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In a new book titled "Religion and Psychiatry: Beyond Boundaries," the author considers why and how, when and where religion (and spirituality) are at stake in the life of psychiatric patients.  The interface between psychiatry and religion is explored at different levels, varying from daily clinical practice to conceptual fieldwork.

Religion is one subject that many people around the world feel extremely passionate about, either feeling strongly in their belief of a certain religion, or being against religions generally or specifically. Other people do not engage with religion at all. These choices represent a part of who we are, and as such it is essential for psychiatrists to understand and be able to relate to their patients' decisions and beliefs in this area.

Religion and Psychiatry is recommended reading for residents in psychiatry, postgraduates in theology, psychology and psychology of religion, researchers in psychiatric epidemiology and trans-cultural psychiatry, as well as professionals in theology, psychiatry and psychology of religion.

Religion (and spirituality) is very much alive and shapes the cultural values and aspirations of psychiatrist and patient alike, as does the choice of not identifying with a particular faith.  Patients bring their beliefs and convictions into the doctor-patient relationship.  The challenge for mental health professionals, whatever their own world view, is to develop and refine their vocabularies such that they truly understand what is communicated to them by their patients.

"The boundary between religious belief and the practice of psychiatry is becoming increasingly porous," say the editors in the Preface to Religion and Psychiatry: Beyond Boundaries. "No longer can psychiatrists in a multi-faith, multi-cultural globalized world hide behind the dismissal of religious belief as pathological, or behind a biomedical scientism, as they are more frequently confronted by distressed patients for whom religious belief may determine their choice of symptoms and their compliance with treatment."

Published on behalf of the World Psychiatric Association, Religion and Psychiatry: Beyond Boundaries, addresses the impact that religion and spirituality have on shaping cultural values, as well as the choice of not identifying with a particular faith. With this book, Peter Verhagen and colleagues provide a framework to understand the importance of these factors in mental well-being, and how to develop and refine their vocabularies to ensure they truly understand what their patients are telling them.

This is the first time that so many psychiatrists, psychologists, and theologians from all parts of the world and from so many different religious and spiritual backgrounds have worked together to produce a book addressing these important issues.

The book discusses what religious traditions can learn from each other to assist the patient, as well as the neurological basis of religious experiences. It describes training programmes that successfully incorporate aspects of religion and demonstrates how different religious and spiritual traditions can be brought together to improve psychiatric training and daily practice.

In the Foreword to Religion and Psychiatry Mario Maj, President of the World Psychiatric Association, states "The WPA welcomes this comprehensive and multifaceted volume, produced by one of its most active Scientific Sectors, hoping that the effort will continue to clarify the issue and stimulate further reflection and research."
 

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I came across a new website directed at assisting with mental illness. Step Up on Second.

Step Up on Second announces the launch of its newly enhanced Web 2.0 site. Step Up on Second is a California non-profit organization providing support services for adults affected by severe and persistent mental illness, and young adults experiencing the initial symptoms of a mental illness and their families.

The interactive site provides resources for loved ones, clients, and family members in search of an organization that can provide help, hope, and a home to individuals affected by mental illness.

Step Up on Second provides help through comprehensive, integrated clinical programs for relapse prevention; hope through the embrace of community, opportunities for inclusion, advocacy, and empowerment; and permanent supportive home units for stability achieving self-determined goals.

Recently Actress Glenn Close posted on their blog.

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Recall the recent post I made raising the issue of whether antidepressants were properly relied on by patients and physicians.  That post can be accessed here. http://brainandspine.titololawoffice.com/2009/12/articles/psychiartric-psychological-iss/antidepressant-may-change-personality/

 A new study appears in the December issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.  (Published Online, November 24, 2009. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1M326) Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge.

The results provide additional evidence that antidepressants may play a key role in helping improve the mental health of suicidal youth. Cynthia Fontanella, co-author of the study and assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University, points out that the the findings are especially important now, because antidepressant use dropped in 2003 after the Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning that some antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal behavior for pediatric patients. A black-box warning is the most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling.

Despite considerable recent attention and wide-scale interventionsby regulatory authorities that have changed drug usage patterns,the possible relationship between psychotropic pharmacotherapy and suicidal behavior among children and adolescents remainsunclear. Confounding by diagnosis adds to confusion in the interpretationof the relationship between antidepressant use and suicidal behavior among young people. Cynthia Fontanella's recent research suggests that antidepressants may be protective against early readmission after hospitalization for suicide attempts or ideation, but that psychotropic polypharmacy (although common) may be associated with increased risk of rehospitalization.There remains an urgent need for high-quality, ongoing research into these clinical dilemmas.

Once again, I invite your input and thoughts on this issue by posting a comment.
 

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So is your boss paying you enough?  Do you want a raise or better working conditions?  What motivates employees to perform?

People paid by the hour exhibit a stronger relationship between income and happiness, according to a study published in the current issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB), the official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. 

The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) is an academic society for personality and social psychologists with over 4500 members worldwide. SPSP serves as Division 8 of the American Psychological Association and publishes the journals Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and Personality and Social Psychology Review and the biannual newsletter, Dialogue. It also co-publishes the journal Social and Personality and Psychology Science.

Researchers explored the relationship between income and happiness by focusing on the organizational arrangements that make the connection between time and money. They found that the way in which an employee is paid is tied to their feeling of happiness.

The researchers theorize that hourly wage-earners focus more attention on their pay than those who earn a salary.

A UK survey of managers across health and social care found that nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of them believe that Christmas parties are important in helping improve employee engagement. The survey comes in the wake of a government report that blames UK business leaders for low levels of staff engagement.
 

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Have you ever considered the claims by celebrities, like Tom Cruise, or health care professionals that decry the impact of anti-psychotics and anti-depression medicine?  Have we come to rely on Prozac, Paxil and the laundry list of "feel good" medication to overcome what generations of folks have dealt with without them?  Or, is there a benefit reaped by those on the medication?  Do doctors overprescribe?  I am interested to know what you think.  Drop me a comment. 

The December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals,  reports Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms.

Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have been related to depression risk, according to background information in the article. Individuals who are neurotic tend to experience negative emotions and emotional instability, whereas extraversion refers not only to socially outgoing behavior but also to dominance and a tendency to experience positive emotions. Both traits have been linked to the brain's serotonin system, which is also targeted by the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Read More Arch Gen Psychiatry.2009;66[12]:1322-1330.  Drop me a comment on your take on this issue.

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The American Psychological Association notes that Holiday stress is a leading cause of financial stress for Americans.   National unemployment levels push into double digits for the first time in decades, the American Psychological Association's (APA) newest Stress in America survey finds that Americans continue to cite financial concerns as leading sources of stress.

Approximately seven in ten Americans report that money is a significant source of stress (71 percent), according to APA's 2009 Stress in America survey, with similarly high percentages reporting stress resulting from work (69 percent) and the economy (63 percent). More than half of adults (55 percent) also cited family responsibilities as a significant source of stress in their lives.

APA suggests the following strategies to manage holiday stress and enjoy the season:

1. Take time for yourself. Taking care of yourself helps you to take better care of others in your life. Go for a long walk or take time out to read or listen to your favorite music. By slowing down you will actually have more energy to accomplish your goals.

2. Volunteer. Many charitable organizations face new challenges as a result of the ongoing economic downturn. Find a local charity, such as a soup kitchen or a shelter, where you and your family can volunteer together. Helping others who are less fortunate can put hardships in perspective and can build stronger family relationships.

3. Set realistic expectations. No holiday celebration is perfect; view inevitable missteps as opportunities to demonstrate flexibility and resilience. Create a realistic budget and remind your children that the holidays aren't about expensive gifts.

4. Remember what's important. Commercialism can overshadow the true sentiment of the holiday season. When your holiday expense list is running longer than your monthly budget, scale back. Remind yourself that family, friends and the relationships in our lives are what matter most.

5. Seek support. Talk about stress related to the holidays with your friends and family. Getting things out in the open can help you navigate your feelings and work toward a solution. If you continue to feel overwhelmed, consider talking with a professional such as a psychologist to help you develop coping strategies and better manage your stress. A psychologist has the skills and professional training to help people learn to manage stress and cope more effectively with life problems, using techniques based on best available research and their clinical skills and experience, and taking into account an individual's unique values, goals and circumstances. Psychologists have doctoral degrees and are licensed by the state in which they practice. They receive one of the highest levels of education of all health care professionals, spending an average of seven years in education and training after they receive their undergraduate degrees.

Read more here.

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A new finding appears in Psychosomatics, the official journal of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine which publishes peer-reviewed research and clinical experiences in the practice of psychosomatic medicine/consultation-liaison psychiatry.

Poynter B, et al. Sex differences in the prevalence of post-stroke depression: a systematic review. Psychosomatics 50(6), 2009, find:

Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death.

The systematic review appears in the November-December issue of the journal Psychosomatics.
 

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Americans do not believe they know much about depression , but are highly aware of the risks of not receiving care, according to a survey released today by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

See full survey results at http://www.nami.org/depression.

The survey provides a "three dimensional" measurement of responses from members of the general public who do not know anyone with depression, caregivers of adults diagnosed with depression and adults actually living with the illness.

- Seventy-one percent of the public sample said they are not familiar with depression, but 68 percent or more know specific consequences that can come from not receiving treatment-including suicide (84 percent).

- Sixty-two percent believe they know some symptoms of depression, but 39 percent said they do not know many or any at all.

- One major finding: almost 50 percent of caregivers who responded had been diagnosed with depression themselves, but only about 25 percent said they were engaged in treatment.

- Almost 60 percent of people living with depression reported that they rely on their primary care physicians rather than mental health professionals for treatment. Medication and "talk therapy" are primary treatments-if a person can get them-but other options are helpful.

- Fifteen percent of people living with depression use animal therapy with 54 percent finding it to be "extremely" or "quite a bit" helpful. Those using prayer and physical exercise also ranked them high in helpfulness (47 percent and 40 percent respectively).

- When people living with depression discontinue medication or talk therapy, cost is a common reason, but other significant factors include a desire "to make it on my own," whether they believe the treatment is actually working and in the case of medication, side effects.

"The survey reveals gaps and guideposts on roads to recovery," said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick. "It tells what has been found helpful in treating depression. It can help caregivers better anticipate stress that will confront them. It reflects issues that need to be part of ongoing health care reform."
 

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Advance in neuroimaging are always exciting as they assist doctors and clinicians in treating patients with traumatic brain injury. 

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique widely used in studying the human brain. However, it has long been unclear exactly how fMRI signals are generated at brain cell level. This information is crucially important to interpreting these imaging signals. Scientists from the Academy of Finland's Neuroscience Research Programme (NEURO) have discovered that astrocytes, support cells in brain tissue, play a key role in the generation of fMRI signals.

Functional magnetic imaging has become a highly popular method in basic neurobiological research, psychology, medicine as well as in areas of study that interface with the social sciences and economics, such as neuroeconomics. fMRI imaging does not directly measure the activity of nerve cells or neural networks, but local changes in cerebrovascular circulation during the execution of certain functions. Interpretation of the measurement data obtained with this method therefore requires a close knowledge of the cell-level mechanisms that are responsible for these local changes in cerebrovascular circulation.
 

Read morehere.

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Biotech Week reported on May 23, 2009:

Remembering what's most important is central to daily life. For example, if you went to the grocery store but left your shopping list at home, you'd at least want to remember the milk and bread, if not the jam. Or, when packing for a trip, you'd want to remember your wallet and tickets more than your slippers or belt.

Even very early in Alzheimer's disease, people become less efficient at separating important from less important information, a new study has found (see also American Psychological Association).

 Knowing this, clinicians may be able to train people in the early stages of Alzheimer's to remember high-value information better, according to a report in the May issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

Neuropsychology is the area of neuroscience that studies relationships between brain function and behavior, with a central focus on human brain-behavior relationships. Neuropsychological research attempts to map the brain structures and functions that are critical for particular mental/cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacities.

As my father approaches 70 and my grandmother 87, early onset of Alzheimers is a reality for me.  Making sure they get proper diagnosis and treatment is paramount should signs and symptoms appear.  We should all be mindful of those we love as they age.

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Title: psychology

Date: 4/24/2008; Publication: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition;

psychology science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interaction with the environment. Psychologists study processes of sense perception , thinking, learning , cognition, emotions and motivations , personality , abnormal behavior, interactions between individuals, and interactions with the environment. The field is closely allied with such disciplines as anthropology and sociology in its concerns with social and environmental influences on behavior; physics in its treatment of vision, hearing, and touch; and biology in the study of the physiological basis of behavior. In its earliest speculative period, psychological study was chiefly embodied in philosophical and theological discussions of the soul.

Development of Modern Psychology

The De anima of Aristotle is considered the first monument of psychology as such, centered around the belief that the heart was the basis for mental activity. The foundations of modern psychology were laid by 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes , who argued that scientific causes could be established for every sort of phenomenon through deductive reasoning. The mind-body theories of Rene Descartes , Baruch Spinoza , and G. W. Leibniz were equally crucial in the development of modern psychology, where the human mind's relation to the body and its actions have been significant topics of debate.

In England the empirical method employed in modern psychological study originated in the work of John Locke , George Berkeley , Thomas Reid , and David Hume . David Hartley , James Mill , John Stuart Mill , and Alexander Bain stressed the relation of physiology to psychology, an important development in the scientific techniques of modern psychology. Important contributions were made in the physiological understanding of human psychology by French philosopher Condillac , F. J. Gall , the German founder of phrenology, and French surgeon Paul Broca , who localized speech centers in the brain.

In the 19th cent., the laboratory work of Ernst Heinrich Weber , Gustave Fechner , Wilhelm Wundt , Hermann von Helmholtz , and Edward Titchener helped to establish psychology as a scientific discipline—both through the use of the scientific method of research, and in the belief that mental processes could be quantified with careful research techniques. The principle of evolution, stemming from Charles Darwin 's theory of natural selection, gave rise to what became known as dynamic psychology. The new approach, presented by American psychologist William James in his Principles of Psychology (1890), looked at consciousness as an evolutionary process.

Out of the new orientation in psychology grew the clinical experiments in hysteria and hypnotism carried on by J. M. Charcot and Pierre Janet in France. Sigmund Freud , in his influential theory of the unconscious, gave a new direction to psychology and laid the groundwork for the psychoanalytic model. Freudian theory took psychology into such fields as education, anthropology, and medicine, and Freudian research methods became the foundations of clinical psychology.

The behaviorism of American psychologist John B. Watson was highly influential in the 1920s and 30s, with its suggestion that psychology should concern itself solely with sensory stimuli and behavioral reaction. Behaviorism has been important in modern psychology, particularly through the work of B. F. Skinner since the 1930s.

Equally important was the development of Gestalt psychology by German psychologists Kurt Koffka , Wolfgang Köhler , and Max Wertheimer . Gestalt theory contended that the task of psychology was to study human thought and behavior as a whole, rather than breaking it down into isolated instances of stimulus and response.

Another influential school of psychology was developed in the 1950s and 60s by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers . Their humanistic theory asserts that people make rational, conscious decisions regarding their lives, and optimistically suggests that individuals tend to reach toward their greatest potential.

Modern Psychology

Modern psychology is divided into several subdisciplines, each based on differing models of behavior and mental processes. Psychologists work in a number of different settings, including universities and colleges, primary and secondary schools, government agencies, private industry, hospitals, clinics, and private practices. Recent years have seen a rise in the significance of applied psychology—as can be seen from the areas contemporary psychologists concern themselves with—with an attendant decline in the importance of psychology in academia. In the United States, clinical psychology has become a significant focus of the discipline, largely separate from psychological research. Clinical psychologists are responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of various psychological problems.

Biological models of behavior have become increasingly prominent in psychological theory, particularly with the development of various tools—such as the positron emission tomography (PET) scan—for mapping the brain. The field of neuropsychology, which studies the brain and the connected nervous system, has been an outgrowth of this contemporary focus on biological explanations of human thought and behavior. Cognitive models, derived from the Gestalt school of psychology, focus on the various thinking processes which mediate between stimuli and responses.

Educational psychology, derived from the 18th and 19th cent. educational reforms of Friedrich W. Froebel , Johann Pestalozzi , and their follower Johann Herbart , was later expanded by G. Stanley Hall and by E. L. Thorndike . It is concerned with the development of improved methods of teaching and learning.

Social psychology, developed by British psychologists William McDougall and Havelock Ellis , studies the effects of various social environments on the individual. Some other branches of the field include developmental psychology, which studies the changes in thought and behavior through the course of life; experimental psychology, which is the laboratory research involved in the understanding of the mind; and personality psychology, which deals specifically with individual personality and the processes by which it is formed.

In recent years a number of new fields of psychology have emerged. Industrial/organizational psychology, emerging from social psychology, focuses on the workplace and considers such topics as job satisfaction, leadership, and productivity. Health psychology examines how psychological factors contribute to pathology, and demonstrates how psychology can contribute to recovery and illness prevention for such somatic disorders as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In environmental psychology, research focuses on how individuals react to their physical environments, and suggests improvements which may be beneficial to psychological health. Other new areas of psychology include counseling psychology, school psychology, forensic psychology, and community psychology.

Bibliography

See R. Fancher, Pioneers in Psychology (1979); D. Robinson, An Intellectual History of Modern Psychology (1986); E. Hilgard, Psychology in America (1987); M. Ash and W. Woodward, Psychology in 20th Century Thought and Society (1989); R. B. Evans, V. S. Sexton, and T. C. Cadwallader, ed., The American Psychological Association (1992).

Author not available, PSYCHOLOGY., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press

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