Background. No study to date has investigated the effects of the trauma of being kidnapped for ransom. In the present study, we aimed to assess the general health status and the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MDD) in a sample of kidnap victims. We also focused attention on dissociative experiences and on the development of the Stockholm syndrome during captivity.

Methods. We investigated the traumatic experiences and reported general health status of 24 kidnap victims using a semistructured interview. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to assess the presence of PTSD and MDD. The Dissociative Experiences Scale was also administered.

Results. The lifetime frequency of PTSD and MDD were 45·9% and 37·5% respectively. The Stockholm syndrome had been present in 50% of the sample during captivity. The presence of PTSD can be predicted by the number of violent experiences, whereas the number of humiliating or deprivation experiences predicts the development of the Stockholm syndrome. Subjects with both PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome reported a greater number of physical complaints at the interview.

Conclusions. There is no significant connection between PTSD and the Stockholm syndrome. Both are indices of the severity of the trauma of being kidnapped, but they are associated with different aspects of the traumatic experience. The presence of both syndromes appears to have a detrimental effect on physical health.

Background. Informant questionnaires on cognitive decline are increasingly used as screening tests for dementia. Informants can provide a longitudinal perspective that is not possible with cognitive screening tests administered at one point in time. However, there are limited data on the validity of such questionnaires when judged against longitudinal change on cognitive tests.

Methods. A community sample of elderly people aged [ges ] 70 was assessed on cognitive tests at baseline and after a follow-up of 7–8 years. The participants were given the Mini-Mental State Examination and tests of episodic memory and mental speed. At follow-up, the short-form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) was completed by informants for 287 of the participants.

Results. Elderly people who were rated by informants as having moderate or severe decline had declined significantly on cognitive tests. The IQCODE correlated as highly with cognitive test change scores as these change scores correlated with each other.

Conclusions. The IQCODE is a valid way of assessing cognitive decline when assessment can be carried out only at one point in time.

This conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 26–30 September 2001. The purpose of the conference, which will include a workshop in epidemiological methods, is to bring together clinicians and scientists who are engaged in epidemiological or health service research into mental disorders, to review progress especially in the Asian and Pacific regions and to help to promote international collaboration in this field.

Further details are given on the IFPE home page at http://www.humv.es/uipcs/ifpe Those interested should contact: Professor Saroja Krishnaswamy, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +60 3787 46634. Fax: +60 3787 56304 or +60 3973 784. E-mail: saroja54@hotmail.com