Examined the effectiveness of attentional and avoidant coping strategies for somatic, behavioral, and psychological adaptation to clinical pain. Subjects were 30 chronic and 30 recent-onset pain patients who used either attentional or avoidant coping strategies in response to their pain. Based on a review of the coping literature, it was hypothesized that subjects with recent-onset pain would demonstrate greater adaptation (lower anxiety, depression, lower pain severity and somatization ratings, and higher levels of social activity) when employing avoidant rather than attentional strategies. Chronic pain subjects using attentional strategies were predicted to demonstrate greater adaptation than chronic pain subjects using avoidant strategies. The results supported this "time x strategy" hypothesis. Implications for pain treatment programs are discussed, and suggestions are made for matching pain duration with patient coping style.
Disorders of impulse control are frequently associated with adult psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., borderline personality disorder, kleptomania, explosive disorder, pyromania) as well as disorders with a typical onset in childhood (e.g., Tourette's syndrome, tic disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Behavioral and personality changes are also commonly found in adult neurological diseases. In fact, an inability to restrain one's impulses and control behavior may be the initial symptom or primary complaint noted by concerned family members or by neurologists when examining a patient for potential central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. In this chapter we focus on the etiology and clinical presentation of impulsiveness associated with adult neurobehavioral disorders.Pathological impulsivity can be conceptualized as a failure to regulate, monitor, or control behavior and emotional expression. Because
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