Background: A cohort of 11 patients with an intellectual disability and a psychiatric diagnosis present severe behavioural disorders in psychiatric hospital of Quebec in 2009. Control-measure use for this clientele has now been reduced. How do management personnel, families and care teams explain the changes? What clinical interventions did…

This qualitative study explores the reflexive relationships among mental illness, acculturation, and progress toward English proficiency in five adult immigrants being treated at a Canadian psychiatric hospital. The research explores the additional challenges faced by mentally ill individuals when learning a new language and the extent to which…

Using results from a formative evaluation, this article describes the transitional rehabilitation housing pilot (TRHP) program located in two metropolitan Canadian cities. TRHP is an innovative community mental health service, created to support hospitalized forensic patients in their transition to living independently in the community. The…

Background: This study compares outpatients with intellectual disability (ID) receiving specialised services to outpatients with ID receiving general services in Ontario's tertiary mental healthcare system in terms of demographics, symptom profile, strengths and resources, and clinical service needs. Methods: A secondary analysis of Colorado…

In a mental health system where limited specialized services exist for individuals with intellectual disability (ID), patients using such services should be those with the most complex needs. The purpose of this study was to compare the profile of patients with ID served in a specialized unit (n = 40) to those in generic units (n = 141) within one…

Background: Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) represent a small, but challenging sub-group of patients within Ontario's mental health care system. However, few studies have documented the clinical characteristics of this population and examined how such individuals differ from other psychiatric patients, with or without intellectual…

This article asks: How have disability, indigenous arts and cultural praxis transformed and challenged the historical sociological archival research into relationships among asylum-making, medicalized colonialism and eugenics in the Woodlands School, formerly the Victoria Lunatic Asylum, the Provincial Asylum for the Insane in Victoria, BC 1859-72…

Inpatient assault of forensic and psychiatric staff is a complex and multifaceted issue. Hence, the consequences reported in the literature regarding prosecuting assaultive inpatients are quite variable. In this article, issues pertaining to the prosecution of violent inpatients are reviewed. Illustrative cases, challenges of prosecution,…

Although it is generally accepted that foster children are at greater risk for mental health problems than are children in the general population, very little is known about the smaller group of foster children admitted to psychiatric hospitals. The present study sought to determine whether foster children admitted to inpatient care are a distinct…

Background: Over the years, the closure of institutions has meant that individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) must access mainstream (i.e. general) mental health services. However, concern that general services may not adequately meet the needs of patients with ID and mental illness has led to the development and implementation of more…

Examined variations in experience of burden among men and women married to formerly hospitalized psychiatric patients. Substantial proportion of individuals found living with previously hospitalized spouse burdensome. Experience of burden was not simply function of patient's behavioral problems as indexed by measure of symptomatology; psychosocial…

Assessed the usefulness of a microtraining package for developing empathic communication skills of peer counselors (N=16) in a therapeutic community of forensic psychiatric patients. Patients were assigned to the skills (empathy training) group, or the attention group, where they viewed counseling films. The skills group gained greater counseling…

Investigated sensitivity/specificity of phallometric test for pedophilia and hebephilia. Total samples were 154 men accused of sexual offenses against minors and 56 men accused of sexual offenses against adult women. Concluded that sensitivity of test in detecting pedophilia or hebephilia in complete nonadmitters is probably greater than or equal…

Used 112 adult patients from three psychiatric facilities to examine psychometric properties of Basic Personality Inventory scales. Found no differences across facilities; sex differences on some scales. Scales appeared to be internally consistent. Using clinical staff ratings as criteria, scales were found to possess both convergent and…

Measured a psychiatric hospital's image, using qualitative and quantitative methods. Used data from the consumer public to illustrate the development and implementation of an image program stressing multi-public awareness, preference and utilization of the hospital's services vis-a-vis the hospital's mission statement. This study demonstrated…