MMPI-2

The milestone publication by of criteria for determining malingered neurocognitive dysfunction led to extensive research on validity testing. Position statements by the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) recommended routine validity testing in neuropsychological evaluations. Despite this widespread scientific and professional support, the Social Security Administration (SSA) continued to discourage validity testing, a stance that led to a congressional initiative for SSA to reevaluate their position. In response, SSA commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to evaluate the science concerning the validation of psychological testing. The IOM concluded that validity assessment was necessary in psychological and neuropsychological examinations (IOM, 2015). Objective: The AACN sought to provide independent expert guidance and recommendations concerning the use of validity testing in disability determinations. Method: A panel of contributors to the science of validity testing and its application to the disability process was charged with describing why the disability process for SSA needs improvement, and indicating the necessity for validity testing in disability exams. Results: This work showed how the determination of malingering is a probability proposition, described how different types of validity tests are appropriate, provided evidence concerning non-credible findings in children and low-functioning individuals, and discussed the appropriate evaluation of pain disorders typically seen outside of mental consultations. Conclusions: A scientific plan for validity assessment that additionally protects test security is needed in disability determinations and in research on classification accuracy of disability decisions.

Ventricular septal defects are the most common congenital cardiac abnormality seen in paediatric age group. Depending on their location in the interventricular septum, ventricular septal defects are described as perimembranous, muscular, sub-arterial, and in-flow. VSD are usually associated with pulmonary hypertension, failure to thrive and congestive heart failure. Ideal management

Few validated tests allow a precise aetiological diagnosis of Low Back Pain (LBP), and the difficulty of clinical evaluations could be one of the reasons to explain the lack of effectiveness in the therapeutic management of chronic LBP. However, an implication of a sensory impairment in the control of sensorimotor circuits could be suggested. Interactive and specific responses between nociceptive nerve fibres and the paraspinal musculature motor control could have clinical implications, in particular through kinematic evaluation. Following an introduction to the link between the sensory innervation of the spine and pain, we then summarise the maladaptive movement in LBP at the kinematic and neuropathological level. A clinical objectification of these kinematic adaptations at the lumbar spine level, would clarify the aetiological diagnosis causes of chronic LBP, and so help optimising therapeutic strategies by proposing a relevant and precise clinical model of this painful condition.

The current classification of personality disorder in ICD-11 includes a description of personality functioning, derived from a number of theoretical paradigms, but most notably consistent with the psychodynamic approach. Concurrently, an object-relations model of personality functioning in a dimensional assessment of severity is provided in the Structured Interview of Personality Organization-Revised (STIPO-R). To date, there are no published measures of International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) personality severity, though the construct is very comparable to the concepts assessed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) levels of personality functioning concept, which is measured by the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Self-Report (LPFS-SR). This study examined the validity of ICD-11 personality functioning, as measured by the LPFS-SR, by evaluating its associations with the STIPO-R in Kurdistan region. The samples included 231 Univers...

One of the influencing factors on women's sexual functioning is their personality traits, personality disorders, and mental health issues. This study aimed to predict the symptoms of sexual dysfunction in married women based on higher-order scales of the MMPI-3 test. The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 192 married women selected through purposive sampling. The research community included married women visiting counseling and sexual health centers in Isfahan in the year 1403 (2024). The tools used included the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3). The obtained data were analyzed using regression analysis and multiple linear correlation methods. The results indicated that the level of significance for the impact of higher-order scales was 0.016, which is less than 0.05. Therefore, with 95% confidence, it can be stated that the higher-order scales significantly influence the symptoms of dysfunction in married women. Furthermore, the results indicated a positive and significant correlation between the symptoms of sexual dysfunction in married women and the Thought Dysfunction scale (P<0.05 and r=0.094). There was no correlation between sexual dysfunction symptoms and Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunctio and Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction scales. The results of the study showed that the profile of the higher-order scales of the MMPI-3 in women with symptoms of sexual dysfunction is elevated. This finding supports the theory that the profile of higher-order scales serves as a significant variable to predict sexual dysfunction in women.

At a worldwide live, one of the tests most used in process of selection for positions of security of the state is the Multiphasetic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). With the interest to describe the characteristics of personality of some aspirants for this kind of positions, it was applied the MMPI-2 in a non experimental investigation of descriptive transversal type using a sample of 1812 contenders. The test was applied to analyze scores of gender and culture. As well, to obtain results according to de culture and the sample used, some scales were done to identify differences between the Colombia population with the one of Spain. Within the analysis there were no significant differences between the accepted or rejected, but it is used in the clinical scales and the ones of validity, variation in gender and culture. Finally a profile was created for Colombian men and women for the MMPI-2.

La transformación desarrollada en nuestro estado mediante una mano de obra pujante, se sustenta en una cultura de 4.1.2.3 Representante de la gerencia.... 66 4.1.3 Revisión ejecutiva 66 4.2 Procedimiento del sistema de calidad 68 4.3 Revisión de contrato 69 4.3.1 Revisión 69 4.3.2 Modificaciones de contrato 69 4.3.3 Registros 69 4.4 Diseño (No aplica) 69 4.5 Control de documentos y datos 70 4.5.1 Administración de documentos 70 4.5.2 Aprobación y emisión de documentos 70 4.5.3 Cambios o modificaciones de documentos 70 4.6 Adquisiciones 71 4.6.1 Evaluación de sub contratistas 71 4.6.2 Datos de compras 4.6.3 Verificación de bienes adquiridos 4.7 Control de productos abastecidos por el cliente.. 4.8 Identificación y seguimiento del producto 4.9

Study objectives: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a well recognized chronic mucocutaneous disorder which can manifest in the oral mucosa, whose exact pathogenic mechanisms have not been understood. Estimation of serum cortisol in patients with OLP may be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis. Therefore a study was undertaken to analyze the serum cortisol levels in OLP patients. An attempt was also made to evaluate the anxiety and depression levels in these patients. A case control study was conducted on 15 cases each of non-erosive oral lichen planus (NEOLP) and erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP) and 10 controls. The serum cortisol levels of all 40 patients were estimated by using electrochemoluminiscence. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score questionnaire was administered to evaluate the psychiatric status of all the patients. The mean serum cortisol level of the OLP group showed a very highly significant difference (p=0.001) from the controls. The mean anxiety and depression scores of the OLP group showed very highly significant difference (p=0.001) from the controls. The difference in mean cortisol level between NEOLP group and control was not significant (p=0.06), whereas the difference was very highly significant between the EOLP group and controls (p=0.001). The difference between the anxiety score between the NEOLP group and EOLP group, but the depression scores between the two groups were not very significant (p=0.085). These findings suggest that psychiatric factors play a vital role in the pathogenesis of OLP and serum cortisol could be a possible indicator for the erosive nature of the lesion.

Until most recently university students were considered to score significantly higher on the MMPI clinical and validity scales, in terms of their mean profiles, than the original normative non-psychiatric sample. According to the only study by Butcher, Graham, Dahlstrom and Bowman (1990) on this subject, this does not seem to be the case on the MMPI-2. The present research was a study of the same type as the Butcher, Graham, et al. (1990) study but with a Canadian sample of university students, at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. The results obtained from the present study showed significant elevations in terms of the mean profiles for both male and female students on several of the validity and clinical scales of the MMPI-2 in comparison to the normative sample. The obtained differences may reflect the younger age, as well as the socio-economic differences of the Lakehead University sample compared to the MMPI-2 normative group. Results also revealed that the L.U. student sample...

To my parents, my wife, my brother, and my son v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Dorr for his unending patience and kind heart. His interest and enthusiasm for this project, along with his academic acumen and editorial oversight, made this project a reality. I am eternally grateful for all that he has done for me and taught me. He has been the heart of my time at WSU and he is a tremendous asset to anything he touches. I would also like to thank Dr. Don Morgan and Dr. Charles Burdsal for their continued interest in this project. They have given me so much in time, attention, and sage advice. Thank you for constantly going out of your way for me. I would also like to acknowledge the entire psychology faculty at Wichita State University for their support, guidance, and mentoring over the past several years. I would especially like to thank my committee for their willingness to serve on this dissertation. Their editorial comments proved tremendously instructive and astute.

To my parents, my wife, my brother, and my son v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Dorr for his unending patience and kind heart. His interest and enthusiasm for this project, along with his academic acumen and editorial oversight, made this project a reality. I am eternally grateful for all that he has done for me and taught me. He has been the heart of my time at WSU and he is a tremendous asset to anything he touches. I would also like to thank Dr. Don Morgan and Dr. Charles Burdsal for their continued interest in this project. They have given me so much in time, attention, and sage advice. Thank you for constantly going out of your way for me. I would also like to acknowledge the entire psychology faculty at Wichita State University for their support, guidance, and mentoring over the past several years. I would especially like to thank my committee for their willingness to serve on this dissertation. Their editorial comments proved tremendously instructive and astute.

This tells the story of attempts to stop the work environment damaging health, from stone dust, lead, textiles, and many other hazards, through the industrial revolution and up to the 21st century.  For much of this time, occupational hygiene was one social concern amongst others, such as child labour, bad housing, and exploitation of women. From about 1900, exposure measurements became possible, and with them the first limits.  Improvement always had to work a way through financial and political interests.  In the second half of the 20th century, the British Occupational Hygiene Society provided a focus for better ideas and a more organised and better-trained profession.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures are operationally defined as episodes of altered movement very like epileptic seizures, but associated with psychological problems and not with ictal discharges. Children with psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNS) could be categorized either under somatoform in the ICD-10 or conversion disorders in DMS-IV. The history, psychometric evaluation and therapeutic approach concerning nonepileptic psychogenic seizures in a 13-year-old girl are presented and discussed. The novelty of the treatment is the electrodermal (EDR) biofeedback procedure combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy. We infered that biofeedback for PNE in pediatric patients is highly cost-effective, discriminative for the actual level of stress and gives good therapeutic results through enhancing self awareness and relaxation, when used in combination with standard psychometric and psychotherapeutic methods. The stabilization of the hypersensitivity, lower neurotic tendencies and emot...

The study of violence and recidivism in sexual offenders is currently an area of special interest in Criminal Psychology. In this article, both the theories and existing knowledge about the etiology and risk factors of sexual aggression and the international and Spanish ...

Background: High thoracic epidural analgesia (HTEA) has been shown to reduce psychological morbidity in the early period following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Our aim was to identify whether the effect persists in the longer term. Materials and Methods: Patients from a previous randomised study of HTEA for CABG were followed up 6 months to 3 years following surgery. The cardiac depression scale (CDS) was used to identify severity of depression. Results: Sixty-one of the original 78 patients were able to participate in the study. Eight point three percent of patients had CDS scores >100, consistent with severe depression (1 epidural patient, 4 control patients, P=0.353). After adjustment for time of follow-up, the CDS scores in patients who received HTEA were significantly lower (66ȗ3.5) than patients who received intravenous morphine analgesia (79ȗ3.5) P<0.05 Conclusion: The use of HTEA results in a lower risk of depression 6 months or more following CABG.

This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl edgment of source is m a d e. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. This thesis has been approved on the date shown below:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) represents a serious public health risk. Individuals with BPD consume a disproportionately high amount of mental health services, engage in frequent suicidal and parasuicidal behavior, and do not respond as well to established treatments for other disorders. Research into BPD depends on the availability of well-validated and useful measures of its core features. However, few such instruments exist. The present report examines the psychometric performance of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO), a theory-based self-report measure of borderline personality features consisting of 46 items. The IPO was administered to a total of 2775 college undergraduates from two separate universities in the northeastern U.S. A confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the IPO is better characterized by a three-factor than a two-factor model, which is consistent with its theoretical structure. A formal test of measurement equivalence suggested that the IPO generalizes well to different populations. The relationship between IPO subscales and measures of identity, defense mechanisms, affect, and reckless and self-harming behavior was also examined. Results indicated that the identity diffusion subscale of the IPO displayed good convergent and discriminant validity. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………………………..v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter 2. METHODS …………………………………………………………………………..12 Data Collection ………………………………………………………………………….12 Statistical Analyses ……………………………………………………………………...21 Hypotheses ………………………………………………………………………………26 Chapter 3. RESULTS ……………………………………………………………………………28 Missing Data …………………………………………………………………………….28 Model Fit ………………………………………………………………………………...29 Measurement Equivalence ………………………………………………………………33 Criterion Relations ………………………………………………………………………34 Chapter 4. DISCUSSION ……………………………………………………………………….44 Model Fit ………………………………………………………………………………...44 Measurement Equivalence ………………………………………………………………46 Criterion Relations ………………………………………………………………………47 Overall Conclusions and Directions for Future Research ……………………………….52 References ……………………………………………………………………………………….54

Relatively few targets of sexual harassment cope with the psychological sequelae of their experiences by engaging in litigation. Those who do are often subjected to forensic examination to evaluate their history of psychological distress or disorder and to determine whether such a condition could be reasonably attributed to the alleged harassment, as opposed to some other cause. An unbiased approach to such examinations is critical to all parties, as well as to the profession itself. This study investigates the relationship between the clinical and restructured clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, the Trauma Symptom Inventory subscales, the Crime-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CR-PTSD) scale, and an American Psychiatric Association diagnosis (APA, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; DSM-IV-TR; 4th ed., text rev., 2000, Washington, DC, Author) of PTSD in a sample of sexual harassment plaintiffs. All measures performed well independently, but together provided improved predictive accuracy, suggesting that the use of multiple validated measures as well as structured diagnostic interviews may help us better understand litigants' experiences and reduce bias in evaluations.

The primary aim of this article is to aid clinicians in differentiating true posttraumatic stress disorder from malingered posttraumatic stress disorder. Posttraumatic stress disorder and malingering are defined, and prevalence rates are explored. Similarities and differences in diagnostic criteria between the fourth and fifth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are described for posttraumatic stress disorder. Possible motivations for malingering posttraumatic stress disorder are discussed, and common characteristics of malingered posttraumatic stress disorder are described. A multimodal approach is described for evaluating posttraumatic stress disorder, including interview techniques, collection of collateral data, and psychometric and physiologic testing, that should allow clinicians to distinguish between those patients who are truly suffering from posttraumatic disorder and those who are malingering the illness.

INTRODUCTION
Depression may be a psycho-bio social condition and the popular misconception that it is due to lack of will power has contributed to the stigma of this affliction (Bhugra 2013). A major depressive disorder (MDD) is indicated by the presence of at least five of the following symptoms (American psychiatric association 2013) occurring independently of physical illness, normal bereavement, alcohol or drugs: Abnormal depressed mood; Abnormal loss of interest and pleasure; Appetite or weight disturbance; Sleep disturbance; Disturbance in activity (agitation or slowing); Abnormal fatigue or loss of energy; Abnormal self-criticism or improper guilt; Poor concentration or indecisiveness; Morbid thoughts of death or suicide.
At least one symptom must be abnormal depressed mood or loss of interest and pleasure, persisting for most of nearly every day for at least two weeks and significantly impairing function and daily life.

OBJECTIVES
Treatment resistance is difficult to outline, and it is even more complex when it comes to resistance to psychopharmacology treatment for Major Depression, which is born from different factors acting in synergy in a specific internal and external context for a given subject. It may be defined as an unsatisfactory response to two adequate trials of two different classes of anti-depressants at optimum dosage for sufficient duration (Thase & Rush 1997, Souery 1999). Ketamine enantiomere S is gaining clinical interest as "Es-ketamine" (ESK) on intranasal administration. It is believed to be primarily an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, capable of sorting ions through AMPA receptors and involving a multitude of signaling cascade neurons, including synaptogenic mTORC1 and neurotrophic factor derived from brain (BDNF) (Am J Psychiatry, 2021). Other pharmaco-dynamic mechanisms were also demonstrated, namely: the agonism of opioid receptors and D2 receptors, antagonism of nicotinic and muscarinic choline receptors, inhibition of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine transporters. A combination of these mechanisms would facilitate a rapid mood improvement in Es-ketamine-treated patients suffering from resistant depression. Copyright © 2020 Cristina Serritella - cristinaserritella@gmail.com

METHOD
We administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Test Inventory/MMPI-2 (which evaluates personality traits and severity of psycho-pathological symptoms) to patients who have been treated for a month with EsKetamine at our clinics of the Mental Health Unit. The patients were chosen because they fully met APA 2013 criteria for the presence of RD.

RESULTS
In the patients in MMPI-2's tables (Qr code scan), psychotic processes of considerable severity were detected with problems mainly related to antisocial personality traits (RC4=68), Impulsive Disconnection with Loss of Cognitive Ego Control and Loss of Conative Ego Control (Sc=85; Sc=76), Mismatch to Context (Mt=71), Low Self-esteem and Disorder Post-traumatic from Stress Keane and Stress Schlenger (PK=66; PS=69) with depressive symptoms still present although not relevant. Surprisingly, one patient's main problems conform to personality traits with paranoia and misanthropy (Pa1=67; CYN 1=69), without depressive symptoms but with the presence of hypo-maniac ones (9 – Ma =74; 9 – Ma+2K=74); another patient has reported dysphoria problems (DEP 2 =72) and aberrant experiences (RC8=97) with depressive symptoms still showing.

CONCLUSION
It’s scientifically indispensable to study personality profiles and related psychopathological states to understand that forms of RD are probably unknown forms/subtypes of depression or related to diagnoses of schizo-effective type disorders or occult bipolarity. And it is precisely the new commonly used antidepressants that unmask the incipient bipolarity. The risk of suicide is higher in the presence of mixed moods. In our study, the drugs used in combination with Es-Ketamine are antidepressants (up to three) in combination with appropriate doses of mood-stabilizing drugs and newgeneration anti-psychotics, such as Quetiapina (up to 200 mg/day) and Brexipiprazole (up to a maximum dosage of 2 mg/day). So, if we study psychopathology in depth, can we think that RD is more of a theoretical construct than an accredited clinical reality? If depression and mood alteration emerge as an extreme treatment attempt triggered by complex psychiatric disorders, it is recommended to avoid delaying or putting off complex treatments which involve the use of Es-Ketamine without assessing every single case beforehand.

While previous studies on the MMPI‐2 in patients with schizophrenia and depression have used mixed samples of both early stage and chronic psychiatric patients. Here, it is investigated whether chronicity itself might have a differential effect on the MMPI‐2 profiles of these patients and whether demoralization ‘associated with long‐term illness’ affects the scales of the MMPI‐2. Thirty long‐term patients with schizophrenia, 30 long‐term patients with depression, and 30 healthy participants completed the MMPI‐2. Groups were compared on Clinical Scales and on the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales. Patients with schizophrenia differed from patients with depression on 14 MMPI‐2 scales and from healthy controls on 10 scales, generally showing mean UT‐scores &lt; 65, indicating a subjective experience of (near) normal functioning. Patients with depression differed from healthy controls on 17 scales mostly with UT‐scores &gt; 65, indicating impaired functioning. Demoralization was higher ...

Individuals who present for neuropsychological assessment often are significantly distressed emotionally and seek proper recognition of and treatment for their deficits. Because inaccurately diagnosing malingering can have profound negative consequences, we tested the hypothesis that failing a performance validity test (PVT) may not solely be due to external incentive (secondary gain) but could, for some, represent pronounced help-seeking behavior (primary gain). We presented a simulation condition to 40 volunteers (41% male, 59% female; mean age = 29.8; mean education = 16 years) asking them to imagine that they were seeking services at a health clinic and were experiencing significant emotional distress. Participants were administered the Immediate Recall (IR), Delayed Recall (DR), and Consistency (CONS) portions of the Word Memory Test (WMT) and informed that the test&#39;s purpose was to assess distress for the purpose of determining who would receive services at the clinic. The...

Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto RESUMEN El presente trabajo pretende abordar el problema de la manipulación interpersonal en adolescentes y jóvenes. En lo general, se definen tres grupos básicos de comportamientos sociales: el grupo de las conductas sumisas, las conductas asertivas y las conductas agresivas. En este último grupo, se suelen inscribir a los manipuladores interpersonales; sin embargo, éstos no encajan exactamente en las descripciones de conducta agresiva pues el manipulador es, fundamentalmente, un simulador social que posee ciertas habilidades sociales que le permiten tener diferentes grados de poder y sobreinfluencia en las personas de su entorno. En este trabajo establecemos con una muestra de adolescentes y jóvenes las características de personalidad y las actitudes del pensamiento social asociadas a las personas que ejercen o padecen la manipulación interpersonal.

Objective: To obtain normative data on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) personality test for gestational surrogate (GS) candidates. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken through chart review of all GS candidates assessed at Shady Grove Fertility Center, Rockville, MD, USA, between June 2007 and December 2009. Participants completed the MMPI-2 test during screening. MMPI-2 scores, demographic information, and screening outcome were retrieved. Results: Among 153 included candidates, 132 (86.3%) were accepted to be a GS, 6 (3.9%) were ruled out because of medical reasons, and 15 (9.8%) were ruled out because of psychological reasons. The mean scores on each of the MMPI-2 scales were within the normal range. A score of more than 65 (the clinical cutoff) was recorded on the L scale for 46 (30.1%) candidates, on the K scale for 61 (39.9%), and on the S scale for 84 (54.9%). Women who were ruled out for psychological reasons had significantly higher mean scores on the validity scales F and L, and on clinical scale 8 than did women who were accepted (P b 0.05 for all). Conclusion: Most GS candidates are well adjusted and free of psychopathology, but candidates tend to present themselves in an overly positive way.

Eating disorders are complex in their origin, presentation, and management. Individuals with eating disorders at times tend to hide their symptoms and their defensive secrecy and compulsive behaviours make it difficult to diagnose and treat these disorders. Gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly reported by individuals with eating disorders but may be overlooked by clinicians.

Background: Idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) is a descriptor for nonspecific complaints that are attributed to environmental exposure. Methods: The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) was administered to 50 female and 20 male personal injury litigants alleging IEI. Results: The validity scales indicated no overreporting of psychopathology. Half of the cases had elevated scores on validity scales suggesting defensiveness, and a large number had elevations on Fake Bad Scale (FBS) suggesting overreporting of unauthenticated symptoms. The average T-score profile for females was defined by the two-point code type 3-1 (Hysteria-Hypochondriasis), and the average T-score profile for males was defined by the three-point code type 3-1-2 (Hysteria, Hypochondriasis-Depression). On the content scales, Health Concerns (HEA) scale was significantly elevated. Conclusion: Idiopathic environmental intolerance litigants (a) are more defensive about expressing psychopathology, (b) express distress through somatization, (c) use a self-serving misrepresentation of exaggerated health concerns, and (d) may exaggerate unauthenticated symptoms suggesting malingering.

liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to photostat reproduction, copying, mimeographing or duplication of any kind, translating, preparation of microfilms, and electronic data processing and storage. Important note: Medical knowledge is ever-changing. As new research and clinical experience broaden our knowledge, changes in treatment and drug therapy may be required. The authors and editors of the material herein have consulted sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is complete and in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication. However, in view of the possibility of human error by the authors, editors, or publisher of the work herein or changes in medical knowledge, neither the authors, editors, nor publisher, nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation of this work, warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete, and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from use of such information. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. For example, readers are advised to check the product information sheet included in the package of each drug they plan to administer to be certain that the information contained in this publication is accurate and that changes have not been made in the recommended dose or in the contraindications for administration. This recommendation is of particular importance in connection with new or infrequently used drugs. Some of the product names, patents, and registered designs referred to in this book are in fact registered trademarks or proprietary names even though specific reference to this fact is not always made in the text. Therefore, the appearance of a name without designation as proprietary is not to be construed as a representation by the publisher that it is in the public domain.

There is an enormous body of literature that has identified the intervertebral disc as a potent pain generator. However, with regard to lumbar degenerative disc disease, the specific diagnostic criteria lack clarity and fail to capture the primary components which include axial midline low back pain with or without non-radicular/non-sciatic referred leg pain in a sclerotomal distribution. In fact, there is no specific ICD-10-CM diagnostic code to classify and define discogenic pain as a unique source of pain distinct from other recognized sources of chronic low back pain including facetogenic, neurocompressive including herniation and/or stenosis, sacroiliac, vertebrogenic, and psychogenic. All of these other sources have well-defined ICD-10-CM codes. Corresponding codes for discogenic pain remain absent from the diagnostic coding vernacular. The International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) has proposed a modernization of ICD-10-CM codes to specifically define ...

A minority of opiate addicts, especially young males, maintain close ties with their parents. These families, referred to here as “addict‐families,” are characterized by: (a) much greater success by the parents in meeting reality demands than by the addicts; (b) apparent congeniality and closeness but an absence of effective communication; (c) unsuccessful attempts by the parents to control the addict&#39;s behavior; (d) a tendency for the father to dominate the mother; (e) extreme overindulgence of the addict by one or both parents; (f) absence of parental support for movement toward adult responsibility in the addict; (g) family consensus in perceiving the addict as failing by conventional values. The characteristics seem to perpetuate the addiction, and the addiction appears to maintain the stability of the family.

Drug recalls and lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers are accompanied by announcements emphasizing harmful drug side-effects. Those with elevated health anxiety may be more reactive to such announcements. We evaluated whether health anxiety and financial incentives affect subjective symptom endorsement, and objective outcomes of cognitive and physiological functioning during a mock drug recall. Hundred and sixty-one participants reported use of over-the-counter pain medications and presented with a fictitious medication recall via a mock Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. The opportunity to join a class-action lawsuit was manipulated. We assessed health anxiety, recalled drug usage, blood pressure, heart rate, and performance on a computerized Trail Making Test (TMT). Symptom endorsement was strongly predicted by health anxiety. When combined, three health anxiety measures explained 28.5% variance (Cohen’s d = 1.26). These effects remain strong after controlling fo...

La presencia de micotoxinas en granos y piensos es un grave problema mundial con implicaciones económicas y de salud, tanto animal como humana. En este artículo se revisan las más importantes y su efecto sobre la producción porcina, así como los principales medios de prevención y lucha. "Había en la calle hombres que se desplomaban, entre alaridos y contorsiones; otros caían y echaban espuma por la boca, afectados por crisis epilépticas, y algunos vomitaban y daban signos de locura. Muchos gritaban: "¡Fuego! ¡Me abraso!". Se trataba de un fuego invisible que desprendía la carne de los huesos y la consumía. Hombres, mujeres y niños agonizaban con dolores insoportables." Éstas fueron las palabras que utilizó un cronista del siglo X para describir una enfermedad que se localizaba en numerosas partes de Europa en el año 943. La enfermedad se conoció como el "fuego de San Antonio", debido a la sensación abrasadora experimentada por las víctimas, muchas de las cuales visitaban el santuario de San Antonio en Francia con la esperanza de curarse. Sabemos ahora que el "fuego de San Antonio" (ergotismo) se debía al consumo de centeno contaminado con alcaloides ergóticos producidos por el hongo Claviceps purpurea o cornezuelo del centeno, y que alcanzó proporciones epidémicas en muchas partes de Europa en el siglo X. Los metabolitos secundarios tóxicos producidos por determinados mohos, tales como los alcaloides ergóticos, se conocen como micotoxinas y las enfermedades que causan se denominan micotoxicosis (www.fao.org). La contaminación con micotoxinas afecta de manera global a la gran mayoría del sector ganadero y cerealista, así como en humana a nivel sanitario. Por ello, es importante conocer y prevenir en su totalidad las fuentes y las causas de este problema, que ocasiona no sólo un perjuicio económico dentro de las explotaciones afectadas sino también un problema grave que para los consumidores finales de carnes o cereales. Micotoxinas El término micotoxina deriva de las palabras griegas "mykes" (hongos) y "toksicons" (veneno). Las micotoxinas son metabolitos tóxicos secundarios producidos por géneros de hongos como el Aspergillus, Penicillum y Fusarium sp., encontrados en todos los cereales, semillas de algodón y granos de soja. Su consumo provoca cambios

The MMPI-2 is widely used in assessments of police officer candidates. The MMPI-2-RF, composed of 338 of the 567 MMPI-2 items, is designed to measure the core clinical constructs assessed by the MMPI-2, but in a more psychometrically sound and efficient manner (Ben-Porath and Tellegen 2008/2011). Law enforcement comparison group data are embedded in the scoring software for the inventory, and reported in the User's Guide for the MMPI-2-RF Police Candidate Interpretive Report (PCIR; Corey and Ben-Porath 2014). In the present concurrent validity study, conceptually based hypotheses regarding associations between MMPI-2-RF scales and scores on the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI, Inwald et al. 1982; Hilson Research 2006), a test specifically designed to screen law enforcement officers, were tested with a sample of 277 male, full-time police officer candidates from four separate police departments of varying sizes examined after a conditional offer of employment was tendered. The majority of participants were Caucasian (69%), followed by African-American (27%), or Other/Mixed ethnicity (4%). Our hypotheses were largely borne out, lending support to the construct validity of the MMPI-2-RF and the ability of scores on the inventory to assess variables relevant to police candidate evaluations.

Assessment of mental health problems with MMPI instruments has a long tradition in Italy beginning in 1948. This study examined how the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) compares with MMPI-2 in evaluating psychiatric patients in Italian patients. We obtained a sample of psychiatric inpatients that were referred to the University Hospital in Rome, Italy who were administered the MMPI-2. This study examines the utility of the MMPI-2-RF, and how its performance compares with MMPI-2 scales in this contemporary clinical sample. Several areas were examined: to evaluate whether the new MMPI-2-RF scales are sensitivity to mental health symptoms that are addressed by the original MMPI scales, and whether the MMPI-2-RF scales are sensitive to gender specific symptoms. These data show the limitations of the MMPI-2-RF in mental health assessment. The MMPI-2-RF scales have little relationship to the traditional MMPI-2 measures and are more highly related t...

Given the paucity of previous research, we examined the occurrence of scoring error on widely used objective personality tests and examined its possible relation to two factors: scoring procedure complexity (SPC) and commitment to accuracy (CTA). We doublechecked the scoring of three tests (MMPI, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger State/Trait Anxiety Inventory) across three settings. Each of the tests were misscored at a surprisingly high rate in at least one setting, and some such errors altered major interpretive implications. Tests of higher SPC showed greater error rates, but high CTA greatly reduced the occurrence of error across levels of SPC. Unexpected sources of error were also uncovered, such as commercial computer scoring errors and disagreement in scoring standards among test publishers. Practical suggestions for improving scoring accuracy are offered.

Objectives Eating Disorders are characterized from changing of behaviour feeding, that follow alterations of weight perception of self body image; from several years, our outpatient ambulatory, studies relatinships between DCA syndromes and personality and this article reports results of a research on this theme for a more specific tratment. Methods Our research tools were psychiatric interview and PDQ4+ (Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire). Our population is constituted from 70 female outpatients, with an average age of 26 years and with eating disorders diagnosis of trouble feed, according to DSM-IV-TR criteria (Fig. 1). This population was confronted with a control group of 74 persons, with an average age of 25 years, followed by dietology department of university of Naples «Federico II». Results PDQ4+ test underlines personality disorders in 29% of our patients respect to 4% frequency in the control group; 60% of patients showed personality traits respect to 65% of the control group; 11% of DCA patients didn't show any personality disorders or personality traits (Fig. 2). Conclusions This study shows low useful are researches concerning relationships between personality and eating Disorders. In fact these studies are helpful to psychotherapists in their approach to this kind of patients.

This article documents and discusses the importance of using a formal systematic approach to validating psychological tests. To illustrate, results are presented from a systematic review of the validity findings cited in the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 2003) test manual, originally conducted during the manuscript review process for Mihura, Meyer, Dumitrascu, and Bombel&#39;s (2013) CS meta-analyses. Our review documents (a) the degree to which the CS test manual reports validity findings for each test variable, (b) whether these findings are publicly accessible or unpublished studies coordinated by the test developer, and (c) the presence and nature of data discrepancies between the CS test manual and the cited source. Implications are discussed for the CS in particular, the Rorschach more generally, and psychological tests more broadly. Notably, a history of intensive scrutiny of the Rorschach has resulted in more stringent standards applied to it, even though its sc...

Low back pain (LBP) is a major physical and socioeconomic entity. A significant percentage of LBP is attributable to internal disc disruption. The management of internal disc disruption has traditionally been limited to either conservative treatment or spinal fusion. Intradiscal electrothermal coagulation (IDET) and percutaneous neuromodulation therapy (PNT) are now being performed as an alternative to these therapies. Scientific data regarding the pathophysiology, biologic effects, and clinical results are relatively scarce. Early biomechanical and histologic investigations into the effects of IDET are conflicting. However, in early prospective human trials, IDET seems to provide some benefit with little risk. PNT represents a new less invasive technique for the treatment of discogenic pain, but limited research is available to determine long-term clinical efficacy. IDET and PNT are potentially beneficial treatments for internal disc disruption in carefully selected patients as an alternative to spinal fusion. More basic science and clinical research with long-term follow-up evaluation is necessary.