The establishment phase of an early detection centre for prodromal psychosis is introduced and characterised, along with its detaining and promoting factors within a universal multi-payer health care system.

Across the first six years (1998–2003), users' characteristics are compared between different diagnostic groups and to the local population statistics; and, for an exemplary 12-months period (3-1-2002 to 2-28-2003), the characteristics of telephone contacts with the service are studied.

Rising steadily in number across the first three years, 872 persons, predominately of German citizenship and higher education, consulted the service until 2003, 326 with first-episode psychosis and 144 not fulfilling criteria for a current or beginning psychosis. Of the 402 putatively prodromal patients, 94% reported predictive basic symptoms, 68.9% attenuated and 20.6% transient psychotic symptoms. Most contacts by persons meeting any prodromal criterion were initiated by mental health professionals (psychiatrists or psychologists) and counselling services.

Supported by public awareness campaigns, an early detection service is well received by its users and private practitioners as reflected by the large proportion of referrals from the latter. However, persons of non-German background as well as of lower education were underrepresented indicating that these sub-groups should be approached by tailored programmes.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a movement disorder observed after chronic neuroleptic treatment. Smoking is presumed to increase the prevalence of TD. The question of a cause-effect-relationship between smoking and TD, however, remains to be answered. Purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the degree of smoking and the severity of TD with respect to differences caused by medication.

We examined 60 patients suffering from schizophrenia and TD. We compared a clozapine-treated group with a group treated with typical neuroleptics. Movement disorders were assessed using the Abnormal-Involuntary-Movement-Scale and the technical device digital image processing, providing rater independent information on perioral movements.

We found a strong correlation (.80 < r < .90, always p < .0001) between the degree of smoking and severity of TD. Repeated measurements revealed a positive correlation between changes in cigarette consumption and changes of the severity of TD (p < .0001). Analyses of covariance indicated a significant group-effect with a lower severity of TD in the clozapine-group compared to the typical-neuroleptics-group (p = .010). Interaction-analyses indicated a higher impact of smoking on the severity of TD in the typical-neuroleptics-group compared to the clozapine-group (p = .033).

Concerning a possible cause-effect-relationship between smoking and TD, smoking is more of a general health hazard than neuroleptic exposure in terms of TD.

Many studies have enlightened the relevance of deepening our knowledge of suicidal ideation among adolescents. However, research has given insufficient attention to the impact of time perspective on suicidal ideation: the present study confirms this relationship in a large sample of adolescents.

A survey was conducted on a sample of 3700 Italian adolescents. We obtained data using a structured questionnaire addressing suicidal ideation, mental health status, self-esteem, individual and family characteristics, and time perspective (ZTPI) in three temporal frames: the past, present and future, and the attitude related to each one of them. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analyses.

Overall, 9.2% of the sample reported severe suicidal ideation during the past two weeks; 7.6% reported moderate suicidal ideation. Female adolescents were more likely to report severe suicidal ideation when compared to males (χ(2)2 = 13.38, P = .001). There were no differences regarding age (χ(1)2 = 2.81, P = .245) and SES (χ(2)2 = 8.67, P = .08).

The first discriminant function was mostly explained by psychopathological symptoms (General Global Index), self-esteem and two dimensions of the ZTPI (Negative Past and Fatalistic Present).

Differences in time perspective dimensions between moderate and severe ideators suggest that these groups should be considered and analyzed as two discrete groups in further research.

The aim of the research is to study whether any differences exist in the rates and characteristics of suicide by ethnicity and sex in South Tirol, Italy.

Psychological autopsy interviews were conducted for suicides who died between March 1997 and July 2006.

332 individuals belonging to the three major South Tirolean ethnic groups (Germans, Italians, Ladins [Ladin is a Rhaeto-Romance language related to the Venetian and Swiss Romansh languages]) died by suicide. Around 23% of the victims had experienced suicidal behaviour among family members, and more than 31% of them had experienced trauma during their childhood. Germans were 1.37 times more at risk to commit suicide than Italians (95% CI: 1.04/1.80; z = 2.26, p < .05). 69% of the suicides had attended school for less than 8 years: Germans (OR = 4.62; 95% CI: 2.52/8.47; p < .001) and Ladins (OR = 11.24; 95% CI: 2.99/42.30; p < .001) were more likely to have lower education than Italians. There were several differences by ethnicity and sex but no sex-by-ethnicity interactions.

The study indicated that suicide, an alarming health and social problem in South Tirol, may require different preventive interventions for men and women and for those of different ethnicities.

Childhood trauma and aggressive traits are considered risk factors for suicidal behavior. The hypothesis we aimed to test in this study was the existence of an association between childhood trauma and aggression in two distinct samples of Italian and French suicide attempters.

Study participants comprise 587 subjects with different psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Three different samples were analyzed and compared: a group of French suicide attempters (N = 396; mean age 40.47 SD = 13.52; M/F: 110/286); a group of Italian suicide attempters (N = 103; mean age 38.60 SD = 12.04; M/F 27/76) and an Italian psychiatric comparison group (N = 88; mean age: 41.49 SD = 12.05; M/F; 37/51). Patients were interviewed with the Brown–Goodwin Assessment for Lifetime History of Aggression (BGLHA) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) 34-items for Italian data and 28-items for French data.

When compared with the comparison group, Italian suicide attempters had significantly higher scores on the BGLHA scale and reported higher scores on the CTQ scores for physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Significant correlations between childhood trauma and aggression were found in both groups, Italian and French, of suicide attempters.

The hypothesis tested was supported as psychiatric patients who had attempted suicide reported significantly more childhood trauma and aggression. Significant correlations were found between aggressive behavior, and childhood trauma in suicidal patients. This finding was replicated in two independently recruited samples in two countries with different prevalence of suicidal behavior.