Mentally disordered young offenders in transition from child and adolescent to adult mental health services across England and Wales

This paper provides an overview of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales. The aim of this paper is to delineate the national secure services system for young people in contact with the youth justice system. This paper reviews findings from the existing literature of transitions across forensic child and adolescent mental health services, drawing attention to present facilitators and barriers to optimal transition. We examine the infrastructure of current services and highlight gaps between child and adult service continuity and evaluate the impact of poor transitions on young offenders’ mental health and wellbeing. Young offenders experience a broad range of difficulties, from the multiple interfaces with the legal system, untreated mental health problems, and poor transition to adult services. Barriers such as long waiting lists, lack of coordination between services and lack of transition preparation impede significantly smooth transitions. We need to develop, test and evaluate models of transitional care that improve mental health and wellbeing of this group. Mapping young offenders’ care pathway will help to understand their needs and also to impact current policy and practice. Key workers in forensic services should facilitate the transition process by developing sustainable relationships with the young person and creating a safe clinical environment. Transition of care from forensic child and adolescent mental health services is a neglected area. This paper attempts to highlight the nature and magnitude of the problems at the transition interface in a forensic context

Star complexes and stellar populations in NGC 6822 - Comparison with the Magellanic Clouds

The star complexes (large scale star forming regions) of NGC 6822 were traced and mapped and their size distribution was compared with the size distribution of star complexes in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). Furthermore, the spatial distributions of different age stellar populations were compared with each other. The star complexes of NGC 6822 were determined by using the isopleths, based on star counts, of the young stars of the galaxy, using a statistical cutoff limit in density. In order to map them and determine their geometrical properties, an ellipse was fitted to every distinct region satisfying this minimum limit. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test was used to study possible patterns in their size distribution. Isopleths were also used to study the stellar populations of NGC 6822. The star complexes of NGC 6822 were detected and a list of their positions and sizes was produced. Indications of hierarchical star formation, in terms of spatial distribution, time evolution and preferable sizes were found in NGC 6822 and the MCs. The spatial distribution of the various age stellar populations has indicated traces of an interaction in NGC 6822, dated before 350 +/- 50 Myr.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted by A&A; minor typeface correction

Prevalence of mental disorders and symptoms among incarcerated youth : a meta-analysis of 30 studies

Incarcerated youth have high levels of mental disorders. However, there are no up-to-date reviews examining the prevalence rates of a broad range of mental disorders and symptoms across youth justice populations. The current review aims to bridge this gap. We conducted a systematic search of the literature using PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. We used meta-analyses to produce pooled prevalence figures for each mental health disorder and symptoms, and meta-regression to test for the moderating effects of covariates, such as gender. Thirty studies were included involving 8,153 participants. Meta- regression analysis showed that females had higher prevalence rates for depression, separ- ation anxiety disorder and suicide. Males had higher prevalence rates for conduct disorder and emerging antisocial personality disorder. Emerging personality disorders (borderline per- sonality disorder: 21%; 95% CI: 13–28%; antisocial personality disorder: 62%; 95% CI: 39–82%) were relatively common in both genders. The findings of this meta-analysis show the need for robust mental health services in custody settings. Adopting a developmentally focused approach would increase understanding of incarcerated youths’ needs and help to early detection of emerging personality symptoms. To improve young people’s mental health, we need to ensure that services do not misidentify young people’s needs due to diagnostic limitations

Structure of the SMC - Stellar component distribution from 2MASS data

The spatial distribution of the SMC stellar component is investigated from 2MASS data. The morphology of the different age populations is presented. The center of the distribution is calculated and compared with previous estimations. The rotation of the stellar content and possible consequence of dark matter presence are discussed. The different stellar populations are identified through a CMD diagram of the 2MASS data. Isopleth contour maps are produced in every case, to reveal the spatial distribution. The derived density profiles are discussed. The older stellar population follows an exponential profile at projected diameters of about 5 kpc (~5 deg) for the major axis and ~4 kpc for the minor axis, centred at RA: 0h:51min, Dec: -73deg 7' (J2000.0). The centre coordinates are found the same for all the different age population maps and are in good accordance with the kinematical centre of the SMC. However they are found considerably different from the coordinates of the centre of the gas distribution. The fact that the older population found on an exponential disk, gives evidence that the stellar content is rotating, with a possible consequence of dark matter presence. The strong interactions between the MCs and the MilkyWay might explain the difference in the distributions of the stellar and gas components. The lack in the observed velocity element, that implies absence of rotation, and contradicts with the consequences of exponential profile of the stellar component, may also be a result of the gravitational interactions.Comment: 7 Pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Exploring the experiences of people vlogging about severe mental illness on YouTube: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Background: Evidence suggests that, compared to the general population, individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are more likely to engage in online social networking and share personal experiences through blogging. However, little is known about the impact of creating and publicly sharing mental health videos (vlogging) on individuals with self-identified SMIs. Aims: The present study aims to investigate the experiences of individuals with self-identified SMIs who vlog about their SMI on YouTube. Methods: YouTube was systematically searched using four key search items (“schizophrenia”, “bipolar disorder”, “major depressive disorder” and “schizoaffective disorder”). After manually screening approximately 50 channels, a set of 30 videos by individuals with self-identified SMIs discussing their experience of vlogging was selected and transcribed verbatim. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed for the analysis of the data. Results: The analysis produced three global themes: Minimising Isolation; Vlogging as Therapy; and Fighting stigma. Limitations: The data collected was limited as regards depth of content by the inability to ask follow-up questions. Conclusions: The findings suggest that engaging in the act of vlogging about mental illness may benefit and encourage recovery in individuals with SMIs by providing them with peer support, enhancing self-efficacy, and reducing self-stigma. Future research should employ interviews to produce more robust data for analysis

Spatial distribution of stellar populations in the Magellanic Clouds: Implementation to Gaia

The main goal of our project is to investigate the spatial distribution of different stellar populations in the Magellanic Clouds. The results from modelling the Magellanic Clouds can be useful, among others, for simulations during the Gaia mission preparation. Isodensity contour maps have been used in order to trace the morphology of the different stellar populations and estimate the size of these structures. Moreover, star density maps are constructed through star counts and projected radial density profiles are obtained. Fitting exponential disk and King law curves to the spatial distribution allows us to derive the structural parameters that describe these profiles. The morphological structure and spatial distributions of various stellar components in the Magellanic Clouds (young and intermediate age stars, carbon stars) along with the overall spatial distribution in both Clouds are provided.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics; typos and language correcte