Subjective mental time: the functional architecture of projecting the self to past and future.

Abstract Human experience takes place in the line of mental time (MT) created through 'self-projection' of oneself to different time-points in the past or future. Here we manipulated self-projection in MT not only with respect to one's life events but also with respect to one's faces from different past and future time-points. Behavioural and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging activity showed three independent effects characterized by (i) similarity between past recollection and future imagination, (ii) facilitation of judgements related to the future as compared with the past, and (iii) facilitation of judgements related to time-points distant from the present. These effects were found with respect to faces and events, and also suggest that brain mechanisms of MT are independent of whether actual life episodes have to be re-experienced or pre-experienced, recruiting a common cerebral network including the anteromedial temporal, posterior parietal, inferior frontal, temporo-parietal and insular cortices. These behavioural and neural data suggest that self-projection in time is a fundamental aspect of MT, relying on neural structures encoding memory, mental imagery and self.

Involuntary outpatient treatment for mental health problems in Switzerland: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: In 2008, the Swiss Civil Code was amended. From 1 January 2013, each Swiss canton may propose specific provisions for involuntary outpatient treatment (community treatment orders (CTOs)) for individuals with mental disorders. AIM: This review catalogues the legal provisions of the various Swiss cantons for CTOs and outlines the differences between them. It sets this in the context of variations in clinical provisions between the cantons. METHODS: Databases were searched to obtain relevant publications about CTOs in Switzerland. The Swiss Medical Association, Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Swiss Health Observatory and all the 26 Cantonal medical officers were contacted to complete the information. Conférence des cantons en matière de protection des mineurs et des adultes (COPMA), the authority which monitors guardianship legislation, and Pro Mente Sana, a patients' right association, were also approached. RESULTS: Three articles about CTOs in Switzerland were identified. Psychiatric provisions vary considerably between cantons and only a few could provide complete or even partial figures for rates of compulsion in previous years. Prior to 2013, only 6 of the 20 cantons, for which information was returned, had any provision for CTOs. Now, every canton has some form of legal basis but the level of detail is often limited. In eight cantons, the powers of the measure are not specified (for example, use of medication). In 12 cantons, the maximum duration of the CTO is not specified. German speaking cantons and rural cantons are more likely to specify the details of CTOs. CONCLUSION: Highly variable Swiss provision for CTOs is being introduced despite the absence of convincing international evidence for their effectiveness or good quality data on current coercive practice. Careful monitoring and assessment of these new cantonal provisions are essential.

Disease profiles of detainees in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland: gender and age differences in substance abuse, mental health and chronic health conditions.

BACKGROUND: Literature on the disease profile of prisoners that differentiates by age and gender remains sparse. This study aimed to describe the health of correctional inmates in terms of substance abuse problems and mental and somatic health conditions, and compare it by gender and age. METHODS: This study examined cross-sectional data from the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland on the health conditions of detainees who were in prison on January 1, 2011 or entered prison in 2011. Health conditions validated by physician examination were reported using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) version 10. The analyses were descriptive by groups of prisoners: the entire sample (All), Men, Older adults and Women. RESULTS: A total of 1,664 individuals were included in the analysis. Men comprised 91.5 % of the sample and had a mean age of 33 years. The other 8.5 % were women and had an average age of 39. Older adults (i.e., age 50 and older) represented 7 % of the total sample. Overall, 80 % of inmates were non-Swiss citizens, but the proportion of Swiss prisoners was higher among the older adults (51 %) and women (29 %). Overall, 41 % of inmates self-reported substance abuse problems. Of those, 27 % were being treated by psychiatrists for behavioral disorders related to substance abuse. Chronic infectious diseases were found in 9 % of the prison population. In addition, 27 % of detainees suffered from serious mental health conditions. Gender and age had an influence on the disease profile of this sample: compared to the entire prison population, the older inmates were less likely to misuse illegal drugs and to suffer from communicable infections but exhibited more problems with alcohol and a higher burden of chronic health conditions. Female prisoners were more disposed to mental health problems (including drug abuse) and infectious diseases. In terms of chronic diseases, women suffered from the same conditions as men, but the diseases were more prevalent in women. CONCLUSION: It is important to understand the different disease profiles of prisoners by gender and age, as it helps identify the needs of different groups and tailor age-and gender-specific interventions.

Attachment, psychopathology, and religion: Introduction to this special section of Mental Health, Religion, & Culture

An international conference of psychology of religion, organised at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) on 16 May 2012, took up the theme: "Attachment, psychopathology, and religion". Four speakers were invited: Pehr Granvist, Andrew Gumley, Isabelle Rieben, and Pascal Roman. Their reworked contributions are gathered in this special section of Mental Health, Religion, & Culture. The goal of this special section is to re-examine the whole of this subject of the bond between attachment and religion and/or spirituality in the cases of those persons suffering from mental health disorders.

La collaboration interprofessionnelle à l'interface des institutions socio-éducative et psychiatrique. Jeux et enjeux de l'intervention auprès de personnes en situation de handicap mental et de troubles psychiques

La prise en charge et le suivi de personnes en situation de handicap mental souffrant de troubles psychiques et se trouvant donc à l'interface des domaines socio:éducatif et psychiatrique, constituent des défis complexes en matière de collaboration interprofessionnelle. Dans le canton de Vaud, les acteurs concernés par ce problème s'efforcent depuis de nombreuses années de créer des réseaux pluridisciplinaires visant un meilleur échange entre professionnels et le développement de compétences et de connaissances permettant d'améliorer le bien:être des bénéficiaires. Ce travail se propose ainsi d'étudier et de questionner ces modalités de travail dans une perspective socioculturelle (Vygotski, 1934/1997), afin d'en comprendre le fonctionnement, d'en éclairer les mécanismes et de fournir des pistes de réflexion aux professionnels. Il repose sur un travail de terrain mené auprès des membres du Dispositif de Collaboration Psychiatrie Handicap Mental (DCPHM) du Département de psychiatrie du CHUV, dont la mission principale est de faciliter la collaboration entre les institutions socio:éducatives et psychiatriques spécialisées dans le suivi des personnes en situation de handicap mental et souffrant de troubles psychiques. Le travail empirique est basé sur une approche qualitative et compréhensive des interactions sociales, et procède par une étude de terrain approfondie. Les données recueillies sont variées : notes de terrain et récolte de documentation, enregistrement de réunions d'équipe au sein du DCPHM et de réunions de réseau, et entretiens de différents types. L'analyse montre que le travail de collaboration qui incombe à l'équipe est constitué d'obstacles qui sont autant d'occasions de développement professionnel et de construction identitaire. Les résultats mettent en lumière des mécanismes discursifs de catégorisation concourant à la fois à la construction des patients comme objets d'activité, et à la construction d'une place qui légitime les interventions de l'équipe dans le paysage socio:éducatif et psychiatrique vaudois et la met au centre de l'arène professionnelle. -- Care and follow:up for people with mental disabilities suffering from psychological disorders : therefore at the interface between the socio:educational and psychiatric fields : represent complex challenges in terms of interprofessional collaboration. In the canton of Vaud, the caregivers involved in this issue have been trying for years to build multidisciplinary networks in order to better exchange between professionals and develop skills and knowledge to improve the recipients' well:being. This work thus proposes to study and question these working methods in a sociocultural perspective (Vygotski, 1934/1997) so as to understand how they operate, highlight inherent mechanisms and provide actionable insights to the professionals. It is based on fieldwork conducted among members of the Dispositif de Collaboration Psychiatrie Handicap Mental (DCPHM), of the Psychiatry Department at the CHUV University Hospital in Lausanne, whose main mission is to facilitate collaboration between the socio:educational and psychiatric institutions specialising in monitoring people presenting with both mental handicap and psychiatric disorder. The empirical work is based on a qualitative and comprehensive approach to social interactions, and conducted based on an in:depth field study. The data collected are varied - field notes and documentation collection, recordings of team meetings within the DCPHM and network meetings, and various types of interviews. The analysis shows that the collaborative work that befalls the team consists of obstacles, all of which provide opportunities for professional development and identity construction. The results highlight discursive strategies of categorisation which contribute both to the construction of the patients as objects of activity and to building a position that legitimates the team's interventions in the socio: educational and psychiatric landscape of canton Vaud and puts it in the centre of the professional arena.