Therapeutic and counter-therapeutic factors in acute ward settings

Summary

Recent reports suggest that many patients view their admission to a psychiatric acute unit as an unrewarding, distressing or undermining experience. Whilst it could become genuinely therapeutic, in the sense that it could be an opportunity for self-reflection, personal exploration or change, it is often endured as a traumatic event in one's life that should best be forgotten.

This paper explores a psychodynamic understanding of this multi-personal environment in which transference phenomena develop and are usually ‘acted out’. The admission process is examined, as well as the importance of understanding the support and attachment to fellow patients, staff-patient tensions, and relationships between staff and management. Issues about violence and fear, locked wards, and reflective interventions on a unit are discussed, focusing on how to maximise therapeutic opportunities. The multi-disciplinary ward-review is also scrutinised in this light.     

SPENDING WELL: HOW TIME PERSPECTIVES IMPACT CONSUMER VALUES AND FINANCIAL DECISIONS AMONG MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS

The current research extends the time perspective literature by exploring the relationships between time perspectives and financial outcomes across several adult age groups. In combining various demographically diverse samples, our study includes a total of 9,065 adults that completed some form of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI). We found that people who are Future-oriented tend to have more responsible financial lifestyles. On the other hand, Past-Negative, Present-Hedonism, and Past-Fatalism orientations are associated with more detrimental financial lifestyles. Thus, the greater the deviation from a balanced time perspective middle-aged adults were, the (1) more they reported being materialistic, (2) more impulsive, compulsive, and conspicuous they were when shopping, and (3) less financially secure they felt. Also, our mediation models revealed that increased impulsive buying, compulsive buying, and conspicuous consumption partially mediated the negative relation between Past-Negative and financial security. However, decreased conspicuous consumption partially mediated the positive relation between Future and financial risk tolerance. We discuss potential ways to shape individual time perspectives, the developmental implications for time perspectives, consumer profiles, and well-being, as well as limitations.     

Is Work Conducive to Self-Destruction?

ABSTRACT: While the current literature contains numerous studies and even more numerous assumptions linking aspects of the work setting, stress, and mortality; no systematic investigation has been made of possible patterns of stress-induced self-destructive behaviors among the work settings per se. This research paper attempts to help fill that gap by reporting on an analysis of data on industry, age and mortality rates for seven stress-related causes of death (suicide, homocide, hypertensive heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, arteriosclerotic heart disease, ulcer of the stomach, and hypertension). Using available United States' mortality statistics, a consistent pattern is found for all of the stress-related types of deaths by industry and age. A suggested explanation of this pattern is based on status integration theory.     

Forms of the Sacred

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis -