Homework assignments in relational psychoanalytic treatment of personality disorders: A case study of a patient with narcissistic personality disorder.

Homework assignments, or specific tasks patients are asked to engage in or complete between sessions, are a controversial topic among psychoanalysts. While many argue these interventions contradict psychoanalytic principles, others believe they can help address problems and promote coping skills. We propose that homework can be a legitimate aspect of relational psychoanalysis when used in a way that is attuned to the patient's experience and that homework may be an important component of treating personality disorders (PD).

Can personality traits influence occupational stress in multiple sclerosis patients? A one-year longitudinal study.

Recent studies suggest that patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) might be at risk of unemployment due to physical and psychological symptoms. Furthermore, MS patients appear to be more exposed to a higher level of occupational stress, which might be linked to some personality characteristics. Our aim was to ascertain, by means of a longitudinal study, whether changes in occupational stress can be predicted by some personality traits, which could thereby become potential targets of therapeutic interventions.

The Italian validation of the minimal assessment of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis (MACFIMS) and the application of the Cognitive Impairment Index scoring procedure in MS patients.

Cognitive dysfunction occurs in almost 50-60% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) even in early stages of the disease and affects different aspects of patient's life. Aims of the present study were (1) to introduce and validate an Italian version of the minimal assessment of cognitive functions in MS (MACFIMS) battery and (2) to propose the use of the Cognitive Impairment Index (CII) as a scoring procedure to define the degree of impairment in relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and secondary-progressive (SPMS) patients. A total of 240 HC and 123 MS patients performed the Italian version of the MACFIMS composed by the same tests as the original except for the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test.

[Domestic accidents in patients with multiple sclerosis: proposal and application of questionnaires for their detection].

Objectives: Domestic accidents are an important topic as for different viewpoints: for the people that could be victim of them, for the health and economic systems. It could be imagined that people affected by neurological diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), could incur into domestic accidents more frequently than people in the general population. Aim of the present work is to introduce a survey's questionnaire for registering occurrence and characteristics of domestic accidents in a population with particular features such as MS patients.

Adverse working events in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and working status have recently arisen great interest. Fatigue, physical disability, cognition, and psychological disturbances have been linked to unemployment, as well to accidents during daily activities. The aim of our study was to determine frequency of different types of accidents at workplace (AWE) and possible clinical differences among employed (MSe) and unemployed (MSu) MS patients.

A more in-depth interpretation of MMPI-2 in MS patients by using Harris and Lingoes subscales.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is frequently associated with neuropsychiatric abnormalities. The aim of our study was to discriminate between psychosomatic disturbances and MS physically-related symptoms using the Harris-Lingoes subscales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Forty-six MS out-patients (35 females; mean age = 44.

Regression-Based Norms for the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised in Italian population and application in MS patients.

Objective: The Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) is one of the most widely used tests for the assessment of learning and memory in the visual/spatial domain. The aim of this study was to use multiple regression to derive normative data for the use of BVMT-R in an Italian population.

Method: We employed a regression-based norms procedure to maximally utilize a relatively small sample while controlling for a variety of demographic factors in addition to age.

Occupational stress and personality traits in multiple sclerosis: A preliminary study.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, causing a wide range of neurological and psychological symptoms. Impairment of ambulation and cognition in particular are associated with work difficulties and unemployment. Although many aspects of work status have been investigated in MS, there are no reports on factors that predict the development of occupational stress, prior to job loss.

Assessing clinical correlates of self-rated disability in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with significant impairment.

Objective: The objective of this article is to identify and compare clinical measures that can predict self-rated disability in patients with MS using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS-II).

Methods: Patients with MS and healthy controls were consecutively recruited at one center.

A Preliminary Investigation of Abnormal Personality Traits in MS Using the MCMI-III.

Neuropsychiatric abnormalities are frequently reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies have investigated the neurotic aspects of psychopathology, and the importance of the personality structure underlying neurotic symptoms has only recently been reconsidered. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency and type of personality profiles in MS using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III).

The California Verbal Learning Test-II: normative data for two Italian alternative forms.

The aim of this study was to develop two versions of the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) and to administer them to a large sample of healthy controls representative of the normal Italian population for sex, age, and education levels. Two hundred and eighty healthy controls entered the study and were randomly assigned to one of the two forms of CVLT-II. No significant difference emerged between the two forms.

Validation of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS-II) in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-II) is a widely used generic assessment instrument for health and disability. However, a specific psychometric evaluation for this scale in multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. This study is aimed at the assessment of the psychometric properties of the WHODAS-II in MS with Cronbach's α and modern Rasch-model analyses.

Domestic accidents and multiple sclerosis: an exploratory study of occurrence and possible causes.

Purpose: Domestic accidents are widespread, but no data are available on their occurrence in pathological populations such as patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Aim was to investigate domestic habits and occurrence of different types of domestic accidents and near falls in a sample of MS patients compared with healthy controls and to determine whether patients' domestic accidents are linked to any disease characteristics.

Method: Descriptive survey of 50 patients and 50 healthy controls.