Resource Tag: NEUROBEHAVIORAL DISORDERS

A random sample of participants (age 81+) from a cohort in a pre-existing epidemiological study of dementia were selected for an interview. 125 of 170 eligible participants were interviewed as were 118 of 125 informants. The relationship between suicidal thinking & both cognitive impairment & depression was studied. 9 people showed suicidal thinking – all […]

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This study assessed the specificity of depressive symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease & examined the discrepancies between patient & caregiver symptom reports. When compared to depressed patients without dementia, depressed patients with Alzheimer’s disease demonstrated a significantly higher score for suicide on the Hamilton depression scale. The implications of findings regarding depression levels in […]

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Published in “The Suicidal Process: Challenges for Treatment and Prevention”

The authors sought to find association between predictors & survival in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). 96 patients with FTD were studied. Most behavioral/psychiatric features were associated with longer survival. It was found that anxiety & suicidal ideation were associated with a statistically significant decreased mortality. Implications are discussed. (79 refs)

This study expands on previous research regarding attitudes of older adults toward disclosures of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 200 patients 65 years or older completed a questionnaire assessing opinions about being told the diagnosis of AD versus cancer. Those with personal experience with AD were significantly less likely to want to know themselves […]

Published in “Suicide Risk & Protective Factors in the New Millennium,” ed. by O T Grad

This study compared the attitudes towards physician-assisted suicide in two groups of older persons: 57 caregivers of relatives with Alzheimer’s disease, & 46 non-caregivers. Depressive symptoms & hopelessness scores were also compared. It was found that over two-thirds of both groups believed assisted suicide was a rational decision in some circumstances, but 40% of caregivers […]

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This article addresses euthanasia & the right of an individual to make such a request if it is made before the onset of a terminal illness. The author compares & contrasts his own ideas to those presented in Ronald Dworkin’s “Life Dominion”. This article uses DworkinÕs example of a woman with AlzheimerÕs disease to illustrate […]

Mental disorders have a strong association with suicide. This statistical overview of the literature gives an estimate of the suicide risk of the common mental disorders. Article states that if the results can be generalized, then virtually all mental disorder patients have an increased risk of suicide, except mental retardation & dementia. Risk is highest […]

Literature review of depressive symptomatology on primary family caregivers shows negative aspects of caregiver burden include: need for physical relief from caregiving, health problems, deficits in caregiving knowledge, skills & problem-solving & inadequate self-help support networks. Strongest evidence of depressive symptoms are shown in studies of caregivers of demented relatives. Hamilton’s Caregiver Support Program – […]

This article describes geriatric patients who visit the emergency room (ER). A survey assessing demographic & clinical characteristics was completed for every psychiatric ER patient during a 2 year period. Findings indicate that few patients with dementia who visited the ER were previously known to the service. A group of elderly patients with mood disorders […]

The objective of this study was to characterize the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) & to determine the prevalence & time of onset of psychiatric symptoms. In 100 randomly selected autopsy-confirmed AD patients, irratibility, agitation, & aggression were documented in 81 patients, an average of 10 months after diagnosis. 70% of patients experienced depression, […]

Relatively little is known about the prevalence or determinants of self-destructive behaviour in patients with dementing disorders. This article reviews studies & explores the question of why suicide risk is not higher than available data suggest. Suggestions for future research are noted. As attitudes towards self-determined death change, decisions about end of life should be […]

A pathogenic double-mutation was detected in families with early-onset alzheimer disease. This article reports on APP 670/671 mutation analysis for presymptomatic testing of family at risk of inheriting the disease. Of 3 members tested for the mutation, the one shown to be a carrier reacted with depression & suicidal thoughts. It is considered essential that […]

This article presents 2 cases where patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) committed suicide (methods: physician assistance & self-inflicted gunshot wound). The cases show that suicidal ideation in patients with preserved insight, who perceive they are not responding to pharmacological treatment, must be taken seriously even when depression & other suicide risk factors are absent. The […]

A retrospective study of 30 Huntington’s disease families (110 patients: 75 alive & 35 dead) showed the minimum lifetime prevalence of depression to be 39% in the prodrome & the diagnosed disease phase of the illness. The frequency of symptomatic schizophrenias was found to be about 9% & significant personality changes were found in 72% […]

A theory of the family as a supraordinate selfobject is developed. Clinical applications of the theory are explored. The family as a selfobject matrix enhances the development of the child by the provision of continuity through the maintenance of proximity over time, & by an enhanced quality & quantity of selfoject responsiveness for the individual. […]