ABSTRACT
Self-poisoning is a common reason for admission to hospital; and, although most patients admitted do not have a psychiatric disorder, as a group they are at greatly increased risk of completed suicide. Admissions to a hospital in Central London over a four-year period were examined with special attention to patients admitted more than once. From 1991 to 1994 admissions for self-poisoning rose by 108%, with larger increases in the younger age groups of both sexes. 9% of patients were admitted more than once, the mean interval to repetition being three months. A third of the repeaters were readmitted within one month. The increase in admissions for self-poisoning, which has been noted elsewhere in the UK, is unlikely to be due wholly to changes in clinical practice. In view of the relation between parasuicide and suicide, further research and analysis is urgently needed.
Subject(s)
Patient Admission/trends , Poisoning/epidemiology , Suicide, Attempted/trends , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Hospitals, Urban , Humans , London/epidemiology , Male , Marital Status , Middle Aged , Patient Readmission , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Following the recent focus of media attention on BSE, and the putative link between the cattle disease and cases of variant CJD in humans in the UK, we report two cases of "BSE phobia." The relationship between popular conceptions of science and psychopathology is discussed.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/psychology , Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform/psychology , Hypochondriasis/psychology , Mass Media , Phobic Disorders/psychology , Adult , Animals , Cattle , England , Female , Humans , MaleSubject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/administration & dosage , Clozapine/administration & dosage , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Schizophrenic Psychology , Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects , Clozapine/adverse effects , Combined Modality Therapy , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Administration Schedule , Drug Therapy, Combination , Humans , Patient Compliance/psychology , Psychotropic Drugs/administration & dosage , Psychotropic Drugs/adverse effects , Schizophrenia/classification , Schizophrenia/diagnosisABSTRACT
The care of people with schizophrenia that has failed to respond to conventional antipsychotic medication remains a formidable challenge. However, the introduction of clozapine heralded a new optimism in this area, and prompted an increase in research interest in the pharmacotherapeutic options for such patients. This brief review covers some of the more recent studies with clozapine that are relevant to the use of the drug in clinical practice, and also summarises the potential indications, benefits and limitations of various adjuncts to antipsychotic drug treatment.
Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Benzodiazepines/therapeutic use , Carbamazepine/therapeutic use , Humans , Lithium/therapeutic use , Treatment FailureABSTRACT
Misidentification syndromes have been regarded as psychiatric curious, but in recent years their importance both in terms of frequency, and because of their links with organic brain pathology and risk of violence has been increasingly realised. Most of the cases reported have been in conjunction with schizophrenia. We report a case of the illusion of Fregoli, the delusional misidentification of a familiar person in a stranger. The patient was manic and exhibited the delusion twice, once with regard to a man and the other concerning a dog.
