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The article presents the comparative study that aims to identify the behavioral characteristics of 100 primary school children referred with behavior disorders to a psychiatric department and of 100 matched controls in Edinburgh, Scotland. It also intends to find out how children with reactive disorders who attend a psychiatric clinic differ from children in the community in their behavior. Mothers of non-referred school children and mothers who had sought psychiatric referral for their child participated in the study. A behavior inventory based on the MacFarlane scales was devised and examined for reliability. The findings showed that antisocial symptoms were determined among clinic children. They were found to be more discontented, unhappy, and anxious. Other findings were discussed.

The article presents a controlled pilot study of haloperidol in a group of 16 overactive and aggressive children. The selection was based on the presence of at least four of the following symptoms including overactivity, restlessness, aggressiveness, temper, attention-seeking behavior, disobedience, destructiveness and poor concentration. Benzhexol was administered concurrently with both active and placebo tablets. There were 13 children rated as better on haloperidol, two as better on placebo and one as showing no difference. It is concluded that haloperidol merits more extensive trial in conditions of the type studied.

The article discusses a comparative study on prison groups with regards to the effect of parental deprivation. The result of the study indicated that parental deprivation amongst the prison populations was the result of failure of infra-familial relationships which leads to compulsory institutionalization. The result also indicated that offenders who had experienced parental deprivation had younger parents and were themselves younger than their counterparts who had suffered no loss. Furthermore, the results were discussed with regard to the influence of institutions and contemporary family life on subsequent behavior disturbance.

A letter to the editor is presented about the of pemoline stimulant on overactive mentally subnormal children.

The article offers information about behavior therapy. Behavior therapy is a form of psychotherapy used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias and other forms of psychopathology. Examination of various literature on behavior therapy raises questions regarding its efficacy in treating disorders. Other reports suggest similarity between behavioral therapy and the traditional methods of disciplining children. Behavior therapy can be a dangerous procedure in certain cases however, there are few reports on such cases because of reasons such as such technique is not used for evaluation of long-term effects and that it is generally used on adults rather than children.

A study was made of 126 new attenders at the Edinburgh FPA clinic for single women during its first year of operation. Nulliparous patients were only half as likely to have been referred from a medical source as the parous patient. The higher the social class the greater the likelihood of discussion about contraception between patient and doctor before a visit to this FPA centre. The study population was geographically very mobile. Higher social classes and students were as likely to report experience of previous sexual intercourse than others. At least 24% of patients had a very limited knowledge of contraceptive methods. Forty per cent of patients returned for a follow-up visit and older women and nulliparous women were less likely to return than others. Although most returning patients had experienced regular sexual intercourse since their first visit, 15% had not found this entirely satisfactory, and 32% had had difficulties with the prescribed method of contraception, chiefly the oral contraceptive. When compared for the same period with the city's other clinic offering contraceptive advice to single women, 24% of all attenders at both clinics had been to the FPA. The proportion of parous women at the FPA was twice that at the Brook Clinic, but Brook patients were much more likely to have already received contraceptive advice from a doctor. Discussion centres on the social-class bias in the population of attenders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a comparative perspective of the relation between police and political change studied in three nations representing three continents. The nations studied were Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, India and the U.S. In relation to this, the structure of the national system, manner of exercising accountability over the police and professional image are discussed. It is stated that the image of the policeman differs from country to country dramatically. In Great Britain, the image is one of honesty and trustworthiness. In Germany, the policeman is viewed as honest, rigid, and unapproachable. French policemen are distrusted although admired for their efficiency. Italian policemen are disliked, distrusted and avoided. Police authority and political power are generally concentrated at same points in the political system. It is stated that policemen affect political life not only directly through their actions but also by the manner in which they handle their duties. The manner in which police accountability is assured fits national political systems. It is concluded that ideological fashions might be no less destructive than professional ones of serious research into the relation between the police and politics.