Suchergebnisse

Health consists of the maintenance of a balance between selfperpetuation in as constant a form as possible & evolution through external exchanges with the environment. Every disease may be described as an attack on this homeostatic mechanism. Any ill person tends to regress by putting the need for constancy & security before the need for exchange; hence, he has an increased need for protection & experiences an egocentric narrowing of interests & a diminished capacity for integrating space & time. This has been common knowledge as far as his physical functions are concerned, but the mental function: also need security, maternal care & a reduction of exchanges with the outside world. To meet these needs in a hospital situation means to provide the security & other advantages of home life without the personal responsibility this usually entails. This environment is approached by employing a hostess to arrange the details of reception into the hosp; by having only one doctor & one nurse responsible for the care of the patient; by keeping the ward within a size, ideally holding 20 to 40 persons, which can be handled by a small team of attendants; & by seeing that the whole institution forms a single unit, ideally a capacity of about 300. Psychol'al & soc requirements are equally important in making architectural plans for a hosp, keeping in mind the 2 major needs of patient-protection & independence. B. J. Keeley.

The occurrence of certain situations during the emotional development of individuals will result in aberrations that can be explained only after careful, detailed and professionally competent examination of the individual case. The following types of aberrations are discussed: (1) emotional immaturity; (2) psychopaths-often results if during the 4-5 year old period, when the superego is developing, the parents' failure to inspire love causes a lack of anxiety and guilt brought about by the conflicts of the Oedipal situation; (3) sexual deviants lack of development of genital primacy may result from childhood identification with parent of opposite sex in an effort to escape a cruel or inconsistent punishment; (4) alcoholics (a 4-part classification is elaborated)-should be considered a symptom of a deep lying neurosis or incipient psychosis; (5) gambling-frequently results from 'guilt feelings centering about conflicts over masturbation; (6) criminals-most represent a neurosis developing from lack of a stable love object or persons to identify with; & (7) leaders-may show marked difficulties in social integration. We must always remember that the misfit's behavior is 'the best solution to life's problems that the individual is capable of at that time and place.' D. Wolsk.

Although improved medical technologies, economic developments and social transformations have produced many positive health outcomes, they have also created troubling mental disorders such as depression, dementia, and suicide tendencies. Mental disorders are increasingly of concern to individuals and society; therefore, they must be viewed as a major public health issue. This article examines this health problem and considers strategies world communities can use to deal with mental illnesses.

Background: Farmers experience one of the highest rates of suicide of any industry and there is growing evidence that those involved in farming are at higher risk of developing mental health problems. This article provides an overview of the literature examining mental health issues experienced by farming populations in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States and identifies areas for further research. Method: A literature review (Medline, Science Direct, Ingenta, Proquest and Psych INFO) was carried out using the words 'Farmers', 'agriculture', 'depression', 'mental health', 'mental illness', 'stress', and 'suicide', as well as a review of relevant papers and publications known to the authors. (Papers not written in English and those published prior to 1985 were excluded.) Results: Fifty-two papers were identified with the majority focusing on stress and coping styles in farmers (24). A number of studies also focused on neuropsychological functioning and agricultural chemical use (7), depression (7), suicide (9), general mental health (4) and injury and mental health (1). This body of research studied male farmers, female farmers, farm workers, farming families, and young people living on farms. Research to date indicates that farmers, farm workers and their respective families face an array of stressors related to the physical environment, structure of farming families and the economic difficulties and uncertainties associated with farming which may be detrimental to their mental health. Conclusion: Whilst suicide rates in some groups of farmers are higher than the general population, conclusive data do not exist to indicate whether farmers and farming families experience higher rates of mental health problems compared with the non-farming community. It is clear, however, that farming is associated with a unique set of characteristics that is potentially hazardous to mental health and requires further research.

Parenting is a fundamental life domain with increasing evidence suggesting the parenting role has the capacity to inform and promote mental health recovery. Two reviews examined the current tools available to assess parenting in the context of recovery. Review one identified 35 quantitative measures of parenting used in interventions for parents with mental health problems. None of these measures appeared to consider parenting from a recovery orientation. Review two identified 25 measures of personal recovery; however, none appeared to consider the parenting role. Despite the fundamental life role of parenting, our ability to measure these constructs appears limited. Further research is warranted into the development of a measure of recovery that considers the parenting role.