Parental Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms as Predictors of Psychosocial Problems in Children Treated for Cancer.

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between psychosocial functioning of children treated for cancer and that of their parents. Factors associated with psychosocial functioning were also examined. The present study was a cross-sectional survey of 33 mothers and one father (mean age: 37.

[Changing Forensic Mental Health in France: A Review].

This article describes the background and recent changes in French forensic mental health. The literature suggests that three law reforms have been crucial to changes in the mental health system. First, the Penal Code of 1992 redefined the provisions of criminal responsibility and introduced the category of diminished responsibility.

Challenges in interfacing between forensic and general mental health: a Japanese perspective.

This article highlights the characteristics of forensic mental health services in Japan, with special emphasis on outpatient treatment of offenders with mental disorders, and discusses the potential implications of the Japanese experience in view of Western trends. The literature suggests that forensic patients tend to be left behind by the overall psychiatric reforms in developed countries. The recent law reform on forensic mental health in Japan is intended to be compatible with the contemporary ideas of psychiatry, such as normalization and community-based care.

[Community care in home-visit nursing for drug-dependent people--questionnaire survey of home-visit nursing stations].

The present study aimed to clarify the present status of home-visit nursing for drug-dependent people and awareness among their caretakers. A questionnaire was sent to 279 stations that provide home-visit psychiatric nursing care. Among the 89 stations that responded, 24 (26.

[Treatment of offenders with mental disorders: focusing on prison psychiatry].

Forensic mental health services exist in a nebulous space at the intersection of two different systems-criminal justice and mental health-and the entanglement of these systems poses intricate problems for psychiatrists. This article discusses the present circumstances of forensic mental health services in Japan, focusing on trends in prison psychiatry. In the traditional Japanese system, offenders with mental disorders were treated within general psychiatry as involuntarily admitted patients, or within the prison system as mentally ill inmates.

[Two methods of support for methamphetamine concurrent disorder--comparison of "schizophrenia support" model and "dependence support" model].

The coexistence of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) and psychotic disorder (PSD) is common in clinical settings. These cases are defined as methamphetamine concurrent disorder (MCD). It is often hard to decide which type of support is suitable for a MCD case; the one used for schizophrenics ("schizophrenia-support" model) or for drug addicts ("dependence-support" model).

[Actual condition of involuntary admission by order of the prefectural governor: focus on the effects of the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act].

A survey was conducted involving 664 individuals admitted to a public psychiatric hospital in Tokyo Prefecture between July 15, 2004 and July 14, 2007 as a result of involuntary admission by order of the prefectural governor (hereafter, involuntarily admitted patients). The characteristics of patients with a focus on the effects of the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act were investigated in 656 patients, excluding eight patients for whom information at the time of involuntary admission was unclear. The proportion of patients in the present survey who had been reported by prosecutors was markedly low compared to nationwide and previous surveys.

[Correlation between childhood traumatic stress and present drug abuse: results of a nationwide survey of drug addiction rehabilitation facilities in Japan].

Child abuse is known to correlate with drug abuse and interferes with recovery from substance-related disorders. To determine the prevalence and severity of child abuse among drug addicts, we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of residents and outpatients at drug addiction rehabilitation centers (DARC) in Japan. A total of 445 participants gave informed consent and completed a self-reporting questionnaire.

New legislation for offenders with mental disorders in Japan.

This article describes the recent law reform on forensic mental health and its background in Japan, focusing on the enactment of the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act in 2005. The new system-under which a person who commits a serious criminal offence in a state of insanity or diminished responsibility shall be referred by the public prosecutor to the District Court-aims to provide intensive psychiatric treatment to offenders with mental disorders, attaching great importance to their reintegration into society. The court panel, which consists of a judge and a specially qualified psychiatrist, plays a key role in the treatment procedure.

Attitudes toward taking medication among outpatients with schizophrenia: cross-national comparison between Tokyo and Beijing.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare attitudes toward medication and associated factors for patients with schizophrenia in Japan and China.

Methods: Age-group matched samples were drawn from outpatients in Tokyo (N = 76) and Beijing (N = 76) according to the same inclusion/exclusion criteria. Psychotropic prescription and attitudes toward medication were measured using Drug Attitude Inventory-30 (DAI-30) and an original questionnaire regarding beliefs about psychiatric medication.

[A nationwide questionnaire survey of medical experts in mental health evaluation].

A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted to clarify the current status of medical experts in mental health evaluation and their needs (recovery rate: 66.6%). The data were simply tabulated and then statistically analyzed with respect to past experiences of serving as expert witnesses or judges as defined by the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act and past clinical experience.

Correlation between addictive behaviors and mental health in university students.

Aims: The present study aims to clarify the relationships of addictive behaviors and addiction overlap to stress, acceptance from others and purpose in life.

Methods: A survey was conducted on 691 students at eight universities. The Eating Attitude Test-20 was used to identify students with food addiction or food addictive tendencies.

[Standardization of the Japanese-language version of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES)].

The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES) were evaluated in a group of normal subjects (n=60) and a group of victims of interpersonal trauma (n= 53). SIDES was developed in the United States in 1997 and is a tool for assessing Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS). Self-reporting and semi-structured versions of the SIDES have been developed.

[A questionnaire survey on judgment of criminal responsibility].

The authors conducted questionnaire surveys utilizing model cases with the aim of investigating the current views of psychiatrists regarding criminal responsibility judgments in forensic psychiatric evaluations. Six model cases-injury by a person with acute schizophrenia, indecent assault by a person with chronic schizophrenia, attempted murder by a woman with depression, arson by an alcohol abuser, burglary by an amphetamine abuser, rape and indecent assault by a person with personality disorder-were presented to 345 psychiatrists, who were asked about criminal responsibility and appropriate treatment for each of the cases. One hundred eighty-five of the psychiatrists responded.

[History of psychiatry and the criminally insane in Japan].

This paper illustrates how insane offenders were perceived and treated at the turn of the 20th century, focusing on legal reforms. In accordance with overall reorganization of legal systems after the Meiji Restoration in 1968, the Criminal Law of 1880 stipulated criminal responsibility, ruling that "a person, who was unable to discriminate right and wrong because of loss of mental capacity at the time of committing crime, shall not be punished." Article 39 of the current Criminal Law, which was enacted in 1907, redefined criminal responsibility, to say that "an incompetent person shall not be punished; a person with diminished competence shall be given a mitigation of punishment.

[Posttraumatic stress disorder in victims of sexual assault--related to depression or physical symptoms].

Unlabelled: To clarify the clinical characteristics of mental disorders in sexual assault victims, we investigated the victims focusing on PTSD, depression, physical symptoms, and their relationships.

Subjects: Participants were 46 treatment-seeking female victims of sexual assault who consulted four hospitals, one clinic and one psychological services center, between February 2000 and April 2001. The mean +/- SD age of the participants was 28.