Social Worldviews Predict the General Factor of Paranormal and Generic Conspiracist Beliefs.

Even though wide access to any warranted information in the modern age, the problem of unfounded belief is still relevant, since these beliefs often lead to negative consequences (e.g., vaccination refusal, homeopathic treatment, etc.). The aim of this study was testing the relationship of social worldviews with paranormal beliefs and conspiracy beliefs. We assumed dimensionality hypothesis based on functional standpoint that there should be a general factor (underlying all the domains of paranormal beliefs and generic conspiracist beliefs), which has associations with the social worldviews as well. Derived our analysis from the survey of 228 participants (Mage = 30.6, SD = 11.7), we found that (a) the structure of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs can be described by a bifactor model; (b) the general factor of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs in the bifactor model was positively associated with global belief in just world and dangerous worldview; (c) paranormal beliefs were positively associated with global belief in just world and negatively associated with competitive worldview; (d) generic conspiracist beliefs were positively associated with dangerous worldview, competitive worldview, and zero-sum game belief; (e) contrary to our hypotheses, there was no evidence for any negative association of paranormal beliefs with dangerous worldview or zero-sum game belief and for any negative association of generic conspiracist beliefs with global belief in just world. We claim that the unfounded beliefs can be of some functional nature, demonstrating a connection with social worldviews, which opens up new perspectives for considering this problem within the framework of social psychology.

Atendimento psicossocial à mulher que comete ofensa sexual / Psychosocial attention for women that commit sexual offenses / Atención psicosocial para mujeres que cometen delitos sexuales

Objetivamos apresentar uma proposta de atendimento psicossocial grupal oferecida para mulheres adultas que cometeram ofensa sexual, cuidadoras e mães. A experiência está sendo desenvolvida no Distrito Federal, Brasil, com pessoas do gênero feminino provenientes de encaminhamento judicial. Carece que os profissionais das áreas da justiça, saúde, serviço social e psicologia avancem no estudo e na compreensão desta temática, de modo a pensarem a atuação e o apoio terapêutico a essas mulheres. O modo de atendimento é focal e breve, com ênfase na criação de um ambiente lúdico como facilitador das interações grupais e da discussão sobre os temas: identidade; confiança nas relações afetivas e sociais; vivência pessoal com violência física e sexual; configuração de gênero; e expressão da sexualidade e futuro. A abordagem individual também se baseia no enfoque dos temas mencionados. O oferecimento de ajuda à mulher cuidadora ou à mãe tem participação ativa na interrupção do circuito abusivo sexual, pois essa violência é extremamente ocultada, ocasionando uma prolongada vulnerabilidade para as vítimas. Ressalta-se o valor do texto indicando a descrição de ação voltada para uma população permanentemente não estudada e evitada em seu reconhecimento. Os limites desta proposta encontram-se na falta de outras iniciativas que possibilitem uma discussão sobre essa experiência.(AU)

We aim to present a proposal of a group psychosocial intervention offered for adult female sexual offenders, caregivers, and mothers. The intervention is being developed at Federal District, Brazil, with female people coming from judicial referrals. Professionals in the areas of justice, health, social work, and psychology need to advance in the study and understanding this theme to think about action and therapeutic support for these women. The intervention is a focal and brief approach, with emphasis on the creation of a ludic environment as a facilitator of group interactions and discussion about the themes: identity; trust in affective and social relationships; personal experience with physical and sexual violence; gender configuration; and sexuality expression and future. The individual approach is also based on focusing on these themes. The offering of help to the female caregiver or the mother has an active participation in the interruption of the sexual offense circuit, since this violence is extremely hidden, bringing a prolonged condition of vulnerability to the victims. The value of this text is highlighted indicating the description of an action directed to a population that is permanently not studied and whose recognition is avoided. The limits of this proposal are found in the absence of other initiatives that would allow a discussion about this experience.(AU)

Este texto presenta una propuesta de atención psicosocial grupal destinada a mujeres adultas que han cometido delito sexual, a cuidadoras y madres. La intervención se está desarrollando en el Distrito Federal (Brasil), con personas del género femenino provenientes de remisiones judiciales. Es necesario que los profesionales de las áreas de justicia, salud, trabajo social y psicología avancen en el estudio y comprensión de esta temática para pensar en el desempeño y apoyo terapéutico de estas mujeres. El servicio es enfocado y breve, con énfasis en la creación de un ambiente lúdico como facilitador de interacciones grupales y discusión sobre los temas: identidad; confianza en las relaciones afectivas y sociales; experiencia personal con violencia física y sexual; configuración de género; y expresión de la sexualidad y el futuro. El enfoque individual también se centra en estos temas. La oferta de ayuda a la mujer cuidadora o a la madre es importante para la interrupción del circuito de abuso sexual, ya que esta violencia es extremadamente oculta y provoca una vulnerabilidad prolongada a las víctimas. Se destaca el valor del texto con la descripción de la acción dirigida a una población que no es objeto de estudios ni reconocida. Los límites de esta propuesta se encuentran en la ausencia de otras iniciativas que permitan un debate sobre esta experiencia.(AU)

Paradigma manicomial e proibicionismo como operadores da guerra de raças no Brasil / Asylum paradigm and prohibitionism operating the racial war in Brazil / Paradigma asilar y prohibicionismo como operadores de la guerra racial en Brasil

Este artigo relaciona o paradigma manicomial, relativo à assistência psiquiátrica, à compreensão e ao manejo do campo da saúde mental, ao paradigma proibicionista, referente ao porte, uso e à circulação de drogas, como duas séries de políticas e práticas sociais que operam a guerra de raças que está na base do Estado brasileiro. Com isso, propomos uma investigação arqueogenealógica acerca do emaranhado de condições de emergência das práticas e objetos de saber-poder mobilizados por esses dois paradigmas, atentando ao caráter político das verdades que as sustentam. Dedicamo-nos especialmente ao período entre o final do século XIX e o começo do XX ao interrogar as dinâmicas de forças que constituem as práticas sociais e seus efeitos de subjetivação, produzidos pela sujeição de corpos por meio de uma diversidade de mecanismos morais, disciplinares, eugênicos, higienistas e biopolíticos que articulam os anseios de modernização e produtividade do Estado brasileiro à gestão dos problemas de saúde e segurança do país, colocando a pobreza, o vício e a doença como desdobramento da sua constituição racial. Concluímos, por fim, que o conflito de raças aparece como fundo intrínseco que se atualiza no cerne e a partir dos campos problemáticos da saúde mental e das drogas, colocando como saída dos impasses sociais e políticos eliminar ou pelo menos diluir, via miscigenação ou submissão para integração, o elemento físico e cultural do negro do Brasil.(AU)

This article puts in relation the asylum paradigm, associated to psychiatric care, to the understanding and management of the mental health field, to the prohibitionist paradigm, that refers to the possession, use and circulation of drugs, as two series of social policies and practices that operate racial war that is in the base of the Brazilian State. So on, we propose an archeogenealogical investigation about the emergency conditions of the practices and objects of knowledge-power organized by these two paradigms, paying attention to the political character of the truths that support them. Looking especially at the period between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, we questioned the dynamics of forces that constitute social practices and their effects of subjectivation, produced by the subjection of bodies through moral, disciplinary, eugenic, hygienist and biopolitics mechanisms that articulate the modernization and productivity aspirations of the Brazilian State to the management of the country's health and safety problems, understanding poverty, addiction and disease as consequences of its racial constitution. We conclude that the conflict of races is an intrinsic background that is updated at the heart of the problematic fields of mental health and drugs. Considering this, the solution for social and political impasses is the elimination or at least dilution, through miscegenation or submission for integration, of the physical and cultural element of black people in Brazil.(AU)

Este artículo relaciona el paradigma asilar de atención psiquiátrica, comprensión y manejo del campo de la salud mental, con el paradigma prohibicionista, referente a al uso y circulación de drogas, como dos series de políticas y prácticas sociales que operan la guerra racial que está en el fundamento del Estado brasileño. Así, proponemos una investigación arqueogenealógica sobre las condiciones de emergencia de prácticas y objetos de saber-poder movilizados por estos dos paradigmas, prestando atención al carácter político de las verdades que los sustentan. Nos dedicamos especialmente al período entre finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX buscando la dinámica de fuerzas que constituyen a las prácticas sociales y sus efectos de subjetivación, producidos por la sujeción de los cuerpos a través de una diversidad de mecanismos morales, disciplinarios, eugenésicos, higienistas y biopolíticos que articulan las aspiraciones de modernización y productividad del Estado brasileño a la gestión de los problemas de salud y seguridad del país, comprendiendo la pobreza, la adicción y la enfermedad como resultado de su constitución racial. Finalmente, concluimos que el conflicto racial aparece como un trasfondo intrínseco que se actualiza en el cerne y desde los campos problemáticos de la salud mental y de las drogas, tomando como soluciones a los impasses sociales y políticos nacionales, la eliminación o al menos la dilución, a través del mestizaje o de la sumisión para fines de integración, del elemento físico y cultural del negro en Brasil.(AU)

Species perceived to be dangerous are more likely to have distinctive local names.

BACKGROUND: Species with direct uses, such as sources of food, shelter, building material and medicine tend to have more specific local names. But could the same apply for species that people fear? METHODS: To address this question, here we explore the behavior and perception of species diversity and dangerousness through a survey of 1037 households in nine villages in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique. We compare people's knowledge of snakes with that of lizards and amphibians. RESULTS: We find that northern Mozambicans know four to five times more local names for snakes than for lizards and frogs, despite the local species richness of snakes being comparable to the diversity of lizards and frogs. We further find that local knowledge was on par with the academic literature regarding snakebite symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that fear can increase the level of specificity in naming species among indigenous communities, which could lead to biases in the mapping and protection of species that include data from citizen reports.

Hazard Perception and Prediction test for walking, riding a bike and driving a car: "Understanding of the global traffic situation".

To "put oneself in the place of other road users" may improve understanding of the global traffic situation. It should be useful enabling drivers to anticipate and detect obstacles in time to prevent accidents to other road users, especially those most vulnerable. We created a pioneering Hazard Perception and Prediction test to explore this skill in different road users (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers), with videos recorded in naturalistic scenarios: walking, riding a bicycle and driving a car. There were 79 participants (30 pedestrians, 14 cyclists, 13 novice drivers and 22 experienced drivers). Sixty videos of hazardous traffic situations were presented, divided into 2 blocks of 30 videos each: 10 walking, 10 riding a bicycle, 10 driving a car. In each situation presented, we evaluated the performance of the participants carrying out the task of predicting the hazard and estimating the risk. In the second block, after they had carried out the task, we gave them feedback on their performance and let them see the whole video (i.e., checking what happened next). The results showed that the holistic test had acceptable psychometric properties (Cronbach's alpha = .846). The test was able to discriminate between the different conditions manipulated: a) between traffic hazards recorded from different perspectives: walking, riding a bicycle and driving a car; b) between participants with different user profiles: pedestrians, cyclists and drivers; c) between the two test blocks: the first evaluation only and the second combining evaluation with this complex intervention. We found modal bias effects in both Hazard Perception and Prediction; and in Risk Estimation.

[Socio-behavioral factors for of adherence to treatment of patients with mental disorders inclined to socially dangerous behavior]. / Sotsiobikhevioral'nye faktory priverzhennosti lecheniiu patsientov s psikhicheskimi rasstroistvami, sklonnykh k sotsial'no opasnomu povedeniiu.

AIM: To study behavioral factors as a predictor of the adherence to psychopharmacotherapy in patients inclined to socially dangerous actions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The total number of people with mental disorders that pose a danger to society in the city of Cherepovets was 148 at the moment of the study. Eighty-three patients were examined. The collection of data was carried out by the method of anonymous sociological survey of patients using a specially developed questionnaire. To interpret the data, quantitative and qualitative indicators were calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Every one in three (28.9%) patients does not follow the doctor's advice. The main reasons for amending the therapy prescribed by the doctor are as follows: high price for the medicines (43.2%), side effects (32.4%) and ineffective treatment (24.4%). Whereby each in two (45.8%) patients considers the most effective medicines to be the natural resource materials (39.8%) or homeopathic medicines (6%), whereas 12% do not believe in the efficacy of any medicine. The reasons for the low adherence to psychopharmacotherapy of patients with mental disorders prone to socially dangerous actions were the insufficient amount of medical information provided by the doctor (51.8%), the insufficient therapeutic relationship between the patient and the doctor (28.9%) and patient dissatisfaction with the quality of treatment (22.9%).

[Psychopathology of intrafamily violence]. / Psychopathologie des violences intrafamiliales.

Intrafamily violence is a major public health problem, due to its frequency and the severity of its consequences. The aim is to establish links between violence and psychopathology, for the perpetrators as well as the victims. Data reveal a higher frequency of certain mental health disorders and history of abuse in the perpetrators, without it being systematic. It is important to adopt a global and multidisciplinary approach, and a holistic perspective faced with the people concerned by these acts. Health professionals, from the social sector and associations must therefore work together in a network to manage and attempt to prevent crisis situations.

Extreme Rapid Weight Loss and Rapid Weight Gain Observed in UK Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Preparing for Competition.

There is a lack of research documenting the weight-making practices of mixed-martial-arts (MMA) competitors. The purpose of the investigation was to quantify the magnitude and identify the methods of rapid weight loss (RWL) and rapid weight gain (RWG) in MMA athletes preparing for competition. Seven athletes (mean ± SD, age 24.6 ± 3.5 yrs, body mass 69.9 ± 5.7 kg, competitive experience 3.1 ± 2.2 yrs) participated in a repeated-measures design. Measures of dietary intake, urinary hydration status, and body mass were recorded in the week preceding competition. Body mass decreased significantly (p < .0005) from baseline by 5.6 ± 1.4 kg (8 ± 1.8%). During the RWG period (32 ± 1 hr) body mass increased significantly (p < .001) by 7.4 ± 2.8 kg (11.7 ± 4.7%), exceeding RWL. Mean energy and carbohydrate intake were 3176 ± 482 kcal・day-1 and 471 ± 124 g・day-1, respectively. At the official weigh-in 57% of athletes were dehydrated (1033 ± 19 mOsmol・kg-1) and the remaining 43% were severely dehydrated (1267 ± 47 mOsmol・kg-1). Athletes reported using harmful dehydration-based RWL strategies, including sauna (43%) and training in plastic suits (43%). Results demonstrated RWG greater than RWL, this is a novel finding and may be attributable to the 32 hr duration from weigh-in till competition. The observed magnitude of RWL and strategies used are comparable to those which have previously resulted in fatalities. Rule changes which make RWL impractical should be implemented with immediate effect to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of competitors.

Intervención directa mediante biofeedback, para cambiar las conductas de desanimo de un portero de fútbol / Intervenção direta através de biofeedback, para mudança de comportamentos de desmotivação de um guarda redes de futebol / Direct intervention through biofeedback, to change disheartening conducts in a soccer goalkeeper

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir una intervención, que buscaba modificar el comportamiento de un portero en relación con los errores que cometía, pues tras recibir un gol, se desanimaba y no dejaba de centrarse en el error cometido. Esta atención en el error cometido le hacía tardar de volver a tener un comportamiento adecuado para cumplir su función en el juego. Esta intervención se realizó mediante biofeedback, técnicas de control emocional y técnicas para el manejo de la atención y la concentración. Dado que es una intervención sobre un portero de 18 años de fútbol once, solicitada por el entrenador, se utilizó un estudio de caso único. De acuerdo con los resultados descriptivos se encontró una mejoría en la atención y concentración ya que hubo una cercanía a los 5 μv en ondas beta y hubo un incremento en la puntuación directa de concentración en los datos de la prueba Toulouse-Piéron. También se encontró una mejora del control emocional, mediante biofeedback, ya que hubo un incremento en la respuesta galvánica de la piel. Por último, también se registró un cambio en las conductas del portero tras los errores, ya que hubo una disminución de las conductas de desánimo y un aumento de las conductas adecuadas (AU)

The aim of this work is to describe an intervention which sought to modify the behavior of a goalkeeper in relation to the errors he committed, after receiving a goal, he became disheartened, and could not stop concentrating on the error committed. This attention paid to the error committed delayed a return to having adequate behavior in order to fulfil his function in the game. This intervention was carried out through biofeedback, techniques of emotional control and techniques to manage attention and concentration. Given that the intervention was carried out on an eighteen year old goalkeeper, at the request of the trainer, a study of a unique case was used. In accordance with the descriptive results, an improvement in attention and concentration was found as there was a proximity to 5 μv on beta waves and there was an increase in direct punctuation of concentration in the data of the Toulouse-Piéron test. An improvement in emotional control was also found through biofeedback, as there was an increase in the stimulating response to skin. Finally, a change in the goalkeeper’s conduct after the errors was registered, as there was a decrease in the discouraging conducts and an increase in the adequate conducts (AU)

O objetivo do estudo foi realizar uma intervenção de modificação de comportamentos de um atleta (guarda redes) após este cometer erros ou sofrer golos. Depois de sofrer um golo, o atleta desmotivava e continuava focado no eventual erro. Esta manutenção do foco atencional no erro fazia com que este tardasse em ter um comportamento adequado à sua função no jogo. Esta intervenção foi realizada utilizando técnicas de biofeedback, técnicas de gestão emocional e técnicas de controlo da atenção e concentração. Dado que se tratou de uma intervenção solicitada pelo treinador, sobre um único atleta de 18 anos, praticante de futebol onze, foi utilizada uma metodologia de caso único. De acordo com os resultados descritos, foi encontrada uma melhoria na atenção e na concentração, verificada através da melhoria de 5 μv nas ondas beta e no aumento da pontuação direta da prova Toulose-Pieron. Também foi registada uma melhoria no controlo emocional através de biofeedback com um aumento dos valores da resposta galvânica da pele. Por fim também foram registadas alterações no comportamento após erro, uma vez que diminuíram os comportamentos de desmotivação e aumentaram os comportamentos adequados (AU)

Muscle mania: the quest for the perfect body.

We describe the case of a young man with repeated hospital presentations for a variety of symptoms related to excessive bodybuilding and associated behaviours. He presented to our department (radiology) with right arm pain and loss of function. Ultrasound showed complete triceps rupture, rare in young patients and multiple cystic areas within the muscles of the arm. MRI revealed these to be multiple proteinaceous lesions within the muscle bellies and the possibility of self-innoculation was raised by the reporting radiologist. The patient subsequently admitted to injecting coconut oil to improve muscle contour lost secondary to injury. A review of his hospital presentations was then made and revealed further concerning practices performed by the patient to enhance his muscular appearance.

The importance of the patients deemed not guilty by reason of insanity for the psychiatric reform.

According to the Greek Penal Law if someone "because of a morbid disturbance of his mental functioning" (article 34) is acquitted of a crime or misdemeanour that the law punishes with more than 6 months imprisonment, then the court orders that this individual should be kept in a public psychiatric institution if the court reaches the conclusion that this person poses a threat to public safety.1 Individuals who have broken the law and deemed "not guilty by reason of insanity" are treated in psychiatric units of Psychiatric Hospitals according to the article 69 of the Penal Code. In Athens, in the Psychiatric Hospital of Athens and the Dromokaiteion Psychiatric Hospital, and in Thessaloniki in the Unit for "Not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI)". The person who is deemed not guilty by reason of insanity following a crime is facing double stigmatisation and marginalisation from both the legal and the health system. He/she is usually treated initially with fear and later since there is no therapeutic aim but only the court instruction for "guardianship", with indifference. The patient who is committed by the courts in a psychiatric unit for being "NGRI" is facing a unique legal and psychiatric status.2 In this respect he/she is disadvantaged when compared to either convicted criminals or psychiatric inpatients. If the patient was not found "NGRI" (ie innocent as far as sentencing is concerned) he would have been punished with loss of liberty for a certain (specific) amount of time, and like all individuals convicted in court he/she would have the right to appeal and reduce his/her sentence in a higher court and maybe released from prison earlier for good behaviour etc. In this respect the individual found to be "NGRI" is disadvantaged when compared to a convicted felon since he/she is kept for an undefined period of time. Additionally, he/she will be allowed to leave the psychiatric unit following a subjective assessment of a judge with no psychiatric knowledge who will decide that this certain individual has "ceased to be dangerous". These problems are accentuated by the difficulties that the Greek justice system is facing. On the other side, from the psychiatric point of view, the "NGRI" patient who is an inpatient is not receiving the holistic, (bio psycho social) treatment and assessment of needs he/she requires. The psychiatric team looking after him, once the acute symptomatology is controlled is just getting used to a patient who will not be discharged in the immediate future. These patients form the "new chronic asylum psychiatric inpatients" for whom the treating psychiatrists are not allowed to discharge back into the community whilst it is unclear whether they can be transferred to supported rehabilitation units. It is a medical but also legal paradox to assign to contemporary psychiatric units aiming mainly to treat patients in the community to "keep and guard" inpatients whilst these psychiatric units should focus on care and rehabilitation of the patients (including the "NGRIs").3 Keeping patients like these in psychiatric units creates problems in the functioning of the units. These patients are "kept" in acute beds for long periods of time (5 to 6 years minimum) with patients treated voluntarily or against their will and cannot be discharged without a court's decision. The problems are obvious if one realises that the average time of hospitalisation is not exceeding 2 months for the vast majority of psychiatric patients. With the prolonged stay patients of the "article 69" (NGRIs) they not only burden the already limited resources (there is an established lack of psychiatric beds nationwide) but also this prolonged hospitalisation increases their stigmatisation and marginalisation. Thus the prolonged hospitalisation for "safety" reasons according to the court decision leads to the absence of a therapeutic aim other than maintaining the patient on the ward. Greece has agreed that there is an urgent need in developing community psychiatry services and closure/transformation of the big psychiatric hospitals (asylums). It is impossible to close hospitals where "NGRIs" are kept. The decision to move them into the community is not a medical-psychiatric but a legal one. In this respect it is imperative to establish a Forensic Psychiatric Unit for these patients. In our country as the "Psychargos" external evaluation highlighted, there are great gaps in the provision of Forensic psychiatric services.3 It must be emphasised that these gaps affect negatively psychiatric reform and social reintegration not only for the forensic psychiatric patients but for the whole of mentally ill individuals. Given that forensic Psychiatric services are developed in Athens and Thessaloniki and that training in Forensic Psychiatry has moved forward, it is imperative that the state should build upon the existing knowledge and experience and create specialist forensic units aiming to treat and rehabilitate this special and important group of patients.4 Only when the patients found "not guilty by reasons of insanity" have their own (safe for the society and them) therapeutic and rehabilitative services the aim of de-institutionalisation will be visible and realistic to implement.

Ketamine as Rescue Treatment for Difficult-to-Sedate Severe Acute Behavioral Disturbance in the Emergency Department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We investigate the effectiveness and safety of ketamine to sedate patients with severe acute behavioral disturbance who have failed previous attempts at sedation. METHODS: This was a prospective study of patients given ketamine for sedation who had failed previous sedation attempts. Patients with severe acute behavioral disturbance requiring parenteral sedation were treated with a standardized sedation protocol including droperidol. Demographics, drug dose, observations, and adverse effects were recorded. The primary outcome was the number of patients who failed to sedate within 120 minutes of ketamine administration or requiring further sedation within 1 hour. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients from 2 hospitals were administered rescue ketamine during 27 months; median age was 37 years (range 20-82 years); 28 were men. Police were involved with 20 patients. Previous sedation included droperidol (10 mg; 1), droperidol (10+10 mg; 33), droperidol (10+10+5 mg; 1), droperidol (10+10+10 mg; 11), and combinations of droperidol and benzodiazepines (2) and midazolam alone (1). The median dose of ketamine was 300 mg (range 50 to 500 mg). Five patients (10%; 95% confidence interval 4% to 23%) were not sedated within 120 minutes or required additional sedation within 1 hour. Four of 5 patients received 200 mg or less. Median time to sedation postketamine was 20 minutes (interquartile range 10 to 30 minutes; 2 to 500 minutes). Three patients (6%) had adverse effects, 2 had vomiting, and a third had a transient oxygen desaturation to 90% after ketamine that responded to oxygen. CONCLUSION: Ketamine appeared effective and did not cause obvious harm in this small sample and is a potential option for patients who have failed previous attempts at sedation. A dose of 4 to 5 mg/kg is suggested, and doses less than 200 mg are associated with treatment failure.

[Relaxation to defuse acting out for dangerous schizophrenics]. / La relaxation pour désamorcer les passages à l'acte chez les schizophrènes dangereux.

Relaxation is often considered as a contraindication in the management of schizophrenics. An experiment carried out with dangerous schizophrenics at the unit for dangerous patients at Cadillac general hospital revealed that, on the contrary, such an opinion is not necessarily valid in all cases. Indeed, for many of these patients, relaxation can have positive effects on their clinical state. As with its other indications, relaxation must be practised by clinicians who have an in-depth knowledge of techniques to use and of mental disorders treated in that way.

Anxiety, bulimia, drug and alcohol addiction, depression, and schizophrenia: what do you think about their aetiology, dangerousness, social distance, and treatment? A latent class analysis approach.

PURPOSE: Mental illness stigma is a serious societal problem and a critical impediment to treatment seeking for mentally ill people. To improve the understanding of mental illness stigma, this study focuses on the simultaneous analysis of people's aetiological beliefs, attitudes (i.e. perceived dangerousness and social distance), and recommended treatments related to several mental disorders by devising an over-arching latent structure that could explain the relations among these variables. METHODS: Three hundred and sixty university students randomly received an unlabelled vignette depicting one of six mental disorders to be evaluated on the four variables on a Likert-type scale. A one-factor Latent Class Analysis (LCA) model was hypothesized, which comprised the four manifest variables as indicators and the mental disorder as external variable. RESULTS: The main findings were the following: (a) a one-factor LCA model was retrieved; (b) alcohol and drug addictions are the most strongly stigmatized; (c) a realistic opinion about the causes and treatment of schizophrenia, anxiety, bulimia, and depression was associated to lower prejudicial attitudes and social rejection. CONCLUSION: Beyond the general appraisal of mental illness an individual might have, the results generally point to the acknowledgement of the specific features of different diagnostic categories. The implications of the present results are discussed in the framework of a better understanding of mental illness stigma.

Male and female pathological gamblers: bet in a different way and show different mental disorders

Although in the last years several studies comparing male and female pathological gamblers have been published, most of them have been carried out using only samples of males. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in a sample of subjects diagnosed with pathological gambling (PG) attending three specialized outpatient units. Retrospective study was carried out of 96 patients (49% female and 51% male), comparing the main socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral data. Most subjects (94%) met the criteria for pathological gambling. No significant differences between sexes were found in the severity of gambling behavior or the socio-demographic variables studied. Whereas slot machines were the main type of game for most subjects, a higher percentage of women were addicted to bingo (χ2 (1, 4) = 5.19, p = .029 Cohen’s d = 0.48) and had more than one type of game as a secondary addiction χ2 (1, 4) = 7.63, p = .006; Cohen’s d = 0.59) . Women started gambling at a later age than men (t(94) = 2.95, p = .004; Cohen’s d = 0.60), but developed a pattern of addiction faster ( t(94) = 2.95, p = .004; Cohen's d = -0.61) . Women also had higher comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders (χ2 (1) = 7.28, p = .007; Cohen’s d = 0.57), specifically with affective (χ2 (1) = 11.31, p = .001; Cohen’s d = 0.73) and personality disorders (χ2 (1) = 4.71, p = .030; Cohen’s d = 0.45). Our results indicate the existence of differences between women and men in the pattern of gambling behavior and in psychiatric comorbidity. These aspects should be considered in the design of treatment programs for pathological gamblers (AU)

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Hiding or hospitalising? On dilemmas of pregnancy management in East Cameroon.

Current international debates and policies on safe motherhood mainly propose biomedical interventions to reduce the risks during pregnancy and delivery. Yet, the conceptualisations of risk that underlie this framework may not correspond with local perceptions of reproductive dangers; consequently, hospital services may remain underutilised. Inspired by a growing body of anthropological literature exploring local fertility-related fears, and drawing on 15 months of fieldwork, this paper describes ideas about risky reproduction and practices of pregnancy protection in a Cameroonian village. It shows that social and supernatural threats to fertility are deemed more significant than the physical threats of fertility stressed at the (inter)national level. To protect their pregnancies from those social and supernatural influences, however, women take very physical measures. It is in this respect that biomedical interventions, physical in their very nature, do connect to local methods of pregnancy management. Furthermore, some pregnant women purposefully deploy hospital care in an attempt to reduce relational uncertainties. Explicit attention to the intersections of the social and the physical, and of the supernatural and the biomedical, furthers anthropological knowledge on fertility management and offers a starting point for more culturally sensitive safe motherhood interventions.

Justiça, Cidadania e Saúde: reflexões sobre limites, possibilidades e desafios para a implementação da Reforma Psiquiátrica nos Hospitais de Custódia e Tratamento Psiquiátrico no Estado de São Paulo / Justice, Rights and Health: Reflections on limits, possibilities and challenges for the implementation of the Psychiatric Hospitals Reform in Custody and Psychiatric Treatment in the State of Sao Paulo

O presente trabalho foca a questão da implementação da Reforma Psiquiátrica nos Hospitais de Custódia e Tratamento Psiquiátrico, objetivando delinear os limites, desafios e possibilidades da referida Reforma no Estado de São Paulo. O trabalho, do ponto de vista metodológico, partiu da técnica de análise do discurso de entrevistas realizadas com pessoas "chave" no processo de discussão e implementação das diretrizes da Reforma Psiquiátrica nos Hospitais de Custódia e Tratamento Psiquiátrico Paulistas, além da revisão de literatura, subsídio a dados estatísticos e pesquisa jurisprudencial. Os principais limites e desafios para a implementação da Reforma Psiquiátrica nos Hospitais de Custódia e Tratamento Psiquiátrico no Estado de São Paulo são comuns a outros Estados da Federação. Em seu funcionamento, os HCTPs apresentam a predominância do aspecto custodial sobre o terapêutico, sendo que a “contenção química” e a física continuam a representar o agir institucional. As principais questões legais envolvidas e questionadas pelos entrevistados referem-se à não aplicação da Lei 10.216/01 na seara das medidas de segurança e a questão da presunção da periculosidade legal, reservada ao considerado louco infrator. A desinstitucionalização, vista como processo complexo, ainda apresenta grandes desafios nas dimensões técnico-assistencial, consistente na ampliação da rede de serviços substitutivos, bem como o acesso da população confinada nos HCTPs a essa rede e na dimensão sócio-cultural, uma vez que as pessoas com transtorno mental em conflito com a lei enfrentam uma tripla exclusão e estigmatização: vistos como loucos e criminosos e apresentando, antes mesmo da internação, um quadro de vulnerabilidade social. O Estado de São Paulo possui a maior população de internos, considerados números absolutos, e em deus três HCTPs criou-se uma espécie de regime de cumprimento de medida de segurança mais ou menos rigorosa, analogicamente ao existente em relação ao cumprimento de pena. Dentro dessa dinâmica, a existência do Programa de Desinternação Progressiva realizado em Franco da Rocha é indicado como uma possibilidade de aplicação das diretrizes da Reforma Psiquiátrica. O SAIPEMS – Sistemas de Atenção Integral às Pessoas em Medida de Segurança, um programa semelhante ao PAILI e PAI-PJ, desde 2009, aguarda um encaminhamento por parte dos entes governamentais. A questão do transtorno de personalidade e a possibilidade de responsabilização dos chamados sociopatas merecem.