The position statement of the Working Group on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders in adults.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental distress that occurs after participation in traumatic event such as the experience of natural disaster, car accident, terrorist attack or armed conflict, being a victim of sexual assault, tortured, physically abused, traumatized or being in any other life-threatening situation. The trauma victim does not always have to be in the position of the o directly threatened with physical harm. The disorder may be developed also as a result of an acute reaction to stress caused by participation in situation in which another person suffer so unimaginable that the further normal life of witness becomes impossible.

The position statement of the Working Group on the diagnosis of the post-traumatic stress disorders in adults.

Experiencing a situation of extreme danger can lead to serious stress disorders (such as PTSD) that can affect both the victims and the professional helpers. Military operations in Ukraine in the first half of 2022 started an ongoing migration crisis, resulting in the displacement of approximately 3.5 million people to Poland.

Does the family "need" depression? A pilot study of family consultations.

Objectives: The aim of the presented study was to analyse associations between drug-resistant depression and the way the illness is described by patients and members of their families. In particular, a hypothesis to be verified was that being ill may be a factor stabilising the family system, and consequently treatment of this kind of depression may encounter additional difficulties and enforce "drug-resistance" by "sustaining depression" by the family.

Methods: The study included 20 patients and their families.

[The significance of selected psychopathological and personality variables in the course of allergic and non-allergic asthma].

Aim: The aim of this study was to carry out a comparative analysis of selected psychopathological and personality variables in patients with allergic and non-allergic asthma, as well as an attempt to determine the significance and strength of these variables in the clinical picture of both forms of the disease.

Methods: In all patients structured anamnesis, basic spirometry, and dyspnea measure- ment were carried out. The level of anxiety was determined using Spielberger's questionnaire.

Family Therapy in Poland: Development and Current Perspectives.

The authors of the present article describe the historical context of family therapy in Poland and current issues in the field. They highlight the fact that Polish therapists first began to develop the field after coming into contact with family therapy leaders from the United States and Western Europe. With the political breakthrough of 1989, there were new opportunities for multilateral cooperation, attendance at international conferences, and the exchange of experiences.

[The concept of "dialogical self" and its' application for psychotherapy and especially for family therapy].

The authors show how to use the concept of a "dialogical self' to conduct therapy, supervision and qualitative research of the process of psychotherapy. They pay special attention to usefulness of the presented concept and to investigate what happens to a therapist during a family meeting, i.e.

[The concept of the "dialogical self' in psychotherapy--theoretical assumptions].

The authors present Michaił Bachtin's and Hubert Herman's concept of "dialogical self" which was used by family therapists to create a new conceptual tool of understanding the family therapy process. The paper shows Peter Rober's and his co-workers works that use this concept in order to understand phenomena occurring during therapeutic meeting.

Locus of control and selected mental health variables in asthmatics: what are the associations with dyspnea?

Introduction: The literature provides ambiguous information concerning the associations between asthma and psychopathology. The concept of the locus of control (LOC) can shed some light on the psychosomatic aspects of asthma.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between dyspnea perception and psychopathological symptoms in asthma.

[The need of qualitative research in psychiatry].

The authors present basic information about qualitative research along with its theoretical frame as a useful approach in the study of many issues in the area of psychiatry and psychotherapy. According to the authors, the quantitative methodology--dominant in psychiatry nowadays--seems insufficient to address all issues to be studied in this area. After a short introduction of the theoretical background of qualitative research, the authors present methods of collecting and analysing qualitative data and possible ways of using them in practice.

Multi-couple reflecting team: preliminary report.

The aim of therapeutic help in marital crisis is to break the vicious circle of mutual hurtful accusations. The method that the authors present below involves a group of couples working within a closed cycle of meetings. In the course of successive group meetings, the various couples act as reflecting teams (RTs) for each other.

Psychopathology and personality factors modify the perception of dyspnea in asthmatics.

We studied the relationship between the intensity of dyspnea and psychopathological and personality dimensions in 74 women and 38 men (mean age 49.7 years) with asthma. The women had higher values for the following variables: depression, anxiety-trait, and neuroticism, and they proved to have a greater external control location than the men.

[The effect of music therapy on anxiety level in hospitalized asthmatic patients].

The role of music therapy as a supportive treatment is not well defined. The music therapy cannot be estimated as the isolated method it is often only the part of the complex therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of music therapy on anxiety level in hospitalized asthmatic patients.

[Between a psychiatric diagnosis and a familial diagnosis].

If the idea of a biopsychosocial model is not going to be merely a phrase, then every clinical diagnosis and therapeutic vision need to consider the familial issues. Taking the family issues into consideration has evident gains; it allows for a better understanding of the patient and allows for actions which reduce the risk of a relapse of illness. The fact that such issues are not part of the therapeutic armament, despite the effectiveness of psychoeducation, is bewildering: on one hand the families are not always invited to co-operate, on the other hand--they often give up this co-operation.

[Role of systemic consultation in the psychiatric diagnosis].

Basing on the example of one patient and her family, the advantages and disadvantages of a systemic consultation are presented. The patient was hospitalised due to schizophrenia. In the given example the psychiatrist was an observer of the consultation conducted by a therapist from the ward.

[Systemic consultation--about possibilities and limitations].

The paper presents the role of systemic consultation in the diagnostic and therapeutic process of the people hospitalised for the first time because of a psychotic episode. The following questions are going to be put: What is the role of systemic family consultation in the diagnostic and therapeutic process on the inpatient ward? What are the differences between systemic consultation and others forms of family interventions f.e.

[Some psychometric attributes of the Family Assessment Questionnaires].

In this article we present some of the more important findings from research aimed at the validation and normalisation of the Family Assessment Questionnaire (Dyadic Questionnaire, Family Questionnaire, Self-Estimation Questionnaire), which is the Polish adaptation of Manfred Cierpka's and Gabriele Frevert's "Familienboegen". In the presented study 1511 individuals from 557 families took part. Of these 658 individuals (including 162 children) came from 248 families which had no clinical health or adjustment problems, while 853 individuals (including 305 children) came from 309 families with problems due to schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, coronary heart disease or family crisis.

[Family assessment measures by Manfred Cierpka].

In the first part of the paper, authors describe some research tools for the assessment of family functioning, concentrating mainly on self-report questionnaires of the family members. Advantages and methodological limitations of such methods are discussed. Several questionnaires of self-report type are described such as e.