Using the Referral Decision Scale to Screen Mentally Ill Jail Detainees: Validity and Implementation Issues

The prevalence of serious mental illnesses in jail populations is significantly greater than in the general population. Identifying individuals who warrant psychiatric evaluations is important and benefits correctional staff as well as detainees. One widely used screening instrument intended for this task is the Referral Decision Scale (RDS). This paper reviews the development and validation of the RDS. Using data from a multisite study which assessed postrelease outcomes for detainees with mental illness, various types of validity are addressed. The results confirm that the RDS has some inherent characteristics that seriously limit its practical application as a screening instrument for use by correctional staff.     

Determination of group specific component phenotypes in dried bloodstains by immunofixation on cellulose acetate.

Group specific phenotypes in dried bloodstains can be rapidly and reliably determined by immunofixation on cellulose acetate membranes. Up to 16 samples, can be analyzed simultaneously in less than 60 min, and the cellulose acetate electrophoretogram is retained as a permanent record.     

Death caused by orphenadine poisoning

The number of deaths as a consequence of orphenadine poisoning seems to increase, mostly among severely psychotic males. The lethal dose corresponds to the weekly average dose used in the treatment of neuroleptic extrapyramidal side effects. Based on the literature, the serious, rapidly incipient, cardiac, and neurologic symptoms of poisoning are emphasized. The handing out of orphenadine to suicidal persons must be restricted, and even small overdoses (1-2 g) ought to result in the immediate initiation of observation at an intensive care unit.     

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