Does pop-culture affect perception of medical procedures? Report on knowledge and attitude towards electroconvulsive therapy among Polish students.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the general knowledge and attitudes towards ECT among Polish students, including students of medical faculties. Furthermore, the influence of pop-culture on society's opinion about ECT was investigated.

Methods: For this purpose, 1,370 students have been examined with the usage of the author's questionnaire, which consisted of questions about socio-demographic data, detailed questions about ECT as well as questions about their opinion about influence of pop-culture on the reception of this procedure.

Psychiatric Comorbidity in Older Adults with Intellectual Disability.

Background: The population of older adults with intellectual disability (ID) is large and growing due to a significant increase of life expectancy caused by improvements in health and social care. Multimorbidity is highly prevalent in this population and co-morbid psychiatric disorders are especially frequent.

Subject And Methods: The aim of this article is to review the prevalence and consequences of psychiatric comorbidity in the population of older adults with ID.

The role of selective estrogen receptor modulators in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Background: Gender differences in schizophrenia have been recognized for a long time and it has been widely accepted that sex steroid hormones, especially estradiol, are strongly attributed to this fact. Two hypotheses regarding estradiol action in psychoses gained special research attention - the estrogen protection hypothesis and hypoestrogenism hypothesis. A growing number of studies have shown benefits in augmenting antipsychotic treatment with estrogens or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM).

Cognitive deficits in adults with obstructive sleep apnea compared to children and adolescents.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can negatively affect the patient's physical and psychological functioning, as well as their quality of life. A major consequence of OSA is impaired cognitive functioning. Indeed, several studies have shown that OSA mainly leads to deficits in executive functions, attention, and memory.

Sleep and inflammatory markers in different psychiatric disorders.

Many psychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia, affective disorders, addictions and different forms of dementia are associated with sleep disturbances. In the etiology and course of those diseases inflammatory processes are regarded to be an increasingly important factor. They are also a frequently discussed element of the pathology of sleep.

Psychological distress and social factors in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Chronic respiratory diseases which embrace asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in the population. In a large number of cases they are diagnosed very late. Statistics of deaths, especially in the case of COPD, are underestimated because morbidity and mortality can be affected by other comorbid conditions, for example cardiovascular disease.

Psychogenic speech disorder--a case report.

Background: Conversion (dissociative) disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which somatic symptoms or deficits are present in the absence of a definable organic cause. The etiology of this disorder is not yet fully understood. The most characteristic presentations are: pseudosensory syndromes, pseudoseizures, psychogenic movement disorders and pseudoparalysis.

"Claw your way"--Machiavellianism among the medical community.

Background: Machiavellianism is a personality trait characterized by emotional detachment and tendency to manipulate others to achieve one's own goal. It is presumed that people high in Machiavellianism would more likely choose business-related occupations, whereas low Machiavellians would prefer helping professions, therefore medical professionals are expected to be low-Machs.

Subjects And Methods: This is a questionnaire study on 509 respondents: medical school candidates (16.

Psychiatric disorders associated with Cushing's syndrome.

Background: Cushing's syndrome is the term used to describe a set of symptoms associated with hypercortisolism, which in most cases is caused by hypophysial microadenoma over-secreting adrenocorticotropic hormone. This endocrine disorder is often associated with psychiatric comorbidities. The most important include mood disorders, psychotic disorders, cognitive dysfunctions and anxiety disorders.

Effects of hormones on cognition in schizophrenic male patients--preliminary results.

Background: Schizophrenia is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder of an unknown etiology and a variable phenotypic expression. In the recent years, the impact of hormones on the course of schizophrenia has been investigated. This study is aimed at assessing the level of correlating serum levels of hormones in schizophrenic male patients with their cognitive functioning measured with neuropsychological tests.

Evaluation of the utility of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in the diagnosis of social anxiety, impulsivity and depression.

Background: Often mental disorders are serious problems concerning psychological well-being. They require comprehensive and specialized psychiatric and psychological help, but there are no public methods of controlling your mental state. The aim of study was the evaluation of the utility of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in the diagnosis of social anxiety, impulsivity and depression.

Empathy among physicians, medical students and candidates.

Background: Empathy is one of the crucial personality traits for all medical professionals, including physicians. The importance of empathy in doctor-patient relationship cannot be overestimated, as it is beneficial for both sides. Regrettably, there is evidence for the decline in this trait over the course of medical studies.

Depressiveness, symptoms of anxiety and cognitive dysfunctions in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): possible associations with inflammation markers: a pilot study.

Psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction often occur in patients suffering from somatic conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which constitute a major and growing public health problem. In the present study we therefore aimed at analyzing depressive symptoms as well as symptoms of anxiety and cognitive problems in patients with mild to moderate asthma and COPD. 59 participants-17 with asthma, 24 with COPD and 18 healthy controls were enrolled.

Analysis of psychoemotional state and intellectual abilities in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease--preliminary results.

Background: In the literature we can find examples of comorbidity of the diseases of the respiratory tract and mental disorders. Among them a particularly significant position is occupied by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, which may be accompanied by anxiety, depressive and cognitive symptoms. The present research project was aimed to establish a connection between psycho-intellectual functioning and suffering from the aforementioned diseases.

Association of early drinking onset with subsequent alcohol abuse.

Background: In the recent years the phenomenon of early alcohol initiation is observed. This problem is often underestimated, in spite of its numerous negative consequences

Subjects And Methods: The research study was based on authors` anonymous questionnaire including questions referring to: age of alcohol initiation, age of the first blackout after drinking alcohol, the place and circumstances of alcohol initiation and the reason of drinking alcohol for the first time. The study group consisted of 125 people, 83 men and 42 women, aged from 22 to 68 participating in treatment programs for alcohol addiction.

The impact of family environment on the development of alcohol dependence.

Background: Alcoholism is a family disease. Many studies confirm that a family history of alcoholism is associated with the development of later alcohol dependence. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of family structure and relations between its members in the development of alcohol addiction in children grown up in these families.

Distal Pancreatectomy--own experience.

The Aim Of The Study: was the retrospective analysis of early results after distal pancreatectomy (DP).

Material And Methods: During the period between January, 2000 and December, 2010 distal pancreatectomy was performed in 73 patients, including 32 (43.83%) male, and 41 (56.