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A witness seminar: the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, 1960-1989. Themes, lessons and highlights
- Authors:
- HILTON Claire, ARIE Tom, NICOLSON Malcolm
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(6), June 2010, pp.596-603.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A medical history witness seminar is a form of oral history, where people associated with a particular health care development meet with former colleagues to discuss, reflect and present their account of key changes with which they had involvement. This article describes one such meeting, and creates a record of the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, as seen through the eyes of some of the people who participated in building it, from its inception until it was officially recognised as a specialty by the Department of Health in 1989. The group discussions were in the format of a witness seminar, which was audio-recorded and transcribed, and witnesses also provided written biographical information. While early old age psychiatrists had often encountered opposition from other health care professionals and managers, their experiences were demonstrating just how much could be achieved in improving the lives of older mentally ill people. This paper describes how they conveyed their enthusiasm for their work in both clinical and university settings. Clinical creativity, support when working in professional isolation, and dealing with opposition benefited from both the development of the Group for the Psychiatry of Old Age at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and from close links with existing geriatric medicine.
Emotional support, negative interaction and DSM IV lifetime disorders among older African Americans: findings from the national survey of American life (NSAL)
- Authors:
- LINCOLN Karen D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(6), June 2010, pp.612-621.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
While both emotional support and negative interaction (conflicts) with family members have been linked to mental health problems, few studies have examined the associations between emotional support and negative interaction and psychiatric disorders in late life. This study investigated the relationship between emotional support and negative interaction on lifetime incidence of mood and anxiety disorders among older African Americans. Data from the National Survey of American Life identified 786 African Americans aged 55 years and older to be included in the study. The DSM-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to assess mental disorders, and three dependent variables were examined: the prevalence of lifetime mood disorders; the prevalence of lifetime anxiety; and the prevalence of lifetime mood and anxiety disorders. Findings showed that emotional support was not associated with any of the three dependent variables. Negative interaction was significantly and positively associated with the chances of having a lifetime mood disorder, a lifetime anxiety disorder and the number of lifetime mood and anxiety disorders, with 23% of respondents reporting at least one mental disorder over their lifetime. The authors conclude that this study’s finding can alert clinicians to the potential negative impacts of family involvement and their implications for psychiatric disorders.