[Reform of the law on compulsory admission in Belgium: more tailored healthcare?].

Background: The law regulating the forced or protective admission of the mentally ill person in Belgium is 34 years old. The parliament recently agreed on an extensive legislative amendment to better adapt the law to the changing mental health care system and society.

Aim: Outlining the epidemiological, clinical and legal developments regarding forced admissions in Belgium.

A systematic review on the relationship between mental health, radicalization and mass violence.

Radicalization is a process, by which individuals adopt extreme political, social and religious ideation that leads to mass violence acts. It has been hypothesized that mental health characteristics might be associated with a risk of radicalization. However, a qualitative synthesis of studies investigating the relationship between mental health and radicalization has not been performed so far.

Prescribing preferences in rapid tranquillisation: a survey in Belgian psychiatrists and emergency physicians.

Background: The pharmacotherapeutic management of agitation is a common clinical challenge. Pharmacotherapy is frequently used, the use of published guidelines is not known. The purpose of this study was twofold; to describe the prescribing patterns of psychiatrists and emergency physicians and to evaluate to which extent guidelines are used.

Neurocognition in clinical high risk young adults who did or did not convert to a first schizophrenic psychosis: a meta-analysis.

Background: Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis have become a major focus for research designed to explore early predictors of transition to full psychosis. Characterizing differences in neurocognitive (NC) functioning between psychosis converters (CHR-C) and non-converters (CHR-NC) might contribute to the identification of specific NC predictors of psychosis onset. Therefore, the aim of the present meta-analysis was to compare the baseline NC performance between CHR-C and CHR-NC.

[Body-directed techniques on psychomotor therapy for people with schizophrenia: a review of the literature].

Background: Patients with schizophrenia frequently undergo a disturbance of body experience. This can occur during an acute psychotic phase or during a period of remission.

Aim: To investigate the scientific evidence of the effects of introducing body-directed techniques into psychomotor therapy for patients with schizophrenia.

[Clinical assessment of the ultra high risk of developing a a psychotic disorder; review and critical reflection].

Background: It may be possible to improve the prognosis of psychotic disorders by the timely recognition and treatment of the early stages of these disorders. Since the first psychotic episode is often preceded by a period of non-specific symptoms and functional decline, it could be worthwhile investigating whether this early phase can be detected.

Aim: To review existing diagnostic approaches and clinical instruments that are currently used for prospective identification of the prodromal phase.

Prevalence and correlates of seclusion and restraint use in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

Seclusion and restraint are frequent procedures to intervene in aggressive and potentially dangerous patients in psychiatric settings. However, little is known about their utilization and effectiveness in pediatric populations. We aimed to examine the prevalence and determinants of seclusion and restraint utilization in children and adolescents in psychiatric settings.

State anxiety, psychological stress and positive well-being responses to yoga and aerobic exercise in people with schizophrenia: a pilot study.

Purpose: Worsening of schizophrenia symptoms is related to stress and anxiety. People with schizophrenia often experience difficulties in coping with stress and possess a limited repertoire of coping strategies. A randomised comparative trial was undertaken in patients with schizophrenia to evaluate changes in state anxiety, psychological stress and subjective well-being after single sessions of yoga and aerobic exercise compared with a control condition.

[The therapeutic value of physical exercise for people with schizophrenia].

Background: Only about 25% of people with schizophrenia follow the public health recommendations for a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate physical exercise. In their leisure time people diagnosed with schizophrenia take considerably less exercise than their healthy counterparts.

Aim: To collect scientific evidence of movement-related interventions in patients with schizophrenia.

Concurrent use of lamotrigine and electroconvulsive therapy.

Objective: : To evaluate the effect of lamotrigine (LMT) on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-induced seizures.

Methods: : Charts of all patients receiving LMT while undergoing an ECT course from July 2001 through May 2009 were reviewed. Apart from demographic variables, data collection consisted of diagnosis, indication for ECT, index or continuation ECT, electrode placement, stimulus dose, motor and electroencephalographic seizure duration, LMT dose, and number of restimulations.