Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Please see fulltext for abstract / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sien asb volteks vir opsomming

This study examined the prevalence of undiagnosed dissociative disorders in a sample of 201 adult patients admitted to a private psychiatric hospital in a major metropolitan city in the south-central United States, over an eight-month period. A screening measure, two blind structured interviews, and a blind clinical interview were employed. The lifetime prevalence of dissociate disorders among the interviewed subjects was 40.8%. More specifically, 7.5% were diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, 15.4% with dissociative disorder not otherwise specified, 13.4% with dissociative amnesia, and 4.5% with depersonalization disorder. Dissociative fugue was not found in this sample. Cohen's kappa reliability coefficients were computed between the three interview measures, resulting in significant findings for the presence of dissociative identity disorder and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified versus no dissociative disorder. The Cohen's kappa reliability coefficients were as follows: DDIS-DES-T = 0.81; SCID-D-DES-T = 0.76; Clinician-DES-T = 0.74, DDIS-SCID-D = 0.74; DDIS-Clinician = 0.71, and SCID-D-Clinician = 0.56. A meeting was conducted at the end of all subject interviews to discuss discrepant findings between measures. Four additional sub-analyses were performed between dissociative and non-dissociative subjects on DSM-IV variables. Patients diagnosed with a dissociative disorder had higher rates of comorbid major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder, somatization disorder, and childhood history of physical and/or sexual abuse. Theoretical and methodological issues were discussed as they relate to these findings.

by Sarah Miu Yin Ip. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-44). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Tables --- p.v / List of Appendix --- p.vi / Introduction --- p.1 / Method --- p.13 / Results --- p.20 / Discussion --- p.33 / References --- p.40 / Appendix --- p.45

Family and twin studies have shown a heritable component to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). While a few studies have examined individual genetic variants in SAD, many methodological issues exist in the current literature. First, most studies combined major depression (MDD) and bipolar (BD) cases in the genetic analysis of SAD. This makes it difficult to differentiate the effect from MDD and BD. Second, most studies adopted a candidate gene approach and used fairly small sample sizes. This does not allow for testing across a wide variety of genes, and it yields less robust P-values. Third, healthy controls have been used, but not case comparisons, which makes it difficult to differentiate the effects of seasonality from that of the primary illness (MDD and BD). To overcome these issues, seasonal MDD and BD cases were separated into two different studies in this thesis; sample sizes for both studies are the largest in the current SAD molecular genetics literature; GWAS was used to test for potential risk loci in a hypothesis-free fashion; case comparisons were incorporated to exclude potential genetic contributions related generally to the primary diseases themselves (MDD and BD). For MDD, we performed a GWAS with 562 seasonal MDD cases and 1,225 comparison cases with non-seasonal MDD. Subjects were drawn from two iterations of the Genetics of Recurrent Early Onset Depression (GenRED) study. Seasonal cases were those whose depressive episodes typically started in fall or winter. A mega-analysis of the two GWAS datasets was done using SNPTEST. We found that two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs149882931 and rs77073398, on chromosome 16p12.1 were associated with seasonal depression, at a genome-wide significant level (OR= 1.66, P= 3.59 x 10-8 and OR=1.62, 4.76 x 10-8, respectively). Since SAD is more prevalent in females, a female-specific analysis was carried out. The two variants were more significant in this analysis: P=2.18x10-9 (OR=1.89) and P=2.79x10-9 (OR=1.82), respectively, and a significant sex-by-SNP interaction was observed. These SNPs are located in a conserved intergenic region between the genes HS3ST4 and C16orf82. The protein product of HS3ST4 modifies the side chains of heparan sulfate proteoglycans. We therefore tested the hypothesis that the heparan sulfate biosynthesis pathway would be enriched in nominally significant SNPs using the SNP ratio test, and found evidence for such enrichment (P=0.008, SNP ratio test, P=0.027, SKAT). For BD, the GWAS analysis of 818 seasonal BD cases and 1,515 healthy controls showed that BD-S is most strongly associated with two SNPs within the ZBTB20 genes. BD subjects were drawn from NIMH Bipolar Genetics Study (BIGS), and seasonal cases were defined as those with depressive episodes starting in fall or winter. An association study was carried out with SNPTEST, and we found two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the intronic region of ZBTB20 gene to be associated with BD-S (rs7646282, OR=2.34, P= 7.23 x 10-8 and rs139459337, OR=2.37, 8.05 x 10-8). A similar case-only study was carried out with 818 BD-S cases and 1239 cases without seasonal depressive symptoms (non-BDS), though no SNP was found to be significantly associated in this analysis. rs7646282 is the strongest SNP in cis-association with ZBTB20 gene expression, and ZBTB20 has been shown to affect the neural development of the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in the pathophysiology of BD. Finally, we sought to determine whether there is a role for circadian rhythm genes in BD susceptibility. In this study, we used a discovery set of 189 exome-sequenced BD patients and 105 healthy controls to look for circadian genes associated with BD. We found the DRD2 gene to be the circadian gene most strongly associated with BD. Among the rare damaging variants in the DRD2 gene, the S311C variant was the predominant SNP. To test whether this variant segregates in family members with BD, we genotyped the family members of probands from the discovery sample. This data was used for a linkage and family-based association study. Even though the linkage analysis was only very weakly positive, the family-based association study showed significant segregation of the variant in family members with BD (P< 0.05). To follow up on this finding, we further genotyped 2,185 unrelated BD cases and 1,982 healthy controls. We found no support for the S311C variant in this replication dataset. Sub-phenotype study of psychotic features and mood-incongruence also did not show significant association. Meta-analysis with 2,994 BD cases and 3,661 controls, however, revealed no association between the S311C variant and BD.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental behavioural disorder among school-age children, which in most cases continues into adolescence and adulthood and is mainly characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. The aim of the study was to establish the relationship between ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity/impulsiveness and inattention) and child abuse (emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse). Method: A total of 191 participants (without a clinical diagnosis of ADHD) participated in the study. The participants were assessed on a battery consisting of the BSSA (Barkley‘s Symptoms Scale for Adolescents) and CMIS (Child Maltreatment Interview Schedule). The ADHD scores on BSSA have been correlated with scores on the CMIS. The results were analysed using the Pearson‘s product-moment correlation to show a relationship between ADHD symptoms and a history of child abuse. Results: A positive, but weak relationship between ADHD symptoms and all the measured forms of child abuse was indicated, with inattention symptoms showing a slightly higher relationship than the hyperactivity/impulsiveness symptoms. Conclusion: There is a significant although weak relationship, between ADHD symptoms and all forms of child abuse in non-impaired adolescents.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 160 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-160).

Awareness due to increase crime has highlighted the occurrence of immense personal and social problems. Problems resulting from disorders such as Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) are less common but have a profound impact on all of us. Research has shown that 97% of people with severe abuse and life trauma before the age of nine, develop DID. The objective of this study was to investigate (from the perspectives of therapists) the experience of people diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) in the workplace. A qualitative research design was used to capture the essence of the individual's experience thereby enabling the researcher to develop an understanding from the participant's point of view. In this study seven therapists were interviewed and each completed a questionnaire. This was the basis used to demonstrate the typical behaviour of DID in the workplace. The results indicated that DIDs cope to a certain extent but tend to switch (switching) personalities when exposed to trauma, stress or events that triggers past life trauma. Defense mechanisms and switching can have a negative influence on the organisation and its employees, but most of all on the DID. If professional treatment is available, the condition can be fully cured. Most patients treated were female, averaged 29 years of age, were single, and had experienced some kind of abuse. Patients experienced problems directly related to DID, such as lack of concentration, attention deficiency and memory loss, depression, migraine and constant headaches. Their behaviour is inconsistent and unpredictable, and they experience relationship problems. Results show that DIDs can hold relatively senior positions but tend to change jobs on a regular basis. Although this condition can be differentiated from other Psychological conditions, most DIDs have previously been misdiagnosed. A Psychological-based paradigm is mostly used to diagnose the condition. Recommendations to the organisation (especially to the HR department) and recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the factor structure of distress, comprised of depression, anxiety, and somatization, across Turkey and the U.S., and to investigate the metric invariance of the instruments used to measure distress: The Beck Depression Inventory-II, The State Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait subscale, and TheSymptom Check List 90-R Somatization subscale. Data from 778 Turkish and U.S. participants were used for the analyses. It was found that depression, somatization, and anxiety are three distinct but related constructs for both Turkish and U.S. participants. It was also found that BDI-II, STAI-Trait, and SCL-90-R-Somatization do not have metric invariance across the two cultures, and these instruments do not measure the same distress construct across Turkey and U.S. Stated differently, distress as measured by these three instruments has different meanings for Turkish and U.S. participants. According to the results of a freelist analysis, somatic, cognitive, behavioral, and affective reactions to distress were equally salient for Turkish students. In contrast, affective and somatic reactions to distress had more salience for the U.S. participants.Some of the results obtained from the current study contradicted previous findings, while some were consistent. The results were consistent with the way depression, anxiety, and somatization are conceptualized in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) as separate constructs, but contradicted Krueger et al.'s findings (2003) and Broom's unitary model of personhood (2000, 2003). Results from the freelist analysis contradicted the previous findings indicating that Turkish individuals are more likely to somatize compared to individuals from the U.S. (Gureje et al., 1997). The methodological differences between the current study and the previous studies (Gureje et al., 1997), such as differences in the instrumentation and the educational levels of the participants, may have caused the observed differences in the findings. The results from the current study should be interpreted in light of its limitations, such as use of convenience sampling, instrumentation, and the effect of potential response biases. Future studies are needed to further investigate the cross-cultural metric invariance and item bias of BDI-II, STAI-Trait, and SCL-90-R-Somatization individually. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness characterized by recurrent fluctuations in mood and increased risk of suicide. Twin and family studies have identified the highly heritable nature of the disorder, but the limitations of the current DNA-centric paradigm underscore the need for a new perspective to gain a clearer understanding of its basis. This project investigates various facets of bipolar disorder from an epigenetic standpoint. We used mass spectrometry-based mapping of individual DNA modification differences of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene. Moreover, the epigenetic basis of suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder was investigated using DNA methylation microarrays. We also used a newly-developed enrichment technique, mTAG, to interrogate chromosome-wide DNA modification profiles using tiling microarrays in post-mortem brains of bipolar disease patients and controls. Findings from these experiments highlight observable features of epigenomes of patients affected with mood disorders, and may further the understanding of the molecular origin of psychiatric diseases.

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric illness characterized by recurrent fluctuations in mood and increased risk of suicide. Twin and family studies have identified the highly heritable nature of the disorder, but the limitations of the current DNA-centric paradigm underscore the need for a new perspective to gain a clearer understanding of its basis. This project investigates various facets of bipolar disorder from an epigenetic standpoint. We used mass spectrometry-based mapping of individual DNA modification differences of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene. Moreover, the epigenetic basis of suicidal behaviour in bipolar disorder was investigated using DNA methylation microarrays. We also used a newly-developed enrichment technique, mTAG, to interrogate chromosome-wide DNA modification profiles using tiling microarrays in post-mortem brains of bipolar disease patients and controls. Findings from these experiments highlight observable features of epigenomes of patients affected with mood disorders, and may further the understanding of the molecular origin of psychiatric diseases.