After a significant delay, the U.S. Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 to provide support and services to victims of domestic violence. Meanwhile, the findings in the Family Violence Prevention Fund's State by State Report Card on Health Care Laws and Domestic Violence shows state legislation has proved disappointing. Which states do the most in assisting physicians and other health care providers to aid victims of domestic violence?

National and State Responses to Domestic Violence Challenge

Psychiatrists can play a vital role in determining whether or not a patient will be a good candidate for an organ transplant. Using a case vignette, Dr. Garton explains how she helps a transplant team make the best possible decision.

Clinical Reflections: Making Difficult Choices

Dorrance Publishing; Pittsburgh, 2000
142 pages 
$13

The Thaw

(Additional information regarding violence and trauma can be found in the Special Report section of the April 2001 issue of Psychiatric Times-Ed.)

PHR, Consortium of Centers Help Refugees, Victims Get Political Asylum

People are different, according to conventional wisdom - the saying generally used in explaining varying opinions, attitudes or ways of thinking. Why then is it not a given that people are different in basic brain functions such as learning and intelligence?

Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century

Samantha Meltzer-Brody, M.D., et al. provided data suggesting that fluoxetine (Prozac) exerts a broad-spectrum effect in reducing all symptom clusters in a sample of 53 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their results indicated that fluoxetine was most effective in treating the individual symptoms of intrusive recollections and having a sense of failure.

Investigating Outcomes, Efficacy at ACNP

A further look at TMS, including synopses of presentations from the 3rd Annual Meeting of the International Society of Transcranial Stimulation.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Progresses Toward Approval

The 89-year-old woman had undergone hip replacement surgery two days before, had tubes in her arms and couldn't walk. But she blithely announced to her daughter that she was leaving the hospital immediately and started to get out of bed. Astounded, the daughter sought out her mother's physician and asked, "What's going on?"

Delirium: Improving Diagnosis and Treatment

The author examines how temperature and length of day can affect mood and behavior, both in a general population and a group of inpatients. In both groups, there were two peaks of violent behavior, one in May-June and one in October-November, which correspond with the equinoxes. Is it possible to track violent behavior in various geographical areas depending upon weather and length of day?

Seasonal Variation of Violence

In response to encouraging results from a small pilot study of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for treatment-resistant depression, researchers are now expanding the study to approximately 200 patients in 20 sites across the United States.

Study Expands on Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression

In this overview of research into the biopsychosocial changes caused by traumatic events, Dr. Novac discusses psychopathology, brain development and the effect a traumatic event can have on the victim's family-even long after the event occurred.

Traumatic Stress and Human Behavior

Methods for detecting possible abuse and how to help victims (even if they are unable to help themselves or leave their abuser).

Psychiatric Times Vol 18 No 4