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

Satisfaction from scientific research – review of scientific research

W artykule omówiono kluczowe kwestie dotyczące satysfakcji zawodowej pracowników nauki. Odniesiono się do wydajności pracy zawodowej akademików oraz ich obciążeń stresem, warunkami pracy. Autorzy odnoszą się w nim również do różnic w postrzeganiu tego zjawiska między kobietami i mężczyznami. Z badań wynika, iż czynnikiem, który pozytywnie wpływał na satysfakcję kadry akademickiej w Polsce, jest poczucie, że ich praca cieszy się uznaniem, natomiast negatywny wpływ miało – podobnie jak w przypadku badań międzynarodowych – nadmierne obciążenie obowiązkami dydaktycznymi oraz administracyjnymi. Niektóre z badań wykazały, że poziom zadowolenia polskich pracowników naukowych wzrasta wraz ze stażem pracy.The article discusses the key issues related to the science work satisfaction. It refers to the professional work of the researchers and their stressors, working conditions. Authors also refer to a differences in the perception of this phenomenon between men and women. Research shows that a factor that positively influences the satisfaction of academic staff in Poland is the sense that their work is appreciated, while the negative impact was due to the excessive burden on teaching and administrative duties. Some studies have shown that the level of satisfaction of Polish academics increases with the increase in work experience

Sense of alexithymia in patients with anxiety disorders comorbid with recurrent urticaria

Ewa A Ogłodek,1 Anna M Szota,1 Marek J Just,2 Aleksander Araszkiewicz,1 Adam R Szromek3 1Department of Psychiatry, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Toruń, 2Department of General and Endocrine Surgery, Municipal Hospital, Piekary Śląskie, 3Department of Organization and Management, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland Aim: Alexithymia is associated with limited cognitive processing of emotions by an individual suffering from recurrent urticaria and alexithymia and makes them focus on somatic manifestations of emotional arousal and on poorly controlled compulsive reactions to negative stimulation. Alexithymia is considered to be a personality trait, which, along with other factors, predisposes individuals toward developing somatic diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the measurement of alexithymic features in patients with recurrent urticaria and to assess the types of concurrent anxiety disorders and overall anxiety level.Methods: In order to diagnose clinical anxiety symptoms in patients, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were applied. Alexithymic features were measured by means of a shortened version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, characterized by high discrimination power, internal coherence, and reliability.Results: According to the Toronto Alexithymia Scale results, the greatest contributing factor was “inability to differentiate between feelings and bodily sensations”. This was observed in both males and females. Most frequently, the patients were found to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia.Conclusion: Alexithymia may result from the difficulty associated with expressing emotions caused by anxiety disorders. Undergoing treatment for anxiety disorders may contribute to reduced exacerbation of urticaria. Keywords: alexithymia, anxiety, recurrent urticari