First evidence for an association between joint hypermobility and excitability in a non-human species, the domestic dog

There is a well-established relationship between joint hypermobility and anxiety in humans, that has not previously been investigated in other species. A population of 5575 assistance dogs were scored for both hip hypermobility and 13 behaviour characteristics using previously validated methods. Our results suggest a positive association between hip joint hypermobility and emotional arousal in domestic dogs, which parallel results found in people

Highly Educated Men Establish Strong Emotional Links with Their Dogs : A Study with Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) in Committed Spanish Dog Owners

The characteristics of the human-animal bond may be influenced by both owner-related and dog-related factors. A study was designed to explore the existence of different dog ownership patterns and their related factors. We created an on line questionnaire that included demographic questions about the dog and the owner, a Spanish version of the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) and a validated measure of satisfaction with life (Cantril's ladder). We collected 1140 valid responses from adult dog owners, who were recruited using the client databases of Spanish veterinary practices. We explored the presence of groups within the population using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of the MDORS variables combined with Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Two groups were found; Group I having a higher level of emotional involvement with their dogs compared with Group II. Binary logistic regression was used to explore demographic factors that influenced group membership. Four variables were significantly associated with membership of Group I (p<0.0001); male gender of the owner (OR = 32.36), high school level of maximum educational attainment (OR = 0.052), university level of maximum educational attainment (OR = 8.652), and owner Cantril's score (OR = 0.807). The results obtained from this convenience sample demonstrate that different patterns of dog-ownership may be present within a population of owner-dog dyads, and that certain owner characteristics are associated with the type of owner-dog relationship. Future research could apply a similar approach to different types of sample population in order to identify specific patterns of dog-ownership

Clomipramina frente a fenelzina en el trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo

Un estudio clínico doble ciego con clomipramina frente a fenelzina fue llevado a cabo en 30 pacientes con trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo según el DSM-III. El período de estudio fue de 12 semanas, y las dosis máximas (a partir de la 5a semana) fueron 225 mg/día para clomipramina (14 pacientes) y 75 mg/día para fenelzina (12 pacientes); 4 pacientes abandonaron. Los síntomas obsesivos mejoraron significativamente en los dos grupos, pero no fiubo diferencia significativa entre ambos. Los síntomas depresivos mejoraron antes que los obsesivos

First person account COVID 19 delirium in a doctor: when death stalks the mind

Previous studies reported that 20-30% of COVID-19 patients will develop delirium during the hospitalization, achieving 70% in cases of severe illness. The risks factors and the consequences of delirium are well-documented in the literature; however, little is known about the personal experience of delirium. Delirium burden is common and tends to be distressing even after the delirium episode has resolved. Taking this in mind, the present work provides a first-person account of a doctor who acquired Covid-19 and developed bilateral pneumonia and had delirium and a complicate course of illness. During the course of his delirium, the patient recalled experiences of reality and unreality, complete disorientation, lack of control, strong emotions, and intense fear of dying which was significantly distressing. We anticipate that delirium burden will be common on these patients and family members and clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon in order to evaluate the neuropsychiatric consequences of this condition

The value of companion dogs as a source of social support for their owners: findings from a pre-pandemic representative sample and a convenience sample obtained during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain

Dogs are a source of companionship and comfort for their owners, but the degree to which this might translate into real emotional and social support has not been quantified. Emotional and social support are essential to help people to get through personal crises such as bereavement. In this study we characterize the social support owners obtain from their dogs, provide evidence of how widespread this social support is amongst dog-owners, and show how social support from dogs can increase during a crisis (using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example). We collected data from a representative population-based sample of Spanish dog-owners and found that most respondents said that their dogs helped them to get through tough times. They got comfort from physical contact with their dogs, shared activities with them and treated them as confidants in a similar way to friends and family. These are all key aspects of social support, and dogs offer the advantage of being more available than human sources of support. It would be expected that the support that dogs provide would be increased during a time of personal crisis and when we looked at data collected from a convenience sample of Spanish dog-owners during the COVID-19 confinement that is what we found; during the confinement owners engaged in more shared activities with their dogs, hugged them more often and turned to them more as a source of companionship and comfort (p < 0.0001 in all cases). However, although owners did confide more in their dogs (p < 0.0001), the effect was not as great as for other aspects of social support. We suspect that this is because people were able to use telecommunications such as video conferencing to maintain their human confidant relationships. Our findings indicate that dogs can substitute for humans as sources of some kinds of social support when conventional sources are unavailable. Our conclusion is that where a dog is present in a household, it should be regarded as an important resource for social support. This should be considered when designing clinical interventions and when public health decisions are being made

Effectiveness of Short-Term Dynamic Group Psychotherapy in Primary Care for Patients with Depressive Symptoms

An open prospective controlled study was designed to compare the efficacy of short-term dynamic group psychotherapy with the standard treatment in patients with depressive symptoms attended in the primary care setting. A total of 115 patients with depressive symptoms were assigned to receive psychotherapy (75 min) over 9 months (37 to 39 sessions) (n = 70) or the standard care (n = 45). Outcome measures were the differences between baseline and post-treatment in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) questionnaire in the two study groups. At the end of dynamic group psychotherapy, statistically significant improvements in the mean scores of all questionnaires were observed, whereas in control patients, significant improvements were only observed in the HDRS-17 scale and in the Mental Component Summary score of the SF-12. The mean changes after treatment were also higher in the psychotherapy group than in controls in all outcome measures, with statistically significant differences in the mean differences in favour of the psychotherapy group. In summary, implementation of short-term dynamic group psychotherapy run by experienced psychotherapists for patients with depressive symptoms attended in routine primary care centres is feasible and effective

Effectiveness of short-term dynamic group psychotherapy in primary care for patients with depressive symptoms

An open prospective controlled study was designed to compare the efficacy of short-term dynamic group psychotherapy with the standard treatment in patients with depressive symptoms attended in the primary care setting. A total of 115 patients with depressive symptoms were assigned to receive psychotherapy (75 min) over 9 months (37 to 39 sessions) (n = 70) or the standard care (n = 45). Outcome measures were the differences between baseline and post-treatment in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) questionnaire in the two study groups. At the end of dynamic group psychotherapy, statistically significant improvements in the mean scores of all questionnaires were observed, whereas in control patients, significant improvements were only observed in the HDRS-17 scale and in the Mental Component Summary score of the SF-12. The mean changes after treatment were also higher in the psychotherapy group than in controls in all outcome measures, with statistically significant differences in the mean differences in favour of the psychotherapy group. In summary, implementation of short-term dynamic group psychotherapy run by experienced psychotherapists for patients with depressive symptoms attended in routine primary care centres is feasible and effective

Psicopatología de la hiperlaxitud articular

Increasing number of papers pointing to a high prevalence of psychiatric conditions among individuals suffering from the Joint Hypermobility Syndrome or Ehlers Danlos III Hypermobility type, (JHS/EDS-HT) have been published for the past 3 decades. Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders related to JHS, although other conditions such as depression, eating disorders, alcohol and tobacco misuse have also been found. Albeit a simple causal effect cannot be found, genetic, autonomic, proprioceptive, exteroceptive and interoceptive mechanisms may underlie such strong association. In order to properly treat patients suffering from JHS/EDS-HT, psychiatric and psychological approaches must be considered, not only to relieve clinical conditions but also to improve abilities to cope through proper drug treatment, psychotherapy and psychological rehabilitation adequately coupled with modern physiotherapy interventions.Nas últimas três décadas aumentou o número de publicações que apontam uma elevada prevalência de psicopatologia entre as pessoas com o síndrome de articulações hipermóveis (SHA). Mesmo que os transtornos de ansiedade sejam os mais frequentes, outros como a depressão e os transtornos de alimentação, assim como o abuso de álcool e tabaco também se estão relacionados com a SHA. Não cabe estabelecer um efeito casual direto, mas em troca, existem indícios de mecanismos comuns como a disfunção vegetativa, os déficits proprioceptivos, as coincidências genéticas e as hipersensibilidades exteroceptiva e interoceptiva. Para tratar adequadamente os pacientes que sofrem SHA, é necessário combinar diversos enfoques psiquiátricos e psicológicos, já que não se trata somente de aliviar manifestações clínicas, mas também de melhorar a capacidade de enfrentamento, de adaptação e de decisão. Para isso frequentemente é preciso combinar psicofarmacologia, psicoterapia e reabilitação, neste caso acompanhado por fisioterapia moderna, uma vez que sabemos que a ansiedade e outras psicopatologias estabelecem frequentemente em pessoas com SHA, cuja estrutura neurobiológica lhes outorga umas características corporais importantes de se ter em conta.En las últimas tres décadas se ha incrementado el número de publicaciones que apuntan a una elevada prevalencia de psicopatología entre las personas con el síndrome de hiperlaxitud articular (SHA). Aunque los trastornos de ansiedad son los más frecuentes, otros como la depresión y los trastornos de alimentación, así como el abuso de alcohol y tabaco también se han relacionado con el SHA. No cabe establecer un efecto causal directo pero en cambio, hay indicios de mecanismos comunes como la disfunción vegetativa, los déficits propioceptivos, las coincidencias genéticas y las hipersensibilidades exteroceptiva e interoceptiva. Para tratar adecuadamente a los pacientes que sufren SHA, es necesario combinar diversos enfoques psiquiátricos y psicológicos, ya que no se trata solamente de aliviar manifestaciones clínicas sino también de mejorar la capacidad de afrontamiento, de adaptación y de decisión. Para ello, como parte del tratamiento a veces es preciso combinar psicofarmacología, psicoterapia, rehabilitación y fisioterapia moderna una vez que sabemos que la ansiedad y otras psicopatologías asientan frecuentemente en personas con SHA, cuya estructura neurobiológica les otorga unas características corporales importantes de tener en cuenta