The Medusa Complex: The head separated from the body in the psychopathology of negative affects

This text deals with the issue and the image of Medusa as a polyvalent symbol. Its power has been  analyzed from different sides, such as myth, symbol of dreams, attractive image and cultural ritual, symbol of possession of a complex for the psyche in the cleft between the head and the body. The relevant aspects of this reflection find their foundation in the psychological clinic, in the psychopathology of affections and emotions, petrified expression of anger that has not been processed, in defense mechanisms of isolation of affect

Italian adaptation of the Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory-2

The ability to understand Learning Styles, provided by Kolb’s studies, suggests that the instrument can be used on the Italian population in a translated and adapted form. In this study, correlational and factorial re-analysis, in line with the psychometric evidence in the literature, shows how the four scales, Abstract Conceptualization (AC), Concrete Experience (CE), Reflective Observation (RO), Active Experimentation (AE), come together as in the original Kolb’s hypothesis, in a bipolar dimension. The assessment of the Learning styles applied to the students of Medicine and Surgery, is interesting for the many different approaches into medical science and different professional choices

Projective identification and suicidal risk behaviour assessing a Rorschach protocol: a clinical case report.

 This paper highlights the clinical signs of suicidal risk behaviour assessing a Rorschach protocol.  A 21-year-old female with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and a history of suicide attempt, is assessed upon an accurate clinical and personality evaluation with the Rorschach  projective method. Authors discuss by a clinical and psychoanalytical perspective the role of projective identification and the suicidal risk signs in a Rorschach protocol, for appropriate diagnosis, manage and prevent of this phenomenon.

Clinical Psychology of Oral Health: The Link Between Teeth and Emotions:

The effects of oral health conditions on physical and psychosocial dimensions have been a matter of interest for several authors over the last decades. Nevertheless, literature lacks studies that address the relationship between the oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) and emotions. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of oral disorders on people's emotional well-being, with a particular attention to gender and age differences. Two hundred twenty-nine dental patients in care at private dental clinics were individually tested. One hundred thirty of them were females (56.8%) and 99 males (43.2%), aged between 18 and 83 years ( M = 38.11; SD = 16.7). For the evaluation, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) were used. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlations, the ANOVA, and the Kruskal–Wallis test. OHRQoL showed several correlations with all the emotions explored, overcoming the well-known relationship with anxiety and depression ( p < .05). The degree of OHRQoL produced differences on mood states, which could appear normal, moderately altered, or psychopathological ( p < .03). Furthermore, in different life stages, patients showed specific OHRQoL and emotions

A Clinimetric approach in Psychological diagnosis: clinical observations

Objective: The domain of the clinic assessment in psychology, shares the same theoretical and methodological assumptions with the traditional psychometric methods. In this case, the authors will focus on a clinimetric approach, different from the traditional psychometric ones, usually used in assessment practices. Methods: the authors analysed book by Per Bech “Klinisk Psycometri” and the Italian version titled “l’Assessment in Clinica psicologica: la psicodiagnostica clinimetrica”, edited by Giovanni Fioriti in 2018. Results: The book gives an innovative approach in understanding the clinical use of psychological rating scales, in line with a dimensional approach. Conclusion: The book offers a view on the importance of an assessment in the psychological clinic, which takes into account the nosography conditions of the pathological clinical conditions and the related quality of life and health. The book highlights the possibility of a measurement, which takes the clinical pathological observation, the possibility of comparing different subjects, identifying the link between normal and pathological, psychopathological comorbidity and clinical indications for psychotherapy

The Efficacy of Bibliotherapy in Rehabilitation Context

The aim of the present study was to explore the effectiveness of bibliotherapy in rehabilitation settings. The term bibliotherapy, coined in the 1930’s by the psychiatrist William Menninger, conveys the importance of reading as a tool for cultural promotion and growth, as a means through which to acquire knowledge, enhance one's cognitive and emotional abilities, develop strategies for managing discomfort, as well as a psychoeducational and cognitive technique in the psychotherapeutic field. A study carried out on Pubmed showed that recent research on bibliotherapy, in particular experimental research, would be lacking and requires a humanistic medical approach, drawing on the knowledge and methods of psychology and cognitive literary studies, as well as clinical disciplines to broaden our understanding of how the dynamic processes of interpretation mediate between the textual and characteristic structures of mental health and illness. This narrative review was conducted on PubMed database and used two key terms “Bibliotherapy” AND “rehabilitation” AND “prison”. Studies in line with this specific issue were included. The search of PubMed database provided a total of 470 items recruited online; of these 464 studies were excluded according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. After the screening, a total of 6 studies assessing the bibliotherapy in rehabilitation setting, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative review. Bibliotherapy as a self-help approach also in psychotherapeutic treatments can activate the desire to seek changes in attitudes and behaviour, to acquire knowledge of symptoms, and the value of self-care. A psychological intervention self-administered through ACT bibliotherapy with minimal therapeutic support can improve the physical and emotional functioning of adults with chronic pain. If studies report the efficacy of parent-mediated bibliotherapy in situations of childhood anxiety, nocturnal fears, specific phobias, in adolescence chatbot-delivered self-help depression intervention was proven to be superior to the minimal level of bibliotherapy in terms of reduction on depression and anxiety. Bibliotherapy interventions may be helpful to fight against weight gain and potentially facilitate smoking cessation. &nbsp

Love and sacrifice: the silent and vital presence of the Soul

Objective: Emma Rauschenbach, the wife of Carl Jung for many years, was a rich heiress, described as an intelligent woman who took the role of assistant in her husband's work. Methods: The authors analyzed Imelda Gaudissart’s book “Love and Sacrifice” and the Italian version titled “Amore e sacrificio. La vita di Emma Jung”, edited by Armando Dadò 2018. Results: The portrait that emerges in the book, is that of an intelligent, beautiful and faithful woman, a good mother. At the age of thirty-two Emma already had five children. By looking at the couple dynamics and the spouse’s destiny, it is possible to read in the book elements of Jungian hermeneutics of the conscious mind and of the archetype. Conclusions: The vision of this book describes how the destiny that each person makes is a unique and unrepeatable story, an intertwining of animus and soul

The Cold man. A clinical case of the cold sensation.

The lack of correlation between available knowledge and the current approach to Somatoform Disorders is highlighted.. Methods: the study, via the analysis of an unusual clinical case of an anomalous sensation of cold, examines various hypotheses on the physiopathology of somatization. Conclusions: a conceptualization would focus attention on the level of patients’ preoccupation with their symptoms, on the anomalies of the variations of perceptions and on patients’ hyperarousal. It could lead to a more harmonious position in psychiatry, between anthropologically-based understanding and interpretation of psychophysical information

Family drawing and psychological vulnerability in Children's representations of parental divorce

Parental divorce is a traumatic experience for children, a stressful life event which may contributes to a future psychological vulnerability. The aim of this study is to explore psychological distress in children after parents' separation. This research was based on a convenience sample of one-hundred children, divided in two subgroups: (1) 50 coming from a separated family (observational sample) with an age range spanning from 7 to 12 years [Mean age = 9.2 ± 1.5] and (2) 50 belonging to a nuclear family (control sample) with the same range of age [Mean age = 9.5 ± 1.6]. The sample resulted homogeneous for the gender: in particular, the observational group, is composed of 30 females (60%) and 20 males (40%). Showed several differences, highlighting the presence of negative affectivity, a well-known risk factor for the development of a depressive disorder, by reflecting the possible link between home environment and self-perception. In conclusion, this instrument, like any other projective proof, constitutes a privileged access to the psychological world in which the drawing remains the best communication channel and provides us precious informations about the emotional state of the children