Suicide attempts among Greek and Danish women and the quality of their relationships with husbands or boyfriends.

Greek and Danish women 15-45 years old who attempted suicide were interviewed with an extensive semistructured schedule, in Athens and Copenhagen, after admission to the intensive care unit of 2 general hospitals and one psychiatric reception ward. This article presents 2 groups from each country, a group of married women and a group with steady relationships (n = 56), focusing on the quality of their relationships and their significance for the women's suicide attempts. Most of the women in both countries had very poor relationships, as concerns communication, intimacy, concern, recreation, sharing of everyday activities and social and private life. A high degree of psychological and physical violence was found in all 4 groups. The burdensome and humiliating relationship created shame in the women. After unsuccessful attempts to change the relationship and inability to leave it because of financial and emotional dependence, the women attempted suicide to escape from the situation.

Depression among general hospital patients in Greece.

We estimated the prevalence of depression in 150 medical and surgical inpatients. Forty-three patients (29%) scoring at 14 or above on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were classified as depressed. An excess of women and white-collar workers and more stressful life events during the last 12 months were found among the depressed patients. Of the 21 BDI items, 6 differentiated the 43 medical-surgical depressed patients from a group of 43 psychiatric inpatients with a diagnosis of primary or secondary depression (Feighner's criteria). Medically ill depressed patients scored higher in social withdrawal, work inhibition and irritability but lower in loss of libido, sleep disturbance, and lack of satisfaction. Our results show rates of depression in a medical inpatient population in Greece comparable with those in other studies. The use of BDI may help assessment of depression in general hospital patients.

Short-term social prognosis of schizophrenia.

Two groups of schizophrenic patients with diametrically opposed illness outcomes were compared, 14 months after discharge, with respect to 21 parameters. The first group comprised patients who relapsed and were readmitted into hospital and the second group comprised patients who achieved satisfactory occupational rehabilitation in the community. Satisfactory occupational rehabilitation was positively associated and relapse was negatively associated with the following parameters: compliance to maintenance pharmacotherapy, satisfactory work record, compulsory admission into hospital, living apart from parents or spouse after discharge, illness precipitated by stressful events, longer duration of hospitalization and more advanced age at onset of illness. The authors express the view that awareness of the parameters influencing short-term social outcome might contribute to a more efficient management of schizophrenic patients.

Factors associated with occupational rehabilitation of psychiatric patients.

Factors related to occupational rehabilitation of 40 psychiatric patients (and a subgroup of 30 schizophrenic patients) hospitalized at the Day Hospital of Athens' University Department of Psychiatry were studied. Rehabilitation was negatively associated to a statistically significant degree with: chronicity of illness, time spent in unemployment, and male sex. Time spent in unemployment was also negatively related to rehabilitation at the previous employment setting. More women than men were rehabilitated. Duration of illness and duration of present hospitalization were longer for men, commitment to the hospital's daily schedule was stronger for women, and male patients had more absences from treatment sessions in comparison to female patients.