Trial-based psychotherapy and the efficacy of trial-based thought record in changing unhelpful core beliefs and reducing self-criticism.

Introduction: The best prevention against relapse results when patients are taught to restructure negative core beliefs (CBs). Efficacy of the trial-based thought record (TBTR) in decreasing the credit given by patients to negative CBs and corresponding emotions was evaluated.

Method: Patients (n = 166) were submitted to a simulation of a legal trial to assess their adherence to negative CBs and corresponding emotions after each cognitive therapy technique incorporated by TBTR.

Skoptic syndrome: the treatment of an obsessional gender dysphoria with lithium carbonate and psychotherapy.

Cases of body image pathology are often misdiagnosed. Recognition of the obsessional annoyance with body image, especially with primary and secondary sex characteristics (skoptic syndrome), is important in making a differential diagnosis with other psychiatric and gender identity disorders. We have reported the successful use of lithium carbonate in treating two cases of skoptic syndrome.

The interpretation of office radiographs by family physicians.

This study prospectively compared the interpretations of family practice residents and faculty with those of radiologists on 532 office radiographs using a uniform protocol. A total of 136 family practice residents (44 first-year, 40 second-year, 52 third-year) and 42 full-time and part-time faculty participated in the study along with 30 radiologists. The mix of radiographs evaluated was as follows: 44 percent chest, 20 percent lower extremity, 6 percent head, 4 percent lumbosacral spine, 3 percent cervical-thoracic spine, and 3 percent abdomen-pelvis.

Use of lithium carbonate in the treatment of autoerotic asphyxia.

We report the successful use of lithium carbonate to promptly extinguish life-threatening behavior in a case of autoerotic asphyxia occurring in a 26-year-old male. In addition to his paraphilia, the patient met the DSM-III-R criteria for dysthymia, and had an avoidant personality disorder secondary to verbal, physical and sexual abuse inflicted during childhood and adolescence.