The ICIR--a clinical tool for assessment of critical incidents in various settings.

The assessment of critical incidents (CI) in hospitals and outpatient services has become a crucial issue in the last decade. There is a growing demand by the authorities and insurance companies to implement strategies and tools to deal with it. A new tool for the assessment of the CI in the setting of psychiatric service - both inpatient and outpatient - is introduced.

Interpersonal distance in schizophrenic patients: relationship to negative syndrome.

Background: Personal space is the area individuals maintain around themselves into which others cannot intrude without arousing discomfort.

Objective: We tested the hypotheses that psychological distancing of patients with schizophrenia would be a characteristic of 1) diagnosis and/or 2) syndrome.

Methods: For this aim, 30 schizophrenic and 30 age matching normal males established comfortable interpersonal distances for 20 word-stimuli representing family members, significant others, self-images, emotionally neutral and threatening surroundings.