Film possesses an extraordinary power and offers an unrivaled medium for entertainment and escapism. The storylines of films are influenced by the societies we live in. Given that 1 in 4 of us has a mental health problem at some point in our lives, mental illness and the psychiatrists who treat these illnesses play huge roles in our societies and on our screens. Movies that have a mental health theme can provide viewers with a precious qualitative insight into the minds of people with psychopathology. Over the last few decades, films have become increasingly used as an educational tool in the teaching of psychiatry related topics such as mental state examination to mental healthcare trainees and students. Films also have the power to heal and the term cinematherapy has been coined. Indeed, there are case studies of people with first-hand experience of psychopathology who report that watching films with a mental health theme has contributed to their convalescence. Film, therefore, can and has been used as a ‘therapeutic’ tool with patients. In this presentation we provide a review of the literature on the use of film as an educational and therapeutic tool. Who also offer a first person narrative from an individual with schizophrenia in which he discusses and describes how films which theme on psychosis helped him to recover from his experiences of paranoid delusional beliefs. This person also comments on how films helped the mental healthcare providers charged with his care to understand him and mental illness better.

Cognitive therapy has been effectively used in the treatment of psychotic symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. Most of the work in this area has focused only on the patient. We describe a patient with schizophrenia, whose delusions were well managed by his mother using informal cognitive therapy principles. Primary carers could be more involved as ‘co-therapists’ in the cognitive treatment of psychotic symptoms in some patients. Future work needs to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of more structured cognitive therapy input for carers (as co-therapists) of patients with psychosis.

A review of epidemiological studies about incidence of dementia among the aged is presented. Empirical studies on incidence of dementia have shown considerably differing estimations. Nevertheless, in all studies, an age-related increase in incidence becomes clearly apparent. Epidemiological field-studies could not yield consistent findings concerning the association of incidence and gender. However, most studies found an increased incidence for men until the age of 70–80 years. In older age most studies reported the same incidence for men and women or found an increased incidence of dementia in women. The findings are reviewed and discussed in the context of methodological issues.

Psychiatric morbidity was assessed in 55 HIV seropositive women who were attending either an HIV centre in Paris (n = 30) or a genitourinary clinic in London (n = 25). Demographic data and information concerning HIV disease, openness about diagnosis, counselling received, social and family support, sexual behaviour and attitudes towards fertility and pregnancy were recorded using a semi-structured interview. Moderate or severe levels of psychiatric distress were found in 60% of the women in Paris and 28% of those in London. Overall, these rates are higher than those found in comparable studies of HIV seropositive men. Psychiatric disorder was associated with a past history of intravenous drug use and older age. Over half of the women were in regular sexual relationships but safe sex precautions were frequently not used. Sixteen subjects among those of child bearing age were prepared to consider having children.

From December 1–31, 1997, the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in co-operation with the Department of Information Technology, University of Tübingen, Germany, organised the first virtual congress on psychiatry in the Internet. The congress was aimed at facilitating exchange of results of psychiatric studies and ideas and at stimulating discussion among interested colleagues. Almost 100 participants from 17 countries on four continents took part in this event. Sixteen contributions were presented and discussed. The problems and opportunities of this medium in the organisation and running of congresses are presented and discussed. The experience gained in this congress suggests that the Internet will find increasing use as a medium for medical congresses within the next few years.

The onset of activity of antidepressants is a clinically and theoretically important criterion of efficacy. We estimated the onset of activity by an intraindividual regression analytical approach. It is assumed that efficient treatment causes a fast shift of depression scores from a baseline level to an end level. From this assumption follows a limited number of opportunities for the onset of activity to occur. These opportunities correspond to different regression models which are estimated for each patient's depression course. The day of onset is concluded from the regression model which produces the best fit to the empirical depression curve. Results of a double-blind clinical trial comparing mianserin and amitriptyline are reported (n = 28). The methodological approach confirms that observer ratings by physicists show a significantly earlier onset of activity than self ratings by the patients. The D-S also shows a significantly earlier onset of activity of mianserin compared to amitriptyline. The discussion emphasises methodological aspects.

It has frequently been suggested that low self-esteem and low self-worth are closely related to psychological and emotional problems, particularly depression. In a retrospective study of “prodromal” symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Fava et al. (1996) noted that low self-esteem was one of a number of symptoms (including depression) reported as preceding the onset of OCD. Low self-esteem could also have the effect of predisposing people to the development of psychological problems regardless of type as a general vulnerability factor.

In a preliminary investigation of the link between self-esteem and obsessional problems, patients with OCD (n = 34) were compared with patients with social phobia (n = 29), diagnosed according to DSM IV. Standardized measures of self-esteem and clinical symptomatology were also administered: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Assertiveness Schedule of Rathus, the State Trait Inventory Anxiety, Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and Self-Esteem Inventory of Coopersmith (SEI).

Certain demographic characteristics, including the limited size and stabiliiy of the population of Denmark, account for the development of genetic, epidemiological and prospective studies in the Danish psychiatric research context. Moreover, despite the predominance of biological psychiatry, psychotherapy arouses the interest of young psychiatrists.

Research is especially concentrated in university centers such as Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense. The Institute of Psychiatric Demography, directed by Annalise Dupont, is responsible for centralizing data concerning hospitalized patients. It lias thus been possible to carry out longitudinal studies of patients presenting manic-depressive disorders, schizophrenia and mental retardation, as well as surveys on the prevalence of suicide according to region, and genetic studies based on the observation of monozygotic twins. The studies on schizophrenia particularly deal with the incidence of cancer and the influence of life events. The cytogenetics laboratory, directed by Johannes Nielsen, is especially concerned with the follow-up of 25,000 children born in the Obstetrics Department of the Aarhus University Hospital.

There are numerous other areas of research: comparative studies of the ICD 8 and the DSM III; studies dealing with the use of lithium in affective disorders; studies on the response to and modes of action of electroconvulsive therapy; ongoing studies of neurotic patients, conducted for more than 20 years; surveys on the efficacy of psychotherapy in schizophrenic patients.

The existence of benzodiazepine receptors was discovered by the research cenrter of the St Hans Hospital in Copenhagen. Current research at this center is devoted to the study of dopamine receptors, the relations between LSD receptors and serotonine, and study of the GABA System.

Although research is thriving in Denmark at present, it is threatened by a reduction in credits; the author analyzes the reasons behind this threat.

Cette recherche en soins vise à identifier, nommer, qualifier et surtout caractériser les fonctions de l’informel dans le soin infirmier en psychiatrie, particulièrement dans l’écart entre soins programmés et soins non programmés. Il s’agit alors d’objectiver les savoirs faire mobilisés, mais aussi leurs impacts et leurs spécificités. Les objectifs de cette recherche en soins infirmiers (RSI) sont mobilisés sur trois niveaux d’investigations : en direction du patient, du professionnel et de l’équipe.

Cette recherche multicentrique a connu sa phase d’enquêtes de terrain auprès d’équipes de soins d’unités d’hospitalisation temps plein de quatre établissements de la région Rhône Alpes, établissements représentatifs de l’offre de soins publique sectorisée. Les enquêtes ont allié trois outils d’investigation : des « entretiens semi-dirigés », des séquences « d’observations participantes périphériques » et des « dialogues en interaction avec l’action ». Le traitement de ces données de terrain a abouti à la détermination de 3100 unités d’actions en lien avec l’informel.

Nous nous appuyons dans nos axes théoriques sur les apports et les invariants structuraux de la psychothérapie institutionnelle, de la psychodynamique du travail ainsi que de la praxéologie. Les résultats se présentent sous une triple forme. Tout d’abord, le cœur de la recherche avec la caractérisation de 139 fonctions en lien avec l’informel dans les soins, puis l’approche quantitative de ces données qualitatives (variable de lieux, de temps, de sites, etc.) et enfin le dégagement d’invariants opératoires, pour les caractéristiques communes à tous les sites investigués.

Cette recherche et ses résultats sont en mesure d’établir sur des données valides, bien des zones invisibles et peu lisibles du travail institutionnel et des savoirs infirmier en psychiatrie. La caractérisation de ces attentions, de ces « micro-actes » et « micro-interventions » concourent à un « prendre soin » individuel et collectif, participent d’un climat relationnel, ouvrent à des espaces transitionnels ou se déploient aussi bien des actions de cognition sociales que les différentes dimensions de la proxémie, de l’empathie et du « care ».