Unforeseen consequences of terrorism : medically unexplained symptoms in a time of fear.

ONE YEAR later, reports related to the psychological and physiological effects of the terrorist attacks perpetrated on September 11, 2001, continue to emerge. These reports and what little is known about the long-term health effects of terrorism suggest that many people will present to their physicians with medically unexplained symptoms. These symptoms may be mistaken for organic medical diseases, but are likely to be physiological manifestations of psychological distress.

Depressive symptoms predict medical care utilization in a population-based sample.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Several examinations have detected a relation between depressive symptoms and medical utilization. However, selection biases have been involved in most previous examinations. We sought to test the association between depressive symptoms and prospective, increased medical care utilization, in a population-based Canadian sample, while controlling for utilization due to medical illness and controlling for selection bias.

METHODS:

Propensity to psychiatric and somatic ill-health : evidence from a birth cohort.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Somatic and psychiatric morbidity may cluster because of reciprocal effects between them but also as a result of common underlying factors.

METHODS:

Brief screening instrument for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Brief screening instruments appear to be a viable way of detecting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but none has yet been adequately validated.

AIMS:

To test and cross-validate a brief instrument that is simple to administer and score.

METHOD:

Forty-one survivors of a rail crash were administered a questionnaire, followed by a structured clinical interview 1 week later.

RESULTS:

Measuring trauma and health status in refugees : a critical review.

Abstract

CONTEXT:

Refugees experience multiple traumatic events and have significant associated health problems, but data about refugee trauma and health status are often conflicting and difficult to interpret.

OBJECTIVES:

To assess the characteristics of the literature on refugee trauma and health, to identify and evaluate instruments used to measure refugee trauma and health status, and to recommend improvements.

DATA SOURCES:

Depression in medical patients

Depressive illness is usually treatable. It is common and results in marked disability, diminished survival, and increased healthcare costs. As a result, it is essential that all doctors have a basic understanding of its diagnosis and management. In patients with physical illness depression may

Long-term adjustment in burn victims : a matched-control study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

To date, there is little information about how severely burned patients compare to unburned healthy individuals in terms of psychological profile and quality of life. As part of a larger study on the sensory consequences of burns, we assessed psychological functioning and quality of life in burned patients and unburned healthy control subjects. We also examined whether burn patients experiencing pain and/or paresthetic sensations (i.e. symptomatic patients) present a profile that is different from those who are asymptomatic.

METHODS:

Pages