Medical comorbidity of cluster B personality disorders.

Purpose Of Review: Cluster B personality disorders are associated with behaviour and lifestyle that cause significant problems not only for the personality disordered individual but for society as well. Despite the fact that cluster B personality disorders have attracted a lot of research interest recently, their association with medical (physical health) problems is less studied, though it is anticipated that personality is clinically important and influences the outcome of somatic disease illnesses.

Recent Findings: Cluster B personality disorders are associated with Axis I psychiatric disorders such as addiction that have serious and life-threatening physical comorbidity.

Factors affecting hospital stay in psychiatric patients: the role of active comorbidity.

Background: Research on length of stay (LOS) of psychiatric inpatients is an under-investigated issue. In this naturalistic study factors which affect LOS of two groups of patients were investigated, focusing on the impact on LOS of medical comorbidity severe enough to require referral.

Methods: Active medical comorbidity was quantified using referral as the criterion.

Female perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors: what are the consequences for the victims?

Introduction: The definition of sexual abuse changes according to the moral values and culture of each era. In the past the perpetrators of sexual abuse were perceived to be exclusively male. However, contemporary literature is placing increasing emphasis on the role of female sexual abusers.

Review on female sexual offenders: findings about profile and personality.

Introduction: Although in the past sexual abuse was perceived as an issue connected only with males the contemporary literature is placing increasing emphasis on the role of female sexual perpetrators. There is still disagreement about the definition of sexual abuse, the frequency that it occurs and the characteristics of the women that are sexual abusers.

Methods: Thorough research of the main databases (MEDLINE and PsycInfo), for case reviews and studies along with restriction on European and North American literature, is due to perceived culture differences.

Neuropathological correlates of late-life depression in older people.

Background: Depression is common in old age and is associated with risk of dementia, but its neuropathological correlates in the community are unknown.

Aims: To investigate for the first time in a population-representative sample of people with no dementia the association between depression observed during life and neurofibrillary tangles, diffuse and neuritic plaques, Lewy bodies, brain atrophy and cerebrovascular disease found in the brain at post-mortem.

Method: Out of 456 donations to a population-based study, 153 brains were selected where donors had no dementia measured in life.

Cognitive function and common mental disorders in older people with vascular and non-vascular disorders: a national survey.

Objective: Vascular disorders are important potential causes of cognitive impairment and common mental disorders but their specificity as risk factors has yet to be clarified. The objectives of this analysis were to compare vascular and non-vascular health problems with respect to their associations with cognitive function and common mental disorder.

Method: An analysis was carried out of cross-sectional data from the 2000 UK National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity.

Disruptive and dangerous behaviour by patients on acute psychiatric wards in three European centres.

Background: The disturbed behaviour of acute in-patients can have serious consequences, and methods of management are contentious and vary between countries. Little is known about this variation and its relationship to the characteristics of in-patient populations.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare rates and patterns of disturbed behaviours and containment methods in acute psychiatric wards in three centres in the United Kingdom, Italy and Greece.