Internet and Psychiatry

Meffert SM, Musalo K, Abdo AO, Alla OA, Elmakki YO, Omer AA, Yousif S, Metzler TJ, Marmar CR.
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Med Confl Surviv. 2010 Apr-Jun;26(2):160-72.

Thousands of Sudanese refugees have fled to Cairo, Egypt in the wake of Sudanese civil conflicts. Sudanese refugees were evaluated with respect to symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social stress.

Gesundheit B, Ash N, Blazer S, Rivkind AI.
Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Am J Bioeth. 2009 Oct;9(10):40-2.

With the escalation of terrorism worldwide in recent years, situations arise in which the perpetration of violence and the defense of human rights come into conflict, creating serious ethical problems. The Geneva Convention provides guidelines for the medical treatment of enemy wounded and sick, as well as prisoners of war. However, there are no comparable provisions for the treatment of terrorists, who can be termed unlawful combatants or unprivileged belligerents.

Johnson K, Scott J, Rughita B, Kisielewski M, Asher J, Ong R, Lawry L.
Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
JAMA. 2010 Aug 4;304(5):553-62.

CONTEXT: Studies from the Eastern Region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have provided anecdotal reports of sexual violence. This study offers a population-based assessment of the prevalence of sexual violence and human rights abuses in specific territories within Eastern DRC.

Halvorsen JØ, Kagee A.
Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, Trondheim University Hospital, Schwachs gate 1, N-7030 Trondheim, Norway.
J Interpers Violence. 2010 Jun;25(6):989-1005.

The present study investigated potential predictors of the psychological sequelae of torture among 143 former political activists who had been detained during the apartheid era in South Africa.

Weißflog G, Klinitzke G, Hinz A.
Universität Leipzig, Department für Psychische Gesundheit, Selbstständige Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Leipzig.
Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2010 Jun 16.

PURPOSE: Political persecution was and is a reality in our world. The study investigated effects of political imprisonment in the former German Democratic Republic on the current health-related quality of life and on the existence of a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: A sample of 157 former political prisoners was surveyed with a questionnaire containing the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the IES-R.

Mayers P, Keet N, Winkler G, Flisher AJ.
Division of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;56(1):60-73.

BACKGROUND: Sedation, seclusion or restraint are recognized methods of containing a person experiencing an acute psychotic episode with behavioural disturbance which has not responded to verbal or non-sedating pharmacological interventions. These interventions pose significant ethical and practical challenges to service providers who are responsible for safeguarding the human rights of mental health service users.