Opportunities and challenges of self-binding directives: A comparison of empirical research with stakeholders in three European countries

BackgroundSelf-binding directives (SBDs) are psychiatric advance directives that include a clause in which mental health service users consent in advance to involuntary hospital admission and treatment under specified conditions. Medical ethicists and legal scholars identified various potential benefits of SBDs but have also raised ethical concerns. Until recently, little was known about the views of stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges of SBDs.AimsThis article aims to foster an international exchange on SBDs by comparing recent empirical findings on stakeholders’ views on the opportunities and challenges of SBDs from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.MethodComparisons between the empirical findings were drawn using a structured expert consensus process.ResultsFindings converged on many points. Perceived opportunities of SBDs include promotion of autonomy, avoidance of personally defined harms, early intervention, reduction of admission duration, improvement of the therapeutic relationship, involvement of persons of trust, avoidance of involuntary hospital admission, addressing trauma, destigmatization of involuntary treatment, increase of professionals’ confidence, and relief for proxy decision-makers. Perceived challenges include lack of awareness and knowledge, lack of support, undue influence, inaccessibility during crisis, lack of cross-agency coordination, problems of interpretation, difficulties in capacity assessment, restricted therapeutic flexibility, scarce resources, disappointment due to noncompliance, and outdated content. Stakeholders tended to focus on practical challenges and did not often raise fundamental ethical concerns.ConclusionsStakeholders tend to see the implementation of SBDs as ethically desirable, provided that the associated challenges are addressed.<br/

Corruption Kills: Estimating the Global Impact of Corruption on Children Deaths

BACKGROUND: Information on the global risk factors of children mortality is crucial to guide global efforts to improve survival. Corruption has been previously shown to significantly impact on child mortality. However no recent quantification of its current impact is available. METHODS: The impact of corruption was assessed through crude Pearson's correlation, univariate and multivariate linear models coupling national under-five mortality rates in 2008 to the national "perceived level of corruption" (CPI) and a large set of adjustment variables measured during the same period. FINDINGS: The final multivariable model (adjusted R(2)= 0.89) included the following significant variables: percentage of people with improved sanitation (p.value<0.001), logarithm of total health expenditure (p.value = 0.006), Corruption Perception Index (p.value<0.001), presence of an arid climate on the national territory (p = 0.006), and the dependency ratio (p.value<0.001). A decrease in CPI of one point (i.e. a more important perceived corruption) was associated with an increase in the log of national under-five mortality rate of 0.0644. According to this result, it could be roughly hypothesized that more than 140000 annual children deaths could be indirectly attributed to corruption. INTERPRETATIONS: Global response to children mortality must involve a necessary increase in funds available to develop water and sanitation access and purchase new methods for prevention, management, and treatment of major diseases drawing the global pattern of children deaths. However without paying regard to the anti-corruption mechanisms needed to ensure their proper use, it will also provide further opportunity for corruption. Policies and interventions supported by governments and donors must integrate initiatives that recognise how they are inter-related

Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

ience, this issue p. eaap8757 Structured Abstract INTRODUCTION Brain disorders may exhibit shared symptoms and substantial epidemiological comorbidity, inciting debate about their etiologic overlap. However, detailed study of phenotypes with different ages of onset, severity, and presentation poses a considerable challenge. Recently developed heritability methods allow us to accurately measure correlation of genome-wide common variant risk between two phenotypes from pools of different individuals and assess how connected they, or at least their genetic risks, are on the genomic level. We used genome-wide association data for 265,218 patients and 784,643 control participants, as well as 17 phenotypes from a total of 1,191,588 individuals, to quantify the degree of overlap for genetic risk factors of 25 common brain disorders. RATIONALE Over the past century, the classification of brain disorders has evolved to reflect the medical and scientific communities' assessments of the presumed root causes of clinical phenomena such as behavioral change, loss of motor function, or alterations of consciousness. Directly observable phenomena (such as the presence of emboli, protein tangles, or unusual electrical activity patterns) generally define and separate neurological disorders from psychiatric disorders. Understanding the genetic underpinnings and categorical distinctions for brain disorders and related phenotypes may inform the search for their biological mechanisms. RESULTS Common variant risk for psychiatric disorders was shown to correlate significantly, especially among attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia. By contrast, neurological disorders appear more distinct from one another and from the psychiatric disorders, except for migraine, which was significantly correlated to ADHD, MDD, and Tourette syndrome. We demonstrate that, in the general population, the personality trait neuroticism is significantly correlated with almost every psychiatric disorder and migraine. We also identify significant genetic sharing between disorders and early life cognitive measures (e.g., years of education and college attainment) in the general population, demonstrating positive correlation with several psychiatric disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa and bipolar disorder) and negative correlation with several neurological phenotypes (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and ischemic stroke), even though the latter are considered to result from specific processes that occur later in life. Extensive simulations were also performed to inform how statistical power, diagnostic misclassification, and phenotypic heterogeneity influence genetic correlations. CONCLUSION The high degree of genetic correlation among many of the psychiatric disorders adds further evidence that their current clinical boundaries do not reflect distinct underlying pathogenic processes, at least on the genetic level. This suggests a deeply interconnected nature for psychiatric disorders, in contrast to neurological disorders, and underscores the need to refine psychiatric diagnostics. Genetically informed analyses may provide important "scaffolding" to support such restructuring of psychiatric nosology, which likely requires incorporating many levels of information. By contrast, we find limited evidence for widespread common genetic risk sharing among neurological disorders or across neurological and psychiatric disorders. We show that both psychiatric and neurological disorders have robust correlations with cognitive and personality measures. Further study is needed to evaluate whether overlapping genetic contributions to psychiatric pathology may influence treatment choices. Ultimately, such developments may pave the way toward reduced heterogeneity and improved diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders

Genomic Relationships, Novel Loci, and Pleiotropic Mechanisms across Eight Psychiatric Disorders

Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed analyses of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders, identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. Meta-analysis across these eight disorders detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning prenatally in the second trimester, and play prominent roles in neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.Peer reviewe

Country of infection among HIV-infected patients born abroad living in French Guiana.

Over 75% of patients in the HIV cohort in French Guiana are of foreign origin. Our objective was to estimate what proportion of the migrant population of HIV-infected patients in Cayenne had been infected in French Guiana.We included patients of known foreign origin who were followed in Cayenne, for whom the year of arrival in French Guiana was known and the initial CD4 count at the time of diagnosis was available. The time between seroconversion and time at diagnosis was estimated using the formula [square root (CD4 at seroconversion)-square root(CD4 at HIV diagnosis)] / slope of CD4 decline.CD4 counts at the time of infection and the slope were computed in an age and ethnicity-dependent variable.The median estimated time between infection and diagnosis was 4.5 years (IQR = 0.2-9.2). Overall, using a median estimate of CD4 count at the time of infection, it was estimated that 53.2% (95% CI = 48.3-58%) of HIV infected foreign patients had acquired HIV after having arrived in French Guiana. Patients having arrived in French Guiana before and during the 1990s and those receiving their HIV diagnosis before 2010 were more likely to have been infected in French Guiana.Contrary to widespread belief suggesting that most migrants are already HIV-infected when they arrive in French Guiana, a large proportion of foreign HIV patients seem acquire the virus in French Guiana.There is still much to do in terms of primary prevention and testing among migrants

Factors associated with sexual risk taking behavior by precarious urban migrants in French Guiana

International audienceBackground: French Guiana is highly affected by HIV. The migrant population is particularly susceptible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of risk of HIV transmission and its perception among migrants in French Guiana and to identify predictive factors. Methods: An HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Practices study was conducted in 2012 among migrants living in precarious neighborhoods of French Guiana. Results: Of the 1039 participants surveyed, 893 were analyzed, of which 35.6% had risky sex during the past 12 months. Sexual risk taking was higher among the migrant population than in the general population. The predictors of sexual risk taking behavior were: younger age groups, males, having a job, not living with a spouse, having first had sex before age 16, using alcohol or drugs before sex, and having engaged in commercial sex recently. The factors associated with not being aware of one's risk were: being a woman, being from Guyana or Suriname, non-systematic use of condoms with a regular partner, and never or not recently having been tested for HIV. Conclusions: The results suggest there is still a need for information on HIV risks in a highly vulnerable population

Predictive factors of unprotected sex for female sex workers: first study in French Guiana, the French territory with the highest HIV prevalence.

International audience: French Guiana is the French territory that is most affected by HIV. AIDS incidence is much higher than in mainland France and sex work seems to be an important driver of the epidemic. The objective of this study was to describe consistent condom use among female sex workers with their clients and their intimate partners and to identify determinants of non-use of condoms. An HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices survey was conducted in 2009-2010 among sex workers in French Guiana. A total of 477 sex workers were interviewed. Female sex workers were more likely to use condoms with their clients (97%) than with their intimate partners (45%). The factors associated with non-consistent condom use with the intimate partner were having had an abortion, feeling at risk for HIV, not evaluating one's own risk for HIV, living as a couple, being Dominican, not feeling comfortable asking intimate partners to use condoms. Although a high proportion of female sex workers declared using condoms with commercial partners, there is still room for improvement in the prevention of transmission with both commercial and intimate partners

Sexual risk behaviors and predictors of inconsistent condom use among crack cocaine users in the French overseas territories in the Americas

International audienceThe French overseas territories in the Americas are the French territories most affected by HIV. Crack cocaine users are particularly impacted. The objective of this study was to describe sexual risk behaviors and inconsistent condom use among crack cocaine users. A total of 640 crack cocaine users were interviewed. The sampling method was non-probabilistic. An anonymous standardized questionnaire of 110 questions was used. Over a third of persons did not use condoms systematically with casual sex partners (36.2%) or commercial sex partners (32.3%), and 64% did not use condoms systematically with regular sex partners. In a context of multiple sexual partnerships, frequent forced sex, and insufficient HIV testing, the lack of systematic condom use may favor the spread of HIV. Different predictive factors of inconsistent condom use were identified, depending on the type of partner, with a log binomial regression. However, among the predictor variables identified, two predictive factors frequently occur among the different type of sex partners: high perceived risk of HIV and self-perceived capacity to persuade a sex partner to use condom. These results pointed towards interventions improving access to rights and raising perceived self-efficacy

Comportements sexuels à risque et facteurs prédictifs de non utilisation du préservatif parmi les usagers de crack dans les Départements Français d'Amérique

International audienceRésumé :Introduction : Les départements Français d’Amérique sont à la fois parmi les territoiresfrançais les plus affectés par le VIH et parmi les territoires français les plus impactés par laconsommation de crack. L’épidémie de VIH en Guyane est une épidémie concentrée quitouche plus spécifiquement certains groupes vulnérables. Parmi ces groupes, les usagers decrack sont particulièrement touchés.Matériel et Méthodes : Une étude a été réalisée simultanément dans les trois départements en2012 dans le but de décrire les connaissances, les attitudes et les pratiques vis-à-vis du VIH etdes IST chez les usagers de crack. Au total 640 personnes ont été interrogées. La méthoded’échantillonnage utilisée était non probabiliste et combinait un échantillonnage deconvenance dans les associations recevant ce public (75% de l’échantillon), et unéchantillonnage en boule de neige en dehors afin d’atteindre les personnes ne fréquentant pasles structures (25% de l’échantillon).Résultats : Un tiers des personnes n’utilisait pas systématiquement le préservatif avec lespartenaires occasionnels (36,2%) ou avec les partenaires commerciaux (32,3%), et 64%n’utilisaient pas le préservatif à chaque fois avec les partenaires réguliers. Différents facteursprédictifs de la non utilisation du préservatif ont été identifiés selon le type de partenaire àl’aide d’un modèle log-binomial. Parmi les différents facteurs repérés, deux étaient communsà chaque type de partenaire : la perception élevée de son risque face au VIH et le fait de nepas se sentir à l’aise pour persuader un partenaire à utiliser le préservatif.Discussion : Dans un contexte de multipartenariat, de violences sexuelles fréquentes et dedépistage insuffisant du VIH, la non utilisation systématique du préservatif peut avoir unimpact non négligeable dans la diffusion de l’épidémie. Bien que la non utilisation dupréservatif soit sensiblement inférieure à ce que l’on retrouve dans la littérature, cesproportions traduisent un réel problème.La capacité à persuader un partenaire sexuel à utiliser un préservatif était négativementcorrélée avec la non utilisation du préservatif quel que soit le type de partenaire. Ainsi, ilsemble que lorsque les personnes se sentaient capables de négocier l'utilisation du préservatif,elles l’utilisaient de manière plus systématique. La capacité personnelle perçue est souventconsidérée comme un levier important pour adapter les comportements de santé. Or, elle peutêtre affectée dans des situations de stigmatisation, d’addiction ou de relation violente. Cesrésultats soulignent l’importance d’interventions spécifiques de prévention parmi les usagersde crack et notamment des interventions visant à améliorer le sentiment d’efficacitépersonnelle (perceived self-efficacy) et d’estime de soi