Associations of treatment resisting (Type R) and treatment seeking (Type S) personalities in medical students

Abstract Most people with personality pathology do not seek help for treatment. This has been formally recognized in the descriptions of treatment resisting (Type R) and treatment seeking (Type S) personalities, but the distribution of these in non‐clinical populations is not known. The associations of Type R and Type S were examined in relationship to personality status using the NEO‐FFI questionnaire and the Schedule for Non‐adaptive and Adaptive Personalities (SNAP) in an unselected population of medical students. One hundred forty‐seven students completed the questionnaires and 60 completed the SNAP interview. Nineteen (13%) of the sample were classified as Type S personalities, the remainder were Type R. Seven (12%) of the sample who completed the SNAP had a personality disorder, three with depressive, three with antisocial and one with obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, and all of these were Type R personalities. Type S personalities had significantly higher scores for neuroticism on the NEO‐FFI (p < 0.002) and showed high correlations with borderline personality traits (r = 0.42), but were negatively associated with antisocial (r = −0.24), histrionic (−0.13) or narcissistic (r = −0.11) personality traits. In this population only a minority of people, those with borderline personality traits and high neuroticism scores, are amenable to interventions aimed at personality change. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Common mental disorders and ethnicity in England : the EMPIRIC Study

Background. There is little population-based evidence on ethnic variation in the most common mental disorders (CMD), anxiety and depression. We compared the prevalence of CMD among representative samples of White, Irish, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani individuals living in England using a standardized clinical interview. Method. Cross-sectional survey of 4281 adults aged 16–74 years living in private households in England. CMD were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R), a standardized clinical interview. Results. Ethnic differences in the prevalence of CMD were modest, and some variation with age and sex was noted. Compared to White counterparts, the prevalence of CMD was higher to a statistically significant degree among Irish [adjusted rate ratios (RR) 2.09, 95% CI 1.16–2.95, p=0.02] and Pakistani (adjusted RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.25–3.53, p=0.02) men aged 35–54 years, even after adjusting for differences in socio-economic status. Higher rates of CMD were also observed among Indian and Pakistani women aged 55–74 years, compared to White women of similar age. The prevalence of CMD among Bangladeshi women was lower than among White women, although this was restricted to those not interviewed in English. There were no differences in rates between Black Caribbean and White samples. Conclusions. Middle-aged Irish and Pakistani men, and older Indian and Pakistani women, had significantly higher rates of CMD than their White counterparts. The very low prevalence of CMD among Bangladeshi women contrasted with high levels of socio-economic deprivation among this group. Further study is needed to explore reasons for this variation

Selection of cementitious mixes as a barrier for landfill leachate containment

Cementitious materials have traditionally not been economically viable for most landfill containment systems. Conventional liners have been made with clay and high-density polyethylene membranes, supporting packed aggregate layers. This paper describes an alternative technology in which low-cost concrete liners may be constructed, making use of materials, which are considered to be wastes by their primary producers. Many materials that have the potential for use either as binder or as aggregate materials for concrete currently form part of the United Kingdom landfill inventory. Although unattractive for use as structural concrete, they offer considerable utility for landfill liner applications. Recent increases in disposal costs including the introduction of the landfill tax have, however, made low cost low strength mixes a financially attractive option as a barrier for landfill leachate containment. In this paper the required properties of cementitious mixes for this purpose are discussed. The results of an extensive investigation into potential mixes using various mineral wastes are presented and the measured properties are compared with those, which are required. All of the mixes, which have been investigated, contain large amounts of secondary materials. If these materials were treated as wastes their disposal costs would be high, so the mixes may be designated “negative cost mixes.” The results indicate that some of these mixes are well suited to this application