Attachment styles as well as personality traits in adolescents and adults have been found to be associated with their health outcomes and with their personality pathology. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, we study the relationship between attachment styles that derive from our data employing the items of Feeney et al. (1994) self-report attachment style questionnaire (ASQ), and personality traits given by the junior version of Cloninger et al. (1993) self-report temperament and character inventory (TCI), in a sample of 426 adolescents (54% females) from a general population. The secure attachment style was correlated significantly negatively with the personality trait harm avoidance (HA), but significantly positively with the personality traits novelty seeking (NS), reward dependence (RD), cooperativeness (CO) and self-transcendence (ST). The preoccupied (anxious/ambivalent) attachment style was correlated significantly positively with HA and NS, but significantly negatively with self-directedness (SD). The fearful-avoidant category was correlated significantly negatively with NS. Our five-factor solution of the attachment styles and their relation to the TCI point towards a need for a modification of the two-axis, four-category attachment model of Bartholomew (1990) and Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991), with their category dismissing-avoidant replaced by the two categories defined here as dismissing relations (correlated significantly negatively with CO) and dismissing others (correlated significantly negatively with RD and significantly positively with SD).

Demographical and clinical characteristics have been reported to modulate the risk for suicide. This study analysed demographical and clinical characteristics with respect to lifetime suicide attempts in 500 individuals affected with schizophrenic or affective disorders. Suicide attempts were associated with poor premorbid social adjustment, low age at onset, low scores on the “Global Assessment Scale” and childlessness in females.

Rabbit syndrome is characterized by rapid, fine, rhythmic movements of the perioral muscles along a vertical axis, mimicking the chewing actions of a rabbit. The present case demonstrates the possible usefulness of quetiapine as a mono-drug treatment strategy for dealing with rabbit syndrome and simultaneously treating psychotic symptoms.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in developed countries. Millions of smokers are willing to stop, but few of them are able to do so. Clinicians should only use approaches that have demonstrated their efficacy in helping patients to stop smoking. This article summarizes the evidence-based major findings and clinical recommendations for the treatment of tobacco dependence of the French Health Products Safety Agency (AFSSAPS). Clinicians should enquire about the smoking status of each patient and provide information about health consequence of smoking and effective treatments available. These treatments include counseling (mainly individual or social support and behavioral and cognitive therapy) and pharmacological treatment with either nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or bupropion LP. Pharmacological treatments should be used only for proven nicotine dependence, as assessed by the Fagerstrom test for Nicotine Dependence. The choice of pharmacologic treatment depends of the patient's preference and history and of the presence of contra-indications. The clinician should start with a single agent, but these treatments may be used in combination. Smoking behavior is a chronic problem that requires long-term management and follow-up. Access to intensive treatment combining pharmacological treatment and extensive behavioral and cognitive therapy should be available for highly dependent patients.

This study attempted to determine the prevalence of childhood trauma among women in the general population as assessed in a representative sample from a city in central Turkey. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was administered to 628 women in 500 homes. They were also asked for childhood abuse and/or neglect. DES was administered to 251 probands. Mean age of the probands was 34.8 ± 11.5 years (range 18–65). Sixteen women (2.5%) reported sexual abuse, 56 women (8.9%) physical abuse, and 56 women (8.9%) emotional abuse in childhood. The most frequently reported childhood trauma was neglect (n = 213, 33.9%). The prevalence of suicide attempts was 4.5% (n = 28). Fourteen probands (2.2%) reported self-mutilative behavior.

Forty-three patients with schizophrenia were investigated with a short neurocognitive screening battery focussing on working memory and executive functions. As compared to healthy controls, patients showed impairments in the modified card sorting test, in verbal fluency and all span tasks with exception of digit span forward. Patients who were treated with atypicals showed better performance in the digit ordering test (manipulation task) when compared to a group of patients who received conventional antipsychotics; this difference was not due to disease severity, age or education. Manipulation tasks might be useful for neurocognitive follow-up and intervention studies.

The aim of this study was to assess relations among depression, anxiety and pain in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Pain was measured with the visual analogue scale (VAS), and depression and anxiety with depression and anxiety subscales from the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C). Pain perception was significantly correlated with depression scores.

Up to the present, there have been few strategies that are completely effective in treating undifferentiated somatoform disorder with tinnitus. We herein report that Yoku-kan-san (TJ-54), one of Japan's traditional herbal medicines, is an effective treatment for tinnitus in undifferentiated somatoform disorder complicated with headache and insomnia. TJ-54 has been also used as an effective treatment for insomnia and irritability in recent centuries and is considered to have some effects on the excitability of nerves. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacies of Japanese herbal medicines.