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Research related to absconding and its associated risks is limited in relation to inpatients from private psychiatric units. This study aimed to compare patients who abscond from public and private psychiatric inpatient settings. Demographic data was collated on the subjects (n = 214) who all had a history of absconding. Public absconders (n = 159) were more likely to have a psychotic illness, increased number of psychiatric diagnoses, history of aggression, substance use and homelessness, when compared to private absconders. Predictors identified for private absconders (n = 55) were female gender and fewer drugs used. This study has implications for the different profiles of absconders between the public and private settings.

Thirty six children of parents who attended the adult outpatient service in the Werribee Mercy Mental Health Program were screened for possible emotional and behavioural problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The proportion of children identified with difficulties was 50 percent, much higher than in the general population. Fifty eight percent of the children had chronic problems and the difficulties were perceived to be moderate to severe in 53 percent of the sample. The burden of these difficulties on the family was also high. Despite this, only a small proportion of children were then referred for further assessment and treatment. More psycho-education for both clinicians in the adult service and for parents is required. Difficulties in recruitment resulted in low numbers for this study. There continues to be difficulty in parents consenting for their children to be assessed.

BACKGROUND: Caring for patients with chronic medical and psychiatric disorders is associated with significant burden. However little is known about the burden experience by caregivers of patients with epilepsy in Nigeria. The objective of this study, therefore, was to assess the level and correlates of burden among caregivers of patients with epilepsy. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study carried out among 231 eligible caregivers of patients with epilepsy attending the psychiatric clinic of government psychiatric hospital in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. Socio demographic/clinical characteristics of patients and sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers were recorded, and the Zarit Burden Interview administered to caregivers to assess their experience of burden. RESULTS: The mean age of the caregivers was 43.6 ±9.5 years, 52.4% lived outside Kaduna and the mean seizure-free period for the patients was 26.4 ±36.5 weeks. One hundred and twenty (51.9%) caregivers had high burden. High burden was significantly associated with patients aged less than20 years, patient’s unemployment, long duration of epilepsy, short seizure-free period, family history of epilepsy and living outside Kaduna (p value

Background: The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) has been used to assess behavioral symptoms of dementia in the United States, Taiwan, Japan, and Italy. Method: This report evaluates the use of the NPI to assess behavioral symptoms of dementia in a population of Yoruba, Nigerians aged 65 years and older who are subjects in the Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project. In this study, the NPI, Blessed Dementia Scale, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were used to assess Nigerian subjects with dementia. For this study the NPI was translated, back translated, and harmonized into Yoruba. Results: The harmonized version of the NPI showed good interrater and test-retest reliability. The Cronbach alpha on 40 subjects was .80 for total severity score, .73 for frequency, and .73 for distress, indicating good internal consistency. The MMSE correlated with the NPI total score and severity scores of delusion, hallucination, and agitation, whereas the Blessed correlated with the NPI total score and severity scores of depression, anxiety, and nighttime behavior. Conclusions: The NPI was found to be a reliable tool to assess behavioral symptoms and caregiver distress of dementia in the Yoruba. Behavioral disturbances were as common in the Yoruba patients with dementia as in studies in other countries that have used the NPI, but the pattern of behavioral disturbances and caregiver response varied among the countries.

Objective: Caring for patients’ with schizophrenia leads to an enormous burden on the caregivers. However, the magnitude of this problem remains largely unknown in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the burden of care giving among relatives of patients with schizophrenia.Materials and method: A total of 129 primary care-givers of patients with schizophrenia attending out-patient clinic of Katsina state Psychiatric Hospital were interviewed using a socio-demographic data collection sheet and Zarith Burden Interview (ZBI). Data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 13. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 45.07±8.91. Majority of the caregivers are females. High level of burden was found in 47.3% of the respondents. The level of burden experienced was significantly associated with place of residence and family size. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is associated with high level of caregiver burden and effort should be made at alleviating this burden for better out come in both the patients and caregivers.