BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER IN THE MEDICAL SETTING: Suggestive Behaviors, Syndromes, and Diagnoses.

Borderline personality disorder is a personality dysfunction that is characterized by disinhibition and impulsivity, which oftentimes manifest as self-regulation difficulties. Patients with this disorder have always been present in medical settings, but have been described as "difficult patients" rather than patients with borderline personality disorder. According to empirical findings, a number of behaviors and medical syndromes/diagnoses are suggestive of borderline personality disorder.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: Relationships with Abuse in Childhood.

Irritable bowel syndrome is allegedly the most common gastrointestinal diagnosis in the United States. The etiology of this syndrome appears to entail the interaction of both genes and the environment. One potential environmental contributory factor to irritable bowel syndrome is abuse in childhood.

Buprenorphine treatment for narcotic addiction: not without risks.

While most clinicians will never prescribe buprenorphine or combined buprenorphine/naloxone, familiarity with the risks of these pharmacological approaches to the treatment of narcotic addiction remains relevant. Overall, medication-assisted treatment has clearly resulted in meaningful gains for a number of individuals who are addicted to narcotics (i.e.

Workplace bullying: a tale of adverse consequences.

Workplace bullying is defined as the repetitive and systematic engagement of interpersonally abusive behaviors that negatively affect both the targeted individual and the work organization. According to the findings of 12 studies, being bullied in the workplace affects approximately 11 percent of workers. Victims are frequently blue-collar and unskilled workers.

Patient aggression: is the clinical practice setting safe?

Over the past 20 or so years, a number of studies have examined patient aggression toward healthcare professionals. While the majority of these studies has focused on healthcare professionals in the fields of emergency medicine, psychiatry, and primary care, available data extends beyond these three specialties. Studies have been done in the United States, other English-speaking countries, and elsewhere- all reporting surprisingly high rates of patient aggression.

Marijuana and body weight.

Acute marijuana use is classically associated with snacking behavior (colloquially referred to as "the munchies"). In support of these acute appetite-enhancing effects, several authorities report that marijuana may increase body mass index in patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus and cancer. However, for these medical conditions, while appetite may be stimulated, some studies indicate that weight gain is not always clinically meaningful.

Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia: an examination of psychological antecedents.

Herpes zoster and an associated complication, postherpetic neuralgia, are both attributable to the varicella zoster virus. This virus, which lies dormant within the affected sensory ganglia after an initial infection, appears to be triggered in part by a decrease in immunity. According to available research, stress, stressful life events, and depressive symptoms are identified antecedents to outbreaks of herpes zoster.

Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors: a pharmacological comparison.

The serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are a family of antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. While these drugs are traditionally considered a group of inter-related antidepressants based upon reuptake inhibition, they generally display different chemical structures as well as different pharmacological properties. In this article, we discuss these and other differences among the serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, including the year of approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration, generic availability, approved clinical indications, half-lives, metabolism and excretion, presence or not of active metabolites, dosing schedules, proportionate effects on serotonin and norepinephrine, and the timing of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake (i.

"I'm Your Number One Fan"- A Clinical Look at Celebrity Worship.

Celebrity worship-is it more than just being a casual fan? To explore this question, a number of scales have been developed to assess celebrity adulation. The most prevalent scale of this type in the literature is the Celebrity Attitudes Scale. Using these types of scales, investigators have examined various college-student and community samples.

Preventing wounds from healing: clinical prevalence and relationship to borderline personality.

In medico-economic studies, wound care has been shown to be expensive but is seemingly unavoidable given an aging population and the high community rates of diabetes and obesity. Astonishingly, however, some impaired wound resolution is intentional or purposeful. According to our review of seven clinical samples, the prevalence of preventing wounds from healing varies from 0.

Obesity and substance misuse: is there a relationship?

The relationship between obesity and alcohol/drug misuse has been examined through both site studies and large epidemiological studies. In reviewing 19 site studies that have examined alcohol misuse among the obese, in comparison with rates before 1990, rates since 1990 have doubled (6.2% to 14.

Responses of mental health clinicians to patients with borderline personality disorder.

Borderline personality disorder is a complex psychiatric syndrome that is characterized by a number of pathological interpersonal and behavioral symptoms. Because of these symptoms, individuals with borderline personality disorder tend to have difficulties in their relationships with others, including mental health clinicians. Through a literature review, we examined the perceptions and reactions of mental health clinicians toward patients with borderline personality disorder.

The relationship between borderline personality and obesity.

Obesity is a significant health problem in the United States. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand potential clinical associations with obesity, including personality pathology. From studies of personality disorders in other types of eating pathology, it appears that restrictive personality disorders (e.

Disruptive office behaviors in the medical setting: associations with other clinical phenomena.

Aggression and violence in the medical setting appear to be on the increase. In support of this impression, a number of studies have documented surprising rates of such behavior toward trainees as well as physicians-in-practice. However, to date, these studies have focused on the experiences and reports of professionals, not patient offenders.

Cell phones: the psychosocial risks.

Cell phones are a relatively novel and evolving technology. While the potential benefits of this technology continue to emerge, so do the potential psychosocial risks. For example, one psychosocial risk is user stress, which appears to be related to feeling compelled to promptly respond to cell-phone activity in order to maintain spontaneity and access with others.

Doctor shopping: a phenomenon of many themes.

Doctor shopping is defined as seeing multiple treatment providers, either during a single illness episode or to procure prescription medications illicitly. According to the available literature, prevalence rates of doctor shopping vary widely, from 6.3 to 56 percent.