Personality Disorder in Adolescent Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.

Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a highly debilitating disease which frequently results in chronification and often originates in adolescence. Personality traits have been associated with the onset and maintenance of AN; moreover, study results indicated a worse treatment outcome in patients with AN and comorbid personality disorder (PD). However, research on PD in adolescent AN is scarce.

[Evidence for Psychodynamic Therapy for Children and Adolescents].

In Germany, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and systemic therapy are scientifically and legally approved as suitable procedures for treating mental disorders. While all methods have provided empirical evidence of their effectiveness in adults according to defined criteria of the "Scientific Advisory Board for Psychotherapy" (in German: "Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Psychotherapie"), i. e.

Immunological Effects of an Add-On Physical Exercise Therapy in Depressed Adolescents and Its Interplay with Depression Severity.

Background: Pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs) have gained attention in the pathophysiology and treatment of depressive disorders. At the same time, the therapeutic effect of physical activity seems to work via immunomodulatory pathways. The interventional study "Mood Vibes" analyzed the influence of exercise on depression severity (primary endpoint) in depressive adolescents; the influence of PICs on the clinical outcome was analyzed as a secondary endpoint.

Attachment Representation and Emotion Recognition Ability in Children with ADHD and Their Parents: A Study Protocol.

: Few studies in clinical attachment research to date have examined children with an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. This is surprising for two reasons: first, there are a number of parallels between the behaviors of children with an insecure and disorganized attachment and the behaviors of children with an ADHD diagnosis. Second, secure attachment has a positive effect on the development of skills in areas in which children with ADHD demonstrate problems (e.

Effects of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy on life quality in mentally disturbed children.

Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for children aims not only at improving symptoms but also at changing the quality of life. To our knowledge, no studies exist to date that focused on both aspects. In this paper, we investigated changes in problem behavior and health-related quality of life based on long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy with children suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders.

[Identity Diffusion Among Adolescents - Validation of the Inventory of Personality Organization in a Clinical Adolescent Sample (IPO-A)].

Identity Diffusion Among Adolescents - Validation of the Inventory of Personality Organization in a Clinical Adolescent Sample (IPO-A) The main objective of the current study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the German version of the Inventory of Personality Organization for Adolescents (IPO-A). The instrument consisting of 91 items is based on the theoretical structural model by Kernberg and investigates the severity of identity diffusion, reality testing and defense mechanisms in order to determine the level of personality organization. The factor structure, the internal consistency and the convergent validity was measured among 144 inpatients aged between 13 and 18 years drawn from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Clinic of Cologne.

[Transference Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline-Adolescents in a Day Clinic Treatment Program].

Transference Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline-Adolescents in a Day Clinic Treatment Program This paper focuses on the concept of transference focused psychotherapy (TFP) modified for juvenile borderline patients. Adolescents with borderline developmental personality disorder (bpd) have an essential deficit in their personality structure that leads to oscillations in their self-esteem and in a "split" perception of the world. They suffer from a variety of symptoms and severe impairments on their own and their families' quality of life.

Emotional dysregulation and trauma predicting psychopathy dimensions in female and male juvenile offenders.

Background: Psychopathy is a specific syndrome that predicts future violent and aggressive behavior in adults. Studies in youth and adults have demonstrated a strong association between early traumatic incidents and later dissocial behavior. Moreover, the impact of personality pathology and emotional dysregulation on aggressive and violent behavior is well established.

[The dimensional-categorical hybrid model of personality disorders in DSM-5 from an adolescent psychiatric perspective - criticism and critical outlook].

By applying the dimensional-categorical hybrid model, Chapter III of the DSM-5 proposes a central innovation in the classification of personality disorders, the aim being a reduction of comorbidity and improvement of the construct as well as the discremental validity and stability of the diagnosis. The well-known categorical classification of personality disorders in Chapter II, however, remains valid. Based on the hybrid model the essential aspects of a personality disorders are as follows: the dimensional assessment of levels of personality functioning regarding disturbances in self (identity and self-direction) and interpersonal (empathy and intimacy) aspects on the one hand, and the existence of pathological personality traits on the other.

[Attachment in very low birthweight infants (< 1500 g) and their mothers].

A long hospital stay, along with the worries about the survival and the possible disabilities the child might suffer from, mark the start into life of very low birth weight premature infants (VLBW). The goal of this trial was to study the stability of the attachment representations of very low birthweight infants (birthweight < 1500 g) and the accordance of the attachment representations of the children and their primary care givers. In continuation of the Kölner Frühgeborenen Studie, we measured the attachment patterns of 40 VLBW children at the age of seven and their mothers.

[Effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy in children and juveniles - results of a pilot study].

Question: The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents has yet to be studied sufficiently in Germany. Because psychodynamic psychotherapy aims to reduce symptoms in both the short and long term - besides achieving other long-term goals - in this paper we present results focusing on whether symptoms and problem behavior can be improved within 25 h of outpatient psychodynamic psychotherapy taking place in a practice. Moreover, it addresses whether a positive change of life quality can be achieved in the same timeframe.

Factor structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) in adolescent females.

Despite substantial evidence for the fit of the 3- and 4-factor models of Psychopathy Checklist-based ratings of psychopathy in adult males and adolescents, evidence is less consistent in adolescent females. However, prior studies used samples much smaller than recommended for examining model fit. To address this issue, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of 646 adolescent females to test the fit of the 3- and 4-factor models.

[Epidemiological data on personality dimensions in the psychopathy of adolescent boys and girls - results of the Cologne GAP study].

Objective: This paper evaluates epidemiological data on psychopathy dimensions among adolescents.

Method: The Psychopathy Checklist Youth Version (PCL:YV) was administered to a forensic sample of 169 boys and 172 girls, to a clinical sample of 30 boys and 63 girls, and to a community sample of 119 male and 116 female pupils. Analysis was based on three different conceptualizations of psychopathy.

[Diagnosis and classification of personality disorders in adolescence - how can current research findings contribute to an understanding of this construct?].

Objective: The diagnosis and classification of personality disorders in adolescence remains a controversially discussed topic.

Method: This review reports recent research findings on the comorbidity and the diagnosis of personality disorders in adolescence and on their neurobiological and neuropsychological correlates.

Results: On the one hand, the latest research findings refer to the implication that personality disorders in adolescence can be reliably diagnosed with the existing instruments used in the diagnosis of adults.

[The differentiation between identity crisis and identity diffusion and its impact on treatment].

The differentiation between an identity crisis, a transient phenomenon that usually results (after resolution) in a well-integrated identity with flexible and adaptive functioning, and an identity diffusion that is viewed as a basis for subsequent personality pathology, has a major impact on the selection of a treatment method. A new treatment method (Adolescent Identity Treatment, AIT), a modification of Transference Focused Psychotherapy, was developed to treat adolescents with identity diffusion in order to improve their relationships with friends, parents, and teachers and to help them acquire positive self-esteem, clarify life goals and establish a stable identity. In a case study we describe the basic approaches of AIT in assessment and treatment.

[Psychopathy, temperament and antisocial behaviour in girls].

Objective: This study addresses the question whether temperament and character differ between antisocial incarcerated girls with and without psychopathy. Furthermore, it enquires whether this model discriminates between groups with varied psychopathy symptoms.

Method: 170 incarcerated girls aged 14 to 17 years were examined using the German version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI 12-18) and the Psychopathy Checklist Youth Version (PCL:YV).

The relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and psychopathy in adolescent male and female detainees.

Although ADHD and CD are apparent risk factors for adult psychopathy, there are three distinct perspectives regarding their relationships to psychopathy: (1) ADHD may contribute uniquely to the development of psychopathy or (2) its contribution may reflect its high comorbidity with CD. Alternatively, (3) the comorbid presence of ADHD and CD may confer unique risk for the development of psychopathy. Although prior adult studies have yielded conflicting findings, no prior studies of adolescents address this issue.

Attachment representation in mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attachment research so far rarely has focused on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study is the first to examine the distribution of the attachment representation in mothers of children with ADHD. Considering results of clinical attachment studies we formulated the following hypothesis: the prevalence of maternal insecure and unresolved attachment representations increases with the degree of severity of children's ADHD symptoms.

Factor structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: youth version in German female and male detainees and community adolescents.

Substantial evidence exists for 3- and 4-factor models of psychopathy underlying patterns of covariation among the items of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) in diverse adult samples. Although initial studies conducted with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) indicated reasonable fit for these models in incarcerated male adolescents in the United States and the United Kingdom, only one published study has addressed the factor structure of PCL:YV psychopathy in female adolescents, and no prior studies have addressed it outside of these countries. We used confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the factor structure underlying PCL:YV scores in 314 incarcerated (143 male, 171 female) and 193 in-school (99 male, 94 female) adolescents, ages 14 to 19 years.

[Transference focused psychotherapy for adolescents: a preliminary communication].

This article describes transference focused psychotherapy and its treatment strategies for the psychoanalytic treatment of severe personality disorders. The specific modifications proposed for the treatment of adolescent patients with this disorder are discussed. Elaborately, we dwell on the assessment phase for evaluating adolescents with the specific modifications regarding contract setting and inclusion of parents and caregivers in the beginning of und during psychotherapy.

[Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and personality disorders in treated in-patient and incarcerated adolescents].

Prevalence and comorbidity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and personality disorders (PD) were studied in a sample of juvenile in-patients (n = 43) and a sample of detained adolescents. The prevalence of ADHD showed no difference between detainees and in-patients, but significantly more incarcerated girls than boys reported ADHD-symptoms. PD and comorbid PDs were significantly more prevalent in the detained sample: whereas the in-patient juveniles fulfilled more often criteria for passive-avoidant and obsessive-compulsive PD, the detainees showed more antisocial PD (ASPD) and narcissistic PD.