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Objective: Various mental health services were provided in New York City in the response to the September 11 attacks. This article describes these services and the subsequent research in disaster psychiatry to identify recommended practices for future disasters. Method: A PubMed search identified 198 articles since the 9/11 attacks that included "New York City" and either "9/11" or "disaster," and either "psychiatry" or "mental health." The abstracts of all of these articles were reviewed to identify articles that described clinical services and those articles were then reviewed in detail. Additional reports on 9/11-related services were identified through book chapters. Results: Acute services included debriefings and other single-time outreach interventions. Postacute phase interventions included community outreach with the goal of addressing normative psychological sequelae; multisession interventions based on evidence-based treatments, and hospital-based psychiatric services provided in the context of general health screenings for response workers. - Conclusions: Many programs integrated medical and nonniedical services. The professional literature in the decade since this disaster has shifted recommended practices away from psychological debriefings in the acute phase to the implementation of psychological first aid (PFA). Many of the acute 9/11-related services actually closely resembled PFA. In the postacute phase, resources need to be made available for more resource-intensive psychiatric treatment for the fraction of survivors who develop psychiatric illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Traditionally, surgical skills in trauma resuscitation have been taught using animal models in the advanced trauma life support (ATLS) course. We compare one mechanical model (Trauma Man simulator) as an alternative teaching tool for these skills. Method. Eighteen providers and 14 instructors performed four surgical procedures on Trauma Man and compared educational effectiveness with the porcine model. Evaluation was conducted (Likert system 1: very poor to 5: excellent). The participants indicated if Trauma Man was a suitable (scale 1: not suitable to 4: excellent) ATLS teaching model considering cost, animal ethics concerns, and other factors. Comments were solicited for both models. Results. Overall ratings for educational effectiveness of the 4 skills ranged from 3.58 to 4.36 for the porcine and 3.48 to 4.29 for the Trauma Man model. Trauma Man suitability was rated 3-4 (mean 3.38) by 84% participants. Trauma Man as a substitute for the porcine model was recommended by 85% participants. With no ethical or cost concerns, 44% students and 71% instructors preferred Trauma Man. Considering all factors, Trauma Man was preferred by 78% students and 93% instructors. Conclusions. Trauma Man is a suitable alternative to the porcine model and considering all factors it may be the preferred method for teaching ATLS emergency trauma surgical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the distress felt by fathers of premature infants. Previous studies revealed that mothers of premature babies usually experience high levels of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder compared to mothers who delivered their babies on time. Intrusion and hyperarousal are the most endorsed symptom cluster present in both mothers and fathers of premature babies. Parents were also seen to experience distress after 6 months of delivery.

Aggression in the workplace is an ill-defined and underreported concern for physicians. This study attempts to assess the risk of aggression on resident physicians. From September to October 2001, all 80 resident physicians working in two Baghdad public teaching general hospitals, Al Yarmook and Al Kendi, received a retrospective questionnaire about patient aggression. Sixty-six males and 14 females completed the questionnaire. Seventy participants (87%) had experienced aggression by patients or their relatives, and these aggressive acts were primarily verbal (95%). The rate of experiencing aggression was higher among the junior residents. Only 59% of participants informed the hospital administration about their experience of aggression and 34% of them were satisfied with the response by the administration. Most of the participants avoided talking about their experience and considered it emotionally painful or annoying. The participants continued to experience aftereffects of the aggression. Resident physicians should be trained to deal with the risk of aggression from patients and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We reviewed 58 cases of varicella-zoster infection that occurred between 1988 and 1998 in 47 pediatric solid-organ transplant recipients. The median age of patients at the time of admission with varicella-zoster infection was 8.0 yr (range 1–17 yr). The median interval between transplantation (Tx) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection was 1.6 yr (range 0.06–9.3 yr). Varicella infection occurred at a rate of one case for every seven transplant recipients. Among the 58 cases of VZV infection, 53% were varicella while 47% were herpes-zoster. Varicella infection occurred despite treatment with varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG) in 17 of 31 cases of varicella infection. However, the disease was generally mild with severe disease occurring in only two patients. One patient (1.7%) died as a result of bacterial sepsis. There was no significant relationship between VZV infection and specific immune suppressants. Episodes of rejection were more likely to be temporally associated with the occurence of herpes zoster than with varicella infection (p = 0.02). The data generated provide useful background information in our population in the prevaricella vaccine era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks impacted the author's responsiveness to provide disaster psychiatric assistance to victims of the November 5, 2009 shootings at Fort Hood military base in Texas.

An introduction to the journal "Psychiatric Annals" is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Surís and North on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma exposure in combat veterans, another by Graf and his colleagues on the gray zone between PTSD and personality disorders and Rasyidi discussing complex PTSD.

Background: Despite growing interest in the use of digital technology by individuals with schizophrenia, little is known about how these individual relate to, own, and use technology in their daily life and in the context of their symptoms., Objective: The goal of this study is to better characterize technology use in those with schizophrenia., Methods: A Web-based survey of individuals' use of and attitudes toward technology for those 18 years and older self-identifying as having schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia spectrum disorders was conducted. Consumer input was sought in the design of the survey., Results: In total, 457 individuals responded to this Web-based survey. Ninety percent owned more than one device (personal computer, landline telephone, tablet, public computer, mobile phone without applications or Internet, or smartphone), with many reporting high utilization of multiple devices, and 61% having 2 devices. The respondents reported that Web-based technology helped with support from family and friends, as well as in gathering information. Many respondents used Web-based technology to help identify coping strategies (24% very often or often) including music to help block or manage voices (42%), while others used technology to set alarms/reminders for medication management (28%). Younger respondents in particular anticipated the role of technology growing over time with respect to their recovery., Conclusions: Survey respondents reported that technology access was common, with utilization involving coping, reminders for medications and appointments, and connection. Overall, attitudes were largely positive. Overuse was a concern for 30% of respondents. The study is limited in its generalizability as the population was highly engaged in mental health treatment (87%), self-identified as living with the disorder, and had awareness of their illness. This survey demonstrates high engagement for a subset of technology-oriented individuals living with schizophrenia. It is not known what percent of individuals with schizophrenia are represented by these technology-oriented survey respondents.