LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine University ...

3.1.5 Research Centres
3.1.5.1 Clinical Psychology
Director: E. Lehmann (until 2004)
Scientific assistant: W. Strauss
Non-scientific assistants: H. Hruschka (until 2009),
C. Schulze-Oben
The Clinical Psychology Research Centre was founded in
1980 and was in existence until the retirement of its director,
E. Lehmann. Its task was to carry out treatment-related
experimental clinical research to aid patients with mental
disorders.
In cooperation with the Institutes of Psychology of the
Universities of Bonn, Bremen, Cologne, Mainz and Münster,
the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the
Universities of Berlin, Bochum/Gelsenkirchen, Erlangen-
Nuremberg, Innsbruck, Magdeburg, Munich and Würzburg
and care institutions, this Research Centre investigated
modifying factors for drug and psychotherapeutic effects,
developed experimental strategies for efficacy studies, and
investigated the personality structures of criminals who had
committed homicide with the aim to uncover the personal
and situational conditions of homicide.
Projects
The studies already published can be found in the list of
publications. Other completed projects:
Surveillance study on the influence of Kava-Kava on
preoperative anxiety
W. Gollnik, E. Klieser, E. Lehmann
Project period: 2000–2002
Financing: Research budget of the Frauenklinik des
Evangelischen Krankenhauses Gelsenkirchen
One day before a gynaecological surgery, 20 women received
3 x 150 mg standardised dry extract of Kava root stock. A
randomly formed comparison group did not receive this
medication. The effect on self-reported and observer-based
anxiety ratings and the degree of physiological anxiety were
investigated.
3.1.5.2 Psychiatric Sociology
Director: U. Müller (until 2009)
ReseaRch
Investigation of personal and situational
conditions of homicide
E. Lehmann
Project period: 1990–2004
So far, 104 of the planned 120 criminals who have committed
homicides have been investigated using standardised
psychological tests (HAWIE, MWT-B, Ci-Test, MMPI, 16PF,
questionnaires on life history). In addition, the situation of
the criminal act (motivation, development of the criminal act,
how it was done and subsequent behaviour) was explored
in detail. The planned data analysis should highlight the
characteristics of the criminals and situations with regard to
the risk of relapse and prevention.
Because of the special characteristics of this Research
Centre, two introductory sentences are necessary: “Medical
Sociology” is a scientific discipline that uses the theories and
methods of empirical sociology to analyse the phenomenon
of “health” and “illness” as well as health institutions and
professionals in their interaction with patients. “The aim
of these analyses is a better understanding of the social
influences on the maintenance of health and occurrence and
pathogenesis of illnesses, and a better comprehension of
the opportunities and thresholds of medical measures and
their effects on the individual and society”. This definition
is also applicable to Psychiatric Sociology, which, as a subdiscipline
of Medical Sociology, marks the boundaries of
its subject area by focussing on “mental health and mental
disorders”.
Research focuses:
s Questions concerning the organised system of
psychiatry
s Social-epidemiological questions, particularly with
regard to psychiatric community care
s Sociological “service” for research projects of other
research units of the LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf
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