Psychopathology

Low-dose tryptophan depletion in recovered depressed women induces impairments in autobiographical memory specificity

by Anneke Haddad

Haddad, A. D. M., Williams, J. M. G., McTavish, S. F. B., & Harmer, C. J. (2009, December). Low-dose tryptophan depletion in recovered depressed women induces impairments in autobiographical memory specificity.. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 207(3), 499-508.

Background: Depressed patients perform poorly on tests of autobiographical memory specificity (AMS); this may have... more Background: Depressed patients perform poorly on tests of autobiographical memory specificity (AMS); this may have negative consequences for other important cognitive abilities, delays recovery from mood episodes, and, in recovered patients, may mediate vulnerability to future episodes. Although the cognitive mechanisms underlying AMS deficits are beginning to be understood, the neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Serotonin is implicated in both depression and long-term memory; therefore, temporary lowering of brain serotonin function via acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) offers a means of studying the role of serotonin in autobiographical memory specificity.

Materials and methods: In this study, 24 previously depressed women underwent low-dose ATD or sham depletion and completed tests of initial and delayed memory, recollection- and familiarity-based recognition, and AMS.

Results: ATD did not differentially affect state mood. Compared with sham depletion, ATD impaired immediate recall on the Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Although ATD did not differentially impair recollection- and familiarity-based recognition, it did slow recognition of positive words. ATD also reduced autobiographical memory specificity in response to negative cue words.

Discussion: The results confirm previous findings that low-dose ATD can reinstate depression-congruent biases in cognition without causing depressive mood in vulnerable populations. The ATD-induced reduction in memory specificity suggests that serotonergic dysfunction may mediate depressive deficits in autobiographical memory; the interaction of cognitive and neurobiological vulnerability mechanisms is discussed.

Adults with Tourette’s syndrome with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

by Anneke Haddad

Haddad, A. D. M., Umoh, G., Bhatia, V., & Robertson, M. M. (2009). Adults with Tourette's syndrome with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 120(4), 299-307.

Objective:  Comorbidity between Tourette’s syndrome (TS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is high.... more Objective:  Comorbidity between Tourette’s syndrome (TS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is high. In children, those with both TS+ADHD fare less well than those with TS-only on measures of both psychopathology and behaviour. The objective of this study was to document such measures in adult patients.

Method:  Eighty adults with TS-only were compared to 64 with TS+ADHD using a clinical interview and standardised measures of depression, anxiety and obsessionality.

Results:  The two groups were no different on measures of TS severity. TS+ADHD patients had significantly more depression, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive behaviour and maladaptive behaviours than patients with TS-only. There were also significant differences in the incidence of copro- and echo-phenomena and family history of ADHD.

Conclusion:  The finding of increased overall behavioural difficulties and psychopathology in adult patients with TS+ADHD when compared with TS-only is in agreement with previous findings in children with TS. Appropriate treatment of ADHD in TS patients during childhood may prevent many behavioural problems in adulthood.

The effects of mindfulness on executive processes and autobiographical memory specificity

by Alexandre Heeren

Heeren, A., Van Broeck, N., & Philippot, P. (2009). The effects of mindfulness training on executive processes and autobiographical memory specificity. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47, 403-409.

Disrupted Regulation of Social Exclusion in Alcohol-Dependence: An fMRI Study

by Alexandre Heeren

Maurage, P., Joassin, F., Philippot, P., Heeren, A., Vermeulen, N., Mahau, P., Delperdange, C., Corneille, O., Luminet, O., & de Timary, P. (in press). Disrupted regulation of social exclusion in alcohol-dependence: An fMRI study. Neuropsychopharmacology.

SADISM AND MASOCHISM OR SADOMASOCHISM: CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL CONSIDERATIONS

by Selman Repišti

Negative symptoms: the ‘pathology’ of motivation and goal-directed behaviour

by Graham Pluck

High Behavioral Approach System (BAS) Sensitivity, Reward Responsiveness, and Goal-Striving Predict First Onset of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders: A Prospective Behavioral High-Risk Design

by Richard Liu

Emotional maltreatment and depression: Prospective prediction of depressive episodes.

by Richard Liu

Stress generation in depression: A systematic review of the empirical literature and recommendations for future study.

by Richard Liu

An experiential avoidance conceptualization of depressive rumination: Three tests of the model.

by Richard Liu

Andrew M. Lobaczewski

by Laura Knight-Jadczyk

’D’ye see him?’ On the Nature of Revenge in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick

by Ádám Bogár

- with Rebeka Sára Szigethy.
- published in: Kállay G., Katalin, ed. Freely Given to the Waves. A Collection of Essays on Herman Melville’s Moby Dick 2007/2008. Budapest: Károli Gáspár University Institute of English Studies, 2010. 79–87.
- abstract only.

In this paper we attempt to lend Captain Ahab's psychopathological diagnosis, and argue that in spite of its apparent... more In this paper we attempt to lend Captain Ahab's psychopathological diagnosis, and argue that in spite of its apparent irrationality and destructivity (in concern of both Ahab and his peers) Captain Ahab's urge to find and fight the White Whale is not a mere instance of insane mania, but an inevitable deterministic imperative.

Animal models of psychopathology: Historical models and the pavlovian contribution

by Gonzalo Miguez

Laborda, M. A., Miguez, G., Polack, C. W., & Miller, R. R. (2012). Modeling psychopathology: Historical animal models and the Pavlovian contribution. Terapia Psicologica, 30, 45-59.

Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the... more Research using non-human animals as experimental subjects to understand human behavior have been based on the Darwinian notion of continuity between species. In this framework, we find analogous models to understand human biology and behavior in nonhuman species. In the scientific study of psychology, animal models have proven to be an effective tool for understanding both normal and abnormal human behaviors. In the present review, we discuss how animal models have been used in investigating psychopathology. After reviewing three historical animal models of specific psychopathologies, we discuss how phenomena discovered while studying Pavlovian conditioning have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and maintenance of human psychopathology, how the Pavlovian tradition has contributed to the development of better ways to treat these behavioral disorders, and more generally, how Pavlovian phenomena are implicated in almost all interactions between an organism and its environment.

SPIN. The Social Phobia Inventory: Screening and Cross-Cultural Validation in Spanish Adolescents

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

Availability of brief, self-report measures to be used as screening instruments is crucial to detect
correctly... more Availability of brief, self-report measures to be used as screening instruments is crucial to detect
correctly youth with social anxiety disorder and therefore, reach those otherwise under-detected and
under-treated. A previous study revealed that the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was potentially an
appropriate measure for screening social anxiety among US adolescents. However, there is a lack of
information concerning its properties as a screening test in other cultures and languages. This is the
main objective of this study, although further validity of the scale is provided as well. The sample
consisted of 192 adolescents (a sample composed of 114 subjects with a principal diagnosis of social
anxiety disorder; and a group consisting of 78 subjects with no diagnosis of social phobia). Results
suggest that the Social Phobia Inventory has demonstrated good psychometric properties and indeed
may be used as a screening tool in Spanish-speaking adolescents

Scales and social anxiety: relationships and construct: Relationships Among Social Anxiety Measures and Their Invariance A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

Social phobia is becoming increasingly recognized as an important disorder among adolescents.
The body of... more Social phobia is becoming increasingly recognized as an important disorder among adolescents.
The body of research on assessment measures in adolescents with social phobia has grown considerably. Unfortunately,
little is known about the relationship among these measures and its invariance across clinical and
community samples. The objective of the present study is to examine this issue. Results show that all of these
measures are invariant among samples and assess a single higher-order factor, labeled as “social anxiety,”
although each measure appears to tap a specific symptom (cognitive, behavioral, and somatic). Further, results
do support the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents
(SAS-A) as first-line assessment measures for adolescents’ social anxiety.

A pilot study on normative data for two social anxiety measures: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

Although social phobia is one of the most common mental disorders in adolescence, there is little research concerning... more Although social phobia is one of the most common mental disorders in adolescence, there is little research concerning social anxiety self-reports designed and/or adapted for adolescents. This pilot study provides initial evidence for normative data for the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) in an adolescent Spanish speaking sample. Adolescents (n = 303) with and without social phobia completed the SPAI and the SAS-A. Initial results supported both the Social Phobia subscale of the SPAI and the Total SAS-A score as an indexes to minimize false negatives or positive. Nevertheless, the highest agreement was found when the SPAI and the SAS-A were used together. This finding points out that these scales are not necessarily exclusive but complementary, as the use of both increases the efficiency of the diagnosis for social phobia, and suggest these scales are the most measures for use in general screening.

The Social Phobia Scale and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale: Factor structure and reliability in a Spanish-speaking population.

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

The factor structure of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) were evaluated... more The factor structure of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) were evaluated in a Spanish university student sample. The objective of this study was to examine whether these scales are reliable measures in other languages and/or cultures. High levels of internal consistency were found. The results from the factor analyses replicated the structure proposed by the original authors and revealed that both scales are unidimensional and appear to measure different aspects of the social anxiety construct. Further, as in previous studies, gender differences on the SPS but not on the SIAS were found. In conclusion, results support the psychometric properties of both the SIAS and the SPS in the assessment of Spanish-speaking samples.

The efficacy and efficiency of videofeedback for enhancing the effects of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for youth with social anxiety disorder. Análisis de la eficacia y eficiencia del empleo del Videofeedback en el tratamiento de adolescentes con un trastorno de ansiedad social

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el efecto que produciría aumentar el uso del Videofeedback en la mejora... more El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el efecto que produciría aumentar el uso del Videofeedback en la mejora de la eficacia de un tratamiento psicológico en grupo para la fobia social (IAFS) ampliando de cuatro sesiones, en las que se utilizaba originalmente, a diez de las doce sesiones de las que se compone el programa. Los participantes fueron 50 adolescentes (18 chicos y 32 chicas), con una edad comprendida entre 14-18 años, quienes fueron reclutados en sus propios centros escolares, lugar donde también se llevó a cabo la intervención. El diseño estaba compuesto por dos condiciones experimentales: la primera recibió el programa original denominado “Intervención en Adolescentes con Fobia Social” (IAFS; Olivares y García-López, 1998; García-López, 2007a) que incluía el componente de Videofeedback en 4 de las 12 sesiones, y que sirvió como grupo control. El segundo grupo recibió el mismo programa de intervención pero el componente de Videofeedback se incluyó en 10 de las 12 sesiones. Los resultados en el postest y en el seguimiento a los 6 meses mostraron que ambas intervenciones resultaron ser, altamente a la vez que, igualmente eficaces; no hallándose diferencias significativas en los análisis estadísticos efectuados en las variables dependientes utilizadas. Finalmente, se debatirán cómo estos hallazgos pueden contribuir a la investigación futura y su implicación clínica.

Exposure versus cognitive therapy in adults with social phobia

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

invariance & social anxiety. single factor.

by LuisJoaquin Garcia-Lopez, Ph.D.

Social phobia is becoming increasingly recognized as an important disorder among adolescents.
The body of... more Social phobia is becoming increasingly recognized as an important disorder among adolescents.
The body of research on assessment measures in adolescents with social phobia has grown considerably. Unfortunately,
little is known about the relationship among these measures and its invariance across clinical and
community samples. The objective of the present study is to examine this issue. Results show that all of these
measures are invariant among samples and assess a single higher-order factor, labeled as “social anxiety,”
although each measure appears to tap a specific symptom (cognitive, behavioral, and somatic). Further, results
do support the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents
(SAS-A) as first-line assessment measures for adolescents’ social anxiety.