Psychological consequences of maxillofacial trauma: a preliminary study.

Aims: To identify the prevalence of post-traumatic psychological symptoms after maxillofacial trauma and prognostic factors related to poor outcome.

Methods: Thirty-nine patients were assessed within 10 days of injury and 24 again 4-6 weeks later using five standardised self-report measures on each occasion and a short structured interview at the time of initial contact.

Results: Specific post-traumatic psychological symptoms were present at initial assessment in 21 patients (54%), with 9 (41%) meeting diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder at review 4-6 weeks later.

Degradation of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids in red blood cells stored at -20 degrees C proceeds faster in patients with schizophrenia when compared with healthy controls.

Deficits in red blood cell (RBC) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been extensively reported in schizophrenia although reports are inconsistent. A possible explanation for this inconsistency is varying storage conditions of blood samples prior to analysis, especially freezer storage temperature. We conducted a prospective investigation of fatty acid degradation rates in RBCs from healthy control subjects when samples from each individual were stored at both -20 degrees C or -70 degrees C.

A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of eating disorders via videoconferencing in north-east Scotland.

Until recently many remote communities in Scotland, especially on the northern islands, were unable to access specialist eating disorder services. The Grampian Eating Disorder Service, based in the north-east of Scotland, has developed a video-therapy service that offers specialist psychological and nutritional therapy for sufferers of eating disorders. Twelve patients have been treated via videoconferencing.

Dietary supplement use in old age: associations with childhood IQ, current cognition and health.

Aims: Dietary supplement (DS) use is actively promoted among old people but there is little evidence in favour of DS use or information about the demographic, health and cognitive characteristics of DS users.

Method: We examined 176 healthy, old people without dementia all born in 1921 and living independently in the community. IQ scores aged about 11 years were available for all subjects.

Supporting staff in employment: the emotional wellbeing of staff in an NHS psychiatric hospital.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the emotional wellbeing of a broad sample of NHS employees in a psychiatric setting; to seek their views on sources of distress; and to identify preferred ways of dealing with it.

Design: A cross-sectional postal survey, employing two questionnaires: GHQ-28, and a semi-structured questionnaire. These were sent to a nominal 50% sample (n = 599).

Personal safety and the abuse of staff in a Scottish NHS Trust.

Background: An employer's 'duty of care' is enshrined in statute and common law. This responsibility extends to identifying areas of risk to employee's safety and emotional well being.

Objective: To identify the views of NHS staff on their safety and exposure to assault and other forms of abuse.

A survey of general practitioners in north-east Scotland on practice-based counselling services.

Objective: Practice-based counselors have become very numerous in primary care and we sought to elicit the views of general practitioners in north-east Scotland about the present situation and possible developments in practice-based counselling services.

Design And Subjects: A questionnaire was mailed to the 352 general practitioners working in the area covered by Grampian Health Board.

Results: There was a 74% response rate: 46% of respondents had access to a practice-based counsellor and of those who did not, two-thirds wanted to acquire one.

Factors associated with patients' knowledge of and attitudes towards treatment with lithium.

Background: Treatment with lithium is often compromised by poor adherence, by side-effects and by patients' having serum levels outside the therapeutic range. These factors may be affected by patients' knowledge and attitudes towards lithium, and we set out to establish factors associated with knowledge about and attitudes towards lithium among a large representative sample of patients.

Method: Patients known to be taking lithium in Grampian during 1995 were surveyed postally during 1998 with the Lithium Knowledge Test (LKT) and the Lithium Attitudes Questionnaire (LAQ).

The psychological impact of maxillofacial trauma: an overview of reactions to trauma.

We provide an overview of the current understanding of posttraumatic psychological problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, and the implications for maxillofacial surgeons and allied professionals. Posttraumatic stress disorder is not confined to combat veterans; it is common after all traumatic events-including maxillofacial injury-and can become chronic unless recognized and treated. The neurobiologic underpinnings of and the known vulnerability factors for posttraumatic stress disorder are increasingly understood, assisting the nursing and surgical staff in their assessments.

Users' involvement in their care. A follow-up study.

1. User involvement in both care planning and staff development helped staff and residents at a community rehabilitation unit in terms of attitudes and care delivery. 2.

Plasma vitamin C, cholesterol and homocysteine are associated with grey matter volume determined by MRI in non-demented old people.

We studied 82 non-demented old people and, using MRI, derived measures of grey and white matter and intracranial volumes. Controlling for sex and intracranial volume, we related grey and white matter volumes to plasma concentrations of vitamins C, B(12), folate, homocysteine, cholesterol, triglycerides, high density and low density (LDL) lipoproteins, and to red blood cell folate and glycated haemoglobin concentrations (HbA1(c)). We found that lower grey matter volume was associated with lower plasma vitamin C and higher homocysteine, cholesterol and LDL.

A waste of time: non-attendance at out-patient clinics in a Scottish NHS Trust.

Unlabelled: The Patient's Charter states that patients have a responsibility to attend out-patient appointments or to notify the hospital if they are unable to do so. Non-attendance without notification has substantial financial costs for the NHS and may have clinical implications to the non-attender and other patients on the waiting list.

Objective: To identify reasons for non-attendance of patients for their first appointment after referral.

What is the profile of post-traumatic reactions within medical literature? A survey of eight journals.

Objectives: The importance of traumatic events is recognised by the public but the profile of psychological sequelae such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within psychiatry and medicine is unclear. We aimed to establish the profile of PTSD within high impact medical journals and within psychiatric journals based in America and the United Kingdom, since the initial classification of PTSD in DSM-III in 1980 and, before and after classification of PTSD in ICD-10 in 1992.

Method: A survey of all articles on post-traumatic reactions published in eight journals between 1980 and 2000.

Dealing with violent and aggressive patients: at what cost to nurses?

Objectives: To determine the attitudes and experiences of nursing staff in relation to violent and aggressive patients.

Method: A self-administered questionnaire booklet was distributed to 289 nursing staff working in 'high-risk' units within two NHS Trusts. In addition to assessing the frequency of violent incidents, the degree of burnout and post-traumatic symptoms experienced were assessed by the inclusion of two standardised measures in the survey, viz, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised respectively.

Survivors of the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster: long-term follow-up study.

Background: The long-term psychological effects of surviving a major disaster are poorly understood. We undertook a survey of survivors of the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster (1988).

Aims: To examine the role of factors relating to the trauma, the survivors and the survivors' circumstances.

An evaluation of patient satisfaction with an information leaflet for trauma survivors.

A new leaflet that provided information about posttraumatic reactions and how to deal with them was distributed within 14 days of attendance at the Accident and Emergency Department (ED), Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, to a heterogeneous sample of trauma patients (N = 222). An evaluation form to assess satisfaction with the leaflet was also mailed with the leaflet. A sample of 98 (44%) of the initial patient group responded, and 96% of them reported the leaflet as either very helpful or helpful.

Video-hypnosis--the provision of specialized therapy via videoconferencing.

Hypnosis is not normally accessible to patients living in remote areas. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of providing hypnosis via videoconferencing, using ISDN at 384 kbit/s. Eleven of 15 patients invited to do so took part.

The Aberdeen Trauma Screening Index: an instrument to predict post-accident psychopathology.

Background: A key challenge in trauma care is the prevention of psychopathology. However, no definitive method of identifying individuals at risk of developing psychopathology exists. The Aberdeen Trauma Screening Index (ATSI) is a brief screening tool developed for use in a clinical setting by non-mental health professionals to facilitate the early identification of individuals most at risk of psychopathology 3-months post-accident.

Seasonal affective disorder and social deprivation in Aberdeen.

Background: Unlike non-seasonal depression, there is some evidence that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is more common among more affluent socioeconomic groups.

Methods: In primary care settings in Aberdeen, 4557 subjects had previously completed a Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). From the subjects' postcodes they were allocated a Carstairs score which placed them in one of seven categories of socioeconomic deprivation.

A comparison of real patients, simulated patients and videotaped interview in teaching medical students about alcohol misuse.

Doctors perform poorly in identifying and in treating patients with alcohol misuse problems and this has been linked to inadequate undergraduate education. We compared three methods of teaching among Aberdeen medical students. In groups of eight or nine students, teaching was conducted with a simulated patient, with real patients or with a videotaped interview.

Nairobi terrorist bombing: the personal experience of a mental health adviser.

This is a personal account of the author's involvement as an adviser in the wake of the Nairobi terrorist bombing in 1998. Much has been written in the literature about the problems for and reactions of first responders, emergency personnel and those who provide care for victims of trauma. Less is known about the role of the specialist adviser.