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Guest Editorial
Highlighting Bipolar II Disorder
Gordon Parker, MD, PhD, DSc, FRANZCP
(PDF)

In Review
Neurobiological Findings in Bipolar II Disorder Compared With Findings in Bipolar I Disorder
Brent M McGrath, BSc, MSc, Phillip H Wessels, MD, FRCPC, Emily C Bell, BSc, MSc, Michele Ulrich, BSc, Peter H Silverstone, MB, BS, MD, MRCPsych, FRCPC
(PDF)

Bipolar II Disorder: An Overview of Recent Developments
George Hadjipavlou, MA, MD, Hiram Mok, MA, MB, BCh, BAO, FRCPC, Lakshmi N Yatham, MBBS, MRCPsych, FRCPC3 (PDF)

Review Paper
Bipolar Disorder: It’s All in Your Mind? The Neuropsychological Profile of a Biological Disorder
Gin S Malhi, BSc, MB, ChB, MRCPsych, FRANZCP, Belinda Ivanovski, Ssc Psychol, M Clin Psychol, Viktoria Szekeres, BSc,Psychol
(PDF)

Original Research
Impact of Culture on Depressive Symptoms of Elderly Chinese Immigrants
Glenda MacQueen, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Daniel WL Lai, PhD
(PDF)

Development and Reliability of a Pictorial Mental Disorders Screen for Young Adolescents
Nicole Smolla, PhD, Jean-Pierre Valla, MD, MSc, Lise Bergeron, PhD, Claude Berthiaume, MSc, Marie St-Georges, MPs
(PDF)

Command Hallucinations Among Asian Patients With Schizophrenia
Theresa MY Lee, MBBS, MMed, Siow Ann Chong, MBBS, MMed, Yiong Huat Chan, PhD, Gangaharan Sathyadevan, MBBS, MRCPsych
(PDF)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Concurrent Disorders Screener
Juan C Negrete, MD, FRCPC, Jane Collins, MSc, Nigel E Turner, PhD, Wayne Skinner, MSW
(PDF)

Validation de la version française du questionnaire de Sociotropie-Autonomie de Beck et collègues
Mathilde M Husky, MSc, Olivier S Grondin, MSc, Philippe D Compagnone, PhD
(PDF)

Brief Communication
Depressive Symptoms and Alcohol Consumption Among Nonalcoholic Depression Patients Treated With Desipramine
Benjamin I Goldstein, MD, PhD, Ayal Schaffer, MD, FRCPC, Anthony Levitt, MD, FRCPC, Ari Zaretsky, MD, FRCPC, Russell T Joffe, MD, FRCPC, Virginia Wesson, MD, R Michael Bagby, PhD
Pierre Bleau, MD, FRCPC
(PDF)

Letters to the Editor
(PDF)

Safety of Clozapine in 2 Successive Pregnancies

Revisiting the Diagnostic Challenges of Secondary Mania and Bipolar Disorder in a Patient With Borderline Hyperthyroidism

Dyslipidaemia and Psychiatric Patients

Dream Contents in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

Sensory Deprivation and Disorders of Perception

Re: The Internet’s Impact on the Practice of Psychiatry

Response: The Internet’s Impact on the Practice of Psychiatry

Denial and Avoidance in an Unusual Case of Death From Breast Cancer

Interferon-Induced Mania

Drug-Induced Psychosis After Long-Term Treatment With Levetiracetam

Priapism

An Ounce of Prevention: “COPEing with Toddler Behaviour”

Internet Gaming Addiction

Letters to the Editor

Response: The Internet’s Impact on the Practice of Psychiatry

Instant messaging (IM), also known as “chat,” is the text version of a phone call. It has gained rapid acceptance with teenagers and young adults, who prefer this form of communication over e-mail and phone calls, because of its immediacy and streamlined efficiency. It is similar to having a conversation with a person in the same room.

IM is gaining acceptance in the workplace and will likely become a core technology, much as e-mail is today. Security and auditing issues are critical concerns that must be addressed with respect to using IM in a health care environment, as patient confidentiality is of paramount importance. Security is a significant factor, since the text in an instant message is relayed to a Web server while en route to the person who will be the recipient of the message. This message can be viewed by anyone on the connection (that is, a service provider, employee, hacker, and so on). There are third party vendors that offer solutions to fill in the security and auditing gaps within IM by employing encryption algorithms and other measures.

Technical issues aside, Dr Balachandra’s example illustrates how IM technology can be used to improve patient service when human resources, such as an interpreter, are unavailable. IM is a technology that is familiar to the hearing-impaired community (1). IM also takes the guesswork out of penmanship as the message is in type and can easily be read. Dr Balachandra’s example is a novel one and is relevant to the psychiatric community. Research is required to determine best practices and the economics of this technique.

References

1. Bowe FG. Deaf and hard of hearing Americans’ instant message and e-mail use: a national survey. Am Ann Deaf 2002;147(4):6–10.

Rima Styra, MD, MEd, FRCPC
Toronto, Ontario