Depression is defined as a "whole-body" illness, involving the body, mood, and thoughts. Three of the most prevalent types of depressive disorders are described: major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorders (formerly called manic-depressive illness). Eleven symptoms of depression and 10 symptoms of mania are listed. Causes of depression are…

One clinical psychologist who worked with terminally ill, end-stage Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients in a hospice type setting experienced more than 150 deaths over an 18-month time period. Many of the patients denied that they had AIDS; some distinguished between having AIDS and testing positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus…

This document provides a series of reflections by a practicing psychologist on the uses of aerobic workouts in psychotherapy. Two case histories are cited to illustrate the contention that the mode of exercise, rather than simply its presence or absence, is the significant indicator of a patient's emotional well-being or psychopathology. The first…

Often approaching reading with feelings of stress, anxiety, and fear, disabled readers need affective as well as cognitive training in remedial reading programs. Their intellectual objectivity, self-understanding, and rapport with teachers and classmates could be increased, and their anxiety reduced, if remedial reading specialists would…

The report discusses 12 research projects on hearing impairment undertaken at the Gallaudet Research Institute. The institute focuses on three major categories of research areas: accommodation to hearing loss, prevention of hearing loss, and restoration of hearing. Following a brief description of the functions of the Office of the Vice President…

The structural model of positive and negative cognition derives from principles of information processing, intrapersonal communication, and cybernetic self-regulation. The model proposes five distinct states of mind quantitatively defined by the proportion of positive to total cognition. A positive dialogue with a set point proportion of .618 plus…

Techniques of cognitive behavior modification such as cognitive restructuring have recently been employed in behavior therapy. Other procedures which fall within the approach of cognitive behavior therapy are techniques such as paradoxical intention which are subsumed under the title of logotherapy. Logotherapy refers to a form of psychotherapy or…

Some theoreticians believe that diagnostic and prognostic impressions are based in part on clinicians' personal values. A study was conducted to assess whether clinical judgment is affected by patient religiosity, therapist religiosity, or an interaction between patient and therapist religiosity. Psychotherapists' (N=15) judgments concerning…

The crisis hotline was probably the earliest use of the telephone for counseling purposes, begun in the 1960s as a suicide prevention service. Crisis counseling is designed to be therapeutic and to result in insight. The telephone has come to be used in a variety of ways for more traditional therapy which differs in basic assumptions and focus…

Research indicates that families that adopt have many problems that would have existed even if the adopted child had been a biological member of the family, but that become more complex and intense due to adoption. A psychosocial and psychodynamic perspective toward family life suggests that in the adoption process, child and family pass through…

This study examined separation-individuation development issues for young adult women, from the perspective of object-relations theory. Its purpose was to explore a woman's perception of her relationship with mother as it is affected by age and request for psychotherapy as well as the relationship between mother-daughter bond and personality…

This study attempts to identify the specific demographic and sociological characteristics related to improvement for 48 male alcoholic patients who participated in two contrasting one-month inpatient treatment programs. Of the 48 subjects, 27 participated in a broad spectrum behavior therapy program (experimental group). The remaining 21 subjects…

This paper describes a therapy analogue experiment in which an interviewer's interpretation of a client's presenting problem was systematically varied along dimensions suggested by causal attribution theory. Subjects were 64 undergraduate students with the same presenting problem of unassertiveness. They were given two different interpretations of…

Describes two studies examining the relationship between locus of control and structure of group therapy. Results suggest that external clients may achieve the most significant therapeutic benefits from a structured therapist intervention within a spaced time format, while internal clients may require a therapist model of minimum control and…

This study investigated some relationships between the verbal behavior of 20 experienced therapists and their therapist effectiveness. Forced oral responses to a taped therapy interaction were obtained and analyzed. Each dependent variable was correlated against a rating of a therapist's effectiveness. Findings are discussed. (Author)