Turismo cosmético: Cuerpos e identidades ante nuevas oportunidades y riesgos inéditos

Unlike of what occurred in the industrial era, in the post-modern society the identity of the social actors is no longer linked only to the class, but it appears as the result of an individual choice. This process has been –and continues to be– favored by globalization, the growing free time, the spread and the multiplication of media and transportation tools, that offer possible new dimensions for the construction of self, that can be realized through the physical transformation too. This paper pretends to highlight how today even tourism can be an experience of identity construction. In particular, the contribution intends to describe a specific kind of tourism, the cosmetic one, whose aim is to combine the experience of traveling with the modification of the body which is a visible vehicle of identity. The purpose of the article is to show new opportunities –but also unseen risks– linked to this specific form of tourismA diferencia de lo que ocurría en la era industrial, en la sociedad postmoderna la identidad de los actores sociales no está vinculada solo a la clase, sino que aparece más como el resultado de una elección individual. Este proceso ha sido –y sigue siendo– favorecido por la globalización, el creciente tiempo libre, la difusión y la multiplicación de los medios de comunicación y de transporte que ofrecen nuevas posibles dimensiones para la construcción del yo, que puede realizarse también a través de la transformación física. El artículo se propone mostrar que hoy también el turismo puede ser un momento de construcción de la identidad. En particular, este artículo describe un tipo específico de turismo, el cosmético, cuyo objetivo es combinar la experiencia de viajar con la modificación del cuerpo, que es un vehículo visible de nuestra identidad. El propósito de este trabajo es mostrar nuevas oportunidades –pero también riesgos inéditos– vinculados a esta forma específica de turism

The right to a rainbow city: the Italian homosexual social movements

Nowadays, the legal status of homosexual people varies widely from one country to another (ILGA 2019). In many contexts, the homosexual social movement has played a central role in fighting heterosexism and homophobia (Weinberg 1983). Especially in the democratic world, the homosexual social movement has been capable of spreading solidarity and inclusion and also of leading changes in regulatory terms, with different results context by context (Adam, Duyvendak, Krouwel 1999). The paper aims to point out the Italian situation and the main characteristics of the gay social movement in Italy as key factors of the social change. More specifically, the paper is aimed at recounting the political process and the symbolic and cultural factors that led the Italian homosexual social movement to impose itself on the social scene as a reality with its own specific identity. The paper's last section analyses the so-called "Italian rainbow cities", urban contexts where the LGBT community is highly concentrated and in which it is so active as to stimulate, in cooperation with the local urban administrations, capacity-building processes oriented to the construction and consolidation of LGBT people’s rights and social inclusion

Is emotional dysregulation part of the psychopathology of ADHD in adults?

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a common condition in adulthood. The disorder is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Alongside these symptoms, it is discussed whether symptoms of emotional dysregulation could add additional and better description of the psychopathology of ADHD. Neither the current ICD-10 and DSM-IV nor the upcoming DSM-5 includes symptoms of emotional dysregulation as a core aspect of ADHD. Several authors (e.g., Wender 1995) describe adult ADHD in a more differentiated way and propose concepts of the disorder that consider the subjective experiences of the adult patient by introducing the symptomatology of emotional symptoms. Empirical studies attest this dimension sufficient reliability and validity. Symptoms of emotional dysregulation are definable and seem to be distinct factors of the psychopathology of adult ADHD. Pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions help to alleviate this type of symptoms. This review attests a decisive role to the emotional symptoms in the ADHD symptomatology, which should be taken in serious consideration by future researc

Study protocol of an observational study in acute psychiatric home treatment: How does home treatment work? Identification of common factors and predictors of treatment success

Background: Systematic reviews indicated that home treatment is an effective and cost-saving alternative to conventional acute psychiatric treatment options. Treatment success has often been defined as a reduction of hospital admissions. In the current study, symptoms and well-being are assessed regularly during treatment as an indicator for treatment success. Patients' characteristics such as diagnosis, age, substance use, and motivation for treatment were discussed as predictors for treatment success. A second focal point of the study lies in the examination of the therapeutic relationship in terms of the outcome, which has not yet been systematically investigated in home treatment. Methods: This is an observational study with a prospective naturalistic design. Measurements are carried out at baseline, during and at the end of treatment as well as at the 3‑month follow-up. Patients' characteristics as potential predictors for treatment success will be assessed at baseline. In addition, the perceived relationship between the patients and the team will be measured daily and weekly throughout the treatment. Treatment success is by the changes in symptoms and general well-being assessed weekly. We aim to include 82 participants assigned to home treatment. Variance analyses with repeated measurements will be conducted to evaluate treatment success. Conclusion: By examining potential patient- and relationship-related predictors of treatment success, insights into relevant determining variables of treatment success in this setting are expected. The results might help to better identify who benefits the most from home treatment

Symptom overlap and screening for symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and psychosis risk in help-seeking psychiatric patients

Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and psychosis risk share features which might represent an early vulnerability marker for schizophrenia. Early detection of individuals with this symptomatic overlap is relevant and may assist clinicians in their decision making for diagnosis and treatment. This study sought to analyze the capability of different instruments in the screening of patients for ADHD symptoms or at psychosis risk, assess their classification accuracy, and describe the extent of symptoms overlap between them. 243 adult patients completed one instrument screening for ADHD and two instruments screening for psychosis risk symptoms [Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Symptom Checklist (ASRS-v1.1); Prodromal Questionnaire Brief Version (PQ-16); Self-Screen Prodrome (SPro)]. The ability of these instruments to distinguish between the symptomaticity of these patients appears modest. The most satisfactory scale to identify subjects at psychosis risk was SPro with its subscale psychosis risk. ASRS-v1.1 showed good reliability in assessing individuals as not having ADHD symptoms and had higher probability to achieve its own and the cut-off of another questionnaire. Subjects having symptoms of psychosis risk and ADHD showed elevated symptomatology. Reliable instruments capable of separating ADHD symptoms from those of psychosis risk are needed to better identify the symptomatic overlap of this two conditions

Can neuropsychological testing facilitate differential diagnosis between at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

Background: Patients with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis and patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have many overlapping signs and symptoms and hence can be difficult to differentiate clinically. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the differential diagnosis between ARMS and adult ADHD could be improved by neuropsychological testing. Methods 168 ARMS patients, 123 adult ADHD patients and 109 healthy controls (HC) were recruited via specialized clinics of the University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital. Sustained attention and impulsivity were tested with the Continuous Performance Test, verbal learning and memory with the California Verbal Learning Test, and problem solving abilities with the Tower of Hanoi Task. Group differences in neuropsychological performance were analyzed using generalized linear models. Furthermore, to investigate whether adult ADHD and ARMS can be correctly classified based on the pattern of cognitive deficits, machine learning (i.e. random forests) was applied. Results Compared to HC, both patient groups showed deficits in attention and impulsivity and verbal learning and memory. However, in adult ADHD patients the deficits were comparatively larger. Accordingly, a machine learning model predicted group membership based on the individual neurocognitive performance profile with good accuracy (AUC = 0.82). Conclusions Our results are in line with current meta-analyses reporting that impairments in the domains of attention and verbal learning are of medium effect size in adult ADHD and of small effect size in ARMS patients and suggest that measures of these domains can be exploited to improve the differential diagnosis between adult ADHD and ARMS patients

A Comparison of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Pharmacotherapy vs. Pharmacotherapy Alone in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—A Randomized Controlled Trial

In the treatment of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) the importance of psychological interventions in combination with pharmacotherapy is widely accepted in contemporary clinical routine. The natural course of the disorder seems to justify additional psychological interventions because even in patients who are highly compliant to pharmacotherapy full remission is not always achieved. The aim of the present study was to analyze the contribution of psychotherapy to the treatment of adult ADHD patients. In a randomized controlled study, the efficacy of a combined treatment of psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy is compared to pharmacological intervention alone. After initiation and stabilization of treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) in all subjects randomization to the two different treatment conditions was done. Afterwards both groups underwent treatment for about 10–12 weeks, the experimental group receiving sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) whereas the control group only received medication and standard clinical management (SCM). ADHD symptoms differed statistically during time but not between the two different treatment conditions. This result was the same for the single ADHD symptoms—inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional symptoms—and also for impairment. Individual standardized ADHD specific CBT program was not able to outperform SCM

Post-pandemic Tourism Resilience: Changes in Italians’ travel behavior and the possible responses of tourist cities

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020, the travel sector has faced an intense challenge, making tourism one of the most affected sectors at the time of writing. Based on the results of a survey administered to a sample of 700 Italian tourists, this paper aims to acquire an empirical understanding of key challenges for the travel and tourism sector in the coming months and the possible responses of tourist cities. To study tourism after the pandemic, OUT (University of Naples Tourism Research Center) has created an online survey to answer the following questions: What will tourism be like after the pandemic? What will the main changes in travel behaviors be? What role will new information technologies play in future tourism? Are there territorial differences based on the spread of the virus? The pandemic has inevitably affected everyone’s tourist choices, regardless of how much their specific area of residence has been impacted by the virus. Consequently, it will significantly influence travelers’ experiences. The Italian tourists who were survey respondents are aware that physical distancing rules will probably remain in effect for an extended time and, therefore, they cannot imagine future tourism not conditioned by these measures. This does not mean that Italians will give up tourism in the short-medium term, however. Indeed, the research data highlight the resilient character of tourism in that it is transformed but does not cease to exist. By studying the future through a sociological approach, it is possible to identify how the Covid-19 emergency will impact tourism and how both the form and social meaning of mobility will be conditioned. On the basis of the data, the analysis will be directed from the present to the post-pandemic horizon, hypothesizing possible scenarios for the future of tourism and providing some possible policy indications