Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 183
Does education moderate neuropsychological impairment in late-life depression?
- Authors:
- BHALLA Rishi K., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(5), May 2005, pp.413-417.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The increased resistance of better-educated individuals to the cognitive effects of neuropathology has been conceptualized as reflecting brain reserve. This study examined whether educational level influences the degree of neuropsychological impairment associated with late-life depression. The neuropsychological performances of 115 older depressed patients and of 44 comparison subjects of similar age and education were compared as a function of educational level. While depressed patients performed worse than comparison subjects on all the measures, the severity of this impairment (with respect to comparison subjects) did not differ with the educational level of the patients. Brain reserve, as indexed by the patients' level of education, does not mitigate the cognitive decrements associated with late-life depression.
Does arm length indicate cognitive and functional reserve?
- Authors:
- JEONG Seul-Ki, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(5), May 2005, pp.406-412.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study aimed to examine whether arm length and height were associated with cognitive and functional abilities. Screening interviews were conducted in 235 community dwelling individuals aged 65 and over. The assessment scales included the Korean version of modified Mini-Mental State Examination (K-mMMSE) for cognition, and the Korean Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-IADL) for functional ability. All the participants were examined clinically and a diagnosis of dementia was ascertained. Anthropometric measurements included total arm span and height. Both arm length and height correlated significantly with the cognitive and functional scales. In the multivariate regression models, their associations were significant, independent of age, sex, education, and other variables. Shorter arm length was also significantly associated with dementia; while, height lost significance after an adjustment for the potential confounders. Arm length and height could indicate cognitive and functional ability. Arm length, which was known to be less prone to degenerative processes, might be more stable as an indicator for cognitive and functional reserve capacity than height.
Is vascular depression a distinct sub-type of depressive disorder?: a review of causal evidence
- Author:
- BALDWIN Robert C.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(1), January 2005, pp.1-11.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A literature review with discussion of findings in the light of recently suggested guidelines for the development of new psychiatric disorders. There is considerable evidence linking depression in later life with vascular brain disease but the interaction is bi-directional. Depression and vascular disease could be mediated by factors other than traditional vascular risk factors. There is increasing interest in mechanisms such as inflammatory processes which may mediate both depression and vascular disease. Vascular depression provides a useful framework with which to remind the clinician of important interactions between depression and vascular disease but conceptually it may be too restrictive.
Epidemiology of paranoid symptoms in an elderly population
- Authors:
- FORSELL Yvonne, HENDERSON Scott A.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, May 1998, pp.429-432.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article aims to estimate the community prevalence and to identify some associated variables. A community sample of 1420 elderly people, was extensively examined by nurses and physicians. Paranoid symptoms in this elderly population were associated most strongly with cognitive impairment. Other associated variables pointed to a higher level of social isolation than others in the community.
Profile of psychiatric disorders and life events in medically ill elderly: experiences from geriatric clinic in Northern India
- Authors:
- PRAKASH Om, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(11), November 2007, pp.1101-1105.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Morbidity among elderly people has an important influence on their psychological well-being. Evaluation of the morbidity profile and its determinants, which have implications for management of medical problems of elderly people, are scarce in developing countries. Even the physicians' detection rate of mental distress in elderly populations is low in medical outpatient clinics. This could be due to the large caseloads and also, importantly, underestimation of psychological concerns of the elderly. The objective of this study was to study the psychiatric co-morbidity and life events among elderly medical outpatients One hundred medically ill elderly (>60 years) patients attending the Geriatric Clinic at Bikaner (North India) constituted the study population. The physical diagnosis was made by a physician based on reported illness, clinical examination and medical records. Psychiatric diagnosis was made by detailed clinical psychiatric interview using ICD-10 guidelines. Life events were assessed by the Indian adaptation of Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale. Hypertension was the most commonly reported physical diagnosis (50%), other specific medical illnesses were osteoarthritis (15%), diabetes (13%) and constipation (8%). The study found 18% subjects had depression and 11% had other mental disorders. Patients with mental disorders had suffered more recent stressful life events. Among life events, conflicts in family (16%); unemployment of self or children (9%) was reported by elderly psychiatric patients. Other reported life events in psychiatric diagnosed elderly were conflict in family (7%), illness of self (6%) or family members (5%) and death of family members (5%) or close relatives (4%). Mental disorders are common among medically ill elderly patients, but they are poorly recognized and treated. Assessment of the psychiatric morbidity will help in strengthening psycho-geriatric services and thus, improve the quality of life of the elderly.
Motivational interviewing and the older population in psychiatry
- Authors:
- BUGELLI Tania, CROWTHER Terrence R.
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 32(1), January 2008, pp.23-25.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
Motivational interviewing is a psychological intervention that could potentially give clinical staff working with older people a way of tackling ambivalence and/or resistance to change in therapy. Although it has been shown to be effective in various spheres of mental health, this paper discusses the main principles of this intervention and some adaptations necessary to meet the needs of older people (i.e. those over 65 years old). Patients require the capacity to understand and retain new information in order to make use of this intervention, which hence limits its use to those who retain good cognitive functioning.
The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and behavioural disturbances and the use of psychotropic drugs in Norwegian nursing homes
- Authors:
- SALBAEK Geir, KIRKEVOLD Oyvind, ENGEDAL Knut
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(9), September 2007, pp.843-849.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Psychiatric and behavioural symptoms in dementia are associated with a range of negative outcomes, including institutional placement and the widespread use of psychotropic drugs in spite of limited evidence for their efficacy. The aim was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric and behavioural symptoms and the pattern of psychotropic drug prescription in patients with various degrees of dementia. A sample of 1,163 non-selected nursing home patients were assessed by means of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Clinical Dementia Rating scale and Lawton's activities of daily living scale. In addition, information was collected from the patients' records. Dementia was found in 81% of the patients and 72% of them had clinically significant psychiatric and behavioural symptoms. The frequencies of symptoms increased with the severity of the dementia. Psychotropic medication was being prescribed to 75% of patients with dementia. There was a significant relationship between the type of drug and the symptom for which it had been dispensed. Psychiatric and behavioural symptoms are frequent in nursing homes and the rate increases with the progression of the dementia. Systematic programmes are needed for disseminating skills and providing guidance regarding the evaluation and treatment of these symptoms in nursing homes.
What's in a name? Views on psychiatric services for older people
- Authors:
- KELLY Fionnuala, REIDY Julianne, SWANWICK Gregory
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 30(3), March 2006, pp.97-100.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The aim of this study was to provide a name for a psychiatric service for older people in Dublin. A total of 296 individuals (167 doctors, 129 workshop attendees) were surveyed regarding their views on a name for the service. ‘Age-related psychiatry’ was a universally popular term. It was chosen by 43% of general practitioners, 56% of hospital doctors and 44% of the workshop attendees, as one of their top three choices. ‘Psychiatry of old age’, ‘geriatric psychiatry ‘and ‘psychogeriatrics’ were unpopular with all three groups. Names can gradually become stigmatising over time. This applies to the terms for ‘old ‘and ‘psychiatry’. In this survey all groups surveyed rejected some of the terms in widespread clinical use.
Forgetful but not forgotten: assessment and aspects of treatment of people with dementia by a specialist old age psychiatry service
- Author:
- ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 94p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The report represents a consensus statement from an Expert Working Group of the Faculty of the Psychiatry of Old Age, and has been produced in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Society and with representation from primary care. It describes good practice, with particular attention focused on working with primary care and with carers. In preparing the report, the Working Group has used systematic summaries of published evidence.
Prevalence of depression in older patients consulting their general practitioner in the Netherlands
- Authors:
- LICHT-STRUNK Els, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(11), November 2005, pp.1013-1019.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Data of The West Friesland Study were used. Five thousand, six hundred and eight-six GP attendees of 55 years and older filled in the Geriatric Depression Scale - 15 items as a screening instrument for depression (response 62%). Of those screened positive on the GDS-15, 846 (77.5%) were interviewed using the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD). A random sample of 102 patients scoring below the threshold of the GDS-15 was interviewed to estimate the proportion of false negatives. Major depression was prevalent in 13.7% and minor depression in 10.2% of the patients. Depressed patients were older, more often female and lived more often in urban districts. Patients with major depression were younger and more often female than those with a minor depression. Only 22.9% of the patients with a major depression were treated with antidepressants. Depression in older GP attendees is a very common health problem. Further research should focus on identifying those groups of patients with high risk of persistence of depression. This could help to focus the limited resources available in general practice to those patients in whom treatment is most urgently needed.