Prevalence

The purpose of this study was to determine whether recent descriptions of multiple personality disorder are consistent with descriptions from the past. Clinical presentations and childhood histories obtained from early case reports of multiple personality disorder published between 1800 and 1965 (N = 52) were compared with recent case reports published in the 1980s (N = 54). Recent and past cases did not differ in age at diagnosis, length of treatment, duration of follow-up, presence of child and opposite gender personalities, and exposure to hypnosis.

Drug and nondrug interventions used in treating nicotine dependence are reviewed. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Risks of smoking-related disease and death decline sharply when smokers quit, but 26% of Americans continue to smoke. Most smokers find it extremely difficult to quit smoking because of their nicotine addiction.

In this transcultural study of schizophrenic delusions among patients in Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei, we discovered that both the frequency and content of delusions differed among the three groups; and that these differences could perhaps be explained by varying sociocultural and political situations. Delusional themes that are sensitive to sociocultural or political situations include guilt, love/sex, religion, somatic damage, economy/business and politics.

Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and smoking cessation is the most effective means of stopping the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Worldwide, approximately a billion people smoke cigarettes and 80% reside in low-income and middle-income countries. Though in the United States there has been a substantial decline in cigarette smoking since 1964, when the Surgeon General's report first reviewed smoking, smoking remains widespread in the United States today (about 23% of the population in 2001).

The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) ranges in all countries of the world between 6 and 25%, in Germany between 15 and 22%. The divergent rates of prevalence are mainly due to different definitions of IBS in epidemiological studies. In Germany, 20-50% of persons with IBS symptoms seek medical help. IBS patients produce high direct and indirect costs. The following psychophysiological mechanisms of IBS are presumed to be empirically validated: visceral hypersensitivity, postinfectious sequelae, psychiatric disorders, and psychosocial stress.

The present study examined the effectiveness of a hypnotherapeutic treatment program for patients suffering from recurrent orofacial herpes infections. Twenty-one patients were randomly allocated to either an experimental group (n=10) or a control condition (n=11). During five weekly individual therapy sessions the participants received symptom-oriented treatment. In addition, they learnt how to improve their stress coping skills and their management of aversive emotions. The final assessment took place 6 months after treatment.

TOPIC: Sexual abuse in childhood can disable self-esteem, self-concept, relationships, and ability to trust. It can also leave psychological trauma that compromises a boy's confidence in adults. While some boys who willingly participate may adjust to sexual abuse, many others face complications, such as reduced quality of life, impaired social relationships, less than optimal daily functioning, and self-destructive behavior. These problems can respond to treatment if detected.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which smoking cessation interventions are used in the community and their relative success in older women. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study located in 23 general practices in England, Scotland. and Wales and including 3,622 women aged 60 to 79 years at recruitment from the British Women's Heart and Health Study. RESULTS: Of the 370 smokers at baseline, 77 (21%) had stopped smoking at 3 years, reducing the prevalence of smoking from 10.2% to 8.8%.

The article presents modern data on depressive syndrome, its prevalence and possible reasons for its growth, the role of psychoemotional stress in the development of anxiety depression (AD), as well as psychosomatic diseases and syndromes and modern views on the mechanisms of their formation. The authors discuss methods of revealing and diagnostic criteria of AD and psychosomatic diseases, including those that develop against the background of masked depression.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether hypnosis would be more effective in helping smokers quit than standard behavioral counseling when both interventions are combined with nicotine patches (NP). A total of 286 current smokers were enrolled in a randomized controlled smoking cessation trial at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Participants in both treatment conditions were seen for two 60-min sessions, and received three follow-up phone calls and 2 months of NP.