"Nomophobia": Impact of cell phone use interfering with symptoms and emotions of individuals with panic disorder compared with a control group

Panic disorder refers to the frequent and recurring acute attacks of anxiety. Objective: This study describes the routine use of mobiles phones (MPs) and investigates the appearance of possible emotional alterations or symptoms related to their use in patients with panic disorder (PD). Background: We compared patients with PD and agoraphobia being treated at the Panic and Respiration Laboratory of The Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to a control group of healthy volunteers. Method: An MP-use questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample of 50 patients and 70 controls. Results: People with PD showed significant increases in anxiety, tachycardia, respiratory alterations, trembling, perspiration, panic, fear and depression related to the lack of an MP compared to the control group. Conclusions: Both groups exhibited dependence on and were comforted by having an MP; however, people with PD and agoraphobia showed significantly more emotional alterations as well as intense physical and psychological symptoms when they were apart from or unable to use an MP compared to healthy volunteers

Chest pain and panic disorder: physical symptom or coronary heart disease presentation?

O transtorno do pânico (TP) pertence ao grupo dos transtornos de ansiedade caracterizado por repetidos e inesperados ataques de pânico, nos quais predominam os sintomas somáticos e intensa apreensão relacionada à idéia de perda de controle ou morte iminente. Entre os sintomas somáticos que o paciente pode apresentar, a dor torácica exerce papel preponderante, reforçando a idéia de que ele esteja desenvolvendo problema cardiovascular grave, ameaçador à vida, levando à repetida busca por atendimento em unidades cardiológicas ou outros serviços de emergência. A isquemia miocárdica desenvolve-se quando o fluxo de sangue coronariano se torna inadequado para alcançar as exigências metabólicas miocárdicas e manter a função cardíaca adequada. Sua principal causa é a doença arterial coronariana (DAC) e a mais comum manifestação clínica da isquemia miocárdica é a dor torácica. Este relato de caso ilustra a comorbidade do TP com a DAC, discutindo como lidar com essa complexa situação clínica. O diagnóstico de transtorno de pânico raramente é feito e graves conseqüências podem decorrer disso, inclusive na evolução do transtorno psiquiátrico.Panic disorder is a mental disorder that belongs to the group of the anxiety disorders, characterized by repeated and unexpected panic attacks, in which the somatic symptoms are associated to intense apprehension related to the idea of "loosing control" or an imminent death sensation. Amongst somatic symptoms that patients can present, chest pain plays an important role, reinforcing the idea that the patient is threatened by a serious cardiovascular problem, leading to repeated search for attendance in cardiologic or other emergency rooms. Myocardial ischemia develops when coronary blood flow becomes inadequate to meet the requirements of the myocardium for oxygen and metabolic substrates to maintain adequate cardiac function. Coronary stenosis is considered the main cause of myocardial ischemia and its most common clinical manifestation is chest pain. This case report illustrates panic disorder co-occurring with coronary heart disease, discussing how to deal with this complex clinical situation. The diagnosis of panic disorder seldom is made and serious consequences can elapse, including the course of the psychiatric disorder

Esquizofrenia e violência : estudo em um hospital psiquiátrico clínico com o HCR-20 e a MOAS

Objective: This preliminary study aimed to identify and compare characteristics related to violent behavior in inpatients with schizophrenia at a general psychiatric hospital using the Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management 20 (HCR-20), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), and sociodemographic data. Method: Violent and nonviolent participants were selected based on psychiatric admission reports. Participants with reports of aggressive behavior and HCR-20 total score ≥ 21 upon admission were assigned to the violent patient group. Participants without aggressive behavior and with HCR-20 total score < 21 upon admission were assigned to the nonviolent patient group. The MOAS was applied to characterize the degree of severity of the violent behavior. Results: HCR-20 and its subscales were effective in differentiating between the violent and nonviolent participant groups. Twelve of the 20 HCR-20 items were useful for distinguishing between the groups, although total HCR-20 scores were more reliable when applied to the nonviolent patient group. The MOAS did not show high degrees of severity for the types of aggression observed in the participants. Conclusion: HCR-20 was useful and reliable for distinguishing between violent and nonviolent patients with schizophrenia in this clinical psychiatric setting. Item analysis identified the most relevant characteristics in each group. The use of the HCR-20 in clinical psychiatric settings should be encouraged.Objetivo: Este estudo preliminar tem por objetivo identificar e comparar características relacionadas ao comportamento violento em pacientes com esquizofrenia internados em um hospital psiquiátrico utilizando o Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management 20 (HCR-20), a Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), e dados sociodemográficos. Método: Foram selecionados participantes com e sem histórico de comportamento violento, referidos nos relatórios de internação hospitalar. Participantes violentos e com escore total do HCR-20 ≥ 21 na internação foram selecionados para o grupo violento. Participantes não violentos com escore total do HCR-20 < 21 na internação foram selecionados para o grupo não violento. A MOAS foi aplicada para caracterizar o grau de severidade do comportamento violento. Resultados: O HCR-20 e suas subescalas foram eficazes na diferenciação entre os participantes dos grupos. Doze dos 20 itens do HCR-20 foram úteis na diferenciação entre os grupos, apesar do escore total do HCR-20 ter sido mais confiável quando aplicado ao grupo não violento. A MOAS não apresentou graus de severidade elevados para os tipos de agressividade observados nos participantes. Conclusão: O HCR-20 foi útil e confiável na distinção entre pacientes esquizofrênicos violentos e não violentos em ambiente psiquiátrico clínico, já que a análise dos itens identificou as características mais relevantes em cada grupo. O uso do HCR-20 em ambientes psiquiátricos clínicos deveria ser encorajado