A survey of psychiatrists' attitudes toward electroconvulsive therapy

Sixty-seven psychiatrists who were employed in state hospitals in Texas were surveyed about their attitudes toward use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the laws and regulations associated with its use. The majority of respondents agreed with accepted professional guidelines on ECT usage and had a positive attitude toward ECT treatment. However, the number of referrals for ECT by these psychiatrists was low, perhaps due to the view that Texas laws and policies about ECT are restrictive and limiting to patient care. The majority of respondents indicated that more professional education about laws and policies related to ECT is needed.     

Psychiatric residents' educational experiences and attitudes toward eating disorders

Our study of 180 psychiatric residents from all 16 Canadian psychiatric training centres showed that only 22.2% found university teaching on eating disorders adequate. Eighty-nine percent believed formal instruction on anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) should be made mandatory. Significantly more female than male residents were interested in AN and BN patients. The authors suggest special attention be given to residents' curriculum on the subject.     

American attitudes toward and willingness to use psychiatric medications

Despite recent advances in treatment, many Americans decline to take prescribed psychiatric medication. This study explores the role of attitudes regarding the effectiveness of and potential problems associated with psychiatric medications on Americans' willingness to use them. Face-to-face interviews of a US household population sample were done with 1387 volunteers. The 1998 General Social Survey's (response rate, 76.4%) included questions about efficacy, problems, and potential use. Most Americans agree that psychiatric medications are effective, and fewer than half had concerns regarding potential problems. However, the majority of respondents would not be willing to take them. Willingness to use is influenced by these attitudes and other factors, including health status and past use of mental health treatments. Although Americans perceive psychiatric medications to be effective, and this influences their willingness to take them, many still are not willing to take them.     

Queensland psychiatrists' attitudes and perceptions of adults with intellectual disability

Background Quality mental health care for adults with an intellectual disability (ID) depends upon the availability of appropriately trained and experienced psychiatrists. There have been few surveys of psychiatrists working with this population. Method This Australian study obtained psychiatrists’ attitudes to and perceptions of the mental health needs of adults with an ID. Training needs were also sought. The survey instrument used was a purposely designed, 28‐item self‐administered questionnaire featuring multiple‐choice and open‐ended questions. Results The majority of psychiatrists expressed concerns about treatment of this group, describing unmet needs. A total of 75% considered that antipsychotics were overused to control aggression, and 34% of psychiatrists were reluctant to treat adults with an ID. In total, 85% agreed that mental health in ID should be offered as a training option for psychiatric registrars, and that specialized mental health services would provide a high standard of care for this population. Conclusion Broad concerns are raised regarding pathways to mental health care for adults with an ID in Australia. An Australia‐wide training strategy needs to be developed. Partnerships between mental health, disability and community services that serve the mental health needs of this population, should actively seek to engage psychiatrists.     

A study of attitudes toward menarche in white middle-class American adolescent girls.

Material from interviews with 35 premenarcheal and postmenarcheal girls suggests that menarche is an emotional event related to the adolescent girl's emerging identity as an adult woman, her newly acquired ability to reproduce, and her changing relationship with her mother. However, our culture tends to ignore the affective importance of menarche and instead conveys the view that it is a hygienic crisis. The authors suggest the need for developing a socially and culturally appropriate substitute to serve the emotional function that more primitive societies have met with social rituals, thus meeting the psychological needs of the young adolescent girl.     

Pharmacy students' attitudes toward and professional interactions with people with mental disorders

BACKGROUND: Health professionals frequently exhibit negative attitudes toward people with mental disorders. It is not known whether stigmatising attitudes among pharmacy students predict less positive attitudes toward consumer participation in decision-making about medications. AIMS: (1) To assess the attitudes of pharmacy students toward people with schizophrenia, and (2) to determine whether stigma predicts less positive attitudes toward concordant medication counselling. METHOD: All pharmacy students enrolled in a five-year degree program were invited to participate. Students completed the seven-item Social Distance Scale, six items related to stereotypical attributes of people with schizophrenia and the 14-item Leeds Attitudes Toward Concordance Scale. RESULTS: Completed survey instruments were received from 157 students (94% response rate). Previous employment in a pharmacy and personal experience of a mental disorder were associated with low social distance. Later year of study, believing that people with schizophrenia are difficult to talk to, and believing people with schizophrenia have themselves to blame were predictive of high social distance. Low social distance and later year of study were associated with positive attitudes toward providing concordant medication counselling. CONCLUSION: Mental health stigma was common and predictive of less positive attitudes toward consumer participation in decision-making about medications.     

Measuring staff attitudes toward computerization.

The authors developed and tested an 88-item scale designed to measure staff attitudes toward and knowledge about computers. A questionnaire was completed by 42 staff members at a psychiatric unit of a hospital where a health information system was being implemented; 28 of the staff members had attended a two-and-one-half day course on computer systems. Those who had completed the course had more favorable attitudes toward computerization than the 14 who did not. The authors described the findings and discuss their implications.     

Differential diagnosis between dissociative disorders and schizophrenia

The differential diagnosis of dissociative disorders includes many psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders (especially bipolar II disorder), depressive disorder (especially atypical depression), epilepsy, Asperger syndrome, and borderline personality disorder. The theme of this paper is the differential diagnosis between dissociative disorders and schizophrenia. Schneiderian first-rank symptoms in schizophrenia are common in dissociative disorders, especially in dissociative identity disorder (DID). Many DID patients have been misdiagnosed as schizophrenics and treated with neuroleptics. We compared and examined Schneiderian symptoms of schizophrenia and those of dissociative disorders from a structural viewpoint. In dissociative disorders, delusional perception and somatic passivity are not seen. "Lateness" and "Precedence of the Other" originated from the concept of "Pattern Reversal" (H. Yasunaga)" is characteristic of schizophrenia. It is important to check these basic structure of schizophrenia in subjective experiences in differential diagnosis between dissociative disorders and schizophrenia.     

分离障碍的核心特征与治疗

在DSM-5中,分离障碍的代表性疾病是分离性身份障碍、分离性遗忘及人格解体/现实解体障碍。这组障碍的共同风险是创伤性或应激性事件。分离障碍引起个体正常的、整合的感知觉、身份、记忆与意识等的中断或不连续。分离性身份障碍患者存在以2个及上人格状态为特征的身份瓦解;分离性遗忘症的个体没有能力回忆起重要的关于自我经历的信息;人格解体/现实解体障碍患者存在持久或反复发作的对自身或环境的不真实感或分离的体验。分离障碍的治疗方法包括使用精神活性药物、心理咨询等。     

Cultural variations in attitudes toward menstruation.

Attitudes towards menstruation play an important role in the perception of menstrual distress. The influence of cultural and social factors was studied in a group of 48 Indian women using the Menstrual Attitudes Questionnaire (modified version). Women over 25 years of age were significantly more likely to consider menstruation as being "natural". No other significant relationships were found between menstrual attitudes and demographic variables. The menstrual attitudes of Indian and American college women (from a previous study) were also compared.     

Community attitudes toward people with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: We surveyed public attitudes toward people with schizophrenia as part of a pilot project for the World Psychiatric Association's Global Campaign to Fight Stigma and Discrimination Because of Schizophrenia. METHODS: We conducted random-digit telephone surveys with 1653 respondents (aged 15 years or over) residing in 2 adjacent rural and urban health regions (71.9% response rate). A brief interview collected information on experiences with people with a mental illness or schizophrenia, knowledge of causes and treatments for schizophrenia, and levels of social distance felt toward people with schizophrenia. RESULTS: One-half of the sample had known someone treated for schizophrenia or another mental illness. Of those able to identify a cause of schizophrenia (two-thirds), most identified a biological cause, usually a brain disease. Social distance increased with the level of intimacy required. One in 5 respondents thought they would be unable to maintain a friendship with, one-half would be unable to room with, and three-quarters would be unable to marry, someone with schizophrenia. Those over 60 were least knowledgeable or enlightened and the most socially distancing. Greater knowledge was associated with less-distancing attitudes. When other factors were controlled, exposure to the mentally ill was not correlated with knowledge or attitudes, even among those who had worked in agencies providing services to the mentally ill. CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents were relatively well informed and progressive in their reported understanding of schizophrenia and its treatment. Clear subgroup differences were apparent with respect to age and knowledge. Knowledge of schizophrenia, not exposure to the mentally ill, was a central modifiable correlate of stigma.     

Public attitudes toward mentally retarded children.

The recent trend toward integrating mentally retarded children in the community and public school warrants examination of public attitudes toward these children. Factor analysis of equestionnaire responses of 430 adults revealed for factors underlying attitudes toward retarded children: positive stereotype, segregation in the community, segregation in the classroom, and perceived physical and intellectual handicap. Older respondents, parents of school-aged children, and people with no previous contact with a retarded person tended to favor segregation of retarded children in the community. Results of this study suggest that attitudes of these groups must be addressed if retarded persons are to be successfully integrated into society.