Somatic and psychological problems in a cohort of sexually abused boys: a six year follow up case-control study. (33/351)

AIMS: To obtain information about the health and well being of 108 boys six years after their involvement with the same paedophile. METHODS: Case-control study of the health records of 93 male victims of a major episode of school based child sexual abuse and 93 matched controls. Interviews with a sample of their general practitioners. RESULTS: The number and frequency of reported health problems were similar in both cases and controls. However, abused boys were more likely than controls to present with symptoms that persisted for more than a year (31 cases compared with 10 controls). CONCLUSIONS: Boys who have previously suffered sexual abuse at school did not utilise primary health care services more than a group of age matched controls. They did not present with psychological or somatic problems different from those presented by non-abused boys. However, abused boys were more likely to complain of persistent somatic or psychological problems lasting more than a year. This pattern appeared to persist after the abuse had stopped and the perpetrator imprisoned.  (+info)

Protean nature of mass sociogenic illness: from possessed nuns to chemical and biological terrorism fears. (34/351)

BACKGROUND: Episodes of mass sociogenic illness are becoming increasingly recognised as a significant health and social problem that is more common than is presently reported. AIMS: To provide historical continuity with contemporary episodes of mass sociogenic illness in order to gain a broader transcultural and transhistorical understanding of this complex, protean phenomenon. METHOD: Literature survey to identify historical trends. RESULTS: Mass sociogenic illness mirrors prominent social concerns, changing in relation to context and circumstance. Prior to 1900, reports are dominated by episodes of motor symptoms typified by dissociation, histrionics and psychomotor agitation incubated in an environment of preexisting tension. Twentieth-century reports feature anxiety symptoms that are triggered by sudden exposure to an anxiety-generating agent, most commonly an innocuous odour or food poisoning rumours. From the early 1980s to the present there has been an increasing presence of chemical and biological terrorism themes, climaxing in a sudden shift since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA. CONCLUSIONS: A broad understanding of the history of mass sociogenic illness and a knowledge of episode characteristics are useful in the more rapid recognition and treatment of outbreaks.  (+info)

Growth hormone deficiency in pituitary disease: relationship to depression, apathy and somatic complaints. (35/351)

OBJECTIVE: Adults with GH deficiency (GHD) have been reported to suffer from increased levels of depression and apathy, which are thought to contribute to the reduced quality of life observed in these patients when compared with healthy controls. Recent studies, however, cast doubt on the attribution of these impairments to GHD as opposed to an unspecific stress response to the chronic medical condition. DESIGN: To further clarify this relationship, we used psychometric tests to quantify depression, apathy and typical psychosomatic complaints in patients with different types of pituitary disease and compared the results with measurements of the patients' widely varying GH status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 98 patients, serum IGF-I was measured and at least one provocative test of the somatotrope pituitary axis was performed (GH-releasing hormone test (GHRHT) and/or insulin tolerance test (ITT)). All patients completed a set of well-established psychometric instruments (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Apathy Evaluation Scale (AS) and List of Somatic Complaints (LSC)). In addition, AS was administered in an informant report version for completion by a close relative or friend to verify the validity of the patient's self assessment. RESULTS: No relationship between measures of GHD (IGF-I, GHRHT and ITT) and psychometrically measured depression, apathy or psychosomatic well-being was found. A highly significant linear correlation between scores of all psychometric instruments (BDI, AS and LSC) was found. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of any relationship between the severity of GHD and the level of depression/apathy/psychosomatic complaints suggests that these impairments are not specific symptoms of GHD. The reported improvement of these symptoms under GH substitution therapy might thus be interpreted as a secondary effect of somatic effects of GH substitution. Consequently, indication for GH substitution therapy should not be based on psychological impairments alone without the presence of somatic symptoms of GHD.  (+info)

Personality in frozen shoulder. (36/351)

Fifty-six patients with frozen shoulder have had their personality profiles investigated by means of the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire. Females showed significantly increased somatic anxiety compared with controls. It is suggested that this may be important both to aetiology and treatment. Males and females should be assessed separately in future studies of frozen shoulder.  (+info)

Parents' labour market participation as a predictor of children's health and wellbeing: a comparative study in five Nordic countries. (37/351)

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between parents' labour market participation and children's health and wellbeing. DESIGN: Parent reported data on health and wellbeing among their children from the survey Health and welfare among children and adolescents in the Nordic countries, 1996. A cross sectional study of random samples of children and their families in five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 10 317 children aged 2-17 years. RESULTS: Children in families with no parents employed in the past six months had higher prevalence of recurrent psychosomatic symptoms (odds ratio 1.67, 95% confidence intervals 1.16 to 2.40), chronic illness (odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence intervals 1.00 to 1.84), and low wellbeing (odds ratio 1.47, 95% confidence intervals 1.12 to 1.94). Social class, family type, parents' immigrant status, gender and age of the child, respondent, and country were included as confounders. When social class, family type and the parents' immigrant status (one or more born in the Nordic country versus both born elsewhere) were introduced into the model, the odds ratios were reduced but were still statistically significant. Health outcomes and parents' labour market participation were associated in all five countries. CONCLUSIONS: Children in families with no parents employed in the past six months had higher prevalence of ill health and low wellbeing in the five Nordic countries despite differences in employment rates and social benefits.  (+info)

Medically unexplained symptoms in patients referred to a specialist rheumatology service: prevalence and associations. (38/351)

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of medically unexplained rheumatic symptoms amongst patients newly referred to a rheumatology out-patient service and to examine their relationship with pain, disability, socioeconomic factors and the presence of emotional disorders (anxiety, depression and panic). METHODS: A sample of newly referred consecutive patients to a hospital-based, regional rheumatology service was administered a questionnaire for assessment of emotional disorders, pain, health status and socioeconomic factors. Rheumatologists rated the degree to which patients' symptoms were explained by organic disease (organicity rating). RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six patients were eligible and 203 (79%) participated. The sample included 69% females and mean age was 50 yr. Ninety-three (46%) had symptoms that were completely explained, 52 (26%) largely explained, 41 (20%) somewhat explained and 17 (8%) not at all explained by organic disease. Patients whose symptoms were of "low organicity" (somewhat or not at all explained) were more likely to be female [relative risk (RR) 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-3.1], younger (mean age 44 vs 52 yr, P<0.001) and to report more somatic symptoms (median 2 vs 1, P=0.021). On univariate analysis they were more likely to be experiencing financial hardship (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6) and work dissatisfaction (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.4) and to live in rented housing (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.8) or with dependent relatives (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.5). Logistic regression showed that female gender and living in rented housing were the significant independent predictors of low organicity. Organicity ratings were not associated with pain severity, disability, physical and mental health status or the presence of emotional disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-nine per cent of patients newly referred to rheumatology clinics had symptoms that were poorly explained by identifiable rheumatic disease. Having unexplained symptoms was associated with socioeconomic factors but not levels of pain, disability or emotional disorders.  (+info)

Chronic lyme disease: psychogenic fantasy or somatic infection? (39/351)

Sigal and Hassett published an article about Lyme disease in the EHP Supplements (Sigal and Hassett 2002), suggesting that chronic Lyme disease is "psychogenic." I do not think that Sigal and Hassett, non-psychiatrists, are qualified to speak about psychiatric matters. I, however, actually have had the disease, which they characterize as "medically unexplained," for over 25 years and have 15 years of experience as a patient advocate and educator. I beg to differ.  (+info)

Chronic Lyme disease: it's not all in our heads. (40/351)

Those of us with chronic Lyme disease are not at all confused, as suggested by Sigal and Hassett (2002). We know from years of experience that we have real, specific symptoms that are usually painful and disabling and include severe headaches, crippling arthritis, and heart palpitations, which lead to serious heart disease. Many of us know that our symptoms are kept in check while we are on antibiotics, but they painfully reappear when the antibiotics are withdrawn. Just because the medical community cannot detect a specific causative bacterium and managed health care companies want to maximize profits doesn't mean that those of us afflicted with this terrible condition are delusional and not truly benefiting from antibiotic treatment. We are not all crazy; we are sick and we should not be required to prove it to get medical care.  (+info)