Daniel Bressington

Objective Australia has inadequate publicly available data regarding the use of involuntary psychiatric care. This study examined the association between patient clinical/demographic factors and involuntary psychiatric admission following initial psychiatric assessment in Royal Darwin Hospital. Method Retrospective review of 638 psychiatric assessments followed by covariate analysis of patient variables associated with involuntary psychiatric admission. Results Most of the 225 psychiatric admissions were involuntary (92%). Male patients and those with a preferred language other than English had the highest risk of being admitted involuntarily (RR 1.09, χ 2 [1] = 3.9, p = .048, and RR 1.11, p = .036, respectively). Conclusions Further research regarding the influence of patient demographics and clinical factors on rates of involuntary admissions, particularly for Aboriginal patients, is recommended. The findings prompt discussion on strategies to improve monitoring of involuntary care and barriers to voluntary treatment.

Background: Research suggests a link between deficiencies in omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) and impulsivity among psychiatric populations. However, this association is less evident in non-clinical populations. As omega-3 LCPUFAs are predominantly sourced through fish consumption, non-fish dieters may be more vulnerable to higher impulsivity. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study explored the association between lower intakes of omega-3 LCPUFA food sources and higher self-reported measures of impulsivity among healthy adults consuming non-restricted, vegetarian, and vegan diets. Results: The results from the validated Food Frequency Questionnaire showed significantly lower estimated omega-3 LCPUFA intakes among vegans and vegetarians when compared with people consuming non-restricted diets. Furthermore, although all groups scored within the normal range of impulsivity measures, vegans scored comparatively higher. Vegans also scored significantly higher in impulsivity control relating to attention than those consuming non-restricted diets. Conclusions: The significantly lower omega-3 LCPUFA dietary intakes in the vegan diets were associated with higher scores in the second-order attentional aspect of self-reported impulsiveness.