Personal therapeutic approach in Gestalt therapists working with clients suffering from medically unexplained psychosomatic symptoms

Treatment specificity and adherence to treatment manuals represent essential components of the medical model in psychotherapy. The model assumes that psychotherapists who work with the same type of clients and who identify with the same theoretical approach work very similarly. This study illustrates the shortcomings of that assumption and explores how therapists’ individuality forms and shapes their unique approaches that resonate with their own personalities, inclinations, and worldviews. Semi-structured interviews with eight Gestalt therapists working with clients who experienced medically unexplained physical symptoms were analysed using the grounded theory method. Considerable differences were found among the therapists within four domains of the personal therapeutic approach, namely Case Conceptualization, Therapeutic Task, Therapist’s Position, and Alternative Strategy. However, regardless of the differences, all the therapists endeavoured, either implicitly or explicitly, to convey to the clients what they considered to be healthy functioning. There is considerable diversity in the way therapists work even when they subscribe to the same psychotherapeutic approach and work with the same type of clients. The exploration of psychotherapists’ usual strategies, as well as the alternative strategies they use when their usual strategies do not work, appears helpful for capturing their personal therapeutic approaches.

Monitoring a changing Arctic: Recent advancements in the study of sea ice microbial communities

Sea ice continues to decline across many regions of the Arctic, with remaining ice becoming increasingly younger and more dynamic. These changes alter the habitats of microbial life that live within the sea ice, which support healthy functioning of the marine ecosystem and provision of resources for human-consumption, in addition to influencing biogeochemical cycles (e.g. air–sea CO2 exchange). With the susceptibility of sea ice ecosystems to climate change, there is a pressing need to fill knowledge gaps surrounding sea ice habitats and their microbial communities. Of fundamental importance to this goal is the development of new methodologies that permit effective study of them. Based on outcomes from the DiatomARCTIC project, this paper integrates existing knowledge with case studies to provide insight on how to best document sea ice microbial communities, which contributes to the sustainable use and protection of Arctic marine and coastal ecosystems in a time of environmental change.

Soil Microbial and Nematode Community Response to the Field Application of Recycled Bio-Based Fertilisers in Irish Grassland

Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient routinely applied to soils as an agricultural fertiliser, frequently in non-renewable, inorganic forms. Finite reserves and growing demand for agricultural phosphorus mean alternative P resources need to be explored. Recycling-derived fertilisers (RDF) recovered from specific waste streams, using nutrient recovery technologies, have the potential to replace conventional phosphorus fertilisers used in agriculture. Healthy functioning soil microbial and nematode communities are essential players in maintaining soil health and nutrient status. Thus, it is important to assess the responses of these communities to RDF application. We compared soil microbial and nematode communities of conventional fertiliser and RDF treated soil, in the form of struvite and ash, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies in a phosphate-fertiliser replacement value (P-FRV) field trial. Bacterial and nematode communities displayed significant changes under the different P fertilisation treatments, while fungal communities were relatively unaffected. Bacterial diversity was higher among RDF treatments than conventional treatments, while nematode diversity was reduced by one ash treatment. Available potassium and phosphate were the main drivers of bacterial community changes when analysed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), while available phosphate alone was the driver of nematode community shifts. Of the RDF, struvite products yielded the highest crop biomass, maintained microbial diversity and were associated with the least disturbed nematode communities.

SENSIBLE DIAGNOSES FOR SENSIBLE CLINICIANS: THE NEW EDITION OF THE PSYCHODYNAMIC DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL (PDM-2)

The article analyzes psychodynamic clinical models focused on clinical case formulation and treatment planning, offers practitioners empirically grounded and clinically validated alternatives to such personality maps as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The PDM-2 diagnostic model aims to provide a systematic description of healthy functioning and personality disorders; individual profiles of mental functioning (including patterns of relationships with other people, understanding and expressing feelings, overcoming stress and anxiety, regulating impulses, observing one's own emotions and behavior and forming moral judgments, etc.); as well as symptom patterns, including differences in each person's subjective experience of symptoms and in the subjective experiences of treating therapists.

SELF-KNOWLEDGE ACTIVITY AS A FACTOR OF PERSONAL SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS

The article presents the results of research on the effectiveness of self-knowledge activity in the teacher’s self-development. Self-knowledge is actualized as an opportunity for introspective interaction with one’s internal resources, which is an important factor in psychophysical health. The necessity for teachers’ awareness of the importance of self-knowledge and self-development in the scope of the “person-person” working is highlighted. Introspective appeal to the inner “I” gives a person the opportunity to understand and reveal their own resource (consciousness, emotions, feelings, desires, memory), that allows changing values, feelings, motivation, character, etc. and self-realize in a rapidly changing world.The author’s questionnaire “Criteria analysis of self-knowledge activity” with a description of the included criteria for the effectiveness of self-knowledge is presented. The results, according to specific criteria are analyzed, in particular: independence and diligence in self-knowledge, the dynamics of eight fundamental qualities of character during the accumulation of knowledge about themselves, the impact of self-knowledge on the health of respondents (for these health components and criteria healthy functioning), exemption from harmful habits, a subjective determination of the respondent’s achievements, which they associate with self-knowledge. The expediency of teachers’ self-knowledge activity has been confirmed, which allows considering it as a factor of their self-development, a lever of strengthening psychophysical health, social activities, creative self-realization. Keywords: self-knowledge; self-knowledge activity; personality; personal self-development; criteria of the efficiency of self-knowledge activity; teacher; questionnaire; continuous professional education.

REVIEWING THE THERAPEUTIC COMBINATION OF MULTIVITAMINS

Vitamins are micronutrients which form an essential part of our diet. They are needed for healthy functioning of metabolic activities, some forms of vitamin form basis for our immunity and bone building. Usually essential nutrients cannot be synthesised in our bodies, hence we need to obtain them from our diet. Many Vitamin groups have been studied extensively for the pharmacological effects. Many studies have proved the effectiveness of combination therapies of vitamins with other medication for treatment of various diseases. This review presents all the studies conducted to prove the therapeutic effects of vitamins. Keywords: Multivitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Ginseng, Niacinamide, Antibiotics, Cefuroxime, DAV Therapy.

On the causes of electoral volatility in Asia since 1948

Electoral stability has been viewed as an essential condition for the healthy functioning of representative democracy. However, there is little agreement in the literature about what shapes the stability of the electorate in general nor much attention paid to that of the Asian electorates in particular. We propose historical legacies, uniquely testable in Asia, as central determinants, but also test for conventional factors examined in other regions. By analyzing more than 150 elections in 19 post-WWII Asian democracies, we find that certain types of authoritarian (military or personalist) and colonial (non-British) legacies have a detrimental impact on the stabilization of the electorate, while some of the findings from other regions apply also to Asia. Our additional finding that such effects of historical legacies, particularly authoritarian interludes, are attenuated and cease to be significant with sufficient maturation of democracy, has important implications for the way party systems develop and democracies consolidate.

Economic Burden of Depressive Symptoms Conditions among Middle-Aged and Elderly People with Hypertension in China

People with hypertension are more prone to incur depressive symptoms, while depressive symptoms have an obvious influence on the healthy functioning, treatment, and management of hypertensive patients. However, there have been limited studies on the association between depression and the economic burden of hypertension. We used data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to estimate the additional annual direct and indirect economic burden of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients with a multivariable regression model. The depressive symptoms were associated with substantial additional direct and indirect economic burden. Compared with non-co-MHDS (non-co-morbid hypertension and depressive symptoms) patients, the direct economic burden of lower co-MHDS (co-morbid hypertension and depressive symptoms) patients and higher co-MHDS patients increased 1887.4 CNY and 5508.4 CNY, respectively. For indirect economic burden, the lower co-MHDS patients increased 331.2 CNY and the higher co-MHDS patients increased 636.8 CNY. Both direct and indirect economic burden were incremental with the aggravation of depressive symptoms. The results showed depressive symptoms increased total healthcare costs by increasing the utilization and expenditure of primary healthcare services. Depressive symptoms also led to economic loss of productivity, especially for agricultural workers. This study highlights the importance of mental healthcare for hypertensive patients.

Neurophysiology of Basic Molecules Affecting Sleep and Wakefulness Mechanisms, Fundamentals of Sleep Pharmacology

As part of the biological rhythm, the human brain has a healthy functioning with the ability to differentiate between day and night hours in any given day (sleep rhythm, life rhythm). From the control of hormone levels to muscle tonus, from the regulation of respiratory rate to the content of our thoughts, sleep has an impact on all bodily and cognitive functions. It is not surprising to see such effects of sleep on the body as it leads to significant changes in the electrical activity of the brain in general. Electrical signal changes in the brain (sleep-wakefulness rhythm) are regulated by neurohormonal molecules and their receptors in the body. Neurotransmitters that control sleep and wakefulness can be listed as “Glutamate, Acetylcholine, Histamine, Norepinephrine and GABA”. Main hormones are: Melatonin, Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH), cortisol, prolactin, Growth Hormone (GH), Insulin like Growth Factor (IGF-1, Somatomedin-C), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH), progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, catecholamines, leptin and neuropeptide Y″. The effects of pharmacological agents on sleep and wakefulness cycles are materialized through the following molecules and their receptors: Hypnotics (GABA A agonists, benzodiazepines, gabapentin, tiagabine), sedative antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants, trazadone, mitrazapine), antihistamines, medications used for the treatment of sleeplessness (melatonin and melatonin analogues), amphetamine (most commonly used stimulant), secretion of monoamines (dopamine), non-amphetamine stimulants used in the treatment of hypersomnia and narcolepsy (modafinil, bupropion, selegiline, caffeine) and other substances (alcohol, nicotine, anesthetics). To the extent we can conceptualize the physiological mechanisms of these basic molecules listed above and the regions they affect, we can appreciate the effects of these substances on sleep physiology and sleep disorders.

Positive ecological roles of parasites

The traditional assessment of parasites by veterinarians and medical professionals is une-quivocally negative. In this minireview, we focus on the positive aspects of the presence of parasites in the environment. Most notably, the host-parasite system is a long-term interac-tion because parasites, despite their negative impact on the host, rarely lead to its death. We analysed three important aspects of the presence of parasites in the environment: (i) participation in the regulation community balance leading to changes in the dominance structure, the formation of trophic chains as well as the inclusion of new energy sources into the ecosystem, (ii) control of invasions of alien species to new areas through the im-pact on the adaptive abilities of invaders and (iii) efficient accumulation of heavy metals resulting from the physiological properties of parasite tissues, and thus providing the ad-ditional environmental pollution index. The presented examples show that parasites play an important role as ecosystem engineers, affecting the dynamic balance of ecosystems. The present review aims to challenge the stereotype of parasitism as an unambiguously negative interaction and show evidence of the significant impact of parasites on healthy functioning communities and environmental safety.