Konstantinos Bonotis

Depression in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

It has been widely suggested that depression negatively affects patients with cardiovascular disease. There are several pathophysiological mechanisms as well as behavioral processes linking depression and cardiac events. Improvements in nursing and medical care have prolonged survival of this patient population; however, this beneficial outcome has led to increased prevalence of depression. Since mortality rates in chronic heart failure patients remain extremely high, it might be as equally important to screen for depression and there are several valid and reliable screening tools that healthcare personnel could easily employ to identify patients at greater risk. Consultation should be provided by a multidisciplinary team, consisting of cardiologists, psychiatrists, and hospital or community nurses so as to carefully plan, execute, and evaluate medical intervention and implement lifestyle changes. We aim to systematically review the existing knowledge regarding current definitions, prognostic implications, pathophysiological mechanisms, and current and future treatment options in patients with depression and cardiovascular disease, specifically those with heart failure.

The Effects of Antipsychotics on Prolactin Levels and Women's Menstruation

Introduction. Typical and atypical antipsychotic agent is currently used for treatment in the majority of patients with psychotic disorders. The aim of this review is to assess antipsychotic induced hyperprolactinaemia and the following menstrual dysfunction that affects fertility, quality of life, and therapeutic compliance of women. Method. For this purpose, Medline, PsychInfo, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases were accessed, with a focus on the publication dates between 1954 and 2012. Research of references was also performed and 78 studies were retrieved and used for the needs of this review. Results. A summary of several antipsychotics as well as frequency rates and data on hyperprolactinaemia and menstrual disorders for different agent is presented. Conclusion. Diverse prevalence rates of hyperprolactinaemia and menstrual abnormalities have been found about each medication among different studies. Menstruation plays an important role for women, thus, understanding, careful assessment, and management of hyperprolactinaemia could enhance their lives, especially when dealing with women that suffer from a psychotic disorder.

Alexithymia components in excessive internet users: A multi-factorial analysis

The increasing use of computers and the internet - especially among young people - apart from its positive effects, sometimes leads to excessive and pathological use. The present study examined the relationship among the excessive use of the internet by university students, the alexithymia components and sociodemographic factors associated with internet users and their online activities. 515 university students from the University of Thessaly participated in the study. Participants anonymously completed: a) the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), b) the Toronto Alexithymia Test (TAS 20) and c) a questionnaire covering various aspects of internet use and demographic characteristics of internet users. Excessive use of the internet among Greek university students was studied within a multi-factorial context and was associated with the alexithymia and demographic factors in nonlinear correlations, forming thus a personalized emotional and demographic profile of the excessive internet users.

Investigation of factors associated with health-related quality of life and psychological distress in vitiligo.

Skin diseases distort the body image with possible negative effects on the quality of life and psychosocial health of patients. While vitiligo does not affect the physical well‐being, it may be psychologically distressing. The present study was based on the hypothesis that particular factors might be critical regarding the adjustment to the disease.

It Attacked My Change: An Exploratory Study with Young Adults on the Impact of Divorce and Their Adjustment Processes During Adolescence

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 2 female students, 21 and 24 years old. The participants experienced parental divorce during early adolescence (12 years old). This research examined the participants’ own views on the impact of parental divorce and their adjustment processes. The majority of participants’ narratives indicated that they had experienced negative effects of parental divorce. Results suggested that their adjustment was a long process in which mothers, peers, and psychologists had an important role in their coping process. Divorce and associated events were found to have a direct impact on participants’ development of identity, emotions, intimate relationships, father–child relationships, and views about forming their own families. The results were discussed in relation to the previous literature. Additionally, areas for psychotherapeutic emphasis are presented.

Does Long-Term Group Psychoeducation of Parents of Individuals with Schizophrenia Help the Family as a System? A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract: A chronic illness like schizophrenia seriously disrupts family functioning in various ways that can be addressed through family psychoeducational interventions in routine clinical services, an approach that has not received proper research attention. We pre- and post-tested four sets of parents of individuals with schizophrenia who participated in a long-term group psychoeducational intervention (treatment group) and four sets of parents of individuals with schizophrenia who received standard outpatient services (clinical control group), using three self-reported questionnaires to measure family functioning (Family Assessment Device), family atmosphere (Family Rituals Scale), and family burden (Family Burden Scale). At pre-test, there were no systematic differences between the two groups in any of the parameters assessed. At post-test, within and across groups, comparisons revealed significant improvements (under cut-off scores) in the mean scores of the treatment group (p < 0.05) in all three parameters under study. Our findings provide pilot evidence that intensive group parent psychoeducation is an efficient and efficacious treatment intervention for improvement of systemic properties of families, such as family functioning, family atmosphere, and family burden.

Eine Untersuchung von Faktoren, die mit der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität und der psychologischen Belastung bei Vitiligo verbunden sind.

Hautkrankheiten stören das Körperbild und können negative Auswirkungen auf die Lebensqualität und die psychosoziale Gesundheit von Patienten haben. Vitiligo beeinflusst zwar nicht das physische Wohlbefinden, kann aber psychologisch belastend sein. Die vorliegende Untersuchung basiert auf der Hypothese, dass bestimmte Faktoren kritisch für die Anpassung an die Krankheit sein könnten.