Cognitive and affective dimensions of difficulties in emotional functioning in somatoform disorders and borderline personality disorder.

Background: To study difficulties in emotional functioning in two mental disorders that have been associated with difficulties in identifying and modulating emotions: borderline personality disorder (BPD) and somatoform disorder (SoD).

Sampling And Methods: In 472 psychiatric inpatients, difficulties in emotional functioning were measured using the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire.

Results: Profiles of difficulties in emotional functioning were identified, suggesting that patients diagnosed with BPD with or without SoD were more likely to report difficulty identifying emotions and less likely to report reduced ability to fantasize or 'pensée opératoire' (externally oriented thinking) than patients diagnosed with SoD only and patients with mixed anxiety and affective disorders.

Dysfunctional affect regulation in borderline personality disorder and in somatoform disorder.

Background: Although affect dysregulation is considered a core component of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and somatoform disorders (SoD), remarkably little research has focused on the prevalence and nature of affect dysregulation in these disorders. Also, despite apparent similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional under- and overregulation of affect and positive and negative somatoform and psychoform dissociative experiences inter-relate. Prior studies suggest a clear relationship between early childhood psychological trauma and affect dysregulation, especially when the caretaker is emotionally, sexually, or physically abusing the child, but how these relate to under- and overregulation while differentiating for developmental epochs is not clear.

Affect dysregulation and dissociation in borderline personality disorder and somatoform disorder: differentiating inhibitory and excitatory experiencing states.

Affect dysregulation and dissociation may be associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and somatoform disorder (SoD). In this study, both under-regulation and over-regulation of affect and positive and negative somatoform and psychoform dissociative experiences were assessed. BPD and SoD diagnoses were confirmed or ruled out in 472 psychiatric inpatients using clinical interviews and clinical multidisciplinary consensus.

Affect dysregulation in borderline personality disorder and somatoform disorder: differentiating under- and over-regulation.

Although affect dysregulation is considered a core component of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and somatoform disorders (SoD), remarkably little research has focused on prevalence and nature of affect dysregulation in these disorders. BPD and SoD diagnoses were confirmed or ruled out in 472 psychiatric inpatients using clinical interviews. Three qualitatively different forms of affect dysregulation were identified: under-regulation, over-regulation of affect and combined under- and over-regulation of affect.

Responsivity to stress in chronic posttraumatic stress disorder due to childhood sexual abuse.

The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine reactivity to standardized stress tests (orthostatic challenge, Stroop Color Word Test) in drug-free adult women with chronic PTSD due to repetitive childhood sexual abuse. At baseline, the 11 patients showed significantly higher mean scores on the Symptom Check List-90 and the Profile of Mood States than 13 healthy female controls, whereas baseline cardiovascular or hormonal parameters showed no differences between the groups. Also, no significant differences were found between the two groups in cardiovascular and hormonal responsivity to the stress tests.

The schedule for the assessment of drug-induced movement disorders (SADIMoD): inter-rater reliability and construct validity.

The Schedule for the Assessment of Drug-Induced Movement Disorders (SADIMoD) is a newly developed instrument, consisting of a compilation of rating scales, to measure the severity of drug-induced movement disorders: dystonia, dyskinesia, Parkinsonism, akathisia, ataxia, and several types of tremors. The inter-rater reliability and the construct validity of this scale were investigated. Six investigator teams were trained by means of a standard package of instruction material to such an extent that a single member of the team could represent the entire team.

Test-retest reliability of the trauma and life events self-report inventory.

Three groups of first-year male and female medical students (total N = 90) completed the Trauma and Life Events Self-report Inventory twice. Test-retest reliability for the three different time periods was .82, .

Test-retest reliability of the self-rating inventory for posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Self-rating Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a 22-item self-report questionnaire to give a diagnosis for PTSD based on DSM-IV criteria. Originally, the questionnaire was standardized with trauma survivors and psychiatric patients. Here test-retest reliabilities with 90 medial students are reported for 15 (.