Search

A progressive illness diagnosis in a child is a shock for families. This decisive step can even influence the way the illness will be experienced. An inadequate approach has impacts on the psychological and social health of patients and their families. This is a difficult time, both for the parents and for the professionals involved. Since the creation of the neuromuscular diseases clinic at CHU Sainte-Justine in Quebec in 1979, healthcare professionals have been thinking about the best practices to put in place in order to properly support families in this event. Through their experiences and a brief literature review, a method was implemented to promote the therapeutic relationship between families and the healthcare team. The announcements are carried out by a multidisciplinary team composed of a neurologist and a member of the psychosocial team. The doctor leads the discussion to promote the relationship with the patient. Then, the role of the psychosocial worker is to take up the elements of the diagnosis and to welcome the emotions experienced. Parents are experiencing a major crisis, but must still continue to maintain their parental role. The involvement of a psychosocial team is therefore essential from the announcement of the diagnosis. Their interventions are facilitating elements for longer-term interdisciplinary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychotic disorders in the elderly cover a wide range of causes and manifestations. They often occur as part of a depression, dementia, substance abuse or delirium. While psychosis can occur with a first manifestation in advanced age, many patients with chronic psychotic disorders reach a high age. Many elderly individuals are also affected by cognitive impairment and somatic conditions, making a third-party history most relevant. The associated changes in life and the complexity of the individual situation needs to be integrated into the diagnosis and treatment. The presented recommendations have been developed under the lead of the Swiss Society of Old Age Psychiatry (SGAP) in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Nurses (SBK) and the subcommittees for gerontological and psychiatric nursing of the association of nursing science (VFP) as well as further professional societies. We aim to make current knowledge concerning diagnosis and treatment available to the interprofessional teams working in in- and outpatients' settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to apprehend the suffering of men who committed sexual violence through ethnography performed in a health unit during a group psychosocial intervention. Interventions with sexu offenders aim to restore human rights to health care and complement judicial accountability. However, to develop and improve effective interventions, it is necessary to understand the clinical aspects involved in the act of sexual offense. It is possible to know these aspects both through the literature and through clinical experience with these men. Thus, an ethnography was performed in a public health unit specialized in the care of men who are sex offenders. Ethnography is characterized by an attempt to understand the subjects in depth from a dense field diary. Eight men participated during eight meetings, lasting three and a half hours, with pre-defined themes. From the analysis of the diary, a category was observed, that concerns the suffering of sexual offenders before, during, and after the fulfillment of the injunction. Suffering before reporting is related to physical and sexual violence suffered while children and adolescents. The suffering during the fulfillment of the judicial measure is related both to the harsh environment of Brazilian prisons and to the stigmas associated with this type of crime, which involves discrimination and isolation from other prisoners and correctional officers. Finally, the suffering after complying with the injunction is also related to the stigmas of being a sex offender and the losses are individual, relational, community, and social. Based on the information, suffering is pointed out as a clinical aspect to be considered both in the development of public policies to face this violence and by health units specialized in serving this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to characterize the profile of 15 low-income families who experienced sexual abuse and were being treated at CREAS, highlighting the time they lived between the disclosure of sexual violence and the beginning of treatment. Semi-structured interviews with the families and data of the records of these families were used as instruments. Simple descriptive statistics were used as a form of data systematization. The results indicate that the victims are predominantly female; were about eight years when the abuse occurred; and were victims of intrafamily sexual abuse. Families are eminently headed by women, who are the ones who usually accompany the daughters in their trajectory from the revelation to the assistance by the specialized intuitions. In this sample it is verified that the child lives the abuse in an average of two years and that from the revelation to the notification another period of time takes place, which lasts on average one year and six months. It is concluded that the time interval between the disclosure of sexual abuse and the measures for care are lived due to the assimilation of the occurrence, besides the necessary familiar, physical and / or emotional reorganization. It is important to point out the change in the celerity of care by public agencies after the revelation of sexual abuse in the community and the propelling effects towards the protective role of the different agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last several decades of ongoing conflict and oppression in Myanmar (as it is now officially known) has had an extensive psychological and emotional impact on its people. Unfortunately, there has been a distinct lack of psychosocial programming provided through culturally appropriate methods in Myanmar. This study investigated an eight session psychotherapy group called Sharing Circles. Trained local staff implemented a group intervention in Yangon, Myanmar with 57 Burmese participants from Yangon identified as belonging to one of three vulnerable groups. Preliminary findings suggest the Sharing Circles may be an effective psychosocial technique for improving psychological symptoms and providing psychosocial support. Limitations included: lack of a comparison group, relatively small sample size, convenience sample, and simple pre and posttest design. Further, well designed, studies of group interventions with identified vulnerable groups are needed to confirm and clarify initial findings as well as to evaluate its potential application in other conflict affected regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is broad consensus about the need for interventions to help psychologically distressed, war ajfectedyouth, there is also limited research and even less agreement on which interventions work best. Therefore, this paper presents a randomised trial of trauma focused, and non trauma focused, interventions with war affected Congolese youth. Fifty war affected Congolese youth, who had been exposed to multiple adverse life events, were randomly assigned to either a Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy group or a non trauma based psychosocial intervention ( Child Friendly Spaces). Non clinically trained, Congolese facilitators ran both groups. A convenience sample, waiting list group was also formed. Using blind assessors, participants were individually interviewed at pre intervention, post intervention and a 6-month follow-up using self-report post-traumatic stress and internalising symptoms, conduct problems and pro social behaviour. Both treatment groups made statistically significant improvements, compared to the control group. Large, within subject, effect sizes were reported at both post intervention and follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, only the Child Friendly Spaces group showed a significant decrease in pro social behaviour. The paper concludes that both trauma focused and non trauma focused interventions led to reductions in psychological distress in war affected youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]