{"title":"The pros and cons of virtual networking events: online exploratory survey of psychiatrists’ opinions","authors":"Yuto Satake, Izumi Kuramochi, Ryo Kawagishi, Masato Masuda, Morio Aki, Nozomu Oya","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.26","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.26","url":null,"abstract":"We conducted an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study to clarify psychiatrists’ perspectives on virtual networking events. We compared two groups of respondents: those who had participated in virtual networking events (experienced group, n = 85) and those who had not (inexperienced group, n = 13). The experienced group had a greater level of agreement than the inexperienced group that virtual events were generally useful and helped with forming professional relationships and improving professional skills. Respondents in the experienced group considered the ease of participation and low financial burden to be advantages of virtual networking meetings and difficulties in building friendships and socialising to be disadvantages.","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135436825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychiatry in the sultanate of Oman","authors":"Hamed Al-Sinawi, Hassan Mirza","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.24","url":null,"abstract":"Oman has been recognised as the leading country in terms of recent developments in public health. However, there is a shortage of mental health services, which poses challenges for people seeking such services, particularly those from rural areas. This often results in delayed treatment and longer periods of untreated mental illness.","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135493721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sotiria Mitroulaki, Maria Samakouri, Aspasia Serdari
{"title":"Children with autism in the Greek educational system: ongoing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Sotiria Mitroulaki, Maria Samakouri, Aspasia Serdari","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in typical educational settings has only recently gained momentum in Greece, responding to the recommendations of the international conventions. Reform of special education legislation spotlights the inclusion of children with autism in mainstream schools. The principal goal is to accept the diversity and heterogeneity of all students. This paper presents the educational policy for children with ASD in Greece and comments on teachers' perceptions of inclusion. School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on children's lives and created a new environment with different demands for educational inclusion.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"68-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387433/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9929268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mehr Muhammad Adeel Riaz, Bismah Nayyer, Arush Lal, Faisal A Nawaz, Ahsan Zil-E-Ali
{"title":"Climate change and mental health: a call to action to include mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) in the Pakistan flood crisis.","authors":"Mehr Muhammad Adeel Riaz, Bismah Nayyer, Arush Lal, Faisal A Nawaz, Ahsan Zil-E-Ali","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.13","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The recent flood crisis in Pakistan has had significant impacts on the physical, mental and socioeconomic fabric of almost 33 million people. Floods in Pakistan are leading to a range of negative impacts on health and major disruptions to healthcare services. The lack of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) is a significant concern in rural areas of Pakistan in providing support to communities affected by floods. It is important for the government and mental health policymakers to work with academic coalitions and non-governmental organisations to replicate low-resource MHPSS models that will develop and advocate for effective, gender-sensitive mental healthcare throughout the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"56-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387409/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9929272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The opioid crisis fuelled by health systems: how will future physicians fare?","authors":"Mark Mohan Kaggwa, Jeremy Devine, Sheila Harms","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.12","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The opioid crisis continues to affect many areas worldwide, raising questions regarding prescribing indications. There is no consensus on negotiating the need for pain relief and the potential for medically prescribed opioid-related harm/addiction. These issues present an enormous educational challenge to physicians in training, particularly those whose mandate is to understand and respond to varying forms of pain. This article examines the perspectives and educational challenges faced by two psychiatry residents from different parts of the globe during the crisis. Is the educational experience of future psychiatrists sufficient to prepare them for the responsibilities that lie ahead?</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"58-60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387417/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9929275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The benefits of digitisation of psychiatric care facilities.","authors":"David Skuse","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.16","DOIUrl":"10.1192/bji.2023.16","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The potential benefits of providing digital mental healthcare to isolated rural populations are emphasised in two articles from Pakistan. Novel programmes of support have been instituted by both private and publicly funded services.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387418/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10283702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexander L Chu, Aneeta Pasha, Carmen Contreras, Leonid Lecca, Annika C Sweetland, Jerome T Galea
{"title":"The COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for integrated global mental healthcare and tuberculosis care.","authors":"Alexander L Chu, Aneeta Pasha, Carmen Contreras, Leonid Lecca, Annika C Sweetland, Jerome T Galea","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental disorders are common among persons with tuberculosis (TB), and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the mental and physical health consequences of this deadly synergy. Here, we call to attention the immense vulnerability of people with TB to mental disorders during the pandemic and highlight the unique challenges and opportunities that the pandemic brings to the future integration of global TB and mental healthcare. We argue that the pandemic era is an ideal period to accelerate this integration and we provide research and policy recommendations to actualise this urgent need.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"64-67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/c2/7e/S205647402300003Xa.PMC10387437.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9935317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Economic burden of mental illness in Pakistan: an estimation for the year 2020 from existing evidence.","authors":"Mohsin Hassan Alvi, Tehmina Ashraf, Tayyeba Kiran, Nasir Iqbal, Anil Gumber, Anita Patel, Nusrat Husain","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report is based on the extrapolation to 2020 of data on the economic burden of mental illnesses in Pakistan in 2006. Given the resultant estimated high economic burden of mental illness in the country (£2.97 billion in 2020), we advocate a revised budget allocation to mental healthcare. As a resource-scarce nation that is entangled in natural disasters, Pakistan needs cost-effective psychological interventions such as culturally adapted manual-assisted problem-solving training (C-MAP) for the prevention of self-harm and suicide and to move towards attaining the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although government has taken initiatives to support healthcare services (such as the Sehat Sahulat Program for universal health coverage), there is still a need to implement a cost-effective national digital model for mental healthcare such as the Agha Khan Development Network Digital Health Programme.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"54-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9929274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pandora's Box.","authors":"","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.17","url":null,"abstract":"BOX Mind the gap T economic crisis of 2010 brought global inequalities to the surface more clearly, and over the years the gap between the rich and the poor has been increasing. The COVID pandemic has highlighted the socioeconomic disparities between and within countries and the major adverse effects these have on health and well-being for communities and individuals. This has been highlighted further with the recent major increase in the cost of living. Research has shown that levels of prosperity are relevant to brain development, and poverty can have an impact on our children, with longer-term effects on their ability to manage their economic status in adulthood. Without appropriate state policies aimed at improving people’s economic status, adversity and its effects repeat from generation to generation.","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"74-76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387438/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9929276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Healthcare utilisation in the United Arab Emirates for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbidities.","authors":"Ahmad M Almai, Jay A Salpekar","doi":"10.1192/bji.2023.14","DOIUrl":"10.1192/bji.2023.14","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is consistent worldwide. Psychiatric comorbidities are common, although less is known about how those comorbidities affect utilisation of healthcare services. Access to paediatric mental healthcare is a challenge in many regions. However, access to care in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is supported by a well-established healthcare infrastructure with widely available primary care physicians. A review of diagnosis codes suggests that a clear correlation exists between the number of comorbidities and increased utilisation of available mental health services. Infrastructure in the UAE may represent a successful model for paediatric mental healthcare.</p>","PeriodicalId":36441,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych International","volume":"20 3","pages":"61-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10387415/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9935315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}