Volume 39, Issue 3, July – November 2018
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Should a dramatherapist disclose their sexual orientation to their clients? Perhaps they should be prepared to
Child care arrangements for children aged 0 to 5 with long-term conditions or disabilities, 2023
Social Security to Expand Access to SSI Program by Updating Definition of a Public Assistance Household
The feasibility and acceptability of mobile ecological momentary assessment to evaluate sleep, family functioning, and affect in patients with pediatric craniopharyngioma
Volume 42, Issue 2, 2024, Page 159-174
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A pilot study examining hemomania behaviors in psychiatry outpatients engaged with nonsuicidal self‐injury
This pioneering study investigates hemomania behaviors involving the urge to obtain one’s own blood in psychiatry outpatients engaging with NSSI. Among 130 outpatients, 43.1% exhibited at least one hemomania behavior, as shown in the prevalence diagram. Those with hemomania displayed heightened psychiatric comorbidities, increased suicide attempts, and severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and impulsivity. Elevated rates of certain NSSI behaviors were observed. These findings suggest hemomania’s potential classification as an impulse control disorder, warranting further validation and exploration.
Abstract
Background
This study aims to conduct the first-ever evaluation of our previously proposed behaviors of “hemomania” in individuals engaged with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI).
Methods
The study encompassed 130 outpatients engaged with NSSI who applied at the psychiatry outpatient clinic. NSSI behaviors were assessed using the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury, while psychiatric diagnoses were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders-Clinician Version. Subsequently, participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and Short Form of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale.
Results
The prevalence of at least one hemomania behavior including seeing blood, tasting blood, bloodletting, and blood-drinking was observed to be 43.1% in individuals with NSSI. When participants were divided into two groups, individuals with hemomania exhibited: (1) a higher incidence of psychiatric comorbidities, increased suicide attempts, and more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and impulsivity, (2) higher comorbidity rates of borderline personality disorder, body-focused repetitive behaviors, and dissociative disorders, and (3) elevated frequencies of certain NSSI behaviors, including cutting, biting, needle-ticking, and carving, compared to those without.
Conclusion
Hemomania could be considered a specific impulse control disorder, characterized by heightened impulsivity and a persistent urge to obtain one’s own blood. However, further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis.
Intrusive Mental Imagery in Chronic Pain: Prevalence and Associations with Common Comorbidities
Abstract
Purpose
Chronic pain is a highly prevalent and distressing condition with limited treatment efficacy. Prior research reports associations between the experience of mental imagery about chronic pain and pain itself, particularly in those with anxiety and depression. However, many aspects of these associations remain unexplored. A better understanding could help improve cognitive-behavioural therapies for chronic pain. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of intrusive pain-related mental imagery in a sample of people with chronic pain, examine the extent to which this imagery explained variation in pain intensity and disability, and examine the association between negative interpretations of imagery and pain.
Method
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. Participants with chronic pain (n = 151) completed standardised measures of anxiety, depression, health anxiety, general imagery use, and an adapted questionnaire about intrusive pain-related imagery.
Results
Intrusive pain-related imagery was present in 52.3% of the sample. Demographic variables, anxiety, depression, and health anxiety significantly explained 19% (p < .001) of the variation in pain intensity and 20.2% (p < .001) in pain disability. The presence/absence of intrusive pain-related imagery did not significantly explain any additional variance for either outcome. However negative interpretations of imagery explained additional variance in pain disability. Intrusive imagery was interpreted negatively, experienced as moderately distressing, and was associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression and health anxiety.
Conclusions
Experiencing intrusive imagery about pain is common, but its presence or absence appears to have no direct relationship on pain intensity or disability. The relationship is likely to be more complex, warranting further investigation. Negative interpretations of imagery represent a potential treatment target amenable to intervention.