Canadian Psychiatric Association journal最新文献

The evidence is very strong and persuasive that if serious juvenile delinquents are identified as having reached Level 4, a differential treatment program can be identified for them which will increase their chances of avoiding further law violation behaviour. Looking at both I-level growth and further delinquent behaviour, less is known about how to bring about change in the Power-oriented youths than in other I-level groups. This group is perhaps the most deserving of the label "Impossible Child." Continuing attempts to treat the Power-oriented offender in experimental programs is extremely important because this group includes the most serious offenders (the most felony-type crimes and the most assaultive crimes). More research is also needed on the treatment of the Passive Conformist group. We need to know more about the reasons for the short-term success and the long-term failure. Although this subtype does not commit as serious crimes as the other I3 subtypes, there is some evidence that there is a persistence to the offence behaviour which continues into adulthood, producing highly recidivistic individuals.

Authoritarian Families possess characteristics similar to those of the Authoritarian Personality. They are power oriented, tend to have dichotomous conceptions, have emotional and intellectual rigidity and submit easily to authoritarian forces. The adolescents in such families are deprived of their basic needs for stability, flexibility and guidance. Consequently they feel frustrated and angry. Their anger manifests itself in various forms. A large percentage of these adolescents adopt their parents' attitudes and develop similar authoritarian personality characteristics. The second group are those who experience considerable conflict and tend to become aggressive and hostile in their interpersonal relationships. STill, there are adolescents who become withdrawn, depressed and apathetic and display great difficulty in dealing effectively with the ordinary demands of their lives. These adolescents and their families are difficult to treat. Several case histories are provided and brief outlines of a treatment approach are given.

The study was conducted to obtain information on the recreational use of the vasodilators (RVs) amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite in Toronto. The results of 70 interviews (40 complete) indicate that sniffing these RVs gives a 'high' lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes with headache being the most common side effect. None of the more serious side effects mentioned in the literature were reported. RVs are used chiefly in conjunction with sexual activities and dancing. Their use is currently a craze amongst the male homosexual population.

Monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychoses are akin to paranoia. Although presenting with a variety of delusional complaints in individual cases, the condition appears to represent a relatively dis crete diagnostic entity. It is less rare than usually thought, but those afflicted frequently to to the physical specialties, whose treatment does not benefit them. It is important to recognize the illness, since there is tentative evidence that it may respond to treatment with pimozide.

The paper discusses some of the principles of custody assessments in divorce proceedings. It is felt that such assessments should be undertaken only upon the request of the judge or both lawyers. The assessment should be extensive and should include collecting and collating all available data obtained through interviews or letters. The report should include historical material, the formulation, and the reasons for the recommendations. Clinically, the important issue is to decide under whose care the child's growth and development is enhanced. Factors that help in this decision include the emotional ties between the parent and the child, the capacity of each parent to provide physically and emotionally, the preference of the child, and the need for continuity. The psychiatric and moral "fitness" of parents is critically reviewed. It is maintained that no parent should be given an inherent preference in custody rulings. Finally, it is argued that access should be expected after divorce and should be changed or eliminated only under strict conditions.

Although there have been many studies of the trial of Louis Riel, following the 1885 rebellion, much less attention has been paid to the fate of his secretary William Henry Jackson, who was charged with "treason-felony" and found not guilty, reason of insanity. In an effort to throw some new light on this neglected aspect of midico-legal history, this paper describes the intense political and religious relationship between Riel and his secretary which culminated in the onset of Jackson's mental illness. After a trial lasting less than half an hour, Jackson was committed to the "Selkirk Asylum" under a warrant of the then Lieutenant-Governor. Two weeks before Riel was executed, Jackson escaped from hospital and made his way into the U.S.A. No attempt was made to capture him. Jackson, having changed his name to Honoré Jaxon, became a labour organizer. He died in the psychopathic ward of Bellevue Hospital in New York on 10th January, 1952 at the age of ninety.

Louis Riel was confined against his will in insane asylums from March 6, 1876 to January 23, 1878. Psychiatrists and historians have generally interpreted his certification as an act of benevolence to Riel at a time when he was non compos mentis. However, detailed study of surviving records and manuscript sources shows that the commitment was legally suspect in a number of ways: proper signatures were lacking, pseudonyms were used, records were falsified, and so on. Moreover, while Riel was clearly a religious enthusiast with eccentric ideas, there was no proof that he was dangerous to himself or others at this time. We may thus wish to revise our interpretation of Riel's certification. It was not an act of benevolence but an illegal and unjustifiable deprivation of liberty.