M. Rojnic Kuzman

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene variants and antipsychotic-induced weight gain and metabolic disturbances

Weight gain and metabolic disturbances represent serious side-effects in antipsychotic (AP) treatment, particularly with clozapine and olanzapine. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene is a key determinant in the folate metabolism and previous studies reported a significant effect on AP-induced weight gain and related metabolic abnormalities. Thus, we investigated MTHFR gene variants and changes in several important metabolic parameters in AP-treated patients. In this study, two functional MTHFR polymorphisms, rs1801133 (C677T) and rs1801131 (A1298C), were investigated for changes in weight and metabolic parameters. Genotypic associations were evaluated in a large population (n = 347 including 66 first episode psychosis, FEP patients) treated mostly with clozapine and olanzapine. We did not detect any genotypic association with weight changes (p > 0.05) in our total sample and in the sample refined for ancestry and medication. In our allelic analyses, we observed a trend for the 677-C allele to be associated with weight gain in the total sample (p = 0.03). This effect appeared to be driven by the FEP patients where those carrying the C-allele gained, on average, twice as much weight. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant association between the C677T and the A1298C polymorphism with HDL cholesterol serum levels in patients (p = 0.031). Overall we did not detect a major effect of two functional MTHFR gene variants and AP-induced weight gain. However, our findings suggest an effect of the C677T polymorphism in FEP patients and changes in weight and cholesterol levels. Further investigations in a larger sample are required.

P01-265 - Child and adolescent psychiatry training in Europe: Views of trainee representatives for 2009 – 2010 to the European federation of psychiatric trainees

Background and objectives The European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) is an independent federation of psychiatric trainees’ associations. Previous studies have shown that up to 1/3 of countries surveyed did not have separate CAP training We surveyed trainees to gain insights regarding current training within the member countries of the EFPT. Methods Ten item Survey of Trainee representatives from 32 countries- using surveymonkey questionnaire. Industry standard encryption technology utilisied. Results 27 respondent countries. Response rate 84.4% In many countries CAP and General Adult Psychiatry training were not separate Variable availability of training posts (surplus posts 23%, no posts/ long waits 19.2%) Duration of training: 3 years (19.2%),4 years (23.1%), 5 years (26.9%). In 35% of countries CAP training was entirely separate from commencement of training. In 40%, entry to CAP training occurred after training in general adult psychiatry. Trainees in 61.5% of respondent countries indicate their intention to specialise in CAP before entering training in psychiatry; 15% of trainees can indicate this at any time. Conclusions This is a survey of trainee representatives to the EFPT of ten items related to CAP training experiences. It highlights significant differences in training experiences in 27 respondent countries. From 2010 the EFPT aims to record detailed information on CAP training yearly. CAP trainees are an integral part of EFPT, and there are specific areas of needs in CAP training.

P-857 - Early career psychiatrists' opinions on psychiatric training: an europe-wide survey

Introduction Continuous advances in psychiatric research and increased service users’ expectations led to the need to develop a new international framework for psychiatric training. The assessment of early career psychiatrists’ (ECPs) views has been emphasized as an important step of this process. However, at the moment, only few national studies have investigated ECPs’ opinions on received training. Aims To assess: 1) ECPs’ satisfaction with training and self-confidence in different psychiatric domains; 2) availability of clinical supervision and educational opportunities during training. Methods The Early Career Psychiatrists Committee of the European Psychiatric Association - in collaboration with the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees, conducted an online survey among European ECPs. The Psychiatric Training Questionnaire, a multiple choice-answer self-reported instrument developed for this occasion, was completed by 194 respondents from 34 European countries. Results Most respondents (73%) were completely or partially satisfied with the received training. Highest levels of self-confidence were reported in clinical psychiatry (93%), pharmacotherapy (68%) and emergency psychiatry (67%); the most problematic areas for ECPs were forensic psychiatry (68%), psychotherapy (63%) and child and adolescent psychiatry (57%). Thirty percent of ECPs were not assigned to a tutor for clinical activities, 67% did not receive any psychotherapeutic supervision and only 19% participated in exchange programs. Conclusions ECPs are globally satisfied with the training received; however, they report the need to enhance training in psychotherapy, forensic psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry, to ensure adequate supervision to all trainees and to improve the opportunities for international exchange programmes.

ECP09-01 - European federation of psychiatric trainees: Visions for the future

There are significant differences in psychiatric training across Europe. In the light of the current direction of Europe (without borders with free movement of workforce) it is inevitable to harmonize at least basic standards of psychiatric education across Europe. Ideally by working in partnership with relevant national and international bodies (European Union of Medical Specialists, Board of Psychiatry - UEMS, European Psychiatric Association - EPA and European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees - EFPT). A qualitative data analysis on the most important challenges of psychiatric trainees across Europe, carried out by the EFPT in 2009, revealed several interesting findings which might be of interest not only for trainees, but for all involved in the process of psychiatric education. As the most important issue trainees reported the imperfect structure of the training programs and problems with implementation of new ones. That is why new training programs based on a competency based framework are being developed lately in number of countries (e.g. United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands). However, not only the structure of the training and its implementation remains an issue, trainees are concerned also with topics related to working conditions, insufficient training opportunities, lack of supervision, funding and availability of psychotherapy courses, etc. Based on these findings EFPT will undertake specific actions which in cooperation with other organizations shall lead in the future to better postgraduate training opportunities in Europe.

ECP09-03 - Information technologies in psychiatry

Even if technology and information are omnipresent, they rarely meet harmoniously. Either the lack of sufficient means prevents good information to reach its target or the technology is too complex to integrate flawlessly in the daily workflow. The use and misuse of information technologies (internet, email, e-learning, social networks) has recently significantly increased among psychiatrists and patients and the changes in behavior of communication and seeking informations are real challenges. Using the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees network, the self-questionnaires concerning the usage of information technologies and the local patients-therapists communication were distributed among psychiatric trainees of 31 European countries. A review of the results of this study, as well as recommendations about netiquette and useful websites for psychiatrists and scientists will be presented in detail.

PW01-203 - Predictors of stigmatizing and destigmatizing articles on mental illness in the printed media: a central European perspective

Objectives Many studies describing print media representations of mental illnesses have showed that these depictions are frequently negative and contribute to consequent stigmatization of people with mental illness. The main objective of this international study was to identify predictors of stigmatizing and nonstigmatizing articles on mental illness in Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovakia. Methods The study sample comprised all articles pertaining to the topic of mental illness (N=450) chosen from 6 most widely read newspapers and magazines identified during five weeklong periods in 2007. The presence of stigmatization and destigmatization statements was coded and articles were grouped in positive, neutral, mixed and negative clusters. Negative/positive ratio (NPR) was used to assess the predictor value of different features of the article regarding stigmatization. Results 61.8% of articles contained some stigmatizing statements towards persons with mental illness. The highest NPR was found in articles published in tabloids (6.8), on the front page (3.7) and in the articles where psychotic disorder was mentioned (7.4) and mentally ill person figured as a source of information (1.8). Lowest NPR was found in magazines (0.6), articles in later sections (1.7) that mentioned eating disorders (0.3) and scientific surveys (0.1). Conclusions There is a high level of stigmatizing statements in the studied articles. As the strongest predictors of stigmatizing content we have identified articles that are published in tabloids and articles with reference to psychosis. Contrary to this, eating disorders had the least stigmatizing depiction as well as articles containing scientific data.