Outpatient clinics treating substance use disorders in Northwest Russia and Northern Norway: a descriptive comparative study.

Both in Norway and Russia a considerable portion of the population have substance use disorders. However, the knowledge about outpatient services treating substance use disorders in Norway and Russia is limited. This study will describe and compare outpatient clinics treating substance use disorders in Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia and in Bodø and Tromsø in Northern Norway on availability, accessibility and treated prevalence (patients treated in one year).

Correcting biases in psychiatric diagnostic practice in Northwest Russia: comparing the impact of a general educational program and a specific diagnostic training program.

Background: A general education in psychiatry does not necessary lead to good diagnostic skills. Specific training programs in diagnostic coding are established to facilitate implementation of ICD-10 coding practices. However, studies comparing the impact of these two different educational approaches on diagnostic skills are lacking.

Between health care and social security--psychiatric patients and the disability pension system in Norway and Russia.

Background: The official statistics of persons with mental disorders who are granted disability pension (DP) in Russia and Norway indicate large differences between the countries.

Methods: This qualitative explorative hypothesis-generating study is based on text analysis of the laws, regulations and guidelines, and qualitative interviews of informants representing all the organisational elements of the DP systems in both countries.

Results: The DP application process is initiated much later in Norway than in Russia, where a 3 year occupational rehabilitation and adequate treatment is mandatory before DP is granted.

The Barents project in psychiatry: a systematic comparative mental health services study between Northern Norway and Archangelsk County.

Background: There is virtually no readily accessible systematically recorded evidence on how the organization of mental health services in Europe's largest country, Russia, may differ from other national systems. This study systematically compares the mental health services in Archangelsk County and Northern Norway using instruments developed for trans-cultural use.

Methods: The European Service Mapping Schedule (ESMS) and The International Classification of Mental Health Care (ICMHC) were used to describe: (i) resources, organisation and utilisation of the services; (ii) their decentralisation and differentiation; (iii) some interventions delivered by the mental health service units (n = 132) in both regions.

A comparative study of diagnostic practice in psychiatry in Northern Norway and Northwest Russia.

Background: The co-operation between psychiatrists in Norway and Russia is increasing. The object of this study was to find out whether there were differences in diagnostic practice of psychiatrists in both countries, to look at the nature of the differences and to examine whether these differences affected diagnostic quality.

Method: Thirty medical doctors working at psychiatric hospitals in both countries diagnosed 12 clinical case vignettes selected from a wide spectre of psychiatric disorders.