Black Lives Matter on Screen: Trauma of Witnessing Police Brutality in Contemporary American Cinema

In the years following the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, American cinema was looking for a way to appropriately address the issue of police brutality against people of color. Filmmakers, often inspired by real-life events, began developing stories focused on the trauma of witnessing lethal police violence. Three films released in 2018 – Blindspotting (dir. Carlos López Estrada), Monsters and Men (dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green) and The Hate U Give (dir. George Tillman Jr.)– emphasize how the aftermath of such experiences affects young people of color and their communities. This article aims to explore the role of witness testimony in trauma-centered narratives and examine how the contemporary American cinema visualizes racial trauma. To achieve that, the films will be analyzed within the context of trauma studies, including theories regarding both individual and cultural trauma. Moreover, studies focused on the socialization of Black children will help demonstrate the transgenerational impact of trauma. All three films share common motifs: they represent the psychosomatic aspects of trauma through similar cinematic techniques and see value in witness testimony, even if it requires personal sacrifices from the protagonists. They also portray parents’ worry about their children’s future within a prejudiced system and the struggle to prepare them for it. All these issues have been previously addressed in the public and academic discourse and are now being reflected in cinema. Film proves to be a suitable medium for representing trauma of witnessing police brutality and cinema will most likely remain a vital part of the debate about dismantling racist systems for years to come.

Psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis (review)

The review reflects the increased scientific interest in the psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis in the world literature in recent years. The studied material of the articles is structured according to the principles of the modern clinical psychosomatic approach. The introduction substantiates the relevance of studying this topic. The article considers the stress manifestations/examinations of psoriasis under the influence of psychosocial acute and chronic stress, including under the action of the COVID-19 pandemic; the quality of life and stigmatization of patients with psoriasis. The driving factors leading to the formation of nosogenic psychosomatic disorders are identified: common disfiguring rashes, itching, recurrent course, the threat of disability, social restrictions, constitutional premorbid features of patients. The description of comorbid mental disorders of the anxiety and affective range with a discussion of suicidal risk is presented. A separate section of the review is devoted to itching, as one of the most discussed aspects of psoriasis in the modern literature. Different points of view on the psycho-biological structure of itching in psoriasis are presented. Various factors related to the intensity, objective and subjective perception of itching are considered. Among them are the clinical form and severity of psoriasis, the localization and prevalence of rashes, gender, age, level of education, marital status of patients, concomitant somatic and mental diseases.

Psychosomatic Aspects in Preparation and Follow-Up in Glaucoma Surgery and Their Special Impact on Patients

Glaucoma patients often bear a long-lasting burden of disease. This can result in anxiety and stress. Causes and effects of anxiety are identified and case studies illustrate how to deal with them. Some knowledge of psychosomatic management is helpful for doctors in dealing with their patients to provide necessary treatment in a less fearful and stressful format.

“Illness Representations in COVID-19”: Somatoperception During a Pandemic

Addressing the psychosomatic aspects of the pandemic gives rise to a wide range of questions. National experience in addressing these issues is analyzed here in the light of classical concepts of somatoperception and body experience recognition. The results, obtained from following COVID-19 patients samples have been taken into consideration: affected patients, recovered patients and those who have not come across this disease directly. To describe somatoperceptual characteristics in a pandemic, the term “Illness representations in COVID-19” is proposed. During the comparison of the degree of study in different levels, it was found that the sensitive level has not yet received sufficient lighting, unlike the other levels. The analysis of the literature data led to the identification of future research directions of illness representations in COVID-19. In addition to the features of the sensitive level, interlevel mutual influence and structural-dynamic characteristics of illness representations in COVID-19 depending on the person’s own experience in dealing with COVID-19 may be the subject of such studies.

Neurobiological and psychosomatic aspects of infertility in women

In recent years, ideas about the regulation of the autonomic functions of the human body and the psychosomatic effects of sex hormones have expanded significantly. Dysregulation of the HPG-axis is involved in the pathogenesis of a number of stressassociated mental illnesses. Infertility and its long-term treatment is characterized by a long-term impact on patients of various stressful factors. Reproductive medicine has now made impressive advances in biotechnology. Reproductive medicine has now achieved impressive success due to the revolutionary development of biotechnologies. Nevertheless, a significant number of couples have to struggle unsuccessfully with infertility for many years, and the social consequences of this are extremely significant for the family and society as a whole. Taking into account the relationship between the mental and somatic health of infertile women, greater attention of clinicians to the mental sphere of patients, providing forced childless couples with the necessary psychological and psychiatric care will reduce stress during infertility treatment and increase patient satisfaction.

Psychosomatic disorders associated with pruritus in patients with lichen planus (review)

This review examines the psychosomatic aspects of pruritus in dermatological practice, as well as chronic dermatoses associated with pruritus of psychosomatic disorders in a lichen planus model. As the leading nosogenic factor, skin itching is involved in the development of psychogenic, neurotic, and depressive disorders. Notably, psychosomatic disorders associated with itching form various comorbidities with phenotypic manifestations of lichen planus. The introduction of an integrated multidisciplinary approach into the clinical practice, with the inclusion of psychocorrectional techniques in basic dermatological treatment, can help to optimize the course of skin disease. The modern domestic and foreign sources of literature were reviewed.