One hundred suicide attempters, 100 matched controls, and 60 psychiatric controls with the same psychiatric disorders as diagnosed in the corresponding attempters were investigated. Significantly more female attempters were smokers when compared with the controls, whereas there was no difference among the males. Consumption of at least 40 and at least 50 cigarettes per day was significantly more frequent in female and male attempters, respectively, than in the controls. Also, the mean number of cigarettes smoked was significantly greater for the attempter versus the controls, particularly among females. Female attempters without a psychiatric disorder smoked more frequently than the corresponding controls. Likewise, female attempters with psychiatric disorders smoked more frequently than the psychiatric controls. The etiology of the relationship between smoking and suicide attempts remains uncertain.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological factors in the development of mood disorders with a seasonal pattern.

The psychiatric records of a 7-year period were searched for cases with seasonal mood disorders. Among 358 cases with a mood disorder there were 41 patients with 3 or more admissions, 4 of which were demonstrating a seasonal pattern. It was found that the depressive or manic episodes of these patients were anniversary reactions associated with intense traumatic experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. The seasonal pattern of the depressive episodes fulfilled the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The time and sometimes the place of the traumatic event acted as triggers eliciting the clinical symptoms. This study showed that anniversary reactions may constitute a subgroup of seasonal mood disorders manifesting both depressive and manic episodes, which are precipitated primarily by psychological factors rather than climatic conditions.

Adjustment Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Needle stick injuries: how can we minimise our risk?

In the United Kingdom (UK) there is inequity in health care workers access to safer sharps and needle free systems. The availability of safer sharps and needle free systems is dependent on the budget manager authorising the purchase of these devices within individual hospitals. This can mean that within the same organisation one department can be using safer sharps and needle free systems, while another department is denied access to such equipment. This is partly due to competing priorities for scarce health care resources, which is becoming more acute, and lack of national guidance to employers to provide such safety equipment for their employees. At the current time the UK does not have a mandatory reporting system for sharps injuries, so the true extend of the problem is not fully understood.

Accidents, Occupational↗