Attitudes towards electroconvulsive therapy among Hungarian psychiatrists.

Participants of a postgraduate biologic psychiatric course were surveyed about their attitudes toward electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with a self-administered questionnaire. Among the respondents, 65 persons were specialists in psychiatry, 32% of whom would not consider using ECT even if they were in a psychotic depressive state. According to the bias factor, which has been calculated based on the answers to the 11 questions regarding attitudes, those psychiatrists who worked in inpatient care showed a less negative attitude. Among the items concerning knowledge of ECT, incorrect answers were most frequent to questions about myocardial infarction as a contraindication, and about the identity of the person who had pioneered this treatment. The negative attitude of Hungarian psychiatrists, especially of those who work in outpatient care, may have an important role in the decrease of the application of ECT in the past decade in Hungary.

[Statistics of urinary incontinence of women in Hungary]. / A noi vizeletinkontinencia országos statisztikai vizsgálata.

INTRODUCTION: According to recent national and international experience the number of people suffering from urinary incontinence is increasing. OBJECTIVE: To gain solid data on the incidence and origin of the condition, age and medical history of the affected patients in an epidemiological study. METHODS: The authors directed a national statistical survey regarding female incontinence. 35,448 women's data were collected about the predisposing factors. RESULTS: 36% of the women asked considered themselves incontinent. The authors analyzed the connection between the condition and factors such as the number and type of deliveries, and the weight of the babies. CONCLUSIONS: After the extrapolation of the data the number of incontinent women in Hungary should be near 600,000, which contradicts previous calculations. This makes female urinary incontinence a national health problem, which should be subject to further sociological and medical studies.