Researchers looked at involuntary treatment in people with Schizophrenia in Denmark using a Psychiatry register. The researchers looked at the data for 18599 patients over a 7 year period. Of these patients 3078 underwent involuntary treatment. The researchers found that treatment with antipsychotics accounted for 99.5% of involuntary psychotropic drugs administered. Electroconvulsive therapy accounted for only 4.8% of all involuntary treatments. These findings may not be generalisable to other countries as there are many factors that can influence these results including the structure of health services.
Neuroscience
Researchers have used atmospheric atomic explosions to examine neurogenesis in the human brain in adulthood. There has been a longstanding debate about whether the brain gives rise to new neurons in adulthood. This has been a tricky area to examine due to a number of technical difficulties.
However when nuclear weapons were detonated in the atmosphere between 1945 and 1963 this increased the amount of Carbon-14 in the atmosphere. Carbon is an essential component of living organisms and therefore the uptake of C14 during this period left a signature.
The ratio of these different forms of Carbon enabled researchers to calculate the age of organic tissue. By looking at the brains of several subjects region by region they were able to identify brain regions with evidence of neurogenesis. The analysis is complex but the researchers concluded that neurogenesis occurs in the Dentate gyrus throughout adult life. There were other findings and there is a good write-up at New Scientist.
Evolutionary Psychiatry
Researchers studying Chimpanzees at Lincoln Park Zoo have identified five personality dimensions that correlate well with behaviour. The researchers identified 5 Chimpanzee personality dimensions including dominance and agreeableness. They monitored the behaviour of 99 Chimpanzees over a two year period and correlated this with the personality measures. The researchers also used two raters to validate the personality measures. Chimpanzees are our nearest extant relative and the classification of Chimpanzee personality may be relevant to personality traits in humans.
Appendix
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