained and unrestrained eaters to film-induced sadness; Conclusion.

Research suggests a bidirectional association between sleep disturbances and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, most studies have been conducted with group‐level data, which do not necessarily capture the associations between PTSD symptoms and sleep within an individual over time. This study aimed to add to the literature concerning the association between sleep and PTSD and extend these findings to investigate the effect of sleep disturbances on positive affect. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to examine the daily temporal dynamics of sleep disturbances (i.e., self‐reported difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, disturbing dreams) and PTSD symptoms over 14 days in a sample of 41 trauma‐exposed individuals. Multilevel models were employed to disambiguate within‐person effects (i.e., intraindividual variability) from between‐person effects (i.e., interindividual variability). Difficulty sleeping predicted increased PTSD symptoms at both the within‐person, β = .11, and between‐person levels, β = .38, as did disturbing dreams, within: β = .14, between: β = .31. Participants with higher PTSD symptom levels were likely to report increased difficulty sleeping at night, β = .40. Positive affect was unrelated to sleep at the within‐person level but increased average sleep difficulty predicted lower positive affect at the between‐person level. The findings indicate that sleep difficulties must be considerably more substantial than usual to affect PTSD symptoms in a noticeable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested whether having participants imagine unusual childhood events inflates their confidence that these events happened to them, and tested whether this effect is greater in women who report recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse than in women who do not. Participants were pretested on how confident they were that certain childhood events had happened to them before being asked to imagine some of these events in the laboratory. New confidence measures were readministered. Although guided imagery did not significantly inflate confidence that early childhood events had occurred in either group, the effect size for inflated confidence was more than twice as large in the control group as in the group with recovered memory. These data suggest that individuals can counteract memory distortions potentially associated with guided imagery, at least under some conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although neuroleptic medications are frequently used to treat the aggressive behavior of persons with mental retardation, little empirical support exists for their efficacy. In the ease study reported here, the beta-blocker propranolol was used to treat the aggressive behavior of a 23-year-old woman with severe menial retardation Initiation of treatment was correlated with a dramatic decrease in aggression and a less pronounced improvement in self-injurious behavior (SIB). An increase in resting heart-rate was associated with a significant increase in aggression, and progressive increases in propranolol dosage were correlated with reductions in heart rate and in significant behavioral improvement. Consideration of propranolol as a less intrusive, and possibly more effective, pharmacologic treatment for the aggressive behavior of persons with mental retardation is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparedness theory of phobias implies that fear-relevant stimuli are biologically contraprepared for safety-signal conditioning. Thus it should be very difficult to establish a pictorial snake as a safety-signal predicting the absence of shock in a Pavlovian conditioned inhibition paradigm. Since this contrapreparedness is postulated as species-wide, the snake stimulus should be an ineffective safety-signal even in those subjects who do not fear snakes. In contrast, the prior fear hypothesis suggests that this difficulty should occur only in those subjects who already fear snakes. To test these hypotheses, subjects reporting either high or low snake fear were exposed to electrodermal conditioning trials designed to establish a fear-relevant CS (a pictorial snake) and a fear-irrelevant CS (a pictorial flower) as safety-signals by nonreinforcing each in compound with a fear-eliciting CS. The results provided marginal support for the prior fear hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the effects of suppressing weight-related thoughts on body weight preoccupations in dieters. Rebound in frequency of the target thought following suppression; Suppression attempts among dieters; Role of suppression in the maintenance of dieters' weigh-related preocupations.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) rarely develops after the age of 30 years, and rarely occurs in men. We report a case of chronic AN in a 72-year-old man, who reported a 20-year history of extreme low body weight, persistent fears of obesity, and feelings of being fat even at 93 lb. Also reported were episodes of self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, and excessive exercising. Patientߣs scores on a battery of questionnaires were also consistent with a diagnosis of AN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to DSM-III-R, bulimics are characterized by a persistent overconcern with body shape and weight. In the present experiment, we attempted to validate this new diagnostic criterion by using a dichotic listening procedure. More specifically, we examined whether DSM-III-R bulimics would exhibit enhanced perceptual and physiological sensitivity for material related to their concerns about body shape and weight (i.e., the target word FAT) than for neutral material (i.e., the target word PICK). Support for the validity of this criterion was obtained in that bulimics detected the target word FAT more often than the target word PICK when both were presented on the unattended channel. Additionally, bulimics tended to exhibit larger skin conductance responses to FAT than to PICK. These differences were not observed in normal controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores changes in retrospective reports of experiences after a man- made disaster. Six and 18 months after a school shooting, 12 school personnel recalled in identical self-report questionnaires their proximity to the site, and emotional including life threat, and sensory experiences the day of the incident. All changed some aspect of their recall on retest. Those close to the shooting increased and those far decreased their reported proximity to the site; and most respondents both enlarged and diminished at the same time reports of specific emotional, life threat, and sensory experiences. Enlargement on retest appeared associated with PTSD symptoms, while diminishment with lessening of anxiety and depression and increase in self confidence. The authors offer these preliminary findings for further inquiry into the biopsychological basis of post- traumatic memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we review research supporting the modified Stroop color-naming paradigm as a means for assessing intrusive cognition in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because Stroop interference reflects involuntary semantic activation, delayed color-naming of trauma-related words can provide an objective index of intrusive cognition that is not based on self-report. In a replication and extension of previous research, we found that Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD exhibited Stroop interference for trauma-related words but not for other threat words, positive words, or neutral words. Also, we provide reliability and validity data on the paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent survey, Jackson et al. (2011) found that clinicians who evaluate veterans for service-connected disability pensions rarely use recommended best practices to assess for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We share their dismay, and we hope that their article will help foster evidence-based assessments for diagnosing PTSD in veterans. Jackson et al. briefly discussed scholarship on malingering among applicants for service-connected disability compensation for PTSD, concluding that concerns about malingering are largely unfounded. The data they adduce, however, in support of this conclusion actually provide reasons for concern as we document in this article. We cite recent work by labor economists in support of our argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviewing laboratory experiments, Brewin and Andrews (this issue) conclude that memory implantation techniques induce full-blown false autobiographical memories in only 15% of subjects. Does this imply that guided imagery and related methods are unlikely to generate false memories of childhood sexual abuse in adult psychiatric patients? Not necessarily. Although these methods alone may seldom produce false memories, additional factors common in clinical settings are likely to amplify their capacity to do so in psychiatric patients (e.g., belief that repressed memories of trauma can cause symptoms; belief that these methods can recover repressed memories; high scores on dissociation measures). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented about a study on the increased likelihood of malignancy in young patients with a thyroid nodule in Northern England.

Focuses on letters to the editors published in the 1999 'Clinical Endocrinology' journal. Cortisol response in short synacthen tests; Obesity in the Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome; Kallman's syndrome; Neoplasia in patients with pitutary adenomas.

Comments on the report of increased incidence of neoplasia in patients with pituitary adenomas. Errors and substantial limitations of the report; Summary of the report.

Childhood leukaemias and lymphomas have been associated with exposure to environmental factors, including infections, which show geographical variation. This study examined the geographical distribution of the incidence of acute leukaemia and lymphoma using Manchester Children's Tumour Registry (MCTR) data 1976-2000. A total of 910 children were included, all of whom had histologically and/or cytologically verified leukaemia or lymphoma. At the time of their diagnoses, all the children were aged 0-14 years and were resident in the counties of Greater Manchester or Lancashire. Standardized morbidity ratios were calculated. Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between incidence rates and small-area (census ward) population density, ethnic composition and deprivation index. There was a monotonic relationship between acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) incidence and population density (P = 0.05). Higher rates were seen in more densely populated areas. There was evidence for a monotonic relationship between the incidence of the mixed cellularity subtype of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and the Townsend deprivation score (P = 0.001). Markedly higher incidence was associated with greater levels of unemployment and household overcrowding. The results for ALL and mixed cellularity HD support the involvement of environmental factors, such as infections, in disease aetiology.