Margarida Rangel Henriques

Memory abilities in Williams syndrome: dissociation or developmental delay hypothesis?

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder often described as being characterized by a dissociative cognitive architecture, in which profound impairments of visuo-spatial cognition contrast with relative preservation of linguistic, face recognition and auditory short-memory abilities. This asymmetric and dissociative cognition has been also proposed to characterize WS memory ability, with sparing of auditory short-term memory and impairment of spatial and long-term memory abilities. In this study, we explored the possibility of a double memory dissociation in WS (short- versus long-term memory; verbal versus visual memory). Thus, verbal memory abilities were assessed using California Verbal Learning Test and Digit Span and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Corsi Blocks was used to assess visual-spatial memory abilities. Overall, WS subjects were found to present a generalized significant impairment in verbal and visuo-spatial components either in short- or long-term memory. In sum, data from this study brings support for a developmental delay hypothesis, rather than a double dissociation within memory systems in WS.

Patient Suicide: The Experience of Flemish Psychiatrists

The experience of the most distressing patient suicide on Flemish psychiatrists is described. Of 584 psychiatrists, 107 filled a self-report questionnaire. Ninety-eight psychiatrists had been confronted with at least one patient suicide. Emotional suffering and impotence were the most common feelings reported. Changes in professional practice were described and included a more structured approach to the management of suicidal patients. Colleagues and contact with the patients family were the most frequently used sources of help, whereas team case review and colleagues were rated as the most useful ones. Patient suicide leads to emotional suffering and has a considerable professional impact.

Health Professionals’ Explanations of Suicidal Behaviour: Effects of Professional Group, Theoretical Intervention Model, and Patient Suicide Experience:

In a help relation with a suicidal person, the theoretical models of suicidality can be essential to guide the health professional’s comprehension of the client/patient. The objectives of this study were to identify health professionals’ explanations of suicidal behaviors and to study the effects of professional group, theoretical intervention models, and patient suicide experience in professionals’ representations. Two hundred and forty-two health professionals filled out a self-report questionnaire. Exploratory principal components analysis was used. Five explanatory models were identified: psychological suffering, affective cognitive, sociocommunicational, adverse life events, and psychopathological. Results indicated that the psychological suffering and psychopathological models were the most valued by the professionals, while the sociocommunicational was seen as the least likely to explain suicidal behavior. Differences between professional groups were found. We concluded that training and reflection on theoretical models in general and in communicative issues in particular are needed in the education of health professionals.

Recuperação desenvolvimental após a adoção: características da criança e da família adotiva

Clinicians and researchers have been warning about the harmful effects of a history marked by early adverse experiences in shelter institutions in childs health, cognitive and socioemotional development as well as attachment. After adoption, the recovery in these domains seems to be clear and it is also observed a curious heterogeneity in developmental results. This paper review presents a summary of the main empirical findings about the characteristics of the child and of the adoptive family involved in the recovery process. The search was done in the major electronic databases and original studies, review articles, and book chapters were identified. It is concluded that the recovery requires the identification of genetic, prenatal and pre-institutionalization factors, and also the care experiences before and after the adoption.

Health Professionals Facing Suicidal Patients: What Are Their Clinical Practices?

Clinical work with suicidal people is a demanding area. Little is known about health professionals’ practices when faced with suicidal patients. The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the practices most likely to be adopted by professionals facing a suicidal patient and (2) analyze the differences according to professional characteristics (group, specific training on suicide, and experience with suicidal patients). A self-report questionnaire that was developed for this study was filled out by 239 participants. Participants were psychologists, psychiatrists, and general practitioners who work in different contexts: hospitals, public health centres, schools or colleges, and community centres. Principal components analysis, analyses of variance, and t-tests were used. Four components were identified: (1) Comprehensive risk assessment; (2) protocols, psychotherapy and connectedness; (3) multidisciplinary clinical approach; and, (4) family, explaining a total of variance of 44%. Positive associations between suicide-related variables (training and experience) and practices were found. In general, health professionals’ practices are evidence-based, however a relevant percentage of professionals can benefit from training and improve their practices.

A construção narrativa da identidade

This paper aims to present the narrative construction of the self and the identity from the perspective of Vygotskys Socio-historical Psychology. It also shows the development of narrative construction in Cultural Psychology, particularly in the writings of Jerome Bruner up to contemporary authors, highlighting the work of Hubert Hermans, Dan McAdams, Tilmann Habermas and Robyn Fivush. The concept of the narrative self appears as a development of the narrative paradigm and as an important contribution to the study of the internalization of higher psychological functions and to the understanding of the construction of the socio-historical subject. The identity as a space for the construction of the psychological subject seems to be a privileged place where we can observe the development of the narrative paradigm in terms of negotiation of meaning between biographical events and the individual.

Suicídio de um paciente: a experiência de médicos e psicólogos portugueses

Objective To describe the impact of a patient suicide on Portuguese health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists and general physicians).

Os heróis, vítimas e vilões: discursos sobre a anorexia nervosa

Este artigo apresenta uma revisao da literatura sobre os discursos dominantes sobre a anorexia nervosa da Idade Media a actualidade. Coloca em destaque os herois, viloes e vitimas, culminando num olhar sistemico-familiar. Se durante seculos predominaram narrativas individuais de heroinas santas, posteriormente, na era do pensamento medico, estas heroinas passaram a vitimas de uma doenca mental. Mais tarde, com os movimentos da anti-psiquiatria e da terapia familiar, emergem novas narrativas com mais protagonistas: os familiares. Se, primeiramente, as familias sao retratadas como vilas, dadas as suas influencias nocivas, nas ultimas decadas as familias sao ilustradas como sistemas vitimas do impacto da doenca. Na actualidade, surgem narrativas de familias competentes, capazes de superar o problema. Este artigo termina refletindo sobre esta multiplicidade de leituras e suas implicacoes.

Os heróis, vítimas e vilões: discursos sobre a anorexia nervosa = Heroes, victims and villains: discourses on anorexia nervosa

Este artigo apresenta uma revisao da literatura sobre os discursos dominantes sobre a anorexia nervosa da Idade Media a actualidade. Coloca em destaque os herois, viloes e vitimas, culminando num olhar sistemico-familiar. Se durante seculos predominaram narrativas individuais de heroinas santas, posteriormente, na era do pensamento medico, estas heroinas passaram a vitimas de uma doenca mental. Mais tarde, com os movimentos da anti-psiquiatria e da terapia familiar, emergem novas narrativas com mais protagonistas: os familiares. Se, primeiramente, as familias sao retratadas como vilas, dadas as suas influencias nocivas, nas ultimas decadas as familias sao ilustradas como sistemas vitimas do impacto da doenca. Na actualidade, surgem narrativas de familias competentes, capazes de superar o problema. Este artigo termina refletindo sobre esta multiplicidade de leituras e suas implicacoes.

A construção narrativa da identidade = Narrative construction of identity

This paper aims to present the narrative construction of the self and the identity from the perspective of Vygotskys Socio-historical Psychology. It also shows the development of narrative construction in Cultural Psychology, particularly in the writings of Jerome Bruner up to contemporary authors, highlighting the work of Hubert Hermans, Dan McAdams, Tilmann Habermas and Robyn Fivush. The concept of the narrative self appears as a development of the narrative paradigm and as an important contribution to the study of the internalization of higher psychological functions and to the understanding of the construction of the socio-historical subject. The identity as a space for the construction of the psychological subject seems to be a privileged place where we can observe the development of the narrative paradigm in terms of negotiation of meaning between biographical events and the individual.