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Background: According to surveys conducted in several countries, public awareness and knowledge of aphasia are inadequately low. Persons with aphasia appoint this fact as a relevant environmental barrier. Aims: The present inquiry aims at analyzing the status of awareness and knowledge about aphasia in Italy. Methods & Procedures: An original questionnaire was distributed online through a snowball sampling method on the Italian adult population. Respondents were asked if they had heard of the term “aphasia” and subsequently tested on its definition and clinical characteristics. Similar questions regarding “celiac disease” and “Down syndrome” were asked for comparison. Demographic data and information about the source of knowledge were also recorded. Outcomes & Results: Considering 2172 respondents, 62.4% had heard of aphasia, 58.2% showed definition knowledge while 4.6% complete general knowledge. These rates were lower than those for the other medical conditions. Older age, female gender, higher education, and being a health professional were significantly associated with awareness. The questionnaire highlighted poor knowledge about the social and functional consequences of aphasia. Conclusions: Overall, the rates of aphasia awareness and knowledge were low. Despite health professionals performed better, the level of general knowledge was also poor among these respondents. These preliminary data set the need for further inquiries, undertaking appropriate methodological ameliorations.

This article delves into the topic of informed consent in taking charge of minors with gender variance by medical personnel in general, and psychologists in particular, as well as in these minors’ therapeutic choices. In particular, it aims at answering the question of whether the previously mentioned medical actors can take care of minors and provide them with treatments even without parental consent.

I problemi che vivono quotidianamente i/le giovani gender variant devono essere studiati adottando una visione multidisciplinare. Infatti non solo sono cruciali gli aspetti medici (chirurgici e endocrinologici), ma anche gli aspetti etici-filosofici, sociologici e giuridici. L'articolo mette in evidenza le tematiche ponendo degli interrogativi all'ordinamento giuridico, incapace di tutelare al meglio i diritti dei/delle giovani.

Italian law prohibits the consumption of illegal drugs and states that anyone found in possession of a small amount of these drugs must be reported to the territorial government office (TGO). The Prefect summons the consumer to ascertain the reasons for the illegal behaviour and to assess whether to apply an administrative sanction. The purpose of this mandatory interview is to dissuade the consumer from repeating the same behaviour. In this article, we present the results of a study that aims to analyze the deterrent effectiveness of this procedure on a sample of 330 consumers reported to the TGOs of nine Italian cities. The results of the research indicate a rather limited special deterrent effectiveness of the administrative procedure, as nine out of ten of those interviewed declared that they continued to use illegal psychoactive substances after going through the procedure. The reasons explaining this failure are related to the perception of the risk of being discovered, the evaluation of the consequences of the sanction, opinion about the law, and the effectiveness of the treatment imposed with the threat of a sanction. Our results are consistent with the empirical evidence provided by the literature on the same topic.