The study examines the effectiveness of home treatment in 70 children and adolescents (aged 6-17 years) with heterogeneous psychiatric disorders. Home treatment was offered to parents/children as an alternative to inpatient treatment (no randomized group assignment). Interventions were carried out by psychiatric nurses (n = 38) and medical students (n = 32) under the supervision of experienced child psychiatrists. Assessment of treatment effects was based on a structured parent interview and parents', children's and therapists' ratings of various aspects of psychosocial functioning. Pre- or post-treatment comparisons indicate significant improvement of psychiatric symptoms, severity of the disorder, and psychosocial adjustment after three months of home-based interventions. Outcome of behavioral interventions carried out by experienced nurses was superior, compared to treatment effects achieved by advanced medical students. Post-treatment comparison of home-based (n = 70) and inpatient-based (n = 35) treatment effects suggests that inpatient treatment all in all was more effective. At one-year follow-up, however, the effects of home treatment were maintained in a higher number of patients, compared to the stability of effects seen after psychiatric hospitalization. Thus, home treatment appears to be an effective treatment setting. Motivation and compliance of patient and parents, and high skills of the therapists are key ingredients for the success of a home-based treatment program.

An increase of intoxications in persons using alkaloid-containing ornamental plants (mainly angel's trumpet) for their hallucinogenic effects and easy and cheap availability is registered. It is mainly adolescents who are experimenting with these plants. In addition to severe vegetative anticholinergic symptoms, the clinical picture is often dominated by a toxic psychosis with hallucinations, disturbances of orientation, and psychomotoric agitation, aggression, or anxiety. Three cases of severe psychotic pictures with only mild or completely missing vegetative symptoms after ingestion of angel's trumpet tea are reported. Caused by the increasing spreading of angel's trumpet shrubberies in Europe and North America, intoxications with large numbers of fatalities have to be expected in the future. The taxonomical, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of angel's trumpet-induced disorders are discussed. Knowledge of the clinical picture is important for correct diagnosis and treatment. Prevention by mass media should mainly focus on the medical fatalities of abuse and not emphasize the hallucinogenic effects, presumably increasing unwanted interest for these plants among youths.

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1H-MR spectroscopy reveals metabolic changes in the brain of patients with anorexia nervosa, which are reversible under successful therapy. These metabolic changes can be conclusively explained using a biochemical model.