General level of knowledge about Brief Solution Focused Therapy (BSFT) in Polish addiction treatment centers.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the level of knowledge about Brief Solution Focused Therapy (BSFT) among therapists and patients during treatment and identification of existing barriers to the introduction of the method. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 64 therapists were examined in total; 37 women (57%) and 27 males (43%). The study involved also 191 patients, 160 men (83.77%) and 31 women (16.23%). All the surveys were anonymous and were collected in health centers within the province of Silesia. RESULTS: More than 2/3 of therapists have heard of the method, but do not know the specifics of it. The most important sources of knowledge are other therapists, literature, and mass media. According to the respondents the most important barriers to alcohol addiction treatment include cultural barriers, such as embarrassment or fear of stigmatization. Younger Patients and those treated for a shorter period, state that they know the name of the current method of treatment to a lesser extent than other subgroups. About 10% of people have not heard about the BSFT method of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge about the BSFT method suggests the need to promote this model among both therapists and patients. An introduction of BSFT can improve the treatment of alcohol addiction.

Liaison psychiatry in Poland--can we achieve a successful holistic diagnosis?

INTRODUCTION: New decades introduce more and more new medical specialties with the inevitable progress of medical science. This is due to the increasing amount of knowledge, and in opposition to the physical and intellectual faculties of a single man. In contrast to the time of Hippocrates, today one cannot be an expert in every field of medicine. We need to consult with specialists in various fields, in order to properly diagnose the patient. Without this the final diagnosis is often impossible. SUBJECT AND METHODS: The objective of our survey was to check how often psychiatrists use consultation with physicians in other specialties, and whether there is a relationship between the place of work, academic degree, work experience in the profession, and the number of commissioned consultations. It was also important for us whether consultations affect the final diagnosis. RESULTS: Most of the respondents are young doctors, specialists from big cities. They rarely consult with doctors of other specialties - 1/10 cases. However they are skeptical about the opinions of other psychiatrists. In contrast the proctologist and the pathologist are the least frequent groups of specialists who are requested for a consultation by psychiatrists. Specialists consulting the most often are internists and neurologists. CONCLUSIONS: The key to a diagnostic success is a holistic view of the patient. It is necessary therefore to develop the most effective cooperation between doctors of various specialties.

Impact of family and school environment on the development of social anxiety disorder: a questionnaire study.

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a very common condition, although its prevalence is believed to be underestimated. The affected subjects often have trouble to search for support. The onset occurs mainly in early adolescence. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the impact of school and family background on the development of SAD. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Our survey, available on a popular social network site, was divided into 4 parts: 1) demographic data (gender, age, site of residence), 2) genetic and organic background (comorbid mental disorders, addictions), 3) situation at school and in the family environment during adolescence, 4) the part designed to define the group that may suffer from SAD with the use of the Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN). RESULTS: 226 people were recruited. The age range was 16-61, with the average of 25,8. 71% of the respondents lived in cities with a population of more than 100 000. Male to female ratio was 3:1. According to Mini-SPIN 26,5% of the interviewees might suffer from SAD (28.2% of women and 21.4% of men). Our study showed, that both family and school environment factors have an influence on the development of SAD. It was shown that the especially important risk factors are bad relations with peers and being an object of derision at school. CONCLUSION: The percentage of network community users that are likely to suffer from SAD, significantly exceeds the clinical data. Both family and school environment factors were shown to be risk factors for the development of this disorder.