RESUMEN La vivencia egodistónica se refiere a la valoración negativa del sujeto sobre algunos de sus pensamientos o emociones, en el contexto de un estado de conciencia conservado, al igual que otros aspectos de su vida social e intrapersonal que se encuentran relativamente intactos. La egodistonía es un constructo ampliamente utilizado, pero que no ha sido definido en términos razonablemente operativos. Tal vez ello explica por qué ha dejado de utilizarse en las clasificaciones contemporáneas de los trastornos mentales, como la ICD-11 y el DSM-5. Lo egodistónico se relaciona con la conciencia de enfermedad mental, con los sentimientos de culpa y la vergüenza, pero intuitivamente percibimos diferencias relevantes entre todas estas vivencias. La teoría psicoanalítica concibe lo egodistónico como una alteración en la estructuración temprana del Yo. La psicología cognitiva lo concibe como una disfunción de los mecanismos correctivos que armonizan lo cognitivo y lo metacognitivo. La teoría evolutiva no ha abordado el tema directamente, sino a través del análisis de la culpa, a la cual atribuye un alto valor adaptativo, dado que limita la agresión y promueve conductas reparativas. Dada la importancia del concepto de egosintonía, es sorprendente la escasa investigación teórica y empírica sobre el tema, cuyo esclarecimiento podría representar un avance considerable en el campo de la salud mental.

ABSTRACT The ego-dystonic experience refers to the negative assessment that the subject makes of some of their thoughts or emotions, in the context of a conserved state of consciousness, as well as other aspects of their social and intrapersonal life that are relatively intact. Ego-dystonia is a widely used construct, but one that has not been defined in reasonably operational terms. Perhaps this explains why it is no longer used in contemporary classifications of mental disorders such as the ICD-11 and DSM-5. It is related to the awareness of the mental illness, with feelings of guilt and shame, but intuitively we perceive relevant differences between all these experiences. Psychoanalytic theory conceives the ego-dystonic as an alteration in the early structuring of the ego. Cognitive psychology conceives it as a dysfunction of the corrective mechanisms that harmonise the cognitive and the metacognitive. Evolutionary theory has not addressed the issue directly, but through the analysis of guilt, to which it attributes a high adaptive value, since it limits aggression and promotes reparative behaviours. Given the importance of the concept of self-attunement, it is surprising how little theoretical and empirical research there is on the subject, the clarification of which could represent a considerable advance in the field of mental health.

El desarrollo de miocarditis ocurre con más frecuencia durante el tratamiento con clozapina (CLZ) que durante el uso de otros antipsicóticos (APs). En el presente estudio observacional evaluamos la presencia de miocarditis mediante un protocolo transversal comparando 132 sujetos tratados con CLZ con 371 pacientes tratados con otro AP, y en 21 sujetos tratados con CLZ y 18 pacientes tratados con otro AP en un protocolo longitudinal mayor 1 año de duración. La evaluación incluyó: a) detección de síntomas como disnea, taquicardia, malestar torácico, fiebre, tos y edema; b) presión arterial y auscultación cardiaca; c) electrocardiograma estándar luego de un reposo de 5 minutos; d) contaje de glóbulos blancos y determinación cualitativa de troponina I, creatin-kinasa-MB y mioglobina, y e) evaluación por un cardiólogo en sujetos sospechosos para miocarditis. Detectamos un solo caso de miocarditis, lo que permite una aproximación sobre la frecuencia de miocarditis de 1,6 % durante el primer mes de tratamiento. Se trató de un sujeto masculino con esquizofrenia que desarrolló síntomas durante el día 6 después de haber iniciado el tratamiento con CLZ a la dosis de 200 mg por día sin titulación. No se detectaron sujetos sospechosos de miocarditis durante el tratamiento prolongado con CLZ u otro AP. Estos resultados sustentan la recomendación de comenzar el tratamiento con clozapina a dosis bajas, y la factibilidad de utilizar un protocolo sencillo para detectar miocarditis en la atención psiquiátrica primaria.

Myocarditis occurs more frequently during clozapine (CLZ) administration than during treatment with other antipsychotic drugs (APs). In this observational study, we transversally screened outpatients for myocarditis by comparing a CLZ group of 132 subjects, with a non-CLZ group taking other APs (n = 371) only, and in 21 CLZ-treated patients and 18 subjects treated with other APs who had been followed for more than one year. The protocol included a) assessment of symptoms such as dyspnea, tachycardia, chest discomfort, fever, cough, and edema, b) blood pressure and heart auscultation; c) a standard electrocardiogram after a 5-minute rest, d) white cell count, and qualitative determination of troponin I, creatine-kinase-MB and myoglobin, and e) a cardiologist evaluation of subjects with suspected myocarditis. Only one case of myocarditis was detected, providing an approximation of the frequency of myocarditis of 1.6% in the first month of treatment. This was a 30-year-old man with schizophrenia who developed symptoms at day 6 after starting a treatment with 200 mg of CLZ a day without titration. Myocarditis was not observed during prolonged CLZ or other AP administration. These results support the proposal of starting CLZ treatment with a low dose and the feasibility of a simple protocol for myocarditis detection in psychiatry primary care.

Objective:Evidence points to a high prevalence of metabolic dysfunction in bipolar disorder (BD), but few studies have evaluated the relatives of subjects with BD. We conducted a cross-sectional study in an extended family of patients with BD type I.Methods:The available relatives of the same family were interviewed (DSM-IV-R) and assessed in fasting conditions for body mass index, constituent variables of the metabolic syndrome (MS), leptin levels, insulin resistance index, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the leptin receptor and promoter and PPAR-γ2 genes. The frequency of MS was compared with that recorded in the local general population.Results:Ninety-three relatives of three adults with BD were evaluated (30 aged < 18 years, 63 aged > 18 years). The frequency of MS was similar to that of the general population. Significantly higher frequencies of abnormal glucose, total and low density cholesterol (LDL-c) levels (all p < 0.05), waist circumference (p = 0.057), and leptin and insulin resistance values (in adults only) were observed in the family. Adults with the QQ genotype of the leptin receptor displayed higher LDL-c levels than carriers of the R allele.Conclusions:The associations among BD consanguinity, familial hypercholesterolemia, and leptin receptor SNPs reported herein should be replicated and extended in other pedigrees.