Citation

Nielssen O, Fukui A, Fawkner L, Walker K. Australas. Psychiatry 2014; 22(2): 183-185.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1039856214520792

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We aim to report on the practice of psychiatry in the Kingdom of Tonga.

METHOD: We provide a description of the findings from a visit to Vaiola Hospital and data provided by the chief psychiatrist of Tonga.

RESULTS: The practice of psychiatry in Tonga reflects the difficulties of providing health care in a middle-income micro state. Interesting features include the use of kava as a calmative for some acutely disturbed and anxious patients, the high proportion of patients receiving treatment with fluphenazine decanoate and the possibility that the observed increase in psychosis among Tongan migrants to Australia is at least partly due to a high prevalence of psychosis in Tonga itself.

CONCLUSIONS: A prevalence of psychosis study would need to be undertaken to confirm the report of a higher rate of psychosis in Tonga compared with that in Australia © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

Language: en

Keywords

protection; Australia; human; mental health; homicide; suicide; epidemiology; Prevalence; psychiatry; cannabis; depression; Psychosis; anxiety; psychosis; stigma; Mental Health Services; awareness; Psychotic Disorders; substance abuse; article; clinical practice; mental health care; psychiatrist; psychiatric department; mental health service; anxiety disorder; electroconvulsive therapy; haloperidol; offender; benzodiazepine; valproic acid; outpatient care; social welfare; occupational therapy; fluphenazine; involuntary commitment; Developing country; fluphenazine decanoate; analogs and derivatives; migrant; kava; Fluphenazine; fluphenazine depot; Kava; Tonga