The primary objective of this experiment was to ascertain the degree of difference in stimulus generalization between brain injured and non-brain injured retardates.

The primary problem of this thesis is to determine the effect of a modified, structured, and basically non-permissive play therapy program upon the intellectual, social, and behavioral level of a group of profoundly and severely retarded children.

The present study is an effort to investigate some of the pertinent implications, principles, and postulates revealed by learning theorists, specifically McCandless, using mentally retarded children as subjects.

Following Hawley's point of view regarding the definition and inclusiveness of human ecology, ecological data must include both a population and its characteristics and some measurements of the environment of this population. Following Hawley, an ecological investigation must select from available data and examine at least some of the relationships that may exist among these measurable population and environmental characteristics, in an effort to find and isolate the causes of mental disorders, particularly of those now called "functional."

<p>This study explores the phenomena of birth and life in the womb and the possibility that much of the psychological suffering experienced throughout the lifespan is a result of deep wounds felt in the maternal womb. The findings of this thesis were honed from a heuristic process of investigation, and the analysis was informed by the theories and approaches of depth psychology. This thesis conceptualizes the human psyche by exploring Jung?s structure of psyche and his notion of the conscious and the unconscious in correlation with development of the fetus in utero. Using Jungian and object relations theory alongside the science of fetal development, it is found that trauma occurring before birth impacts psychological well-being of children later in life. This thesis sheds light on the importance of nurturing and caring for unborn children and brings awareness to this essential fact in the clinical world of psychology.

<p> Journey with the myth of Lethe, spring of oblivion and mother of anxiety, into the land of radical forgiveness and forgetfulness, healing the soul of the world. Forgetfulness is defined as proactive and positive, not reductionist or regressive. The research includes a comprehensive research survey of over 300 papers and 100 works of literature related to concepts of forgiveness and forgetfulness. Qualitative, alchemical hermeneutics, intuitive inquiry, and shamanic participatory epistemology methodologies are applied to investigating how life might be improved by a deeper level of healing of the soul provided by forgiveness and forgetfulness. The findings indicate that forgiveness and forgetfulness heal the individual, collective, and the planet as a whole. Recommendations are made for further psychological research, clinical implementation, and inclusion of forgiveness and forgetfulness in the areas of general psychotherapeutic theory and practice; wisdom psychology; posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PTED); and transgenerational transmission of trauma, suicide, and trauma. </p>

<p>Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease, affects more than one million people within the United States and disproportionately impacts women of color particularly in their childbearing years, 15-44. Research on living with lupus post-diagnosis has expanded within the past decade. While research on SLE is increasing, little is known about the often-protracted journey women of color experience along the way toward diagnosis. The journey to accurate diagnosis is fraught with unexplained symptoms and uncertainty within the women?s spheres of life and influence. Therefore, the following research question arose: What are the lived experiences of women of color aged 22-44 who have experienced a protracted journey toward diagnosis with SLE? Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological design, the researcher strove to document the lived experiences of 12 women of color who reported the experience of a protracted journey to SLE diagnosis of 6 months or more. The women were recruited from various methods of contact including message boards, lupus support groups, and social media. After recruitment and informed consent measures, interviews were conducted and transcribed. The coding and analysis of the interviews revealed the presence of various individual textural and structural themes involving aspects of the wait for answers: recurrent symptoms, significance of family, lack of answers from healthcare providers, work, uncertainty of life, desiring normalcy, and pain. Three themes overlapped throughout the interviews: Ambiguity while accessing the medical community, family matters and pushing through. The findings reveal the physical, psychological, and relational complexity surrounding the protracted journey to diagnosis and how the individual journey and collective experiences can aid healthcare professionals, lupus patients and their caregivers in timely, accurate, patient-centered care. Recommendations include further research on SLE and protracted diagnosis, the development of practical steps towards the empowerment of patients within the autoimmune community, and a call for more women in research and clinical trials that contribute toward the overall improvement of women?s healthcare.

<p> Multiple campaigns geared towards reducing public and self-stigma associated with depression, and increasing help-seeking behaviors have been launched in the past two decades. There has been an increase in promoting psychoeducation on the biological bases of mental illness. Recent international studies have documented that this increase in public knowledge has not reduced stigma. Indeed, growing evidence suggests that biological models, in comparison to other causal models of mental illness, decrease people&rsquo;s sense of self-efficacy and self-control, and decrease positive expectancies of treatments and prognosis&ndash;among those with and without mental illness. Individuals who have come in contact with health services, however, hold more positive and realistic expectancies of treatments than those who have not. Therefore, adequate education about mental illness and its treatment by providers is key at improving treatment expectancies and engagement. Results documented that biological explanations increased biological causes and reduced endorsement of social and psychological causes, led to decreases in endorsement of non-professional help, and increased endorsement of positive outcome expectancies for attending psychotherapy. Second, psychosocial explanations increased endorsement of social causes, increased likelihood in engaging in psychotherapy, and increased endorsement of positive outcome expectancies for attending psychotherapy and taking psychiatric medications. Third, biopsychosocial conditions produced increases in endorsement of taking psychiatric medications and increased endorsement of positive outcome expectancies for attending psychotherapy. Fourth, control condition increased endorsement of taking psychiatric medications and increased endorsement of positive outcome expectancies for attending psychotherapy. There was no interaction effect of self-stigma for attending psychotherapy or taking psychiatric medications; however, main effects of time suggest that self-stigma for attending psychotherapy and taking psychiatric medication reduced across time. Moreover, after treatment education there were no interactions between time and condition. However, main effects of time showed increased likelihood taking psychiatric medications and decreased likelihood seeking non-professional help, increases positive outcome expectancies of treatment, and decrease in self-stigma for seeking treatment. The findings of the current study suggest that biologically based psychoeducation of depression may hinder patients. It is most optimal to include and highlight the effect of psychosocial factors of depression through psychoeducation campaigns.</p>

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Psychiatry, Johannesburg, September 2013 / Objective: Anecdotal evidence suggests that substance use is a significant problem among psychiatric patients admitted to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of substance use, the type of substance used and the socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with substance use among a group of psychiatric inpatients. Method: This study was a retrospective record review of all patients admitted to the psychiatric wards at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital between the periods of July and December 2008. Results: Substance use was 4.8 (95% CI:2.7-8.4) times more likely among male subjects (p<0.001), 4.1 times (95%CI: 1.8-9.3) more likely in subjects aged 18-30 years compared to older patients (p=0.001), 3 times (95% CI: 1.2-7.4) more likely in subjects who were single (p=0.001), 1.9 (95% CI:1.4-2.7) times more likely in subjects who did not have children (p<0.001), and 1.5 (95% CI:1.2-2.1) times more likely in subjects with a psychotic disorder (p=0.004) compared to those with a mood disorder. Mood and psychotic disorders were compared and only the past psychiatric history was found to be significantly associated with psychotic disorders. Conclusion: Male gender was found to be significantly associated with substance use. Alcohol and cannabis were the most common substances used and polysubstance use also was a common occurrence. These findings have implications for preventative measures, psychiatric practice and specialized care for dual diagnosis patients.