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When World War I erupted, Alfred Korzybski, a Polish engineer from an aristocratic family, volunteered for service with the Russian army. There he witnessed the devastating effects of all the [...]

Keywords: Acinetobacter, evolution, gene rearrangement, β-ketoadipate pathway, metabolism, transport, Autobiography Abstract This reminiscence is a celebration of my good fortune in family, biological and scientific. The biological family into which I was born gave me a strong start, although not entirely in the direction I took. I swerved from an anticipated career in medical practice into continuing delight in those who became my scientific family in microbiology. The families changed, yet they continued to give me strength and inspiration. In my youth, I was gently guided by mentors who gave me freedom to explore where curiosity beckoned. I hope I repaid this gift to my laboratory colleagues who enlightened me over the years. I learned much from my students, and my horizons were extended by industrial scientists. It has been my particular good fortune to learn the workings of microorganisms and microbiologists as editor of Journal of Bacteriology for a decade, as editor-in-chief of Applied and Environmental Microbiology for a decade, and as editor of Annual Review of Microbiology for a quarter of a century.

David C. Lewis: A discussion of how we introduce pharmaceuticals into addiction treatment must, of necessity, involve a discussion of the different cultures of treatment in our field. We have [...]

We developed a survey to look at psychiatrists' attitudes toward psychotropic prescribing guidelines, specifically the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) algorithms. The 22-page survey was distributed to 24 psychiatrists working in 4 CMHC's; 13 completed the survey. 90% agreed that guidelines should be general and flexible. The majority also agreed that guidelines should define how to measure response to a specific agent; fewer agreed guidelines should specify dosage, side effect management, or augmentation strategies. Psychiatrists were familiar with TMAP; none referred to it in their practice. In spite of this, psychiatrists' medication preferences were similar to those suggested by guidelines. KEY WORDS: psychotropic medication guidelines; psychiatrists' attitudes; community mental health.

We developed a survey to look at psychiatrists' attitudes toward psychotropic prescribing guidelines, specifically the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) algorithms. The 22-page survey was distributed to 24 psychiatrists working in 4 CMHC's; 13 completed the survey. 90% agreed that guidelines should be general and flexible. The majority also agreed that guidelines should define how to measure response to a specific agent; fewer agreed guidelines should specify dosage, side effect management, or augmentation strategies. Psychiatrists were familiar with TMAP; none referred to it in their practice. In spite of this, psychiatrists' medication preferences were similar to those suggested by guidelines. KEY WORDS: psychotropic medication guidelines; psychiatrists' attitudes; community mental health.

ABSTRACT Eugene Gendlin (1996) put forth his own systematic approach to psychotherapy based on phenonrenological philosophy and Rogerian psychotherapy in several papers and a book (Gendlin, 1974; Hart, 1970). Gendlin's [...]

William Glasser, M.D., developed his original Reality Therapy in 1965. Since then, he has been continually updating and expanding his counseling approach. Currently, all of his counseling is based on [...]

IN THIS article, Jon Frederickson interviews Marvin Adland, MD, and John Kafka, MD, regarding their long-time association with Chestnut Lodge. Marvin Adland served as staff psychiatrist, clinical director, and associate medical director at Chestnut Lodge 1948-65, and was a training and supervising analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. John Kafka served as a staff psychiatrist at Chestnut Lodge 1957-67, and is a training and supervising analyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. He is also clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine; co-chair, International Psychoanalytic Association Committee for Eastern Europe; and in private practice.

The authors outline the history of the relationship between Italian psychoanalytic and psychiatric institutions and homosexuality. In a 'don't ask-don't tell' climate, this history evolved between post-war Italy's ideological polarization between Catholicism and postwar Marxism as well as between two different 'local cultures': Middle-European and Mediterranean. In a review of the Italian psychoanalytic, psychological and psychiatric literature from 1930 to the present, there is a dearth of articles dealing with homosexuality. In the articles that do exist, most link homosexuality with psychopathology or developmental arrests. There is no discussion of the concept of internalized homophobia in the Italian literature. The authors present some early, empirical research in which they assess attitudes toward homosexuality among members of Italian psychoanalytic institutions, both Freudian and Jungian. Preliminary data indicates a greater antihomosexual bias in Freudian institutes. The authors conclude that in the last ten years the cultural climate and the clinical attitude have changed and that the Italian mental health community is beginning to come to terms with its own antihomosexual biases. KEYWORDS. Analytical psychology, discrimination, 'don't ask, don't tell,' homophobia, homosexuality, Italian psychoanalysis, Italian psychiatry, psychoanalytic training, theories of homosexuality

In the wake of the neurobiological 'revolution,' do mental health professionals still assign etiological responsibility, for emotional and behavioral disorders to deficient or harmful parenting? This study investigated differences in attributions of causality by theoretical orientation, professional discipline, areas of practice, familiarity with parent support groups, and demographic characteristics. Implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.

The Oregon 1994 Death With Dignity Act prescribes an evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist when the patient is suspected to be suffering from impaired judgment. Several attempts have been made to propose procedures for assessing end-of-life mental conditions and competence. The psychologist's role may include ethical considerations, protecting patients' rights to autonomy, ensuring competent judgment, preventing unnecessary suffering and inappropriate diagnoses of mental disorders, and supporting family members and the health care team.

End of life decisions and hastened suicide are discussed following the passage of the Death With Dignity Act in Oregon in 1994. Case examples are presented including a vignette highlighting ethical issues. Arguments for and against suicide prevention are presented, and the pros and cons of rational suicide are detailed. The experience with physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands is briefly presented, and it is noted that in rare cases physician-assisted suicide is permitted for individuals in the Netherlands suffering primarily from mental disorders. The role of the mental health professional in end of life decisions is discussed along with a description of the proposed work of the recently established American Psychological Association working group on assisted suicide and end of life decisions.

The usefulness of psychological interventions for auditory hallucinations is becoming increasingly accepted in Western cultures, but there are few data concerning the views of professionals working in non-Western societies. In this study, 195 psychologists and psychiatrists working in Saudi Arabia (SA) and Britain (UK) responded to a questionnaire regarding their (a) attitudes towards various clinical aspects of auditory hallucinations, (b) perceptions of the clinical value of psychological and pharmacological treatments and of the inputs of the two professions and (c) levels of social distance from people who experience auditory hallucinations. UK staff believed that there is a greater range of possible causes and diagnoses for auditory hallucinations than SA staff, who in turn had more confidence in the efficacy of psychological and pharmacological treatments. UK staff reported significantly less social distance from this group of patients. The results suggest that the use of psychological approaches to helping people with auditory hallucinations could be affected by cultural views of the causes and treatment.

The objectives of the study were as follows: (1) to determine the accuracy of psychiatrists' concepts of the self-image of healthy and disturbed adolescents, and (2) to examine the effects of psychiatrists' gender, experience, and specialization on the accuracy of these concepts. Toward this end, eighty-four psychiatrists completed a modified Offer Self-Image Questionnaire as they believed a mentally healthy 15-year-old of their gender would respond. These responses were compared to those of 140 nonpatient 15-year-olds. Sixty-one psychiatrists completed the questionnaire as they believed a disturbed 15-year-old of their gender would respond. These responses were compared to the responses of 70 psychiatric inpatient 15-year-olds of the same diagnosis. The results were that psychiatrists had a more accurate concept of normal adolescents' self-image than was found in 1981. However, their view of the self-image of disturbed adolescents was more psychopathological than the disturbed adolescents viewed themselves. Psychiatrists' gender, number of years postresidency, and type of training had no effect on the accuracy of the psychiatrists' concepts. The results demonstrate that while psychiatrists work with disturbed adolescents, they have a more accurate perception of the self-image of normal adolescents. This can effect the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent patients.