IntroductionManagement of HIV/AIDS “worried well” people is among the most complex and challenging psychiatric problems in HIV care.ObjectivesTo provide an overview of HIV/AIDS “worried well”.MethodsLiterature review based on PubMed/Medline, using the keywords “HIV” and “worried well”.ResultsThe HIV/AIDS “worried well” are those individuals who are intensely worried about being infected with HIV, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Indeed, they will rapidly return with the renewed conviction that the physician has “got it wrong” or “missed something”. So, they tend to over-utilize health care services. Seven HIV/AIDS “worried well” sub-groups have been identified: those with past sex or drug use history; those with relationship problems; the partners/spouse of those at risk; couples in individual or family life transitions; past history of psychological problems; misunderstanding of health education material; and pseudo and factitious AIDS. These patients have several striking consistencies in their presenting phenomenology and background features and usually have psychiatric problems associated. The authors will analyze all these aspects. Currently there are no guidelines to deal with this clinical condition, however cognitive-behavioral therapy along with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has been an effective approach. It is also important to ensure follow-up discussion to these patients, especially where unresolved life issues may cause future vulnerability in absence of intervention.ConclusionsPatients may express their concerns about HIV infection by several ways, directly or indirectly, and psychiatrists need to be aware of this reality, which causes much suffering as well as severe monetary loss.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
IntroductionObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated to a wide range of symptomatic expression and treatment response variability [1]. Sensory perception has been identified as an emerging factor in this process [2]. Sensory vulnerability and atypical sensory experience were identified as risk factors for the development of OCD [3] and a sensory subtype of the disease was proposed in which there is a positive correlation with early onset sensory symptoms, male gender and family background [4]. Adding to the atypical sensory profile, obsessions are frequently experienced as partially perceptual.ObjectivesOur main goals are to characterize the sensory perception in OCD patients; assess the prevalence and intensity of the sensory properties of the obsessive thoughts and explore the how sensory perception, obsessive thoughts and obsessive dimensions/clusters are interrelated.MethodsPatients with OCD diagnosis, aged 18 to 65 years and no comorbid mental disorder (except depression) will be recruited. The study battery will include participant form with demographical and clinical features, assessment of depressive and anxiety symptoms (HAM-A and HAM-D) evaluation of clinical outcome measures and obsessive dimensions/clusters (Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOQS) and Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44)), assessment of sensory perception and sensory properties of obsessive thoughts (Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ 21) and Sensory Properties of Obsessive Thoughts Questionnaire (SPOQ)).ResultsThe results will help us understand the interaction between perceptual and cognitive processes in OCD.ConclusionsBetter definition of OCD psychopathology and the establishment of a sensory subtype may indicate the need of specific therapeutic indications or a different escalation of treatment measures.DisclosureNo significant relationships.
IS MANCHESTER TRIAGE ADEQUATE TO PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCIES? AN OBSERVATIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF A PORTUGUESE HOSPITAL BACKGROUND Triage in portuguese emergency departments is conducted using the MTS 1 . Psychiatric assessments focus on assessing the level of danger presented to others or the level of severity of impairment to social functioning 1-3 . Current medical triage scales focuses on medical and surgical presentations, such as the MTS, present insufficient data that proves its validity and reliability in psychiatric emergencies 2.4 .
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