Age and Gender Differences in the Use of Various Poisoning Methods for Deliberate Parasuicide Cases Admitted to Loghman Hospital in Tehran (2000–2004)

Different methods of poisoning used by individuals with the diagnosis of parasuicide admitted to the Loghman Hospital, Tehran, from 2000 to 2004 were investigated, with particular focus on gender and age differences. Drugs, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals (women: 12.7%, men: 9%) were the most commonly used methods. In males, the percentage of use of drugs increased with age, but the frequency of pesticides use decreased with age. In females, drugs were most often used in the youngest age group, whereas the use of pesticides was lowest in the youngest age category. Females outnumbered males, especially in the youngest age group of 10 to 19 years olds. Drugs and pesticides were the substances used most often for parasuicide in each age group regardless of gender.     

The Benefit of Forgetting Suicidal Ideation

In a sample of young adult Australians, those who had had suicidal ideation but who did not acknowledge ever having had it when asked 4 years later, were experiencing better mental health, as demonstrated by significantly better functioning on a range of psychometric measures, than those who recalled it. These results are consistent with several recent reports and indicate that forgetting painful events such as suicidal ideation is an adaptive defense mechanism. This has implications in terms of therapy focusing on contemporaneous events and the future, rather than on the past.     

What Does Psychological Autopsy Study Tell Us About Charcoal Burning Suicide—A New and Contagious Method in Asia?

Charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong between 2002–2004 in the 15 to 59‐year‐old age group were investigated using the psychological autopsy method. The psychopathological profiles of charcoal burning suicides (N = 53) were compared against “other suicides” (N = 97). The two groups did not differ significantly in the prevalence of DSM‐IV axis I diagnoses with the exception of schizophrenic spectrum disorder which was less frequently associated with charcoal burning suicides. Score on “neuroticism” in the NEO‐five Factor Inventory (NEO‐FFI) was significantly higher in victims of charcoal burning suicide. There was also a trend toward higher score on “conscientiousness” in the NEO‐FFI among charcoal burners than victims of other suicide.     

Parents' perfectionism and its relation to child rearing behaviors

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between parents' perfectionism and self‐reported parenting behaviors. The study included 786 parents (417 mothers and 369 fathers) of high school students. Results showed that parents' positive and negative perfectionism were differently related to specific forms of child rearing practices. Namely, positive perfectionism was positively, while negative perfectionism was negatively related to parental acceptance for both mothers and fathers. Mothers' and fathers' negative perfectionism was positively related to parental criticism and permissiveness. In addition, fathers' positive perfectionism was negatively associated with permissive child rearing practices. After controlling for background variables, parents' positive and negative perfectionism explained significant amounts of variance in all self‐reported parenting dimensions for fathers and significantly accounted for the variance of parental acceptance and criticism for mothers. According to our findings, parents' perfectionism might have an important role in shaping parenting behaviors.     

Evaluating the performance of departments of psychotherapy

Conceptual and practical issues which surround attempts at assessing the efficiency of psychotherapy departments are surveyed and the advantages and disadvantages associated with performance indicators reviewed. The issues of assessing efficiency in general and the selection of appropriate indicators at both national and local levels are discussed. It is concluded that it is possible to find indicators which reflect the value of a psychotherapeutic service to the community within which it is based, and that the identification of a generally agreed set of such parameters is a matter of priority.