The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

This manuscript reviews the current information concerning female sexual dysfunction that is relevant to general psychiatric practice.

Research identified by the key words sexual dysfunction and prevalence, comorbidity, psychiatric drugs, or pharmacotherapy is reviewed.

Epidemiologic studies indicate that approximately 30% of female subjects between ages 18 and 59 years have sexual complaints of at least 3 months' duration in the past year. A high comorbidity with other psychiatric syndromes exists. Many psychiatric drugs are associated with sexual dysfunction. Drug treatments for female sexual dysfunction are being investigated.

Knowledge concerning the treatment of female sexual dysfunction is important to the general psychiatric clinician.

Challenges for the clinical management of bipolar disorder (BD) during pregnancy are multiple and complex and include competing risks to mother and offspring.

We reviewed recent research findings on the course of BD during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as reproductive safety data on the major mood stabilizers.

Pregnancy, and especially the postpartum period, are associated with a high risk for recurrence of BD. This risk appears to be limited by mood-stabilizing treatments and markedly increased by the abrupt discontinuation of such treatments. However, drugs used to treat or protect against recurrences of BD vary markedly in teratogenic potential: there are low risks with typical neuroleptics, moderate risks with lithium, higher risks with older anticonvulsants such as valproic acid and carbamazepine, and virtually unknown risks with other newer-generation anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotics (ATPs).

Clinical management of BD through pregnancy and postpartum calls for balanced assessments of maternal and fetal risks and benefits.

Les problèmes liés au traitement clinique du trouble bipolaire (TB) durant la grossesse sont profonds et peuvent entraîner des risques concurrents pour la mère et l'enfant.

Nous avons examiné les résultats récents de la recherche sur le cours du TB durant la grossesse et le post-partum, de même que les données d'innocuité reproductrice des principaux régulateurs de l'humeur.

La grossesse et surtout la période du post-partum comportent des risques élevés de récurrence du TB. Les risques semblent être limités par les traitements aux régulateurs de l'humeur et notablement accrus par la cessation abrupte de ces traitements. Toutefois, les médicaments utilisés pour traiter ou prévenir les récurrences du TB varient beaucoup en ce qui concerne les risques tératogènes: les risques sont faibles pour les neuroleptiques typiques, modérés pour le lithium, élevés pour les anciens anticonvulsivants comme l'acide valproïque et la carbamazépine, et presque inconnus pour les autres anticonvulsivants de la nouvelle génération et les antipsychotiques atypiques (APA).

Le traitement clinique des femmes souffrant du TB durant la grossesse et le post-partum demande des évaluations équilibrées des risques et des avantages pour la mère et le foetus.

The objective of this paper is to integrate what is known about estrogen effects on symptoms and treatment response into a global understanding of schizophrenia. The aim is to expand Canadian schizophrenia guidelines to include the specific needs of women.

We searched the Medline database; keywords included estrogen, estrogen replacement therapy, schizophrenia, psychosis, treatment, tardive dyskinesia (TD), and women. We examined reference lists from relevant articles to ensure that our review was complete. We review the evidence for the effects of estrogen in schizophrenia and we make recommendations for the next revision of official practice guidelines.

The epidemiologic evidence suggests that, relative to men, women show an initial delay in onset age of schizophrenia, with a second onset peak after age 44 years. This points to a protective effect of estrogen, confirming animal research that has documented both neurotrophic and neuromodulatory effects. Clinical research results indicate that symptoms in women frequently vary with the menstrual cycle, worsening during low estrogen phases. Pregnancy is often, though not always, a less symptomatic time for women, but relapses are frequent postpartum. Some work suggests that in the younger age groups women require lower antipsychotic dosages than men but that following menopause they require higher dosages. Estrogen has been used effectively as an adjunctive treatment in women with schizophrenia. Estrogen may also play a preventive role in TD.

Symptom evaluation and diagnosis in women needs to take hormonal status into account. Consideration should be given to cycle-modulated neuroleptic dosing and to careful titration during pregnancy, postpartum, and at menopause. We recommend that discretionary use of newer neuroleptic medication and adjuvant estrogen therapy be considered.

The debate over whether clinical psychologists should be granted the right to prescribe psychoactive medication has received considerable attention over the last 2 decades in the US, but there has been relatively little discussion of this controversial topic among Canadian mental health professionals, namely psychologists and psychiatrists. Proponents of prescription privileges (PPs), including the American Psychological Association (APA), argue that psychologists do not and cannot function as independent professionals because the medical profession places many restrictions on their practice. It is believed that PPs would help circumvent professional psychology's impending marginalization by increasing psychology's scope of practice. Proponents also argue that PPs would enhance mental health services by increasing public access to professionals who can prescribe.

The purpose of this article is to inform psychiatrists about the major arguments presented for and against PPs for psychologists and to discuss the major implications of PPs for both professional psychology and psychiatry.

We conducted a literature search of relevant articles published from 1980 to the present appearing on Psychlit and Medline databases, using “prescription privileges” and “psychologists” as search titles.

Although proponents present several compelling arguments in favour of PPs for psychologists, pilot projects relating to feasibility and efficacy are either sparse or incomplete. Thus, it is too soon to tell whether PPs could or should be pursued. Clearly, more research is needed before we conclude that PPs for psychologists are a safe and necessary solution to psychology's alleged impending marginalization.

Our objective was to study the outcomes experienced by 2 communities after implementing pretrial diversion of offenders with mental illness.

The same method of diversion was implemented in a predominately urban and a predominantly rural county. We collected retrospective clinical and offence data from pretrial diversion assessments conducted in court. As well, we measured outcome for the diversion procedure in terms of actual vs expected rates of recidivism.

Prior psychiatric treatment was associated with the diverted group, and a criminal history was associated with the nondiverted group. In the larger, urban county the diversion option was offered more often to persons with psychoses, mood disorders, and minor offences. Conversely, in the smaller rural county diversion was offered most often to persons accused of serious offences. The recidivism found in urban and rural diverted groups after a year of supervised care was only 2% to 3%, but the rate of use of diversion in both counties was low, owing to selection biases.

Pretrial diversion of offenders with mental illness accused of minor crimes is eminently feasible for both urban and rural settings, provided that police, crown, and treatment policies are coordinated to favour the treatment option rather than prosecution.

To determine the prevalence and correlates of 4 types of elder abuse and neglect in a geriatric psychiatry service.

We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective chart review of new in- and outpatients seen by the Montreal General Hospital Division of Geriatric Psychiatry in one calendar year.

Abuse or neglect was suspected or confirmed in 20 (16%) of 126 patients, comprising financial abuse in 16 (13%), neglect in 7 (6%), emotional abuse in 5 (4%), physical abuse in 3 (2%), and multiple abuse in 7 (6%). On bivariate analysis, patients living with nonspouse family, friends, or other persons were significantly more likely to have suffered abuse than were those living with their spouse or in a supervised setting (OR 10.5; 95%CI, 2.3 to 47.8); widowed, divorced, or separated patients were significantly more likely to have suffered abuse than were married patients (OR 4.7; 95%CI, 1.02 to 22.0). Nonsignificant trends included female sex (OR 4.1; 95%CI, 0.89 to 18.6); alcohol abuse (OR 2.1; 95%CI, 0.71 to 6.2); behaviour problems (OR 1.9; 95%CI, 0.71 to 5.2); and chronic cognitive impairment (OR 1.4; 95%CI, 0.55 to 3.8). Although living situation with nonspouse family, friends, or others and marital status of widowed, divorced, or separated were significantly associated with abuse when examined in separate logistic regression models, both were nonsignificant when examined together, suggesting collinearity. Both were retained in the model because they probably represent different aspects of vulnerability. The final model included living situation with nonspouse family, friends, or others (OR 6.1; 95%CI, 0.75 to 49.5) and widowed, divorced, or separated marital status (OR 2.4; 95%CI, 0.21 to 26.8). Nonsignificant trends included female sex (OR 2.6; 95%CI, 0.45 to 14.4); alcohol abuse (OR 2.2; 95%CI, 0.59 to 7.9); and lowest quartile on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale (GAF < 35; OR 2.0; 95%CI, 0.64 to 6.0).

The practical implications of our study are that elder abuse and neglect are common among patients referred to geriatric psychiatry services, that such services should have access to multidisciplinary expertise and resources to deal with abuse, and that certain situations may signal higher risk. In our setting, the situation of living with nonspouse family, friends, or other persons in a nonsupervised setting and a history of family disruption by widowhood, divorce, or separation were significant correlates of abuse. Suggestive but nonsignificant trends of potential importance (OR > 2.0) included female sex, alcohol abuse, and lowest quartile of functional status. Study limitations include a cross-sectional retrospective chart review design, a clinically derived sample, a small sample size, and a lack of structured instruments for several variables.

This case report and discussion describe the psychiatric and social consequences of being a stalking victim, with particular focus on its impact on the victim's occupation.

Data were gathered from the assessment and arbitration hearing of a female employee who lost her job while being stalked. Computerized literature searches were used to identify relevant papers from psychiatric and legal journals.

This case illustrates many of the common features of stalking. The female victim was harassed by a male after a failed intimate relationship. The victim suffered from depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, helplessness, humiliation, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The stalking affected her psychological, interpersonal, and occupational functioning. Consequently, she was fired for poor work performance and poor attendance.

Stalking may affect a victim's ability to work in several ways. The criminal behaviours often interfere directly with work attendance or productivity and result in the workplace becoming an unsafe location. Further, stalking may indirectly affect a person's ability to work through the many adverse emotional consequences suffered.

This study examined whether gender-role conflict influenced the suicidal behaviour of adolescent girls.

We designed a checklist and used it to perform a chart review.

Gender-role conflict was associated with suicidal behaviour in 26.79% of the adolescent girls, and 2.68% of the adolescent boys, that we studied.

Gender-role conflict plays an important role in the suicidal behaviour of girls. At present, there is no published research examining the impact of gender-role conflict on suicidal adolescents.

Cette étude examine si le conflit entre sexe et rôle influence le comportement suicidaire des adolescentes.

Nous avons mis au point une liste de vérification et l'avons utilisée pour effectuer une étude de dossiers.

Le conflit sexe-rôle était associé au comportement suicidaire chez 26,79 % des adolescentes et chez 2,68 % des adolescents que nous avons observés.

Le conflit sexe-rôle joue un rôle important dans le comportement suicidaire des filles. À l'heure actuelle, aucune étude n'a été publiée sur l'effet du conflit sexe-rôle sur le suicide des adolescentes.