1,721,034 research outputs found
Causes of schizophrenia - Patients' viewpoint
No full textObjective: According to a quantitative study on causal beliefs patients with functional psychoses favour psychosocial over biological explanations. They also tend to endorse a multicausal concept. The aim of this study is to try to replicate these findings using semi-qualitative methods. Methods: Problem-centered interviews were conducted with 78 schizophrenic patients consecutively discharged from inpatient or dayhospital treatment. Results: As in the previous study, patients provided more frequently psychosocial explanations. Biological causes were relatively rarely mentioned - mostly in response to suggestions of the interviewer. In addition, they were rather brief and not very elaborated. By contrast to the previous study, hardly any indications for a multicausal concept could be observed. Discussion: Patients' beliefs are contrasted with the results of psychiatric research on the causes of schizophrenia
Prognosis of schizophrenia from the viewpoint of patients and relatives An explorative study
No full textObjective: This study is aimed at exploring what schizophrenic patients and their closest relatives expect the further course of the illness will be like and how it can be influenced. Method: Problem-centered interviews were conducted with 31 schizophrenic patients and their closest relatives at discharge from hospital treatment. The verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analyzed by means of structuring qualitative content analysis. Results: Most frequently, the respondents expected an improvement of the illness or they were unsure whether the actual recovery from psychosis will persist or whether a further relapse will occur. Less frequently, the respondents were sure that this will be the case or that the illness will take a chronic, eventually deteriorating course. The majority was convinced that the course of the illness can be influenced, by psychiatric treatment as well as by the patients themselves. As concerns the social situation in the near future, particularly changes of the occupational status were hoped for. Conclusion: The assessment of the prognosis of the schizophrenic illness by most patients and relatives appears quite realistic. Rather than considering themselves as helpless victims they see opportunities for influencing the further course of the illness. This should have a positive influence on the readiness to use mental health service and to Comply With treatment recommendations
Causes of schizophrenia - Beliefs of patients' relatives
No full textObjective: In a former quantitative study on relatives' beliefs about the causes of functional psychoses a preference for psychosocial explanations was found. There were also indications of an inclination towards a multicausal concept. The aim of this study is to try to replicate these findings using semi-qualitative methods. In addition, we are interested in knowing to what extent the causal beliefs of relatives are similar to those of the patients, Method: Problem-centered interviews were conducted with 31 relatives of schizophrenic patients. A computer-assisted qualitative content analysis was carried out with the transcripts of the interviews. Results: As in the previous study, relatives showed a strong propendency to endorse psychosocial explanations. However, among only one third a multicausal concept could be observed. The causal beliefs of relatives and patients were quite similar. Discussion: The findings are discussed with reference to the concept of subjective illness theory and the concepts social representations
Mental health care in Italy: Basaglia’s ashes in the wind of the crisis of the last decade
No full textBackground and Aims: The purpose is to highlight the legal and ethical principles that inspired the reform of mental health care in Italy, the only country to have closed its psychiatric hospitals. The article will also try to verify some macro-indicators of the quality of care and discuss the crisis that the mental health care system in Italy is experiencing. Methods: Narrative review. Results: The principal changes in the legislation on mental health care in Italy assumed an important role in the evolution of morals and common sense of the civil society of that country. We describe three critical points: first, the differences in implementation in the different Italian regions; second, the progressive lack of resources that cannot be totally attributed to the economic crisis and which has compromised application of the law; and finally, the scarce attention given to measurement of change with scientific methods. Conclusion: Italy created a revolutionary approach to mental health care in a historical framework in which it produced impressive cultural expressions in many fields. At that time, people were accustomed to ‘believing and doing’ rather than questioning results and producing research, and this led to underestimating the importance of a scientific approach. With its economic and cultural crisis, Italy has lost creativity as well as interest in mental health, which has been guiltily neglected. Any future humanitarian approach to mental health must take the Italian experience into account, but must not forget that verification is the basis for any transformation in health care culture
The Trend of Scientific Productivity of Chinese, European Union, and United States Universities and Private Companies: Does the Future Belong to E-Technology Companies?
Full text linkThe purpose is to verify trends of scientific production from 2010 to 2020, considering the best universities of the United States, China, the European Union (EU), and private companies. The top 30 universities in 2020 in China, the EU, and the US and private companies were selected from the SCImago institutions ranking (SIR). The positions in 2020, 2015, and 2010 in SIR and three sub-indicators were analyzed by means of non-parametric statistics, taking into consideration the effect of time and group on rankings. American and European Union universities have lost positions to Chinese universities and even more to private companies, which have improved. In 2020, private companies have surpassed all other groups considering Innovation as a sub-indicator. The loss of leadership of European and partly American universities mainly concerns research linked to the production of patents. This can lead to future risks of monopoly that may elude public control and cause a possible loss of importance of research not linked to innovation
Attitudes towards psychotropic drugs: schizophrenic patients vs. general public
No full textResults of representative survey in Germany have shown that the lay public takes a critical stance towards the treatment of mental disorders with psychotropic medication. This raises the question as to whether this view is shared by the schizophrenic patients. Method: Using a questionnaire consisting of ten 5-point Likert-scaled items. 104 schizophrenic patients, who were treated with clozapine. were asked to assess the positive and negative effects of psychotropic drugs. Follow-up?, were carried out 3 and 6 months later. Data from a representative survey of the German adult population a ere consulted fur comparison. Results: As compared with the general public. schizophrenic patients were more frequently prepared to acknowledge positive effects of psychotropic drugs. On the other hand. they less frequently subscribed to negative evaluations of the medication. Their assessment remained remarkably stable over the six-month period studied. Conclusion: While schizophrenic patients' evaluations of psychotropic drugs were less negative than those prevalent among the lay public. they also expressed a considerable amount of scepticism and insecurity
Causal beliefs of schizophrenic patients
No full textAim of the study is to investigate whether the preference of schizophrenic patients for psychosocial causal explanations found in a previous study carried out in Hamburg can be observed elsewhere. Further aim of the study was to find out how stable patients' causal attributions are over time. Finally, we were interested to know to what degree patients' beliefs reflect those held by the general public. Method: Using an inventory comprising 15 items, we enquired about 105 schizophrenic patient's aetiological ideas at the time of discharge from hospital from inpatient or daycare treatment at 4 psychiatric hospitals in Germany. Follow-ups were carried out 3 months and 6 months later. Results: Psychosocial factors, especially psychosocial stress, were most frequently held responsible for the onset of the illness. The possibility that biological factors might play a role in the causation of schizophrenia was considered more rarely by the patients. There were practically no regional variations as concerns aetiological beliefs. The tendency to endorse psychosocial stress factors was more pronounced among patients as compared with the general public. In total the causal beliefs proved to be quite stable over a time period of 6 months. Discussion: Patients' causal beliefs are compared with findings of psychiatric research, and possible ways to bridge the gap between the two are discussed
The stigma of alcohol dependence compared with other mental disorders: A review of population studies
No full textAims: Stigma is likely to aggravate the severe medical and social consequences of alcohol dependence. We aim to explore the characteristics of the alcohol dependence stigma by comparing it with the stigma of other conditions. Methods: On the basis of a systematic literature search, we identified 17 representative population studies published before July 2010 that examine aspects of the stigma of alcoholism and simultaneously of other mental, medical or social conditions. Seven surveys were located in Europe, five in North America, three in New Zealand and one each in Brazil and Ethiopia, respectively. Results: Compared with people suffering from other, substance-unrelated mental disorders, alcohol-dependent persons are less frequently regarded as mentally ill, are held much more responsible for their condition, provoke more social rejection and more negative emotions, and they are at particular risk for structural discrimination. Only with regard to being a danger, they are perceived to be at a similarly negative level to that of people suffering from schizophrenia. Conclusion: Alcoholism is a particularly severely stigmatized mental disorder. Cultural differences are likely, but under-researched. We discuss possible reasons for the differences between the stigma of alcoholism and of other mental diseases and the consequences for targeted anti-stigma initiatives
Patients' and relatives' assessment of clozapine treatment
No full textBackground, Subjective evaluations by schizophrenic patients and their relatives of clozapine treatment were assessed as part of an exploratory study. Methods. A problem-centred interview was carried out with 80 patients at discharge from in-patient or day-hospital treatment. Views of 46 relatives on the treatment were also assessed. Results. In addition to expected effects (improvement of or stabilisation of one's state of mental health, antipsychotic effects), patients surprisingly often highlighted the calming and relaxing effect of clozapine as well as improved sleep as particularly positive. While more than half of the respondents expected a worsening of their condition if they stopped taking medication, only every fifth patient feared a relapse. Among the negative effects, fatigue and sedation were cited by far the most often. The absence of extrapyramidal side effects was clearly noted as an advantage of clozapine. Only 10% of those questioned were aware of the risks for the haemotopoetic system associated with the drug. Differences were found between patients' and relatives' assessments particularly with regard to the negative effects. Conclusions. Patients and relatives frequently hold specific and distinct views on clozapine treatment. These views should be considered when patients and relatives are informed and when compliance is addressed
Psychiatric services in the community? The German public's opinion in 1990 and 2011
No full textBackground. During the last two decades, the change from custodial care provided by large institutions to community-focused services made considerable progress in Germany. However, nothing is known about how this is reflected in the public's acceptance of community psychiatry services.
Methods. The study is based on data from two population surveys among German citizens aged 18 years and over, living in the 'old' German States. The first was conducted in 1990 (n = 3067), the second in 2011 (n = 2416). With the help of identical questions, respondents' attitudes towards psychiatric units at general hospitals and group homes for mentally ill people were assessed.
Results. While the proportion of the public that explicitly welcomed establishing psychiatric units at general hospitals and opening group homes for mentally ill people decreased, the proportion of those who reacted with indifference increased. The proportion of the German population that explicitly rejected the implementation of these services remained unchanged.
Conclusions. While community psychiatry services expanded considerably over the last few years, the public's attitude towards them has not changed substantially
- …
