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How does the role of culture affect disease presentation? The author reviews the impact of religion, ideology and upbringing on the epidemiology of OCD in Egypt.

Comparing the consequences of caregiving across countries for a person with a serious mental illness needs to take into account not only different languages, but also different cultures, quality of mental health services and standards of living. So far, one questionnaire has shown the most validity and become the exemplar in cross-national research; yet it is still not free from possible cultural bias or criticism from its creators who acknowledge that much more research needs to be done.

Psychological debriefing is a popular crisis intervention designed to alleviate immediate distress and prevent posttraumatic psychopathology following exposure to traumatic events. Despite a flourishing "debriefing industry," the author argues that there is no convincing evidence that it prevents posttraumatic psychopathology.

One of the spin-offs of the consensus statement is a study of the risk for metabolic disorders with antipsychotic use in children and adolescents. Here, the lead researcher discusses some of the group's initial findings.

Community awareness of traumatic events and their effects on individuals has increased in the last decade. The articles in the special report section of Psychiatric Times enhance our appreciation of the divergent research and clinical efforts being made assist those who have suffered from the consequences of trauma and its aftermath.

With proposed cuts in state budgets nationwide, social services--including mental health care--are taking a financial blow. As a result, mental health care facilities are closing and services are disappearing. What will the effect be on patient care?

Research presented at an international meeting in Australia found that lamotrigine may be beneficial against depressive relapse for patients either currently or recently in a manic phase.

For decades, personal essays on ECT highlighted pain and discomfort, a dismaying loss of memory, and an indifference of practitioners who forced the treatment on unwilling patients. The attacks on ECT by popular writers in the press and in film drowned out the voices that described its benefits. However, the public testimony has slowly changed toward a greater acceptance of ECT; it is time to hearken to the testimony of these witnesses and roll back the unethical restrictions that commit our most disadvantaged citizens to unnecessary chronic illness, prolonged hospital care and even death.

In the wake of the Columbine school shootings, it is of utmost importance for psychiatrists to be aware of the role they can play in preventing violence and bullying in our schools. What programs have been tried and how have they fared? What are the elements for a successful program?

The distress and functional impairment associated with PTSD may make it difficult for IPV victims to benefit from interventions to increase their safety and reduce their exposure to violence. Empirically supported PTSD treatments include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Incorporating these treatments into interventions to improve victims' safety and reduce exposure to violence may improve their effectiveness in protecting women from IPV.

A new consensus statement has been issued regarding the high risk of diabetes and associated disorders with use of atypical antipsychotics. Several of the major pharmaceutical companies have responded negatively to this statement.

Will the most effective treatments be available for your patients? Atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants that are being marketed or developed worldwide are reviewed.

How is it that anti-anxiety drugs can cause anxiety and insomnia, sometimes within the first day or two of treatment? These are not the soothing qualities we expect for anti-anxiety medications.

Little attention has been paid in the professional literature to a phenomenon that non-professionals have recognized since ancient times: Trauma can lead to personal growth. This article focuses on how traumatic events set processes in motion that produces new perspectives on the self, relationships and philosophy of life. Implications for clinical work with trauma survivors are discussed.

Individuals exposed to horrifying, life-threatening events are at heightened risk for posttraumatic stress disorder. Given the substantial personal and societal costs of chronic PTSD, mental health care professionals have developed early intervention methods designed to mitigate acute emotional distress and prevent the emergence of posttraumatic psychopathology.

There is a long tradition in psychiatry, reaching at least back to World War I, of studying the response of people who are faced with traumatic circumstances and devising ways to restore them to psychological health. The main focus of this work has been on the ways in which traumatic events are precursors to psychological and physical problems.

We waited for the broken and the burned.

Many children today are receiving inadequate mental health care due to a decrease in the number of well-trained providers, while the prevalence of children's mental health problems is increasing. Legislation is pending in the U.S. House and Senate to address these issues.

In January, the state of Arkansas executed Charles Singleton, a man known to be suffering from mental illness. That state's supreme court ruled that treating Singleton, even though it would cause him to be competent to be executed, was not cruel or unusual punishment nor unethical. Dr. Stone discusses the ramifications for other death penalty cases.

I'm learning to bend the first notes

Depression and dementia or Alzheimer's disease often go together. The presence of dementia may also increase the odds of depression. What can clinicians do to treat these two often comorbid conditions?

Recent studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia experience a greater decline in cognitive abilities with age. Given the large baby boomer population, how will this influence treatment for aging patients with schizophrenia?

Recent research has shown a higher incidence of men with eating disorders than previously thought. How do men with eating disorders differ from women in terms of assessment and treatment? What are the differences in risk factors and possible comorbidities, if any?

Cognitive impairment is a common symptom in many psychiatric and neurologic conditions. The articles selected for this Psychiatric Times special report provide a sampling of some important and topical issues regarding the influence of various factors on cognition in individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions.

Cognitive deficits, which play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of schizophrenia, can lead to noncompliance and poor outcomes. New treatment options need to be tested that may offer surplus effects on neurocognition.

What role might cognitive functioning play in suicidal ideation in elderly patients? How can psychiatrists determine the cognitive functioning skills of older patients who express suicidal thoughts?

Although there are many social impediments to the use of ECT, it appears to meet the four ethical principles of health care.

Professional organizations from the New York State area protested an audit of clinical records by a managed care company, claiming unspecified standards had led to demands for large repayments. While the company stated it ended the audit only until standards could be defined, the organizations touted the power of presenting a unified front.

Euthanasia is a word coined from Greek in the 17th century to refer to an easy, painless, happy death. In modern times, however, it has come to mean a physician's causing a patient's death by injection of a lethal dose of medication. In physician-assisted suicide, the physician prescribes the lethal dose, knowing the patient intends to end their life.

In looking at the history of ECT, it appeared to have been quite successful in treating a variety of psychiatric disorders. If that is the case, then why did it disappear from the "psychiatric map" for a number of years? What obstacles need to be overcome to return ECT to its place as a viable treatment option?