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Biomedical subjects

T W Harding

Publications and source records attributed to T W Harding.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

AIDS in prison.

A survey carried out in 17 countries on behalf of the Council of Europe shows how prison doctors and administrations have reacted to the AIDS epidemic in ways that are not always scientifically and ethically sound. The pressing need to control HIV infection in prison, to counsel and support seropositive prisoners, to care for prisoners who get AIDS, and to cope with the psychosocial pressures within a closed, authoritarian environment pose a serious challenge to prison medical services; it is far from certain that they have sufficient resources and professional independence to cope. Failure to react adequately to the AIDS epidemic in prisons would have serious consequences both for the community as a whole and for the ethical position of prison doctors.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

The paradoxical impact of a commitment statute on prediction of dangerousness.

Forty psychiatrists in Arizona were asked to rate the dangerousness to self or others of 16 patients described in case histories and to recommend an appropriate course of action. Half the psychiatrists were given the state defining dangerousness to use in responding. Psychiatrists who used the statute summary were less consistent in their predictions of dangerousness than were those who did not use it, especially when the patient had a history of violence. The concept of cognitive dissonance is used to partially explain this paradoxical finding.

Arizona↗
PubMed1983

On vagrancy and psychosis.

Paradoxically, due to recent mental health legislation, the mentally handicapped of the developed world find themselves in the same situation as the majority of those in the developing world who never had contact with a mental health service. A survey of the literature and of the situation in Egypt and Lesotho suggests marked coincidence of vagrancy and chronic mental illness. In both the developed and developing world, adequate services to support these people are lacking.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1983

The burden of mental illness on the family. Results of observations in four developing countries. A report from the WHO Collaborative Study on Strategies for Extending Mental Health Care.

As part of the WHO Collaborative Study on Strategies for Extending Mental Health Care 259 families in four developing countries (Colombia, India, Sudan and the Philippines) were screened with regard to the social burden caused by mental illness of one of its members. Levels of subsistence, previous illness, financial burden, personal relations and social acceptance were studied. The social burden was greatest in the urban areas.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The WHO collaborative study on strategies for extending mental health care, I: The genesis of the study.

In 1975 the World Health Organization began a multinational collaborative study of the feasibility and effectiveness of offering community-based mental health care in developing countries. Services were to be offered by primary health care workers in pilot study areas in seven countries. The authors discuss the philosophic and epidemiologic underpinnings of the study, the factors that helped the collaborative effort develop, and some of the issues that emerged. Areas for future study are outlined.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1983

The WHO collaborative study on strategies for extending mental health care, II: The development of new research methods.

Teams in seven developing countries under sponsorship of the World Health Organization have been carrying out collaborative operational research on providing mental health care through primary health care services. New techniques of identifying mental disorders in children and adults have been developed and tested. Methods of assessing the skills and attitudes of health workers toward mental health work and of gauging community attitudes toward mental illness have also been developed. Results have been directly applied in planning better mental health care. The authors conclude that cross-cultural collaborative research is effective in improving mental health care for those in greatest need.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1983

The WHO collaborative study on strategies for extending mental health care, III: Evaluative design and illustrative results.

Teams in seven developing countries have adopted a common research design to evaluate new community mental health care services. The nature of the intervention programs varied considerably according to the characteristics of each area. Observations made before the intervention and 18 to 24 months after showed significant changes in the attitudes, knowledge, and diagnostic accuracy of health staff and in community attitudes and reactions. A considerable number of individuals with serious mental disorders received effective care for the first time.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1983

Knowledge and attitudes of primary health care personnel concerning mental health problems in developing countries.

A semi-structured interview for assessing the knowledge and attitude of health workers concerning mental health problems was applied in seven developing country areas within the context of a World Health Organization coordinated collaborative study. The results indicate a lack of basic mental health training associated with a failure to recognize mental health problems, restricted knowledge concerning psychotropic drug therapy, and an inability to visualize practical forms of mental health care which could be introduced at primary care level. The results were used to design appropriate training programs, and the observations will be repeated to assess the effectiveness of training.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1982

Diagnosis and symptoms of mental disorder in a rural area of Senegal.

A study was carried out in a rural area of Senegal to ascertain the pattern of mental disorders among patients presenting at primary health facilities. Among 545 children aged 5-15 years, attending health centres and posts, 17% were found to be suffering from some form of emotional problem, behaviour disturbance or neuro-psychiatric disorders. Using a 10-item screening questionnaire, it was shown that the symptoms "never plays with others' and "speech disturbance' were the strongest predictors of mental disorder among children. Among 933 adults, it was found that 16% reported more than seven symptoms commonly associated with psychiatric illness on a 24-item self-reporting questionnaire. The order in adults does not allow a precise estimate of morbidity to be made. Health workers diagnosed 9% of the patients as suffering from a mental health problem, usually in association with a physical problem. It was found that psychotic and suicidal symptoms (e.g. hallucinations, delusions) were more likely to be recognized by health workers as diagnostic of mental disorder, whereas psychophysiological symptoms (e.g. anorexia, insomnia, headache) and psychological symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression) were less frequently recognized. The study supports the view that psychological symptoms and mental disorders occur relatively frequently among adults and children attending primary health facilities. Data allowing insight into the diagnostic sensitivity of primary health workers can provide a rational basis for planning training programmes in mental health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Childhood mental disorders in primary health care: results of observations in four developing countries. A report from the WHO collaborative Study on Strategies for Extending Mental Health Care.

To ascertain the frequency of mental disorders in Sudan, Philippines, India, and Columbia, 925 children attending primary health care facilities were studied. Rates of between 12% and 29% were found in the four study areas. The range of mental disorders diagnosed was similar to the encountered in industrialized countries. The research procedure involved a two-stage screening in which a ten-item "reporting questionnaire" constituted the first stage. The study has shown that mental disorders are common among children attending primary health care facilities in four developing countries and that accompanying adults (usually the mothers) readily recognize and report common psychologic and behavioral symptoms when these are solicited by means of a simple set of questions. Despite this, the primary health workers themselves recognized only between 10% and 22% of the cases of mental disorder. The result have been used to design appropriate brief training courses in childhood mental disorders for primary health workers in the countries participating in the study.

Adolescent↗