Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Fear Factor In Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Lex Denysenko, Md, Robin Hanson, Md, Jessica Mosier, Md, Ethan J. Halpern, Md

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Presented at: Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine in Atlanta Georgia.

BACKGROUND

•Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a transient, reversible acute cardiac syndrome that mimics acute MI

•Reportedly frequently precipitated by an emotionally stressful event

•Excessive catecholamine release is a possible pathophysiologic mechanism¹

•Prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders in TCM patients varies among studies, ranging from 21-40%^2,3

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy And Catatonia: An Acute Stress Connection?, Lex Denysenko, Md, Rachel Shmuts, Do, Adam Trenton, Do, Ethan J. Halpern, Md, Madeleine Becker, Md

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND

•Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM):

•transient left ventricular dysfunction

•ECG changes and symptoms mimicking acute MI

•often precipitated by emotional stressor

•Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome most commonly seen in mood disorders

•This is the first known reported case of TCM co-occurring with catatonia in the setting of acute psychological trauma and bereavement

Jefferson Scale Of Patient's Perceptions Of Physician Empathy: Preliminary Psychometric Data., Gregory C. Kane, Joanne L. Gotto, Salvatore Mangione, Susan West, Mohammadreza Hojat

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

AIM: To develop a brief scale for measuring patient's perceptions of their physician's empathic engagement and to provide preliminary evidence in support of aspects of the scale's psychometrics.

METHOD: Study comprised 225 patients, out of 436 patients (52% response rate) seen by 166 residents in the internal medicine residency program at the Jefferson Hospital Ambulatory Clinic as part of their ambulatory training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. A 5-item questionnaire entitled the Jefferson Scale of Patient's Perceptions of Physician Empathy was developed and administered to the study participants. Its factor structure, item-total score correlations, and correlations with several relevant criterion …

Relationship Of Serum Prolactin With Severity Of Drug Use And Treatment Outcome In Cocaine Dependence., Ashwin A. Patkar, Paolo Mannelli, Kenneth M. Certa, Kathleen Peindl, Heather Murray, Michael J. Vergare, Wade H. Berrettini

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

RATIONALE: Alteration in serum prolactin (PRL) levels may reflect changes in central dopamine activity, which modulates the behavioral effects of cocaine. Therefore, serum PRL may have a potential role as a biological marker of drug severity and treatment outcome in cocaine dependence.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether serum PRL levels differed between cocaine-dependent (CD) subjects and controls, and whether PRL levels were associated with severity of drug use and treatment outcome in CD subjects.

METHODS: Basal PRL concentrations were assayed in 141 African-American (AA) CD patients attending an outpatient treatment program and 60 AA controls. Severity of drug use was assessed …

Pre-Treatment Measures Of Impulsivity, Aggression And Sensation Seeking Are Associated With Treatment Outcome For African-American Cocaine-Dependent Patients., Ashwin A. Patkar, Heather W. Murray, Paolo Mannelli, Edward Gottheil, Stephen P. Weinstein, Michael J. Vergare

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

We investigated whether measures of impulsivity, aggression and sensation seeking differed between cocaine-dependent subjects and controls, and whether these measures were related to treatment-outcome for cocaine patients. Pre-treatment assessments of impulsivity (Barratt Impulsivity Scale [BIS]), aggression (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory [BDHI]) and sensation seeking (Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale [SSS]) were obtained for 141 African-American cocaine-dependent patients entering a 12-week, intensive outpatient treatment program and 60 controls. The outcome measures were number of negative urine drug screens, days in treatment, dropout rates and number of treatment sessions. Cocaine patients reported significantly higher scores on the SSS, the BIS and the BDHI than …