[Persons held in preventive detention (§ 66 Criminal Code): characteristics of offenders and the impact on prospects for successful completion of therapy]. / Sicherungsverwahrte (§ 66 StGB): Merkmale der Täter und ihre Bedeutung für die Erfolgsaussichten eines therapeutischen Vollzugs.

With its verdict in May 2011 the German Federal Constitutional Court declared the current law for preventive detention unconstitutional and obliged the legislative bodies to undertake a freedom- and treatment-oriented reform. Psychiatrists and psychotherapists are bound to provide therapeutic concepts. Currently there is a lack of information on the intended clientele. In our study we examined 26 persons serving preventive detention, 32 regular prisoners and 29 non-delinquent probands. The groups were matched according to age and intelligence. We gathered sociodemographic data, criminal records and conducted the tests SCID I, SCID II und PCL-R, K-FAF and BIS-11 to obtain diagnoses and characteristics. Based on this information, the HCR-20 and GAF were performed. In comparison to regular prisoners and non-delinquents, the group of those serving preventive detention is characterised by medium to advanced age, antisociality, psychopathy, substance abuse or addiction, aggressivity, a strong criminal record, years of imprisonment, insufficient educational and vocational training and a high risk of recidivism. In our examination of persons serving preventive detention, we demonstrate that this clientele is a group of recidivists difficult to treat. The current laws and a lack of early intervention programs have prevented and delayed their timely and possibly successful treatment. From a psychiatric point of view, there is a strong need for new therapeutic concepts to meet this challenge.

Fabry's disease and psychosis: causality or coincidence?

A 21-year-old female with Fabry's disease (FD) presented acute psychotic symptoms such as delusions, auditory hallucinations and formal thought disorders. Since the age of 14, she had suffered from various psychiatric symptoms increasing in frequency and intensity. We considered the differential diagnoses of prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia and organic schizophrenia-like disorder. Routine examinations including cognitive testing, electroencephalography and structural magnetic resonance imaging revealed no pathological findings. Additional structural and functional imaging demonstrated a minor CNS involvement of FD, yet without functional limitations. In summary our examination results support the thesis that in the case of our patient a mere coincidence of FD and psychotic symptoms is more likely than a causal connection.

Yoga for Patients with Early Breast Cancer and its Impact on Quality of Life - a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled trial was to investigate the impact of yoga on newly diagnosed patients with early breast cancer in the immediate postoperative phase. 93 women newly diagnosed with early breast cancer were randomized into an intervention group (IG) and a control group (waiting group, WG). The IG started yoga immediately after the operation. The WG started yoga 5 weeks after surgery. Both groups attended yoga classes twice weekly for 5 weeks. Quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaires before the intervention, immediately after the operation and after 3 months. After 3 months the patients were asked whether yoga improved their physical activity and whether they wished to continue with yoga. The overall QoL (p = 0.002) and the functional status (p = 0.005) increased significantly in the IG, while physical symptoms decreased over time in both groups. 86 % of patients in the IG and only 59 % of patients in the WG (p = 0.04) confirmed a positive change in their physical activity through yoga. More women in the IG intended to continue with yoga (p = 0.03). Early initiation of yoga as a supportive treatment in cancer had a positive impact on QoL. Teaching yoga allowed patients to practice yoga by themselves, enhanced the patients' QoL and was found to improve physical activity.