ABSTRACT
The Solomon Islands is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is a low-income country. It comprises nearly 1000 islands with a total land area of 304 000 km2 spread over a sea area of about 1 500 000 km2, making communications, travel and service delivery difficult and creating inequities in access. The population of the Solomon Islands was estimated to be just over 580 000 in 2008, and is young, with 42% aged under 15 years (Solomon Islands Ministry of Health, 2006). The majority of the people are Melanesian (93%) and 98% of the population belong to a Christian church. The population is, though, extremely diverse, with 91 indigenous languages and dialects being spoken, in addition to the Solomon Islands pijin (the most common language) and English (the official national language). Over 83% of the population live in rural areas, where subsistence agriculture, fishing and food gathering are the main sources of income. There is no substantial tourist industry. The gross domestic product (GDP) is US$1.5 billion and annual per capita income is approximately US$2800 (International Monetary Fund, 2009). Total expenditure on health represented 5.6% of GDP but only 1% of the total health budget is allocated to mental health (World Health Organization, 2005).
ABSTRACT
Worldwide there are currently 300 000 child soldiers. Not only does the use of child soldiers lead to individual suffering but it also alters the dynamics of war and makes conflict and instability more likely. It is important both to prevent recruitment and to rehabilitate former child soldiers into their communities. For rehabilitation and reintegration programmes to be effective, it is necessary to understand the consequences of child soldiering. This paper reviews and summarises some of the key findings related to the mental health consequences of being a child soldier.
Subject(s)
Bipolar Disorder/chemically induced , Bipolar Disorder/psychology , Nitric Oxide/physiology , Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors/adverse effects , Piperazines/adverse effects , Adult , Erectile Dysfunction/complications , Erectile Dysfunction/drug therapy , Humans , Male , Methylene Blue , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Purines , Recurrence , Sildenafil Citrate , SulfonesABSTRACT
A major goal of antidepressant development is to improve on preceding drug classes with agents with better efficacy, tolerability and with more rapid onset of action. This article describes the new generation of antidepressants which have been recently introduced and also briefly describes possible future antidepressants which are currently being researched.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Depressive Disorder/drug therapy , Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology , Antidepressive Agents/poisoning , Drug Design , Drug Overdose , Forecasting , Humans , Legislation, DrugABSTRACT
We report the case of a 44-year-old female patient with paranoid schizophrenia, who developed blepharospasm on risperidone treatment, but who was successfully rechallenged by risperidone without recurrence of blepharospasm. Possible mechanisms of action and implications for clinical care are discussed.
