An epidemiological study of first admission to psychiatric hospitals in Bradford revealed that foreign-born people had substantially higher illness rates than native born. Comparing the major World War II refugee groups it was found that morbidity was higher among Poles than Ukrainians. It is suggested that the difference can be partly explained by the lower social cohesion of the former. The resulting marginal identity is insufficient protection against the normal crises and losses of later life.

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Following the recognition of the psychological difficulties faced by cancer sufferers, there has been a rapid growth in forms of group help. There is a wide variety of types, and nomenclature is far from consistent. Evaluation studies are reviewed, and issues of potential harmfulness are considered.

Although good communications are generally agreed to be an essential component of effective nursing care of cancer patients, little research has been done on nurses' perception of communication problems, and less on their suggestions for resolving them. A Delphi-type survey among nurses in the North of England revealed that the main areas of comment were: dealing with patients' questions and fears; the communication implications of pain control; and relationships with other professional groups both inside and outside the hospitals. Numerous suggestions were made for improving communications.

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