The image of self and of the environment in drug abusers: a comparative study using the TAT.

This study attempted to add to our understanding of the heroin abusers' identity problems, using images of the self and the environment. Murray's Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was applied to a group of male drug users undergoing withdrawal treatment with methadone and also to a group of male, non-drug using controls. The needs of the subjects and the demands of the environment, plus interaction between the two, were compared between the two groups to obtain information about the self and lifestyle.

[Borderline pathology: follow-up study. Preliminary report].

The work is based on the frequent use of the term "borderline" in clinical practice, in spite of the fact that this word still tends to have a controversial and ambiguous meaning. Patients who were admitted to the Psychiatric Clinic at the University of Turin between 1974 and 1980 with diagnoses of borderline pathologies or marginal psychoneurosis were followed-up in the study. The subjects in question were reexamined after an interval of between 8 and 14 years (the majority between 10-12 years).

[Application of the "Somatization Index" to a sample of soldiers in obligatory military service. Validation study].

One hundred and eighteen clinical records of soldiers attending the Psychological Unit of the Ospedale Militare "A. Riberi" in Turin were included in the study. Records assessed according to the "Somatization Index" and the scores obtained were analysed using statistical methods (t test) according to the following parameters: geographical origin of the family (North/South); place of residence (southern Italians resident in the South/southern Italians resident in the North, and rural/urban environment); educational level (5th class in primary school/upper secondary school).

[Attitudes, knowledge and methods of assistance used by general practitioners in Novara in treating drug addicts. Study of 100 doctors].

The study examines the relationship between the general practitioner and the drug addict and aims to evaluate some aspects of the work of the health service, above all with reference to the methods of assistance, attitudes and knowledge relating to the problem of treating drug addicts. A questionnaire was sent to 100 general practitioners in Novara; it consisted of 15 questions relation to the doctor's opinion of the drug addict, the methods and place of intervention, the doctor's judgement regarding his/her own preparation and function, and the frequency of contact with drug addicts. The findings show that the majority of doctors have a positive attitude towards the problem, but that there is also a widespread feeling of impotency, dislike, loneliness, disinformation, and in addiction a feeling of educational inadequacy on the subject.