Bisexual people's experiences with mental health services: a qualitative investigation.

Bisexual people experience minority stress and social isolation as a result of their marginalized sexual identities, and likely due to this stigmatization, previous research has identified high rates of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, suicidality, alcohol misuse, and self-harming behaviour among bisexual populations. It is therefore important that mental health service providers are able to provide culturally competent care to bisexual people. This study used focus groups and interviews with 55 bisexual participants across the province of Ontario, Canada, to investigate their experiences with mental health care. Results suggest that bisexual people have both positive and negative experiences with mental health service providers. Specific provider practices which contribute to the perception of positive and negative experiences with mental heath services are described, and the implications for clinical practice discussed.

Popular cinema and lesbian interpretive strategies.

In its examination of the relationship between popular film and lesbian viewing practices, this study attempts to more fully elucidate current ideas around audience engagement and forms of cultural reception. Drawing on 15 in-depth interviews conducted in Western Canada in 1996, the results clearly demonstrate the existence of active lesbian viewers, whose interpretations of popular film are intimately informed by lesbian-specific life experiences and cultural competencies. Although the social conditions which create the need for resistant viewing are themselves oppressive, subversion of mainstream film holds out some possibility of empowerment for lesbian viewers.

Normal values and predictive equations for aerodynamic function in British Caucasian subjects.

Many useful objective measurements of air volume and flow may be made with a high degree of validity and reliability using present-day respirometers within a speech clinic. We have studied measures of aerodynamic function in 76 British Caucasian subjects and derived reference equations for mean flow rate (MFR), phonation quotient (PQ), vocal velocity index (VVI), phonation time and the phonation volume/vital capacity ratio. Measures from resting breathing patterns have also been investigated. Age was found to be an important determinant in the reference equations. MFR, PQ and VVI were all greater than previously reported. The equations derived in this study should provide a more appropriate assessment of aerodynamic function than the previously reported normal ranges.