Indicadores emocionais de Koppitz no desenho da figura humana: comparação entre uma amostra clínica e escolares

One of the instruments most used in the psychological evaluation of children is the Human Figure Drawing (hfd), which has several scoring systems. The Koppitz Developmental Scale is one of the most known and used worldwide, in which the presence of maturational indicators for the evaluation of the child’s development and of emotional indicators is verified to determine impairments in this area. A review of the literature has indicated that although many studies used the hfd, there is controversy regarding these indicators. The use of this technique justifies the relevance of this research. The objective of the current research was to investigate the items proposed by Koppitz, which aim at assessing emotional difficulties, by comparing a group of children who sought psychological counseling to a control group without mental complaints. The sample was of 74 children aged 6 to 11 years, who sought psychological treatment with various complaints, and a control group of 74 students matched by age, sex and type of school without emotional challenges. The application was individual and occurred in the care clinics for the first group and in the schools for the control group. The results signified that emotional indicators help to distinguish children with emotional problems; in general, their drawings were affected by these difficulties, which contributes to confirm the validity of hfd for psychological evaluation in Brazil.Keywords: Psychological assessment, human-figure drawing, maturational indicators by Koppitz, emotional indicators by Koppitz.Uno de los instrumentos más empleados en la evaluación psicológica infantil es el dibujo de la figura humana (DFH), que posee diversos sistemas de puntuación. Uno de los más utilizados internacionalmente es el de Koppitz, en el cual se verifica la presencia de indicadores de maduración para la evaluación del desarrollo del niño, y de indicadores emocionales para determinar compromisos en esa área. Una revisión de la literatura indicó que aunque muchos estudios se han hecho con el DFH, hay controversia sobre estos indicadores. El uso de esta técnica justifica la relevancia de esta investigación. El presente estudio investigó los ítems propuestos por Koppitz para la evaluación de dificultades emocionales comparando una muestra de 74 niños en el rango de edad de 6 a 11 años, que buscaron atención psicológica con quejas diversas, con un grupo de control de 74 escolares emparejados por edad, sexo y tipo de escuela, sin quejas emocionales. La aplicación fue individual y ocurrió en las clínicas de atendimiento, para el primer grupo, y en las escuelas, para el grupo control. Los resultados mostraron que los indicadores emocionales diferenciaron a los niños con dificultades emocionales, que, en general, tienen sus dibujos afectados por ellas, lo que contribuyó en la confirmación de la validez del DFH para evaluación emocional en Brasil.Um dos instrumentos mais empregados na avaliação psicológica infantil é o Desenho da Figura Humana (DFH), que possui diversos sistemas de pontuação, sendo um dos mais utilizados internacionalmente o de Koppitz, no qual é verificada a presença de Indicadores Maturacionais para avaliação do desenvolvimento da criança, e de Indicadores Emocionais, para determinar comprometimentos nessa área. Uma revisão da literatura indicou que, embora muitos estudos tenham sido feitos com o DFH, existe controvérsia a respeito desses indicadores. O uso dessa técnica justifica a relevância dessa pesquisa. A presente pesquisa investigou os itens propostos por Koppitz para avaliação de dificuldades emocionais, comparando uma amostra de 74 crianças, na faixa etária de 6 a 11 anos, que buscaram atendimento psicológico com queixas diversas, com um grupo controle de 74 escolares pareados por idade, sexo e tipo de escola, sem queixas emocionais. A aplicação foi individual e ocorreu nas clínicas de atendimento para o primeiro grupo e nas escolas para o grupo controle. Os resultados indicaram que os Indicadores Emocionais diferenciaram as crianças com dificuldades emocionais, que em geral têm seus desenhos afetados por tais dificuldades, contribuindo para confirmar a validade do dfh para avaliação emocional no Brasil.Palavras-chave: avaliação psicológica, desenho de figuras humanas, indicadores maturacionais de Koppitz, indicadores emocionais de Koppitz

Longitudinal Neuropsychological Assessment in Two Elderly Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Case Report

The neuropsychological deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may present clinical features similar to mild and/or major neurocognitive disorder and may act as a confounding factor, making it difficult to detect cognitive decline. In this paper, we present the results of longitudinal neuropsychological evaluations in two elderly women with ADHD. Three neuropsychological assessments were performed in two women with ADHD (60 and 77 years old) between 2010 and 2013 at intervals varying from 12 to 15 months. We used structural magnetic resonance imaging to rule out significant abnormalities that could account for cognitive impairment. The results showed two different cognitive profiles with fluctuations in performance over these 2 years, sometimes with improvement and sometimes with decline of some functions such as attention, memory, inhibitory control, and reaction time. To minimize confounding aspects of these fluctuations in clinical practice, we used a longer follow-up with the application of a reliable change index and a minimum of three spaced assessments to provide a more consistent baseline cognitive profile. Our findings did not indicate a consistent cognitive decline, suggesting a less pessimistic perspective about cognitive impairments that could be a prodrome of ADHD-related dementia

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with diferences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confrm this fnding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods: Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results: This analysis confrmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical signifcance. There was a signifcant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefcients were signifcant at p<0.01. Conclusion: A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed. Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Suicide, Sunlight, Solar insolation, Psychiatry, Circadian, Seasonal variatio

Variations in seasonal solar insolation are associated with a history of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder

Background Bipolar disorder is associated with circadian disruption and a high risk of suicidal behavior. In a previous exploratory study of patients with bipolar I disorder, we found that a history of suicide attempts was associated with differences between winter and summer levels of solar insolation. The purpose of this study was to confirm this finding using international data from 42% more collection sites and 25% more countries. Methods Data analyzed were from 71 prior and new collection sites in 40 countries at a wide range of latitudes. The analysis included 4876 patients with bipolar I disorder, 45% more data than previously analyzed. Of the patients, 1496 (30.7%) had a history of suicide attempt. Solar insolation data, the amount of the sun's electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, was obtained for each onset location (479 locations in 64 countries). Results This analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory study with the same best model and slightly better statistical significance. There was a significant inverse association between a history of suicide attempts and the ratio of mean winter insolation to mean summer insolation (mean winter insolation/mean summer insolation). This ratio is largest near the equator which has little change in solar insolation over the year, and smallest near the poles where the winter insolation is very small compared to the summer insolation. Other variables in the model associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts were a history of alcohol or substance abuse, female gender, and younger birth cohort. The winter/summer insolation ratio was also replaced with the ratio of minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation to accommodate insolation patterns in the tropics, and nearly identical results were found. All estimated coefficients were significant at p < 0.01. Conclusion A large change in solar insolation, both between winter and summer and between the minimum and maximum monthly values, may increase the risk of suicide attempts in bipolar I disorder. With frequent circadian rhythm dysfunction and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder, greater understanding of the optimal roles of daylight and electric lighting in circadian entrainment is needed.Peer reviewe

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p

Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder

Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about &gt; 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.</p