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Invited Symposia Positive Affect and Health: Opportunities for Psychosomatic Medicine The goal of this symposium is to illustrate the unique contribution of positive psychological states to health. Traditionally, psychosomatic medicine has taken the perspective that health is merely the absence of disease. The emergence of positive psychology suggests a new framework for understanding health and well-being. Positive psychology focuses on the importance of positive affect, positive individual traits, and positive institutions as unique contributors to successful functioning. The primary aims of this symposium are to answer the following questions. What is positive affect and what does it have to say about positive psychosocial phenomenon? Are positive and negative affect merely opposite ends of the same spectrum? Does it matter? What are the biological, behavioral, social and environmental pathways from positive affect to health? Finally, how can we design interventions to enhance positive mood and subsequent well-being? Four speakers will address these questions. Andrew Steptoe will present an overview of the construct of positive affect, review research on positive affect and health, and discuss how well-being relates to health and longevity. His research addresses the role of positive affective states in healthy aging using ecological momentary assessment and examines the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine correlates of positive affect. Judith Moskowitz will address the question of whether positive and negative affect are merely different ends of the same continuum. Her research examines the effects of positive affect and benefit finding among those newly testing positive for HIV. Suzanne Segerstrom will discuss mechanisms and biological outcomes of positive individual traits and positive affect. Her research addresses the role of optimism in self-regulation and effects on cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune function. Margaret Chesney will discuss interventions aimed at increasing positive affect and well-being. She will present research examining positive interventions and effects on personal growth and disease progression in persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Integrative Neuroscience The Interface of Psychosomatic Medicine and Palliative Care Speakers: Lewis Cohen, MD, FAPM: Psychonephrology Donna Greenberg, MD, FAPM: Cancer Psychiatry Joseph Weiner, MD, FAPM: Communication Issues Near the End of Life Although Psychosomatic Medicine and Palliative Medicine are two of the newest medical subspecialties, there has been a substantial history of longstanding collaboration between practitioners. Four senior members of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine will present their experience conducting research, teaching, and caring for patients. Following an overview of the psychiatric and existential issues entailed in the provision of palliative care, the speakers will discuss their roles in nephrology and oncology, integrating psychological and medical variables. Palliative Medicine is interested in both symptom control throughout the disease spectrum and the concerns of people facing the terminal stage of life. The field relies on an interdisciplinary team approach, and requires an appreciation of diverse beliefs, cultural differences, and ethical challenges. The symposium will conclude with a brief review of the potential for psychiatry to improve communication between staff, patients, and families. Psychosomatic Research and Practice in Developing Countries Speakers Dr. Omer El-Rufaie (United Arab Emirates) will present a series of studies to evaluate psychosomatic disorders in primary care. Dr. A. Gunaid (Yemen) will present on behavioral and psychosocial factors contributing to medical problems in primary care settings, and will discuss gender differences in how these factors contribute to psychosomatic disorders. Dr. Sattar Ibrahim (Egypt) will present research to develop culture-specific intervention strategies addressing stress-related psychosomatic disorders. A discussant will integrate this information with existing knowledge from developed countries and will propose Psychosomatic disorders are among the most common clinical presentations in primary care in developing countries leading to a significant burden for patients and the healthcare system in these countries. This burden is likely to intensify in light of the expected epidemic of noncommunicable diseases along with an ongoing challenges related to the prevalence of infectious diseases. The field of psychosomatic medicine can play an important role addressing these new health challenges. Multiple psychosocial adversities contribute uniquely to psychosomatic disorders in developing countries. This symposium will provide examples of research related to these factors and present ongoing efforts to adapt interventions to address them. Examples of psychosomatic research from three countries will be presented. Health Consequences of Emotion Regulation in Breast Cancer Patients: Phenomenology, Physiology and Malleability There are now over 10 million Americans living with a previous diagnosis of cancer. Recent research suggests that individual differences in processing emotional distress are related to physiological homeostasis and restoration of psychosocial functioning in cancer survivors, and that these may have long term consequences for disease outcome. This plenary symposium brings together for the first time, leading psycho-oncology researchers whose research focuses on emotion regulation. They will present evidence on the emotion regulation mechanisms through which changes in stress physiology and psychological adjustment occur in both naturalistic and intervention studies At the conclusion of this symposium audience members will: 1) Understand how processing of emotions in cancer patients relates to physiologic and psychological outcomes. Bridging the gap between cardiology and psychology: Do we still need psychological factors in the device era? Cardiology is continuously evolving, with treatment options for cardiac patients expanding and improving. Drug-eluting stents, cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapies comprise some of these innovations that are being rapidly applied in clinical practice. For example, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) was initially only indicated in patients who had experienced a sudden cardiac arrest, whereas current guidelines now also advocate its prophylactic use, leading to a significant increase in the number of implantations worldwide. Adjunctive support to the new device therapies include home monitoring and the patient alert feature. However, despite the success of these techniques from a medical point of view, research on how patients react to these new treatment options and which role psychological factors play in terms of affecting patient-centered outcomes, such as quality of life, are often lacking behind. The objective of this symposium is to examine current evidence on the role of psychological factors in ICD patients and patients with chronic heart failure, with a view to discussing the future role of psychological factors in clinical cardiology and how we can further bridge the gap between cardiology and psychology to improve clinical care and patient-centered outcomes. Dr. Samuel Sears will provide an overview of the role of psychological factors in ICD patients and discuss the relative influence of shocks versus psychological determinants of outcome in the era of home monitoring and the patient alert feature, including implications for psychological interventions. Dr. Rachel Lampert will focus on the physiological pathways linking emotions to arrhythmias in ICD patients. Dr. Susanne S. Pedersen will present evidence on the impact of Type D (distressed) personality on health and clinical outcomes in cardiovascular disease, with particular focus on chronic heart failure patients and heart transplantation recipients. Dr. Christiane Angermann will talk about treatment options for depression in patients with chronic heart failure. Recent Advances in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Research Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious public health problem in the general population that is estimated to affect more than ten million American children or adults at some point in their lives. Trauma exposure and PTSD have been linked to increased health care utilization, increased disease risk, and premature death. In line with the liaison theme of this year’s meeting, this invited symposium will include noted experts in the area of PTSD presenting cross-disciplinary, state-of-the-science findings of interest to APS members. Based on his study of twins, one of whom is a combat veteran, the first speaker (Dr. Roger Pitman) will present recent data regarding both pre-existing and acquired risk factors for PTSD. Next, Dr. Joseph Boscarino will address physical health consequences of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, underscoring potential mechanisms through which PTSD impacts physical health. The next speaker (Dr. Do-Un Jeong) will present updated findings regarding the neuroanatomical consequences of PTSD. Finally, Dr. Robert Ursano will expand upon the prior topics to take both an individual and community level view of risk and resilience factors in PTSD. Together these speakers will highlight our current state of knowledge regarding risk and resilience for, and the physical and neuroanatomical consequences of, PTSD. At the conclusion of this symposium, audience members will:
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