Newspapers / InterCom. / Oct. 15, 1976, edition 1 / Page 1
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m -c/a -Sm ■' Intercom Duke University Medical Center VOLUME 23, NUMBER 41 OCTOBER 15,1976 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA Therapy Aids Hanging Up on Obscene Calls e 0\0j( By David Williamson A medical center psychologist has developed a technique for helping compulsive obscene telephone callers "hang up" on their evil ways, possibly forever. He also has some suggestions for women who receive such calls. Dr. Patrick Boudewyns, associate professor of psychiatry and chief of psychology services at the VA Hospital, refers to his treatment as "modified shame aversion therapy." Feeling Guilty The treatment is designed to make the callers feel guilty before making a call rather than afterward, as often happens. It is adapted from therapy used to treat exhibitionists, with , whom Boudewyns also works. Boudewyns explained that many obscene telephone callers, like exhibitionists, appear to be "moralistic, strict and inhibited people who tend to have otherwise Researchers Launch Study To Find Link Connecting Diabetes and Atherosclerosis The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded a $270,000 grant to a Duke scientist who is trying to find a possible link between diabetes and atherosclerosis, the most common disease among middle-aged men in this country. The grant from the institute's Atherosclerosis Branch was made to Dr. David B. Gilbert, assistant professor of medicine. "Atherosclerosis is the thickening and hardening of arteries," Gilbert said. "It is responsible for nearly all heart attacks and strokes. About Heart Attacks "Much is known about the type of individuals who are prone to heart attacks, and we know how to diagnose the attack, treat the pain and minimize the risk of death by careful hospital monitoring. "There is no cure for heart attacks, however, because we don't know why the arteries thicken and close," he said. For some reason, individuals who have diabetes are particularly prone to atherosclerosis, Gilbert pointed out. Unusual Protein Complex The scientist said that last year, while studying the diseased arteries of a diabetic, he and his colleagues found an unusual protein complex that was abnormally rich in sugar molecules. He said the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute grant will enable him and others under his direction to determine if this unusual protein DR. DAVID B. GILBERT complex is common to all diabetics and perhaps also to unravel the mystery of why fatty molecules build up so readily in the arterial walls of diabetics. "This type of research is very complicated and time-consuming," Gilbert said, "but it is clearly relevant. There may be inherited differences in the chemistry of molecules that make up a diabetic's arteries or modifications in the way these molecules bind fats or the proteins that carry fats in the bloodstream." Shed Light on Disease The scientist, who is currently recruiting doctoral and post-doctoral students to help with the study, said he hopes his work will also shed light on atherosclerosis in individuals who have no record of diabetes. He said collaboration with Drs. Jacqueline Reynolds and Charles Tanford of the Department of Biochemistry has made feasible the approaches he plans to take in his investigations. Gilbert earned his M.D. at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1965 and joined the Department" of Medicine here as a resident in 1969 Immediately prior to that, he was a senior investigator with the Division of Computer Research and Technology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. He holds joint appointments in the Division of Cardiology and the newly-formed Division of General Medicine. representative lifestyles" when not engaging in their anti-social actions. "Their behavior occurs in a kind of 'fugue-like' or amnesic state when they really don't realize what they're doing," he said. "They don't remember it very well either." Another type of obscene caller — one with psychopathic tendencies — feels no guilt after telephoning and is unlikely to be helped by the therapy, Boudewyns said. Treatment Described He described the treatment of one patient this way: Over a three-week period the patient underwent three sessions in which he was asked to call trained women counselors serving as substitute victims. The patient, who had been promised that charges against him would be dropped if he sought professional treatment, met his substitute "victims" before calling. "He was instructed to make the call saying exactly what he had said on previous occasions," Boudewyns said. "The women were instructed to listen to his statements and answer questions in a passive but noncomplying manner." Discussing Feelings Immediately after the call the patient and the substitute discussed their feelings with one another, with the therapist present. "In these post-call sessions, the patient appeared embarrassed by the confrontations and reported experiencing ortly negative feelings both then and during the call," Boudewyns said. "It was apparent that he found the therapy extremely aversive." In follow-up sessions, the patient reported feeling no compulsion to make obscene calls, the psychologist reported. In fact, the patient said he felt anxious at first when using the telephone for any reason. (Continued on page 2) Delts Turn Blisters to Dollars Duke's Delta Tau Delta Fraternity has turned 24 hours of basketball and blisters into a $1,334 gift to the Comprehensive Cancer Center, The money was raised during a marathon basketball game the fraternity held in Card Gymnasium. All 80 members of the group played, after collecting pledges of a nickel for each hour they stayed in the game. More than 1,000 Duke students contributed to the effort, said William Thawley, chairman of the fraternity's Service Committee. "During the past year cancer has preyed upon several of the Delts' families," he said. "For this reason, the chapter has designated our contribution to aid in the struggle against cancer." A scattering of girl friends watched the tipoff at midnight on a Saturday, Thawley said, adding that the players didn't loaf. "There was no four corners for an hour and a half," he said. Injuries were kept down to "one sprained ankle and many blisters," Thawley said. He praised Coach C M. Falcone and his staff for their help in setting up the game. The Duke cancer center is one of the 18 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. It serves the South Atlantic states between Washington, D.C., and Birmingham, Ala.
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