Wallingford Community Hospital

The present paper aims to describe the work of a behaviourally oriented psychologist in the treatment of agoraphobia, the most common single problem referred in two years' work in primary care. Apart from its high frequency, agoraphobia has a particular relevance to the general practice settings as it is a problem which relates very specifically to the patient's home environment. A recent study by Mathews et al., (in press) found that a home-based treatment of agoraphobia produced at least as much improvement as clinic based treatments and required less therapist time. One might expect that a psychologist operating from the local health centre might achieve many of the advantages of such a program with a possible decrease in therapist time as travelling is reduced.

Nurse practitioners in a primary care setting often see patients suffering from depression. Many of these patients can be treated in the primary care setting by the nurse practitioner, in collaboration with a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. Treatment modalities that can be effectively used for depressed patients in this setting include brief individual or group psychotherapy using short-term therapy models such as cognitive or interpersonal therapy, and/or antidepressant medications. Basic concepts and intervention techniques for the cognitive and interpersonal therapy models are described. Tricyclic antidepressants are highlighted including tables and content on action, target symptom side effects, drug-drug interactions, dosage schedules and patient education. In addition, other medications for depression such as lithium, monoamine oxidase inhibitors and psychostimulants are briefly reviewed.

Background: Participation in physical activity (PA) from a young age helps to build the foundation for a healthy life in the future. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between energy intake, dietary habits, PA levels, and healthy lifestyle behaviours (HLSBs) in primary education and pre-service teachers. Material and methods: A total of 105 primary education teachers (69 female, 36 male) and 95 pre-service teachers (64 female, 31 male) participated voluntarily in this study. To determine energy intake and dietary habits, participants completed a form detailing what they had consumed during the previous 24 hours. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to determine PA levels. HLSB scores were calculated using the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile questionnaire. Results: There were significant differences in PA levels, HLSB scores and calcium intake between primary education and pre-service teachers (p<0.05). Compared to pre-service teachers, PA levels were significantly lower in primary education teachers, whereas HLSB scores and calcium intake were significantly higher (p<0.05). The correlation analysis indicated significant positive correlations between energy intake/dietary habits, PA levels, and HLSBs (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that HLSBs are indicators of PA levels and energy intake/dietary habits in primary education and pre-service teachers.

o m p a r i s o n stars.

I wonder how many readers noted the positioning of the catheter tubing in the photograph illustrating Nursing Standard's clinical article, 'The bladder model: clinical implications' (October 21)?