A preliminary investigation into theory of mind and attributional style in adults with grandiose delusions.

INTRODUCTION: A preliminary cognitive model of grandiose delusions has been put forward suggesting that persecutory and grandiose delusions shared distinct, yet overlapping psychological processes. This study aims to test this model and hypothesises that participants experiencing grandiose delusions may demonstrate a theory of mind (ToM) impairment and differences in attributional style compared to a control group. METHODS: A cross-sectional design compared the performance of 18 individuals with grandiose delusions to a control group of 14 participants with depression. ToM was measured using a non-verbal joke appreciation task and a verbal stories task. Attributional style was measured using the internal, personal and situational attributions questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants experiencing grandiose delusions performed significantly worse on both ToM tasks compared to controls. Furthermore, these participants provided significantly more atypical answers when explaining the joke behind the ToM cartoons. No differences for subjective funniness ratings or attributional style were found. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study indicated participants experiencing grandiose delusions have ToM impairments which may contribute to the maintenance of this symptom.

Listening to the views of children with learning disabilities: an evaluation of a learning disability CAMHS service.

In line with Valuing People Now: A New Three-year Strategy for People With Learning Disabilities (Department of Health, 2009), this article details a service evaluation for a learning disability-child and adolescent mental health service (LD-CAMHS) in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. The aim of the project was to produce a set of quality standards in order to ensure service users' needs are met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven children between the ages of 11 and 17 years, with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Four themes were derived from a thematic analysis; the experience of the service, communication, impact of the work carried out, and difficulties encountered. It was recommended that staff working within the service should ensure communication is at a level appropriate for the client; offer a welcoming approach; provide an open approach; and offer a reasonable choice of location. This article provides suggestions for how other LD-CAMHS teams could use these standards for their own purposes.

Service users leading the way: focus group methodology in developing accessible information DVDs with people with learning disabilities.

The English government sees it important to view service users as active partners in the delivery of accessible resources. The current article follows a brief report which described an innovative project on developing an accessible DVD explaining the Birmingham Clinical Psychology Service to people with learning disabilities. The article describes three focus groups involving adults with learning disabilities that met to reflect and evaluate the accessibility of the DVD. This process formed the evaluative phase of the DVD development project where people with learning disabilities evaluated the accessibility, level of understanding, and clarity of the DVD content. The DVD was rated positively by the focus groups, and minor changes were made to the final version of the DVD. The article also reflects upon the use of focus groups as a methodological approach in researching the views of people with learning disabilities.