19,894 research outputs found
Bai nian si suo
No full textBen shu shi zuo zhe de yi bu sui bi, za wen ji. nei rong bao gua : bai nian si suo, shi ren gang zou, ma shang hui lai, zun zhong shui de wen hua cha yi, yi ben shu de bei hou, shang hai de yi ri, shui bo duo le zhong guo ren sheng qi de quan li, liang li cao mei de hui xuan den
Interview with YA mystery author, Valerie Sherrard
No full textAn interview with Valerie Sherrard, a YA author, which focuses on her process of writing the Shelby Belgarden mystery series.
Interview with YA author Vicki Grant
No full textWe feature an interview with Nova Scotian YA author Vicki Grant. Vicki is a prolific author who has written 14 books and has written over 100 episodes of children‘s TV. Vicki discusses her thoughts on reading positively and the meaning behind positivity, her favorite bad-day books, and how we as a community can promote reading positively. She makes us realize the importance of realism in writing and how important it is to connect with young readers
Interview with YA author and Children‘s Editorial Assistant Suzanne Sutherland
No full textAn interview with Young Adult author Suzanne Sutherland. The interview focuses on Toronto, the straight edge scene, music and subculture, Sutherland\u27s first book, When We Were Good and the importance of queer representation in YA books. Sutherland also recommends a number of YA novels
Substance Use Disorders among Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression in a General Hospital
No full textThe prevalence and type of substance abuse and dependence were determined for 49 patients with mood disorders on a general hospital psychiatric unit. A standardized diagnostic interview was conducted with a high value of interrater reliability. This study found that 18.4% of mood disorder inpatients met the diagnostic criteria for psychoactive substance use disorders by DSM-III-R. Sedatives-hypnotics- anxiolytics was the most common substance use disorder (10.2 %), followed by alcohol (6.1%). Patients with major depression had a higher rate of comorbidity with substance use disorders than did the bipolar disorder patients (p = 0. 011 ). The prevalence of sedatives-hypnotics-anxiolytics use disorder among major depression patients was 35.7%, which was higher than that among bipolar disorder patients (0%). Male patients had a significantly higher percentage of substance use disorders than did female patients (p = 0.054) . Seventy-seven percent of the patients with a dual diagnosis of mood and substance use disorder were not diagnosed as having substance use disorders by psychiatrists in charge
Virtual Psychiatric Clinics
No full textTo the Editor: The Internet is an increasing popular means of communicating for physicians and their patients. Psychiatry and psychotherapy seem to be two of the most promising medical fields in which to carry on diagnostic and therapeutic activities in virtual reality (1). We designed and implemented a noncommercial virtual psychiatric clinic ( http://www.psychpark.net/clinic). Web visitors can ask questions about psychiatric problems by e-mail, then our professionals e-mail the answers back. Then clients can ask further questions. Our service is free of charge for clients . There are more than 80 volunteer professionals in our clinic, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and psychiatric nurses. The characteristics of the 66 clients in our virtual clinic were compared with 42 clients on their first visits to a psychiatric outpatient clinic located in downtown Taipei. There were significant differences between them. The clients of our virtual clinic were significantly younger than the outpatients (mean age=28.9 years, SD=6.1, versus 35.8 years, SD=14.3, respectively) (t=2.93, df=49.4, p=0.005, two- tailed), more had a college education (N=44, 66.7% , versus N =12, 28.6%; Pearson’s 2=35.4, df=5, p=0.001, two-tailed), and more had never previously visited a psychiatric clinic ( N=29, 43.9%, versus N=6, 14.3%; p=0.001, Fisher’s exact test, two-tailed). Among clients who had visited real psychiatric clinics, there were significant differences in the types of previous diagnoses between the two groups ( Pearson’s 2=12.33, df=4, p=0.02, two-tailed). The most common diagnosis of clients of the virtual clinic was anxiety disorder (panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder) (N=36, 54. 5%); the most common diagnosis for the clients of the real clinic was mood disorder (depression or bipolar disorder) (N=20, 47.6%). In a study by Milton et al. of an Internet anxiety disorder program (2), all patients were young, well-educated , male, and of high socioeconomic status—all characteristics of Internet users. He suggested that anxiety plays a part in the different ways in which they sought help, and such patients could be predisposed to using computers to obtain information or to obtain access to resources to understand their problems (2). Our study results were compatible with those of Milton et al. Our web clients were also young and highly educated, they had more anxiety-related disorders, and most of them had not visited a real psychiatric clinic before. Clients who might have had trouble expressing their feelings in face-to-face sessions were able to discuss them freely through e-mail (3). The convenience and privacy of virtual psychiatric clinics may increase some patients’ motivation to seek help from mental professionals. Although, to our knowledge, there are no articles comparing the efficacy of web-based treatment and real clinics, the Internet is a way to educate and reach potential patients. Understanding the characteristics of web clients may improve further online services to meet the needs of different health care consumers
The Effects of Zotepine in Treating Psychotic Patients with Hyperuricaemia: A Case Series
No full textAssociation Analysis of Nad(P)Hratioquinone Oxidoreductase (Nqo1) Pro187 Ser Genetic Polymorphism and Tardive Dyskinesia in Patients with Schizophrenia in Taiwan
No full textReliability of Information Provided by Patients of a Virtual Psychiatric Clinic
No full textPrevious studies have shown that some patients prefer to be interviewed by a computer than by a clinician, especially when sensitive areas, such as suicide, substance abuse, sexual behavior, and HIV-related symptoms, are being assessed. Study participants reported that they felt less embarrassed and more relaxed and that they answered questions more honestly with a computer (1,2,3,4). Now that the Internet has become part of our lives, an increasing number of people are seeking online psychiatric help. However, the reliability of the information that people provide when visiting a health care Web site has not been investigated. The study reported here investigated the reliability of demographic data provided by patients of a " virtual psychiatric clinic" where more than 100 mental health professionals answer psychiatric questions on line free of charge. The virtual clinic, which is operated by members of the Taiwan Association of Mental Health Informatics, has been described in detail elsewhere (5). Before visitors' questions are answered, they are required to complete an online registration form, which includes items on demographic characteristics and psychiatric history . Visitors must provide an e-mail address to register. The section about informed consent explains that visitors do not need to give their names and that all information will be kept confidential. They are encouraged to provide accurate information so that the mental health professional can answer their questions appropriately. Two to four weeks later, patients receive an unexpected e-mail asking them to complete an online form assessing their satisfaction with the virtual clinic. The follow-up form asks for the same demographic information as the registration form. The study examined data from September 1998 to March 1999. During that time 139 patients completed the registration form. Most were female (97 patients, or 70 percent), young (a mean±SD age of 28.0±6.6 years), single (92 patients, or 66 percent ), and living in Taipei City (76 patients, or 55 percent). Most had more than an undergraduate education (118 patients, or 85 percent). About half were stably employed (77 patients, or 55 percent), and 26 patients were students (19 percent). Most of them had never visited a real psychiatric clinic before (84 patients, or 60 percent). Forty-three patients had visited a clinic and knew their diagnosis. The most common diagnosis was anxiety disorder (11 patients, or 26 percent), followed by depressive disorder (11 patients, or 26 percent), and bipolar disorder (six patients, or 14 percent). Forty-seven patients (34 percent) completed the satisfaction feedback form. Patients who had visited a real psychiatric clinic had a higher follow-up response rate than those who had not (44 percent compared with 29 percent) but the difference was not significant. No statistically significant differences were found in age, sex, educational level, marital status, and employment status between those who completed the form and those who did not. The test- retest reliability for all variables was high. The intraclass coefficient for age as measured by analysis of covariance was .661 (F=4.899, df=46, 47, p<. 001). Kappa values for other variables were as follows: gender, .835; marital status, .855; place of residence, .894; education level, .876; employment, .765; and previous visit to a psychiatric clinic, .870. Of the 43 patients who reported their previous diagnosis, 31 (72 percent) reported the same diagnosis on the satisfaction feedback form. The results indicate that patients provided reliable demographic data to obtain online psychiatric help. The patients who had previously visited a real psychiatric clinic may have felt less stigmatized in asking for psychiatric help and thus may have provided more reliable data; if these patients were more likely to provide an accurate e-mail address, they would have been more likely to receive and complete the follow-up survey, which may have introduced bias. The study was also limited by the low follow-up response rate and because the patient information was not corroborated. Some patients may simply not have remembered their previous answers, which would affect the reliability measures. This study is the first to investigate the reliability of data provided by people who seek psychiatric help online. Further studies of the reliability and validity of online psychiatric assessments are greatly needed for the development of cyberpsychiatry
Internet Addiction Disorder among Clients of a Virtual Clinic
No full textAs the Internet increasingly becomes part of our lives, Internet addiction disorder has received much attention. Internet addicts may withdraw from social and interpersonal interactions other than those on the Internet. Their family relationships and academic or occupational functioning may deteriorate. Several withdrawal symptoms have been identified, including nervousness, agitation, and aggression , as well as an addiction syndrome that includes the presence of withdrawal symptoms, increasing tolerance, and loss of control (1). A high rate of comorbid mental disorders has also been reported, especially depressive symptoms and social impairment (2,3). We report the results of a survey to determine the prevalence of Internet addiction disorder among visitors to a virtual mental health clinic where 100 volunteer mental health professionals provide, at no charge, online answers to visitors' questions about mental problems (4). We hypothesized that visitors who had a comorbid mental health problem would have a higher risk of developing Internet addiction disorder. The survey was conducted from May to October 2000. During the study period all visitors to the virtual clinic completed Young's Internet addiction disorder questionnaire, a brief seven - item instrument that adapts DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (5 ). A total of 251 clients completed the questionnaire. The mean±SD age of the clients was 25.04±6. 19 years, with a range of 14 to 44 years. Most were female ( 67 percent) and single (84 percent). Most had an education beyond the college level (63 percent), and about a third ( 36 percent) were students. A majority (56 percent) reported that they had never visited a real mental health clinic. On the basis of the questions visitors asked, the most common impending diagnosis was anxiety disorder ( 29 percent), followed by mood disorder (24 percent). The survey responses indicated that 26 percent had an impending substance use disorder. Among the 251 clients, 38 (15 percent) met criteria for Internet addiction disorder. Clients who met the criteria did not differ significantly from those who did not in age, gender, education, marital status, occupation, or impending diagnosis. However, the rate of comorbid substance use disorder was significantly higher among clients who met the criteria for Internet addiction disorder than among those who did not (58 percent versus 26 percent; Fisher's exact test, two-tailed, p=.03). Our survey is the first to document the prevalence of Internet addiction disorder among visitors to a virtual mental health clinic. The high prevalence we found needs attention. Few of the survey respondents raised the issue of Internet addiction as a problem in their subsequent interactions with the online mental health professionals, although some reported many failed attempts to cut down on their time spent online, and some reported feeling depressed, nervous, and agitated when they were not online. Either these persons did not recognize the problem or they did not know how to ask for help. Their addiction to the Internet may complicate their existing mental problems (1). They may benefit from a clinician's actively inquiring about their Internet use and providing them with education to help them gain insight into problematic use. The high prevalence of comorbid substance use disorders, nearly 60 percent, also needs attention. This finding is compatible with those of previous studies. Shapira and colleagues (4) reported that 60 percent of the 20 persons in their sample who had Internet addiction disorder also had a substance use disorder. Young (5) reported a rate of 52 percent among 396 subjects. Activities on the Internet may lead to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, which is thought to be an important neurochemical event in the development of addiction. People who lack self-esteem are more likely to become Internet addicts, just as they are more likely to use drugs or alcohol (1). It is essential to gain a better understanding of underlying factors in Internet addiction disorder, including how personality traits, family dynamics, psychosocial factors, and communication skills influence the way people use the Internet
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