Self-harm in mental disorders

Samouszkodzenia, które są wyrazem autodestrukcji, są sposobem spowodowania sobie bólu i uszkodzenia ciała bez dokonania aktów samobójczych. Samouszkodzenia spełniają w życiu ludzi różną funkcję: kontroli własnych emocji, komunikacji z innymi, podświadomej ucieczki od przykrych uczuć. Szczególne znaczenie posiada subiektywna reakcja terapeuty na dokonywanie samookaleczeń przez pacjenta, w tym rozumienie i ograniczanie negatywnych aspektów przeciwprzeniesienia. Celem pracy jest ukazanie etiologii samouszkodzeń oraz możliwości terapii. W pracy ukazano rolę traumatycznych doświadczeń okresu dzieciństwa i życia dorosłego. Leczenie samouszkodzeń prowadzi do przyspieszania procesu powrotu do zdrowia i poprawy funkcjonowania społecznego pacjenta. Istotne jest eliminowanie aktów autoagresji i uchronienie pacjenta przed samobójstwem. Do osiągnięcia zamierzonego efektu terapeutycznego są potrzebne odpowiednie metody terapeutyczne skuteczne dla konkretnego pacjenta.Self-harm that are an expression of self-destruction, are a way of causing pain and damage to the body without an act of suicide. Self-harm in people’s lives fulfill different functions: control your emotions, communication with others, subconscious escape from painful feelings. Particular importance is the therapist’s subjective reaction to make self-harm by the patient, including understanding and reducing the negative aspects of countertransference. Aim of this study is to demonstrate the etiology of self-harm and treatment options. The paper presents the role of traumatic experiences of childhood and adult life. Treatment of self-harm leading to accelerating the process of recovery and improve the social functioning of the patient. It is important that eliminated acts of self-harm and save from suicide. To achieve the desired therapeutic effect are needed therapeutic methods effective for an individual patient

Changes in the Serum Levels of Cytokines: IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8 and IL-10 in Depression with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Background: Both depressive disorders (DD) and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) are caused by immune system dysfunction. Affected individuals show increased proinflammatory cytokine concentration levels. Also, it has been hypothesized that DD and PTSD might be associated with a generalized proinflammatory cytokine signature. The study assessed the concentration of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8 and IL-10 in depression alone and with PTSD. Methods: The study involved 460 participants. Out of them, 420 subjects comprised a study group and 40 subjects comprised a control group. Each study group consisted of 60 patients with mild depression (MD), moderate depression (MOD), severe depression (SeD), MD and PTSD (MD + PTSD), MOD and PTSD (MOD + PTSD), SeD and PTSD (SeD + PTSD), and with PTSD alone. All patients had serum concentration of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8 and IL-10 measured with ELISA. Results: DD and PTSD are reflected in IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8 and IL-10 concentration levels. It was reported that mean levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8 increase as depression became more severe. A regular decrease in IL-10 concentration levels was noted with the onset and exacerbation of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The findings might be useful when considering chronic inflammation as a potential target or biomarker in depression and PTSD treatment

Changes in the Serum Concentration Levels of Serotonin, Tryptophan and Cortisol among Stress-Resilient and Stress-Susceptible Individuals after Experiencing Traumatic Stress

Background: Stress is a common response to many environmental adversities. However, once dysregulated, this reaction can lead to psychiatric illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals can develop PTSD after exposure to traumatic events, severely affecting their quality of life. Nevertheless, not all individuals exposed to stress will develop psychiatric disorders, provided they show enhanced stress-resilience mechanisms that enable them to successfully adapt to stressful situations and thus avoid developing a persistent psychopathology. Methods: The study involved 93 participants. Of them, 62 comprised a study group and 31 comprised a control group. The aim of the study was to assess serotonin, cortisol and tryptophan concentration levels in subjects with PTSD (stress-susceptible; PTSD-SS) and in healthy individuals (stress-resilient; PTSD-SR), who had experienced a traumatic event but fully recovered after the trauma. The subjects were between 18 and 50 years of age (mean 35.56 ± 8.26 years). The serum concentration levels of serotonin, cortisol and tryptophan were measured with an ELISA kit. Results: It was found that the serotonin, tryptophan and cortisol concentration levels were consistent with the features of both PTSD-SR and PTSD-SS patients. It was reported that the mean cortisol concentration levels increased more significantly in the PTSD-SS group than in the PTSD-SR group, versus those in the control group. Similarly, the PTSD-SS group was found to show a larger decrease in the mean serotonin concentration levels than the PTSD-SR group, versus those in the control group. No significant changes were found in the tryptophan concentration levels between the study groups, versus those in the control group. Conclusions: These findings can be useful when attempting to improve resilience in individuals using neuropharmacological methods. However, it is necessary to conduct more cross-sectional studies that would address different types of negative stress to find out whether they share common pathways