A support group for patients who have recovered from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP-HUS), named The Oklahoma TTP-HUS Study Group, has been a successful program for 6 years. This group has met 3 times each year with an average attendance of 16 former patients; in addition, an average of 14 family members and friends have attended each meeting. Eighty-four percent of patients who attended a meeting were women as compared to 68% women among those who did not attend (P ¼ 0.016). Twenty-three percent of patients who attended a meeting have relapsed as compared to 8% among those who did not attend (P ¼ 0.006). There was also a difference in the rates of attendance among the different clinical categories of patients (P < 0.001). A survey of former patients, as well as their families and friends, documented that interest in learning more about TTP-HUS and talking with other people who have had TTP-HUS were principal motivations for attending the meetings. The meetings of The Oklahoma TTP-HUS Study Group have been successful not only for support of former patients but also for research. Long-term patient follow-up has been facilitated and the group discussions have revealed previously unreported persistent problems with cognitive ability and endurance. A survey of member centers of the American Association of Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers revealed no similar programs for patients who have recovered from TTP-HUS. The absence of a support group for TTP-HUS in the national survey contrasts to the 274 patient support groups and related wellness/education classes, including some for rare disorders, currently active in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The experience of The Oklahoma TTP-HUS Study Group suggests that it serves a previously unmet need.

Objectives: University students in Australia report higher levels of stress than nonstudents of the same age, with females reporting higher stress than males. The ability to successfully adapt to, and cope with, stressful situations and events, often referred to as resilience, requires social and interpersonal resources as well as the ability to effectively self-regulate emotions. When such resources and abilities are deficient, responses to university stress are likely to be maladaptive. Deficient emotional self-regulation is characteristic of individuals with the subclinical personality trait alexithymia, who also tend to suffer from social and interpersonal difficulties; thus students with alexithymia may be especially susceptible to university stress and associated adverse outcomes of low resilience. The present study examined resilience in relation to alexithymia, university stress, and two common outcomes of the latter in female university students: anxiety and problematic drinking. Method: Validated self-report measures of the relevant constructs were completed online by 136 female university students from two Australian universities. All participants indicated they had English-language proficiency and no history of serious head injury or diagnosed psychological disorder. Results: Serial mediation models indicated that resilience showed the predicted protective relationship to both problematic drinking and anxiety through lower levels of alexithymia and university stress. Conclusions: Findings suggest that students who lack resilience are more likely to report stress at university, as well as associated adverse outcomes such as anxiety and problematic drinking, due to deficiencies in emotional self-regulation and inadequate use of social and interpersonal resources for successful coping. K E Y W O R D Sanxiety, personality, stress, substance abuse and addiction

This article provides an update on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and Asperger’s syndrome (AS), focusing on thinking styles that have not previously been addressed. More comprehensive guidance is included for practitioners working with adults with AS, with modifications to CBT.