Traumatic brain injury and lifetime suicidality: Applying the interpersonal-psychological theory perspective

The present article investigates the traumatic brain injury (TBI)-suicide link, assessing whether (a) TBI accounts for variance in suicide risk, and (b) the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide can be applied to TBI status. Matched case-control procedures applied to archival college student health data identified TBI and non-TBI subsamples (84 total). Individuals with a TBI possessed higher suicide risk than those without. Even accounting for the relative influence of strong suicide risk factors (i.e., depression, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability), TBI was robustly associated with suicide risk. TBI history would be valuable to ascertain in assessing suicide risk.     

Have we lost the plot? All the preventative,acute and chronic medical strategies that the practice has to offer will not save a pet if its behaviour is incompatible with society’s expectations

Through failing to ensure that owners are capable of maintaining their pet’s emotional welfare, is the veterinary community falling short of their professional obligation to “do none harm”? Owner requirements of relationships with pets are becoming increasingly demanding and similar to that of the human–human bond. Simultaneously, the environment in which pets live is both less comparable to anything that might be considered “normal” for the species yet increasingly likely to involve challenging social and environmental complexity. These mismatches between human expectations and pet behavioural and emotional welfare needs are leading to levels of pet loss (through stress-related illness, euthanasia and relinquishment) that far exceed that for medical issues. This article takes an overview of current in-practice behavioural support and how it can be expanded to better meet the needs of pets and owners, assisting a mutual meeting of expectations.     

Pilot Investigation of a Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy Intervention

This 24-week-long pilot investigation of 30 men and women with a BMI > 27 kg/m² aimed to determine whether virtual gastric band (VGB) hypnotherapy has an effect on weight loss in overweight adults, compared to relaxation hypnotherapy and a self-directed diet. Levels of weight loss and gain ranged from ?17 kg to +4.7 kg in the VGB hypnotherapy group and ?9.3 kg to +7.8 kg in the relaxation group. There was no significant difference between VGB hypnotherapy as a main effect on weight loss, (X² = 0.67, p = .41, df = 1) and there was no evidence of differential weight loss over time, (X² = 4.2, p = .64, df = 6). Therefore, the authors conclude that there was no significant difference between VGB hypnotherapy and the relaxation hypnotherapy.