Brain functional integration: an epidemiologic study on stress-producing dissociative phenomena

Abstract

Dissociative phenomena are common among psychiatric patients; the presence of these symptoms can worsen the prognosis, increasing the severity of their clinical conditions and exposing them to increased risk of suicidal behavior. Personality disorders as long duration stressful experiences may support the development of dissociative phenomena. In 933 psychiatric outpatients consecutively recruited, presence of dissociative phenomena was identified with the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). Dissociative phenomena were significantly more severe in the group of people with mental disorders and/or personality disorders. All psychopathologic traits detected with the symptom checklist-90-revised had a significant correlation with the total score on the DES. Using total DES score as the dependent variable, a linear regression model was constructed. Mental and personality disorders which were associated with greater severity of dissociative phenomena on analysis of variance were included as predictors; scores from the nine scales of symptom checklist-90-revised, significantly correlated to total DES score, were used as covariates. The model consisted of seven explanatory variables (four factors and three covariates) explaining 82% of variance. The four significant factors were the presence of borderline and narcissistic personality disorder, substance abuse disorders and psychotic disorders. Significant covariates were psychopathologic traits of anger, psychoticism and obsessiveness. This study, confirming Janet’s theory, explains that, mental disorders and psychopathologic experiences of patients can configure the chronic stress condition that produces functional damage to the adaptive executive system. The symptoms of dissociative depersonalization/derealization and dissociative amnesia can be explained, in large part, through their current and previous psychopathologic experiences.

Revision on Psychometric Properties of the Temperament and Character Inventory in a Clinical Sample

“…These systems appear in a close interaction with environmental events in a continuous process of circular causation. Thus the distinction that categorical psychiatric models operate between different systems (such as the I and II axes of the DSM) does not appear to be consistent with the non-linear mode of brain functioning ( Cloninger, 2004 ; Sperandeo et al, 2018b ). The psychobiological model of Cloninger which is described by a specific self-report diagnostic reagent (Temperament and Character Inventory, TCI) has been widely analyzed in relation to numerous psychiatric pathologies.…”

Toward a Machine Learning Predictive-Oriented Approach to Complement Explanatory Modeling. An Application for Evaluating Psychopathological Traits Based on Affective Neurosciences and Phenomenology

“…The division into three areas (emotional characteristics, dissociative phenomena, psychopathological traits) of the items arises from the theoretical assumption that the processes of sensitization or desensitization of the seven basic emotional systems produce a type of symptomatology (described in the group of items belonging to the emotional characteristics) that is different from that determined by the cognitive reworking of the emotional states (described in the group of items belonging to the psychopathological traits). Both symptoms are distinguishable from the dissociative one in which the traits of emotions produced by the system of anger and fear spread and invade the structures of awareness (Trull et al, 2015;Sperandeo et al, 2018a).…”

The role of typology and reactivity in initiation and development of disadaptive disorders

“…Другие исследования показывают, что у половины студентов первого курса определяется слабый тип нервной системы, что напрямую связано со снижением адаптационных возможностей обучающихся [15]. С другой стороны, мы видим, что пограничные психические расстройства и психопатологические переживания у пациентов могут определять состояние хронического стресса, которое приводит к функциональному повреждению адаптационной системы организма [16]. Недавно выяснилось, что при существенном сдвиге нервных процессов в сторону возбуждения у лиц юношеского возраста возможно появление неуравновешенного поведения, сильных эмоциональных переживаний, неустойчивого настроения, слабого терпения и агрессивного поведения [17].…”

“…Чубаровского с соавт. [1] различные формы психических нарушений выявлены у 67,5 % учащихся школ и колледжей, 36,0 % из них составили предболезненные состояния, 16,0 % -невротические реакции, 20,0 % -патохарактерологические реакции. Общими признаками ППР являются преобладание проявлений невротического уровня, вегетативных дисфункций и их взаимосвязь с личностно-типологическими особенностями.…”