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How Scary is Your Stalker?
2007-08-16 14:00:00
The July 2007 issue of Violence Against Women presents a study examing the responses of 8,000 participants of the National Violence Against Women Survey .  Logistical regression was used to study patterns in fear reported by female stalking victims with 25% of the sample respondents reporting feeling no fear of their stalker.  Factors such as race ( Black women were significantly less likely to report fear compared to White respondents), frequency of being stalked, stalking by an intimate acquaintance or family member, or being stalked by physical or communicative means, affected likelihood of experiencing fear.  The authors concluded that use of a fear standard to judge seriousness of stalking attempts and the need for official protection represents a significant distortion of actual incidence of stalking as well as a gross miscarriage of justice.  Click here for the abstract.
More About: Scary , Stalker , Talker

My Mother, The Wolf
2007-08-14 13:53:00
The February 2007 issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica contains an interesting clinical lycanthropy case study.  While cases in which the patient believes the he/she is being transformed into an animal have been reported in the literature, belief in the transformation of another person into an animal is considerably rarer. In the presented case study, a young male patient who had been diagnosed with first-episode mixed bipolar mood disorder , developed a delusional conviction that his mother had been transformed into a wolf.  While he did not have any delusions regarding the transformation of himself into an animal, he reported drooling for months before developing a delusional belief regarding his mother.  It is suggested by the authors that this delusion represents a variation on the classic lycanthropy syndrome.  Click here for the abstract.
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The Shrinking Penis Panic
2007-08-12 14:29:00
In September 2003, news sources documented numerous accounts of mysterious foreigners (origin and description varying with each retelling) in Khartoum, Sudan who were causing penises to disappear by shaking the hands of their victims in public. Details were rarely consistent but media accounts told of victims who reported that their penises began to "melt into their body" either after shaking hands or using a "penis-melting cyborg comb" that had been given to them by a mysterious stranger. One Sudan based columnist went as far as reporting in a foreign-based newspaper that ""Even though what I write today will harm 'tourism' in Sudan, I consider it my duty to warn anyone who wants to come to Sudan to refrain from shaking hands with a dark-skinned man. Since most Sudanese are dark-skinned, he had better avoid shaking hands with anyone he doesn't know…". The mysterious hand-shaker (often referred to as `Satan`s Friend`) was said to ``drain men`s...
More About: Penis , Panic

Psychiatric Evaluation Planned in Malaysian Body Parts Case
2007-08-09 14:00:00
The lawyer for a 33-year old air hostess believed to be involved in a bizarre case in Malaysia has called for his client to receive a psychiatric evaluation.  The woman (whose name has not been released) was taken into custody following the grisly June 29 discovery of the decayed remains of a man who have been chopped into eleven pieces and stuffed into a refrigerator.  The discovery had been made when the new owner of the Mont Kiara condominium unit in which the remains called in condominium security to investigate the source of a strong stench that he had noted on entering.  Security discovered the body parts packed into five garbage bags and sealed with masking tape.  The body was subsequently identified as being that of 39-year old Singaporean businessman, Goh Yoke Seng, and the suspect surrendered herself to police custody.  She has not been formally charged to date and is being held on remand.  Her lawyer is demanding a psychiatric evaluation un...
More About: Body , Malaysian , Evaluation , Case , Parts

Do Abused Children Grow Up to Be Criminals?
2007-08-07 14:00:00
In a study reported in a recent issue of Violence and Victims  (Volume 22, issue 3), a sample of 1,526 young men (14 to 24 years) in the German prison system were assessed.  The sample participants were questioned about their history of early victimization and offense history and given standardized testing during their prison term. The results show that experience of abuse as a child doubles the risk for violent victimization in adolescence. Offenders who were repeatedly victimized as adolescents were also found to be at increased risk for later violent offending. This link was found both for officially registered violence and self-reported violent behavior.  Experience of child abuse was found to increase the likelihood of self-reported violence as well. One interesting result was the presence of an interaction effect involving victimization in childhood and victimization in early adolescence.  Sample participants who reported having been repeatedly victimized...
More About: Children , Abused , Grow , Rimi , Criminals

A Meeting of Minds
2007-08-05 14:00:00
The Crimean War that raged from 1853 to 1856 is often referred to as the first "modern war" (though far from the last) and I won't get into the murky issues that were involved or the various European nations that took part.  All that matters for now is a memorable encounter between two remarkable figures in the history of medicine and what came of that meeting... Florence Nightingale, also known as the Lady with the Lamp, began her career in nursing in 1851 despite strong family objections (being a nurse was not considered a proper vocation for "respectable" ladies in those days).  While she held positions in various London hospitals, it wasn't until the outbreak of the Crimean War that she began the work that made her famous.  After reports started trickling back of appalling casualties, she and her colleagues travelled to Turkey to tend the wounded soldiers.  Establishing themselves at a military hospital in Scutari (now a suburb in Ista...
More About: Minds , Meeting

Is Aging A Laughing Matter?
2007-08-02 14:00:00
A research study published in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society examines the effect of age-related cognitive decline on understanding humour.  Previous research has suggested that comprehending humour involves a cognitive appraisal process in which the humour stimulus (such as a joke) is examined in terms of possible meaning with a "funny" outcome being selected.  Therefore, impaired cognitive functioning tends to result in an inability to "get" jokes.  A sample of 41 older adults (over the age of 65) and a control sample of 40 younger adults were tested on a series of tests of cognitive functioning and humour comprehension.  The results indicated that older adults had a greater problem with cognitive flexibility, short-term memory, and abstract reasoning than younger adults.  Age differences were also found on measures of verbal and non-verbal humour comprehension but the results suggested...
More About: Matter , Aging , Laugh , Laughing

Suicidal Ideation and Spousal Abuse
2007-07-31 14:00:00
A study examining factors influencing suicidal ideation in a sample of victims of partner abuse living in shelters is presented in the May 2007 issue of Health Care for Women International.  Fifty women were recruited from a regional shelter for battered women in a Midwestern city in the United States.  Of the women sampled, fifty-eight percent reported having experienced intimate partner rape.  More than one-third of the sample confirmed experiencing suicidal ideation at least "some of the time" within the previous week. Experiencing intimate partner rape was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Results also revealed that both PTSD and depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between intimate partner rape and suicidal ideation.  The study results highlight the importance of assessing suicide risk in victims of spousal abuse. Click here for the abstract.
More About: Abuse , Suicidal

Worm Running
2007-07-29 14:00:00
On September 15, 1985, a seemingly innocent package was delivered to the home of Dr. James V. McConnell, then-professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.  His assistant, Nicklaus Suino, opened the package as Dr. McConnell looked on.  The resulting explosion resulted in Suino sustaining injuries to his arms and abdomen.  Dr. McConnell was more fortunate although he suffered a hearing loss as a result of the blast.  It remains unclear exactly why Theodore Kaczynski (a.k.a. the Unabomber) targeted Dr. McConnell as he had others in the scientific community but Dr. McConnell's colourful career may provide a clue.  Considered a maverick in his time, James V. McConnell's career was marked by his unconventional research and outspokenness.  In his most famous research project, he classically conditioned Planaria (flatworms) to react to bright lights using electric shocks.  He then cut up his research subjects and fed them to other Planaria an...
More About: Running , Worm

Autoerotic Asphyxia Death Due to Full Body Wrapping
2007-07-26 14:00:00
While cases of autoerotic asphyxiation involving accidental death arising from the use of various breath-stopping techniques for sexual gratification have long been reported in the research literature, a recent case reported in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Forensic Sciences takes things somewhat further.  The authors report on the case of a 34-year old man who apparently died of asphyxiating from wearing an extremely complex plastic full-body wrap.  The authors conclude that it is the "the largest and most complex plastic bag ever involved in a published case of autoerotic death".  Click here for the link.
More About: Body , Death , Full , Ping , Wrap

DSM-V Task Force Members Named
2007-07-24 14:00:00
The American Psychiatric Association has announced the members of the task force chosen to oversee the latest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).  The new task force is made up of 27 members including researchers, clinicians, and consumer advocates.  During the teleconference in which the task force members were revealed, DSM-V Chair David J. Kupfer, M.D. stated that "As the nation's dictionary of mental illnesses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual plays a vital role in assuring that patients get proper diagnoses and treatments for their mental health concerns. The APA has entrusted the revision of the DSM to world-renowned scientists who have vast experience in research, clinical care, biology, genetics, statistics, epidemiology, public health and consumer advocacy. They have interests ranging from cross-cultural medicine and genetics to geriatric issues, ethics and addiction." The DSM-V revision process is expe...
More About: Force , Task , Members

Scapegoats, Then and Now
2007-07-22 14:09:00
We may never know the actual number of people who died in the Great Fire of London.  The colossal blaze that raged from September 3 to September 5, 1666 left more than 80 percent of the city in ruins and destroyed an estimated 70,000 homes.  While only a few verified deaths were recorded, the absence of any formal listing of London's residents and the sheer heat of the flames which likely cremated many of the fire's victims makes it impossible to know the real death toll.  Almost as soon as the fire was finally extinguished, the murmurs began regarding the true reason for the blaze.  Numerous conspiracy theories sprang up over who set the fires.  England was then at war with France and the Netherlands so any nationals from those countries were targeted.  Catholics were a familiar target ("papists" usually were).   Even King Charles II was believed by some to have ordered the fire to punish the people of London for the role that the...
More About: Goats , Scape , Oats , Then

Is Megan's Law Working?
2007-07-19 14:48:00
The July 2007 issue of Behavioral Sciences and the Law Community presents a study examining the impact of community notification about known sex offenders (also know as "Megan's Law") on the lives of registered sex offenders.  Interviews of two hundred and thirty-nine sex offenders in Connecticut and Indiana indicated frequent problems such as job loss, threats and harassment, property damage, and suffering of household members. A minority of the surveyed sex offenders reported housing disruption or physical violence following community notification.  Most of the sampled offenders reported problems with psychosocial distress, including depression, shame, and hopelessness.  Given the impact that community notification has had on successful community reintegration, the researchers recommend that community notification policies would function better by relying on empirically derived risk assessment classification systems to better inform the public about sex o...
More About: Working , Workin

When Spouses Kill
2007-07-17 14:00:00
The July 2007 issue of Trauma, Violence and Abuse presents an overview of risk factors associated with intimate partner homicide.  While current rates of intimate partner homicide of females are approximately 4 to 5 times the rate for male victims, the rates for both have notably decreased in the past 25 years. Regardless of whether a female or male partner is killed, the major risk factor for intimate partner homicide appears to be prior domestic violence. Other risk factors for intimate partner homicide in general, and for intimate partner homicide of women (femicide) in particular are discussed including: presence of guns, relationship estrangement, stepchild in the home, forced sex, threats to kill, and choking.  The review also examines demographic risk factors and the related phenomena of pregnancy-related homicide, attempted femicide, and murder-suicides involving intimate partners.  Click here for the abstract.
More About: Kill , Ouse , Spouse

Health Care Workers in Crisis
2007-07-17 14:00:00
The April 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry presents the results of a research study assessing the immediate and sustained psychological health of health care workers who were at high risk of exposure during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. At the peak of the 2003 SARS outbreak, health care workers in two acute care Hong Kong general hospitals were assessed for stress. One year later, these health care workers were reassessed. High-risk health care workers who practised respiratory medicine were compared with nonrespiratory medicine workers, who acted as the low-risk health care worker group. The inital results showed that high-risk health care workers had elevated stress levels that were not significantly different from levels in low-risk health care worker subjects but more high-risk health care workers reported fatigue, poor sleep, worry about health, and fear of social contact, despite their confidence in infection-control measures. By 200...
More About: Health , Workers , Health Care , Care , Crisis

When Dying Becomes Fashionable
2007-07-15 14:31:00
In 1980, two young girls living in northern Sri Lanka committed suicide by eating the seeds of the Yellow Oleander, a common ornamental shrub that grows in most parts of the tropics and is cultivated across Sri Lanka in gardens and hedges.   In the following year there were 23 cases of oleander poisoning, apparently spurred by the publicity of the first suicides.  There were 46 in the year after that and hundreds of cases in the following years.  Since oleander became associated with suicide in Sri Lanka, the number of deaths has risen steadily and health services across the island have been besieged by new cases.  Suicide by oleander poisoning remains a major cause of death in Sri Lanka for young and old alike despite an aggressive government campaign to eliminate oleander plants and there seems to be no end in the foreseeable future. Copycat suicides are not a new phenomenon by any means.  In 1774, Goethe published his first novel, The Sorrows of You...
More About: Dying , Fashionable , Fash

Dealing with Diogenes Syndrome
2007-07-12 14:00:00
The June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology outlines the forensic challenges associated with Diogenes syndrome deaths.  First identified in 1975, sufferers of Diogenes syndrome are typically characterized by extreme social isolation, hoarding behaviour and squalid living conditions.  Forensic evaluation of deaths is often complicated by lack of recorded medical histories, filth and clutter in  the place of residence, and pet dogs that are mistrustful of strangers. Bodies are typically filthy, with parasitic infestations, and are often in an advanced state of putrefaction due to the social isolation of the deceased and the delay in the finding of the corpse. Bodies may also be characterized by postmortem gnawing by rodents or pets (eg, cats, dogs), with injuries caused by falls resulting from terminal illnesses or alcoholism. Treatable medical conditions are often present in advanced stages, and features of hypothermia may also be fou...
More About: Syndrome , Ealing , Genes

Fighting with Demons
2007-07-10 14:00:00
In the March 2007 issue of Transcultural Psychiatry, an overview is presented of three case histories of ogun oru (nocturnal warfare), a condition reported in southwest Nigeria involving an acute night-time disturbance that is culturally attributed to demonic infiltration of the body and psyche during dreaming. Sufferers of ogun oru episodes are usually (but not always) females who perceive the existence of an underlying feud between the sufferer's earthly spouse and a "spiritual spouse, and that they have been bewitched through eating while in the dream state.  Medical problems that have been associated with ogun oru episodes include parasomnias, eg., sleep terror, sleepwalking and sleep paralysis and, to a lesser extent, nocturnal or sleep epilepsy. Sufferers reporting these problems may be referred to traditional healers as the condition is believed to be treatable through Christian prayers or elaborate traditional rituals designed to exorcise the demonic elements that...
More About: Fighting , Demons , Mons