[More science in psychiatry].

In 1999 the Advisory Council on Health Research reported that research in mental health care in the Netherlands was poorly developed in comparison to other medical disciplines. In response, The Netherlands organization for health research and development (ZonMw) initiated a euro 24 million stimulation programme over a 10-year period, which started in 2003. Long-term follow-up studies were initiated for anxiety and depressive disorders (NESDA), psychotic disorders (GROUP) and child psychiatric disorders (TRAILS, Generation R).

The denial of cancer interview: development and first assessment of psychometric properties in lung cancer patients.

Objective: Based on Weissman and Hackett's comprehensive definition of denial, a semi-structured interview was developed to measure denial in cancer patients. The denial in cancer interview (DCI) covers both the patients' recount of their illness experience and the expert's impression of the level of denial in the patient story. This paper describes the development and first psychometric analyses of the instrument.

Alexithymia does not predict the persistence of medically unexplained physical symptoms.

Background: Alexithymia is thought to be associated with the development of medically unexplained physical symptoms (UPS). So far little research has been published on alexithymia as a risk factor for the persistence of UPS.

Objective: To determine the clinical outcome in UPS patients and to study the relative importance of alexithymia in predicting that outcome.