Spiritual care in psychiatry: Professionals’ views

In this study we explored the views of Mental Health professionals and general practitioners (GPs) regarding spiritual care and the effect of personal and cultural background on their views. Data were collected through anonymous questionnaires posted to hospital nursing and medical staff at Hollins Park Hospital, Warrington, UK, and to all GPs within the hospital catchments area. Forty-five percent of GPs, 33% of psychiatrists, and 76% of nursing staff (p < 0.05) felt strongly that human beings are made up of spirit as well as body. More nurses felt that spiritual care is equally as important as other forms of care (52%) compared with psychiatrists (33%) and GPs (29%). A higher percentage of nursing than medical staff had previous training in this area and were more likely than medical staff to consider themselves appropriate to give spiritual advice. A total of 20% of GPs and 33% of psychiatric staff stated the need for training in this area and GPs especially felt they lacked time. Professionals’ views are influenced by cultural and religious backgrounds, with significantly more non-UK born respondents feeling strongly that human beings all have a spiritual component. Many doctors do not consider spiritual care has a role for them to be involved in and many feel too pressured in daily life to take this on. Nurses are more inclined to take a holistic approach to care in this respect. Some people with mental health problems have spiritual care needs and we should be aware of this as an important facet to therapy.     

A review of: “Real events revisited: Fantasy,memory and psychoanalysis”

Ann Scott (1996) Real Events Revisited: Fantasy, Memory and Psychoanalysis, London: Virago, $12.99

Caroline Malone, Linda Farthing and Lorraine Marce (eds) (1996) The Memory Bird: Survivors of Sexual Abuse, London: Virago, $8.99     

A review of: “Challenges to counselling and psychotherapy”

Alex Howard (1996) Challenges to Counselling and Psychotherapy, London: Macmillan, $11.99     

Response to Karen Lebacqz and Stephen Palmquist

I respond here to the essays by Karen Lebacqz and Stephen Palmquist, beginning with my debt of gratitude to Lebacqz for her understanding of the methodological depth I try to bring to the analysis of bioethical issues. I further illustrate that observation here by reviewing the logic of my approach to the issue of wrongful life. At the same time, in connection with human genetic enhancement, I acknowledge that I may have not properly appreciated the seriousness of the problem of sin. To Palmquist's assertion that my criticisms of Kant's treatments of grace miss the way Kant has confined himself to being a philosophical (as opposed to biblical) theologian, I argue that Kant's problem lies instead in his poor application of his own compelling insights about the depths of human sinning. I close with an appreciation of Palmquist's observation of some important points of contact between Kant's understanding of sin and that of Kierkegaard.     

Improvements to Suicide Prevention Training for Prison Staff in England and Wales

Suicide prevention training for the prison service in England and Wales has been criticized. STORM is a package emphasizing the practice and review of interactions with suicidal persons and was evaluated in a pilot study for use in prisons. Trainees completed questionnaires immediately before and after training and at 6 to 8 months follow‐up. Training significantly improved attitudes, knowledge, and confidence, and improvements were maintained at follow‐up. Satisfaction with training was very high. STORM was successfully adapted for prison settings, and showed good effects among staff trained. It should be provided to the wider prison estate, with regular refresher training.     

Importance of fathers' parenting to African-American toddler's social and cognitive development

The present study examined the degree to which parenting attitudes and behavior (i.e., self-reported warmth, restrictiveness, and behavioral sensitivity as assessed during a freeplay session) were related to toddlers' development. Results showed a restrictive attitude was negatively related to social and cognitive development, whereas paternal sensitivity was positively related to aspects of social development that are less dependent on language skills (e.g., motor and daily living skills). Fathers of girls exhibited greater sensitivity in their freeplay interactions than fathers of boys. More globally, the present research demonstrates important relations between the parenting attitudes and behavior of low- to working-income African-American fathers and young children's development, and similarities to White, middle-income fathers.     

Dysnomia in Alzheimer's disease: an evaluation of neurobehavioral subtypes.

The relative influence of perceptual and semantic features on naming performance was investigated with reference to the neurobehavioral profiles displayed by patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Forty-one patients were classified as manifesting a verbal, visual, or global subtype based upon their pattern of neuropsychological functioning. Perceptual characteristics of to-be-named pictures were varied by manipulating the amount of line detail, whereas semantic qualities were varied by altering word frequency norms. All AD subtypes were less accurate than normal elderly controls in naming low frequency pictures. Patients and controls took longer to name low frequency and high complexity pictures, and this effect was comparable across the AD groups. Patients with predominantly visual deficits were significantly slower in naming than controls, and those with verbal impairments made a higher proportion of semantic naming errors when compared to patients displaying visual or severe global impairments. These results suggest that deficits in semantic processing contribute to naming dysfunction in AD, and they highlight the importance of examining dissociations among neurobehavioral subtypes.