These results indicate that caregiving has an influence on the family situation and on the quality of life of parents. These findings suggest that the professions working with the parents must have an approach focusing not only on the care given to the ill daughter or son, but also on the parents' situation.

The purpose of this study is to explore prerequisites for a healthy lifestyle as described by individuals diagnosed with psychosis. Forty participants who had performed a lifestyle intervention focusing on physical activities and lifestyle education were interviewed. Conventional content analysis was used. The results are described in two categories: (1) Individual Prerequisites and (2) Being a Part of Society. The individuals said that they got stuck in a state of planning without taking action. It was pointless to make a bigger effort because the psychotic disorder could, at any time, worsen the prerequisites. They also said that they wanted to live like everybody else and therefore tried to adopt a normal lifestyle. Future interventions or professional support by mental health nurses and other health care givers should target the transition from planning to action to achieve a healthy lifestyle, and should help the individual to taking part in society.

The aim of this study was to explore mental health staffs' experiences of assisting people with psychotic disorders to implement lifestyle changes in an effort to prevent metabolic syndrome. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 health care professionals working in psychosis outpatient care in Sweden. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The results illustrate that implementation of lifestyle changes among people with psychotic disorders was experienced as difficult, but possible. The greatest obstacles experienced in this work were difficulties due to the reduction of cognitive functions associated with the disease. Guidelines available to staff in order to help them identify and prevent physical health problems in the group were not always followed and the content was not always relevant. Staff further described feelings of uncertainty about having to motivate people to take anti-psychotic medication while simultaneously being aware of the risks of metabolic deviations. Nursing interventions focusing on organising daily routines before conducting a more active prevention of metabolic syndrome, including information and practical support, were experienced as necessary. The importance of healthy eating and physical activity needs to be communicated in such a way that it is adjusted to the person's cognitive ability, and should be repeated over time, both verbally and in writing. Such efforts, in combination with empathic and seriously committed community-based social support, were experienced as having the best effect over time. Permanent lifestyle changes were experienced as having to be carried out on the patient's terms and in his or her home environment.

ObjectiveTo investigate if continuation rates in first-time users of oral hormonal contraceptives differed between different formulations and to measure if the rates were related to the prescribing categories, that is, physicians and midwives.DesignA longitudinal national population-based registry study.SettingThe Swedish prescribed drug register.ParticipantsAll women born between 1977 and 1994 defined as first-time users of hormonal contraceptives from 2007 to 2009 (n=226 211).Main outcome measuresA tendency to switch the type of hormonal contraceptive within 6 months use and repeated dispensation identical to the first were estimated as percentages and relative risks (RRs). Physicians’ and midwives’ prescription patterns concerning the women's continuation rates of oral hormonal contraceptive type.ResultsIn Sweden, there were 782 375 women born between 1977 and 1994 at the time of the study. Of these, 226 211 women were identified as first-time users of hormonal contraceptives. Ethinylestradiol+levonorgestrel, desogestrel-only and ethinylestradiol+drospirenone were the hormonal contraceptives most commonly dispensed to first-time users at rates of 43.3%, 24.4% and 11.1%, respectively. The overall rate of switching contraceptive types in the first 6 months was 11.3%, which was highest for desogestrel-only (14.3%) and lowest for ethinylestradiol+drospirenone (6.6%). The switching rate for all three products was highest in the 16-year to 19-year age group. Having a repeated dispensation identical to the initial dispensation was highest for users of ethinylestradiol either combined with levonorgestrel or drospirenone, 81.4% and 81.2%, respectively, whereas this rate for the initial desogestrel-only users was 71.5%. The RR of switching of contraceptive type within the first 6 months was 1.35 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.39) for desogestrel-only and 0.63 (0.59 to 0.66) for ethinylestradiol+drospirenone compared with ethinylestradiol+levonorgestrel as the reference category. There were no differences in the women's continuation rates depending on the prescriber categories.ConclusionsDesogestrel-only users conferred the highest switcher rate to another hormonal contraceptive within a 6-month period. Users of ethinylestradiol+levonorgestrel were more prone to switch to another product within 6 months than women using ethinylestradiol+drospirenone. These findings may be of clinical importance when tailoring hormonal contraceptives on an individual basis.