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Writer's Cramp in Yaoundé (Cameroon): Series of 5 Cases
Mbonda Paul-Cedric,
Gams Massi Daniel,
Noutsa Laura,
Fogang Yannick,
Djientcheu Vincent De Paul
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
86-89
Received:
25 June 2021
Accepted:
10 July 2021
Published:
19 July 2021
Abstract: Writer's cramp is focal dystonia, occurring during writing. Its prevalence is very low in the general population and this pathology therefore considered a rare disease. Its diagnosis is clinical but treatment is still a problem in developing countries because botulinum toxin is not yet available. There is little data in sub-Saharan Africa on writer's cramp. We report a series of 5 cases observed at the Yaoundé General Hospital (Cameroon). Methods: We carried out descriptive and prospective work, in which we collected clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic and evolutionary data from patients who came for outpatient consultations for the writer's cramp during 2020 at the Yaoundé General Hospital. Results: The prevalence of this pathology in neurology consultation was 0.29%. These were three women and two men, with an average age of 32.8 years. All had non-contributory personal and family backgrounds. They all received a drug treatment based on trihexyphenidyle, muscle relaxants, anxiolytics, associated with physiotherapy. Baclofen was started in the event of failure on trihexyphenidyl, only one patient received botulinum toxin. The outcome was favorable in a single patient, two-thirds of the patients learned to write with the opposite hand. Conclusion: Writer's cramp is an infrequent condition, very often underdiagnosed. It has a real impact on the quality of life because care is difficult, particularly in our context.
Abstract: Writer's cramp is focal dystonia, occurring during writing. Its prevalence is very low in the general population and this pathology therefore considered a rare disease. Its diagnosis is clinical but treatment is still a problem in developing countries because botulinum toxin is not yet available. There is little data in sub-Saharan Africa on writer...
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The Feminine and the Pubertarian: The Pubertarian Novelty According to Freud and Lacan
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
90-97
Received:
5 December 2020
Accepted:
14 December 2020
Published:
7 August 2021
Abstract: Countless authors have attempted to theorize the passage from the infantile to the juvenile. This passage is not without consequence, as shown by the changes in the semiological and nosological fields, corroborated by the infantile amnesia subsequent to this phase. We propose to approach this question through a re-reading of Freud’s texts. We shall highlight how Freud’s attempt at qualifying infantile sexuality led him to define more and more clearly what distinguishes it from juvenile sexuality; nevertheless he failed to define the threshold that separates them. Thus, on the one hand he reached the threshold of the impossible whilst on the other, and despite himself, he indicated viable clues to its potential theorization. To Freud, this impossibility constituted an impasse at the time. Contributions from linguistics and structuralism allowed for a theoretical opening towards it. To Lacan, it characterizes the Real, the Other jouissance (specific to woman) and the Other’s lack signifier S (Ⱥ). We shall conclude that the pubertarian novelty is the effect - brought by the Real - of the body’s physiological change when it becomes pubertarian. Our hypothesis is in accordance with what Freud had identified as proper to puberty, namely “the displacement of erogenous zones from the clitoris to the vagina”. We may call this effect the advent of the Feminine, vector of the Other sex, which cannot be inscribed in the infantile, phallocentric world. In other words, it is a bodily experience that has no equivalent in the Symbolic realm. Lacan translated this experience into “there is no signifier to woman’s sex”. This Feminine (the capital F indicates its non-inscription in the Symbolic realm) will, during the time of adolescence, find a formalization - not via a signifier which is defaulted but via an object present in reality (which can be the Other sex’s other as much as any addictive, source of jouissance object).
Abstract: Countless authors have attempted to theorize the passage from the infantile to the juvenile. This passage is not without consequence, as shown by the changes in the semiological and nosological fields, corroborated by the infantile amnesia subsequent to this phase. We propose to approach this question through a re-reading of Freud’s texts. We shall...
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Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Adolescents with Substance Use Disorder
Niaz Mohammad Khan,
MSI Mullick,
Sharmin Hussain
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
98-106
Received:
2 July 2021
Accepted:
14 July 2021
Published:
7 August 2021
Abstract: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in adolescents, is a condition in which the use of one or more substances leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. It is a significant public health problem globally with a higher burden in low and middle-income countries. To find out the frequency and pattern of psychiatric comorbidity among the adolescents with Substance Use Disorder. This descriptive and observational study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 2016 to September 2018. The present study aimed at assessing the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders among adolescents with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) included a total of 70 adolescents. Over half (60%) of the respondents were <15 years old, and 40% of the respondents were >15 years age. The mean age of the respondents was 13.2 ± 2.1 years, and the range was 11-17 years. About 50% of the adolescents interviewed had Tobacco Use Disorder (51.4%), followed by Cannabis Use Disorder (47.1%). Among the respondents, 22.8% had no psychiatric illness. The overall psychiatric disorders among adolescents were 77.1% (54 out of 70). Most of the patients (45.7%) had more than one psychiatric disorder diagnosed. Regarding the specific disorder diagnosed Conduct Disorder was 31.4% and different socio-demographic features. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that adolescents with SUD have a high rate of other comorbid psychiatric disorders.
Abstract: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in adolescents, is a condition in which the use of one or more substances leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. It is a significant public health problem globally with a higher burden in low and middle-income countries. To find out the frequency and pattern of psychiatric comorbidity among the adolesce...
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Clozapine as an Effective Antipsychotic in Treatment Resistant Mania: Two Case Reports
Mohamed Habib Aoun,
Rabaa Jomli,
Hend Jemli,
Dorsaf Habbachi,
Yosra Zgueb,
Uta Ouali
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
107-109
Received:
13 July 2021
Accepted:
24 July 2021
Published:
7 August 2021
Abstract: Bipolar mood disorder (BD) is a severe debilitating mental disorder, and a number of patients are resistant to standard treatment. We report two clinical cases of treatment resistant mania (TRM) responsive to clozapine. Mrs. A and Mrs. B are two BD patients aged 30-year-old and 34-year-old respectively. They had a similar age of BD onset at 16 years old. They both had five manic episodes at least before they had the TRM. Mrs. A had a history of allergy to haloperidol. She presented a manic episode that was unresponsive to olanzapine 20 mg daily, risperidone 4 mg daily and lithium 1,250 mg daily. Mrs. B had a history of a mania non-responsive to the association of lithium and olanzapine 20 mg daily and a history of severe depression under lithium and haloperidol 30 mg daily. She presented a manic episode resisting the association of lithium 1000 mg daily, carbamazepine 600 mg daily, quetiapine 100 mg daily and chlorpromazine 150 mg daily. They both eventually received clozapine uptitrated gradually to 300 mg daily with lithium (1,000-1,250 mg daily) with satisfactory clinical response within three weeks of starting clozapine. Clozapine seems to be efficacious in TRM. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to strengthen its evidence based indication in TRM.
Abstract: Bipolar mood disorder (BD) is a severe debilitating mental disorder, and a number of patients are resistant to standard treatment. We report two clinical cases of treatment resistant mania (TRM) responsive to clozapine. Mrs. A and Mrs. B are two BD patients aged 30-year-old and 34-year-old respectively. They had a similar age of BD onset at 16 year...
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Relationship Between Attention Bias and the Prognosis of Male Patients with Alcohol Dependence
Qingsheng Yang,
Bohui Mo,
Liangshuang Yin,
Liangjun Pang,
Jiangbo Li
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
110-114
Received:
25 July 2021
Accepted:
5 August 2021
Published:
11 August 2021
Abstract: Background: long term drinking in alcohol dependent patients seriously affects their physical and mental health. Abstinence treatment is very important, but there is no appropriate prediction method for the effect of abstinence in the past. Objective: In this study, we investigated word-cue attentional bias among male patients with alcohol dependence and its correlation with relapse after abstinence. Methods: Fifty male patients with alcohol dependence (ADs) and 50 male health controls (HCs) completed the Chinese version of the emotional Stroop task to assess attentional bias. The participants were evaluated at the beginning of the task using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: The reaction times of ADs for neutral, negative, and alcohol-related words were significantly higher than those of HCs. The error index of ADs for neutral and negative words is worse than that of HCs. The period of maintained abstinence among ADs was positively correlated with the reaction time to negative words and the error index for negative and alcohol-related words. Linear regression showed the error index of alcohol-related words to be an import factor in terms of relapse. Conclusion: The number of errors in alcohol-related attentional bias cue words may be a predictor of the effect of abstinence.
Abstract: Background: long term drinking in alcohol dependent patients seriously affects their physical and mental health. Abstinence treatment is very important, but there is no appropriate prediction method for the effect of abstinence in the past. Objective: In this study, we investigated word-cue attentional bias among male patients with alcohol dependen...
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A Case Study of Prazosin-Induced Hypothermia
Danae DiRocco,
Seshagiri Rao Doddi
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
115-117
Received:
14 July 2021
Accepted:
16 August 2021
Published:
31 August 2021
Abstract: A case report of prazosin-induced hypothermia in a treatment-naive patient with PTSD. A 65-year-old woman with bipolar disorder and nightmares resulting from previous traumas was admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit for mixed state hypomania and depression with suicidal ideation. Prazosin 1mg was started to help manage nightmares and the patient developed asymptomatic hypothermia with a low of 33.5C after 5 days of therapy. After internal medicine and endocrinology consults and appropriate testing did not result in an explanation, prazosin was stopped and her temperature returned to normal. A rechallenge of prazosin again resulted in a temperature decrease and was then discontinued. Hypothermia is not a reported side effect of prazosin in humans, though one previous case study reports hypothermia with a 20mg total daily dose in the treatment of a patient with hypertension. Animal studies indicate two possible mechanisms of action including 1) increased heat dissipation from skin by inhibition of non-shivering thermogenesis and decreased metabolic rate and 2) temperature increases upon rapid eye movement sleep deprivation (REMSD) in rats by increasing noradrenaline. Prazosin modulates REMSD-induced changes in body temperature in rats by blocking the effects of noradrenaline in postsynaptic receptors. To our knowledge, this is only the second reported case of hypothermia induced by prazosin.
Abstract: A case report of prazosin-induced hypothermia in a treatment-naive patient with PTSD. A 65-year-old woman with bipolar disorder and nightmares resulting from previous traumas was admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit for mixed state hypomania and depression with suicidal ideation. Prazosin 1mg was started to help manage nightmares and the patien...
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Factors in the Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation Among Bereaved Women in Rural Communities, Imo State, Nigeria
Ann Ukachi Madukwe,
Ngozi Nkwakaego Sydney-Agbor,
Richards Ebireonwu Ebeh
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
118-125
Received:
1 August 2021
Accepted:
20 August 2021
Published:
31 August 2021
Abstract: This study investigated the prevalence of suicidal ideation and social support, number-of-children and age-at-bereavement as predictors of suicidal ideation among bereaved women. Respondents were 474 women who lost their spouses at least 6 months before the study, selected from rural communities in the three senatorial zones of Imo State via purposive sampling technique. Two validated questionnaires were administered to assess suicidal ideation and perceived social support, while number-of-children and age-at-bereavement were measured as continuous variables among respondents. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design and the generalized linear model statistics was employed for analyses with SPSS vs 21. The findings of the study showed that suicidal ideation was significantly prevalent. Social support and age-at-bereavement were found positive and negative relationship with suicidal ideation, they were also significant predictors of suicidal ideation. Number-of-children was found to have a minimal positive relationship with suicidal ideation, it did not predict suicidal ideation. The study recommends that suicidal ideation interventions for widows should always involve adequate assessment of their social support type not just level, and how old they were at the time of bereavement. The establishment of a community-based program of social support with accompanying suicide prevention counselling for widows was strongly recommended.
Abstract: This study investigated the prevalence of suicidal ideation and social support, number-of-children and age-at-bereavement as predictors of suicidal ideation among bereaved women. Respondents were 474 women who lost their spouses at least 6 months before the study, selected from rural communities in the three senatorial zones of Imo State via purpos...
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Psychosocial Impact of Early Pregnancy: Case of 95 Students in the City of Abidjan
Aka Rita Ahou,
Traore Brahim Samuel,
Konan Koffi Paulin,
Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
126-129
Received:
4 July 2021
Accepted:
16 July 2021
Published:
4 September 2021
Abstract: Pregnancy is an accomplishment in many cases. However, when it occurs early especially during schooling, it can be an obstacle to the development of adolescent girls, with a significant psychosocial impact. In Côte d'Ivoire, more than 4000 cases of school pregnancy were reported in 2017. The objective of this study was to describe the psychosocial impact of early pregnancy among selected students in the commune of Abidjan. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study of adolescent girls who visited the health centers for their pre- or post-natal consultation. A total of 95 girls were included in our study. Of these, 53.68% were in their first cycle of secondary school. More than half, i.e. 52.63%, were between 12 and 17 years of age, and 91% were primigravida. Pregnancies were mostly unwanted (83%), while almost all sexual intercourse was consensual and unprotected. The occurrence of pregnancy had a negative psychosocial impact that manifested itself emotionally through a painful experience. Indeed, 66.07% of the girls considered abortion as soon as the pregnancy was announced. In 33.3% of cases, the abortion attempts were successful. The emotional state of these students was marked by feelings of discouragement, self-deprecation with lowered self-esteem, guilt and shame in 53%; 47.36%; 28.42% and 21.05% respectively. Sub-depressive states were also recorded in 31.58% of the students, manifested by insomnia, anorexia and sadness with crying. At school level, a drop in performance was noted in 58.95% of cases, and 22.10% dropped out. As for social relations, they were marked by the genesis of conflicts leading to abandonment both at the family level and from the perpetrators of the pregnancy in respectively 31.58% and 32.63%. In light of the above, it is clear that the occurrence of an adolescent pregnancy while in school has a negative psychological, educational and social impact.
Abstract: Pregnancy is an accomplishment in many cases. However, when it occurs early especially during schooling, it can be an obstacle to the development of adolescent girls, with a significant psychosocial impact. In Côte d'Ivoire, more than 4000 cases of school pregnancy were reported in 2017. The objective of this study was to describe the psychosocial ...
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Outreach Psychotherapy for Seniors and Psychotherapy in Retirement Homes in German-speaking Countries - An Overview
Rabaioli-Fischer Barbara,
Söder Jessica
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
130-135
Received:
15 July 2021
Accepted:
27 August 2021
Published:
4 September 2021
Abstract: Introduction: Growing older confronts seniors with a variety of challenges and problems. Dealing with losses or the transition to a retirement home and the abandonment of the previous life pose difficulties for people in old age. Although there is a great need for treatment, there are hardly any therapy offers in retirement homes or outreach psychotherapy for seniors. This article aims to provide an overview of the current state of studies on psychotherapy in retirement homes and outreach psychotherapy in German-speaking countries. Study Overview: For this purpose, 9 studies were examined in more detail. Different approaches to psychological and psychotherapeutic care of seniors were adopted in the described studies. In addition to specific therapy techniques, such as life review therapy, there were also non-specific counseling services, activations with music or a clinical consultation and lay service. Despite good approaches in the available studies, controlled research with sufficient samples for significant effects is lacking in this area. Also, the presented approaches often pose challenges to therapists and patients. Conclusion: In summary, this article aims to emphasize the importance of psychotherapeutic work with seniors, whether living at home or in a retirement home. The already elaborated and good approaches, such as life review procedures, should be further evaluated in controlled studies in the future. The studies presented here could provide inspiration for a study in a multicenter setting.
Abstract: Introduction: Growing older confronts seniors with a variety of challenges and problems. Dealing with losses or the transition to a retirement home and the abandonment of the previous life pose difficulties for people in old age. Although there is a great need for treatment, there are hardly any therapy offers in retirement homes or outreach psycho...
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Psychosocial and Criminological Environment Related to Pedocriminality: Nine Cases of Children Rape Reported in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)
Traoré Brahim Samuel,
Aka Rita Ahou,
Kouamé Yapo Guy Serge,
Zikéto Bla Désirée Sandrine,
N’Degbeu N’dri Lopez,
Yéo-Ténéna Yessonguilana Jean-Marie
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
136-142
Received:
16 July 2021
Accepted:
10 August 2021
Published:
4 September 2021
Abstract: Child rape in Abidjan is increasingly mobilizing socio-judicial systems. But psychopathological disorders and associated psychosocial disturbances are sometimes neglected in the process of care. Studying the impact of these sexual crimes on the psychosocial environment of the victims led us to carry out a qualitative study from 2019 to 2020 in two Pediatric Surgery Departments in Abidjan. Based on a purposive sampling strategy, nine (09) victims were selected and their cases are presented under the form of monographs. They were girls aged from 15 months to 7 years. Almost all of them were victims of premeditated rape of proximity. The modus operandi of the rapes followed four phases: attract of the victim, sending to a predatory site, raping and finally release of the victim. The injuries diagnosis indicated tears and perineal damage, evidence of violent vaginal insertive intercourse and / or requiring a forced penetrative gesture. From 06 of the victims, psycho-traumatic disorders were observed and symptoms of vicarious trauma from 04 groups of helpers, associated with a disruption of family dynamics (relocation, conflicts and separation). However, conventional psychological follow-up has only been offered to 02 out of the 09 patients. Child rape is an archaic pathology of civilizations which must include psychosocial care for victims and their caregivers preceded by clinical clarification and rigorous psycho-criminological study.
Abstract: Child rape in Abidjan is increasingly mobilizing socio-judicial systems. But psychopathological disorders and associated psychosocial disturbances are sometimes neglected in the process of care. Studying the impact of these sexual crimes on the psychosocial environment of the victims led us to carry out a qualitative study from 2019 to 2020 in two ...
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Psychotraumatism in Burning Accident Victims: About 50 Patients at the Abidjan Burns Center
Ahounou Etobo Innocent,
Traore Brahim Samuel,
Aka Rita Ahou,
Djo Bi Djo François,
Gonce Dion Aristide,
Yeo-Tenena Yessonguilana Jean-Marie
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021
Pages:
143-146
Received:
20 July 2021
Accepted:
10 August 2021
Published:
30 September 2021
Abstract: Among the potentially traumatic events, burn accidents have the particularity of damaging the physical integrity of the victims while leaving psychological scars. The objective of this study is to investigate the attribution of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the presence of extensive body burn. This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study that took place from May to August 2017 and which involved (50) fifty patients labeled severe burns. The burns were second degree superficial (63.50%) and affected between 1 and 10% of the body surface in 72% of cases. The event appealed to a sense of horror at the mention (28%). Post-traumatic stress disorder was found in 6% of victims. The chi-square test found a significant dependence with a P-value of 0.0043 between the PTSD score and the body surface area burned. The extent of the burn injuries in the victims, in addition to reflecting the severity of the accident, is a risk factor associated with the occurrence of psychotrauma. In a dual preventive and therapeutic approach, psychotraumatological follow-up should be offered to any major burn victim.
Abstract: Among the potentially traumatic events, burn accidents have the particularity of damaging the physical integrity of the victims while leaving psychological scars. The objective of this study is to investigate the attribution of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the presence of extensive body burn. This was a cross-sectional descriptive and a...
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