Erratum to "Psychological support can be distinguished from psychotherapy: Clarifications for future empirical work" [General Hospital Psychiatry 99 (2026) 30-40

Psychological support can be distinguished from psychotherapy: Clarifications for future empirical work.

Background: Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, with chemotherapy being a cornerstone of treatment. Despite its efficacy, chemotherapy imposes profound physical and psychological challenges on patients, including nutritional imbalances and body image disturbances. These challenges impact the overall quality of life and treatment adherence, underscoring the need for comprehensive care approaches. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore perceived body image disturbances among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, assess their nutritional status, and to determine the association between nutritional imbalances and selected sociodemographic variables. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative phenomenological and quantitative descriptive designs. Sixty breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, were purposively and conveniently sampled. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with five participants were thematically analysed, while quantitative data from 55 patients were collected using the 7-point Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) tool and analysed using SPSS. Results: The study categorised the impact of chemotherapy into themes: physical effects, emotional and psychological effects, support systems, and adaptation and lifestyle changes. It also revealed that 80% of patients were well-nourished, 20% were mildly to moderately malnourished, and none were severely underweight, indicating a generally good nutritional status among participants. Sociodemographic variables such as age and residence influenced nutritional status, but marital status, education, and occupation showed no significant association. Conclusion: The study highlights the critical role of holistic nursing care, integrating nutritional assessments and psychological support, to address the multifaceted challenges of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Comprehensive care protocols can improve patient outcomes and enhance their quality of life.

This paper is a report of a descriptive study of Chinese abdominal surgical patients' and nurses' perceptions of discharge information needs. Discharge from hospital poses a potential threat to surgical patients' lives because they have to cope in daily life with the consequences of the illness and surgery. Recent studies indicate that nurses often underestimate or inappropriately perceive patients' discharge information needs. Few studies have examined the discharge information needs of patients who have undergone abdominal surgery, and research in Asian populations is particularly scarce. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2008. Semi-structured interviews were performed with a convenience sample of 16 patients who had undergone an abdominal surgery and their 16 nurses in a regional general hospital in Hong Kong. Results of content analysis indicated that to both the surgical patients and their nurses, three similar categories of information needs on discharge were health concerns upon discharge, addressing patients' information needs, and obstacles that hindered information seeking. Specific needs related to finance, knowledge of illness, psychological support and role of diet and traditional Chinese medicine perceived as important by the patients were underestimated by the surgical nurses and revealed important issues in providing holistic and culture-specific nursing care for surgical patients upon discharge. Surgical patients' information needs on finance, illness condition, psychological support and cultural practices were found not to be accurately and adequately understood by their nurses. Nurses should give culturally specific and appropriate predischarge education in terms of promotion of recovery from surgery, health maintenance practice and psychological support.

IntroductionThe postpartum period is critical for the onset of mood disorders. Three primary postpartum affective disorders are recognized: baby blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis, each differing in prevalence, presentation, and treatment. Obstetric factors like primiparity, complications during pregnancy and birth, Cesarean sections, and preterm births are associated with increased neuropsychiatric risks during the puerperium.ObjectivesThis study analyzes the demographic, clinical, and obstetric factors linked to postpartum psychiatric disorders and case management in women hospitalized at the Hospital of Psychiatry in Chisinau, Moldova, over a five-year period.MethodsA longitudinal, retrospective study was conducted, reviewing medical records of 35 women hospitalized between 2019 and 2024. A literature review was also performed to identify relevant obstetric and clinical risk factors.ResultsPatients ranged from 20 to 41 years old, with an average age of 29.8 years ±1,5 years. Out of reviewed cases, 42.9% were from urban areas, 25.7% had a family history of psychiatric illness, and 54.3% developed postpartum psychosis after their first birth, suggesting primiparity as a key risk factor. Psychosis onset ranged from three days to two months postpartum in 45.7% of cases, with 37.1% showing symptoms within the first two weeks. Comorbidities included cardiovascular diseases (20.0%), digestive disorders (14.3%), renal issues (8.6%), and autoimmune conditions (2.9%). Severe mental and behavioral disorders (F53.1) were diagnosed in 74.3% of cases, while 25.7% had milder forms (F53.0). First-time hospitalizations accounted for 88.6%, but 48.6% had prior hospitalizations, with later diagnoses evolving into paranoid schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, and recurrent depression. Psychological consultation was provided in 48.6% of cases, using tools like PHQ-9, TAG, MMPI, BDI. Treatment varied significantly, with antipsychotics, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines prescribed, yet no standardized protocol was followed.ConclusionsPrimiparity is a significant risk factor for postpartum psychiatric disorders, with early onset often occurring within the first two weeks. This underscores the critical need for prompt recognition and intervention. Comorbid disorders add complexity to patient management. The variability in pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment highlights a gap in evaluation and case management, potentially delaying timely diagnosis and treatment and it emphasizes the need for consistent and standardized guidelines. The evolving nature of diagnoses, reinforces the importance of ongoing monitoring, psychoeducation, and psychological support throughout the postpartum period.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

In Italy, the reform of the mental health system in 1978 should have drastically changed the provision of care and pathways of patients seeking to obtain it. The aim of this article is to examine the current pathways to psychiatric care in Italy. We used a method developed in the World Health Organization international collaborative studies to investigate pathways to care in 15 Italian mental health centers. We recruited 420 patients with a psychiatric illness and explored the care pathways they took to reach to psychiatric services and the delays from the onset of illness to reaching psychiatric care. The majority of patients (33.8%) had direct access to mental health care, whereas the others arrived to a specialist in psychiatry through general hospitals (20.3%), general practitioners (33.0%) or private practitioners (9.8%). The main diagnosis for referral was neurotic disorder (36.6%), followed by affective disorder (35.4%) and psychotic disorder (11.5%). The delay from onset of illness to psychiatric care was greater for patients with psychotic disorders than for those with affective and neurotic disorders. The most frequently prescribed treatments were pharmacotherapy (56%), psychological support (8%), and psychotherapy (7.0%); 15% of the patients received no treatment. Our multicenter study shows that although general practitioners and hospital doctors are still the main referral point for mental health care, a greater proportion of patients are first seen in private settings or directly reach mental health centers, compared to previous surveys conducted in Italy. However, a stronger collaboration of psychiatrists with general practitioners and psychologists is still needed.

Anxiety for procedures or anxiety for results

Psychological support in pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis

Introduction Poorly managed transition could adversely impact upon adjustment to diabetes and potentially result in non-adherence to treatment, loss to follow-up and worsening of health-related outcomes. In our DGH, approximately 20 Young Person (YP) with T1DM get transferred to YP Clinic every year. YP between 17–19 years of age attend a joint clinic before the transfer. The YP Clinic provides a continuity of diabetes care up to the age of 25 years. Aim of the study To evaluate the experiences and satisfaction of YP with current diabetes transitional service at a DGH, identify aspects of the service that could be improved and propose plans to improve the service. Methods A survey was conducted evaluating the experiences and satisfaction of YP transitioned in the years 2014 and 2015. The challenges faced by the current transitional service was evaluated through a survey of paediatric and adult diabetes professionals. The patient and professional survey was conducted using SurveyMonkey. Results 30 out of 40 YP responded to our survey. 22 YP responded that transition was first discussed after 15 years of age. 23 YP reported their involvement in planning their transition care but only 30% reported that their transition care plan (TCP) was specific to their needs. 90% had a key worker at transition. 14 YP reported attending age-specific ‘Teen Diabetes Clinic’ between 14–17 years of age. 80% met with YP diabetes team at the joint/transfer clinic. 86% reported attending their first appointment at the YP Clinic. Majority expressed high rate of satisfaction with the transition support. Provision of peer support, reminders for appointments and an opportunity to familiarise with YP Clinic environment before the transfer were highlighted as most crucial by YP. Clinic capacity and lack of in-house dietitian and psychology support were the major challenges identified with the YP Clinic. Conclusion There was high rate of attendance at the handover as well as first clinic post-handover. Majority respondents reported good satisfaction with the service. Recommendations were made to improve the TCP, assess YP’s transitional readiness using ‘Ready Steady Go’ programme and to address the gaps in post-transfer dietetic and psychology support.

One of the many consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is that the psychological well-being of nurses and other healthcare staff has received greater attention. The Supporting Our Staff (SOS) service, set up in 2017 at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, provides psychological peer support to staff using the Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) model. TRiM is a psychological risk assessment and peer support model designed to mitigate the risks associated with exposure to traumatic events. It was initially developed and used in the UK armed forces but has started to be used in healthcare organisations. This article describes the development and expansion of the SOS service, the implementation of the TRiM model by the SOS team, and the significant part the service has played in the trust's response to the increased psychological support needs of its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Practice of Psychiatry in General Hospitals by A. E. Bennett, E. A. Hargrove, and B. Engle." International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 7(3), pp. 339–340

Conséquences à l’adolescence des violences sexuelles dans l’enfance : penser le repérage au cours de l’hospitalisation pédopsychiatrique des adolescents

Background: There is growing global interest into the attitudes and clinical management of persons who have attempted suicide.Aims: The principal purpose was to determine senior nursing staff attitudes towards patients who had attempted suicide from a professional and cultural perspective, which might influence care following hospital admission. The focus concerned nursing staff interactions at a psychological level that compete with physical tasks on general hospital wards.Methods: A qualitative methodology was employed with audio-taped interviews utilising four level data coding. This article reports on a group of 15 nursing staff from a large general hospital in Mysore, Southern India.Results: Findings suggested that patient care and treatment is directly influenced by the nurse’s religious beliefs within a general hospital setting with physical duties prioritised over psychological support, which was underdeveloped throughout the participant group.Conclusion: The results allow a series of recommendations for educational and skills initiatives before progressing to patient assessment and treatment projects and cross-cultural comparison studies. In addition, interventions must focus on current resources and context to move the evidence-based suicide prevention forward.

General hospital psychiatry in the Netherlands

Each year approximately 1,000,000 people die by suicide, accounting for nearly 3% of all deaths and more than half (56%) of all violent deaths in the world (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002). Suicide ideation and suicide attempts are strongly linked to death by suicide and powerfully predict further suicidal behavior (Institute of Medicine, 2002). There are an estimated 100–200 suicide attempts for each completed suicide in young people, and 4 attempts for each completed suicide in the elderly (Institute of Medicine, 2002). Emergency departments (EDs) are the most important site, epidemiologically speaking, for treating those who make suicide attempts. EDs in the United States, for example, record over 500,000 suicide-related visits annually (Larkin, Smith, & Beautrais, 2008). The majority of suicide attempt patients are discharged after medical stabilization and psychosocial evaluation, but carry a significant risk of recidivism (Larkin, Smith, & Beautrais, 2008). Similarly, ED patients who present with suicide ideation (without attempt) have risks of returning to the ED with further ideation or with suicide attempts which are as high as those who present with attempts (Larkin, Beautrais, Gibb, & Laing, 2008). In addition, a significant fraction of those who present to EDs for nonmental health reasons often have occult or silent suicide ideation (estimated at 8–12%) (Claassen & Larkin, 2005). The worldwide economic tsunami and sky-rocketing healthcare costs have ensured that mental health-related visits and presentations for suicidal behavior will continue to rise in the foreseeable future. The closure of psychiatric inpatient facilities, reductions in inpatient beds, moves to treat people in the community, and increased costs of general practitioner visits have coincided with – and likely account for – increased ED attendances by psychiatric and suicidal patients who previously might have been admitted or seen in primary care. The ED is now the default, de facto option for urgent and acute contact for suicidal patients within the health system – and in many countries the ED is the only access to 24/7 healthcare (Fields et al., 2001).

The new coronavirus pneumonia has been listed as one of the Class B infectious disease but is managed as Class A infectious disease. To prevent and control its spread in hospitals, the outpatient department is the first key gate. Based on the relevant diagnosis and treatment strategies of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, combined with the actual situation of the hospital's epidemic prevention and control work, this article formulated comprehensive prevention and control strategies from the perspective of the patients and staffs. From the aspects of organization and leadership, medical epidemic prevention, pre-screening and screening, process formulation, admission management, cleaning and disinfection, epidemic report, prevention and control supervision, personnel and material deployment, patient education, comprehensive management, personnel management and psychological support and so on, advice and guidance on prevention and control of this infectious disease in outpatient department of hospital were provided. Key words: 2019 novel coronavirus; outpatient clinics, hospital; prevention and control strategy; pre-check triage; epidemic management