OBJECTIVE To compare the characteristics of suicides in the four main demographic groups: urban males, urban females, rural males and rural females in order to help clarify the demographic pattern of suicides in China. METHODS A detailed psychological autopsy survey instrument was independently administered to 895 suicide victims in family members and close associates from 23 geographically r...

Objective To compare the characteristics of suicides in the four main demographic groups: urban males, urban females, rural males and rural females in order to help clarify the demographic pattern of suicides in China. Methods A detailed psychological autopsy survey instrument was independently administered to 895 suicide victims in family members and close associates from 23 geographically rep...

“M doctor told me I’m too stressed out to quit smoking,” remarked a woman hospitalized with severe depression. “Well, 43 years later, I’m still stressed and I’m still smoking.” This woman’s dilemma is all too familiar to health care providers and patients seeking the ideal time to treat tobacco dependence in the face of chronic mental illness. Since smoking and mental illness commonly occur tog...

BACKGROUND A variety of claims about possible associations between gun ownership rates, mental illness burden, and the risk of firearm-related deaths have been put forward. However, systematic data on this issue among various countries remain scant. Our objective was to assess whether the popular notion "guns make a nation safer" has any merits. METHODS Data on gun ownership were obtained fro...

Objectives. The current study investigated mental health literacy in an Australian sample to examine sex differences in the identification of and attitudes towards various aspects of mental illness. Method. An online questionnaire was completed by 373 participants (M = 34.87 years). Participants were randomly assigned either a male or female version of a vignette depicting an individual exhibit...

Establishing “community” decreases isolation and social stigma and supports both physical and mental well-being (Ralph & Corrigan, 2005) for many individuals marginalized by the consequences of a mental illness. This chapter will focus on the role of intentional recovery communities in supporting wellness among people living with mental illness. The chapter will introduce the reader to the conc...

OBJECTIVES Smoking during pregnancy may cause many health problems for pregnant women and their newborns. However, there is a paucity of research that has examined the predictors of smoking during pregnancy in Canada. This study used data from the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to estimate the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy and examine the demographic, socioeconomic, ...

BACKGROUND Similar to the general public, mental health professionals sometimes also have negative attitudes towards individuals with mental illness; which could ultimately affect the quality of care received by the patients. This study aims to explore attitudes to mental illness among mental health professionals in Singapore; make comparisons with the general population; and investigate the si...

Several papers in the BJPsych this month address issues arising from the overlap or comorbidity between mental and physical ill health. In a UK sample of individuals with affective disorders, Forty et al (pp. 465–472) found significantly increased rates of several medical illnesses among those with bipolar and unipolar disorder compared with controls. Among those with affective disorder, migrai...