Treatment of affective Symptoms in Geriatric Psychiatry with Pregabalin

Purpose: Military service members often report both affective and vestibular complaints after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but associations between symptoms and vestibular deficits can be subtle and inconsistent. Methods: From two complementary studies, one of military service members with persistent post-concussive symptoms after mTBI (NCT01611194) and the other of adult volunteers with no history of brain injury (NCT01925963), affective symptoms were compared to postural control, gait, otolith and visuospatial function. Results: The studies enrolled 71 participants with mTBI and 75 normative controls. Participants with mTBI had significantly reduced postural equilibrium on the sensory organization test (SOT), and more so in those with high anxiety or post-traumatic stress. Cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP; oVEMP) showed prolonged latencies in mTBI participants compared to controls; oVEMPs were significantly delayed in mTBI participants with high anxiety, post-traumatic stress or depression. A subset of the mTBI group had abnormal tandem gait and high anxiety. Anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression did not correlate with performance on the 6-Minute Walk Test, visuospatial neuropsychological measures, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale in the mTBI group. Conclusions: In this study military service members with mTBI reported affective symptoms, concurrently with vestibular-balance concerns. Worse scores on affective measures were associated with abnormal findings on measures of postural control, gait and otolith function.

Download Full-text

Case Series With Late-Onset Psychosis Hospitalized in a Geriatric Psychiatry Unit in Turkey: Experience in 9 Years

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610203008767 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 69-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yesne Alici-Evcimen ◽

Turan Ertan ◽

Engin Eker

Keyword(s):

Early Onset ◽

Late Onset ◽

Case Series ◽

Geriatric Psychiatry ◽

Delusional Disorder ◽

Early Onset Schizophrenia ◽

Treatment Results ◽

Thought Insertion ◽

Psychiatry Department ◽

Paranoid Psychosis

In this article we report the first series of Turkish inpatients with late-onset psychosis, and describe our 9-year experience at the only inpatient geriatric psychiatry department in Turkey. Among 420 patients hospitalized between 1993 and 2002, 27 were psychotic. In this group, eight patients were diagnosed as having late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) and six very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (VLOSLP). Five patients had early-onset schizophrenia and eight had delusional disorder. Females were more frequently seen in the group with LOS and the group with VLOSLP. Except for one patient with LOS, all patients with VLOSLP and LOS had paranoid psychosis. Nihilistic delusions, delusions of poverty or guilt, thought withdrawal, thought insertion, and thought broadcasting were not seen in any of the patients. Additionally, none of the LOS or VLOSLP patients showed erotomanic delusions. Grandiose and mystic delusions were not seen in those with VLOSLP. Treatment results and antipsychotic dosages at discharge were similar to those in previous reports from other cultures.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 lockdown has altered the dynamics between affective symptoms and social isolation among older adults: results from a longitudinal network analysis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94301-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Junhong Yu ◽

Rathi Mahendran

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Network Analyses ◽

Correlation Networks ◽

Affective Symptoms ◽

Tightly Coupled ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

AbstractThe COVID-19 lockdown has drastically limited social interactions and brought about a climate of fear and uncertainty. These circumstances not only increased affective symptoms and social isolation among community dwelling older adults but also alter the dynamics between them. Using network analyses, we study the changes in these dynamics before and during the lockdown. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 419) completed questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety, and social isolation, before the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of a cohort study, and during the lockdown period. The total scores of these questionnaires were compared across time. For the network analyses, partial correlation networks were constructed using items in the questionnaires as nodes, separately at both timepoints. Changes in edges, as well as nodal and bridge centrality were examined across time. Depression and anxiety symptoms, and social isolation had significantly increased during the lockdown. Significant changes were observed across time on several edges. Greater connectivity between the affective and social isolation nodes at lockdown was observed. Depression symptoms have become more tightly coupled across individuals, and so were the anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms have also become slightly decoupled from those of anxiety. These changing network dynamics reflect the greater influence of social isolation on affective symptoms across individuals and an increased vulnerability to affective disorders. These findings provide novel perspectives and translational implications on the changing mental health context amidst a COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Download Full-text

Associations between childhood reading problems and affective symptoms across the life course: Evidence from the 1946 British Birth Cohort

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 282 ◽

pp. 284-288

Author(s):

Amber John ◽

Josh Stott ◽

Marcus Richards

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Reading Problems ◽

Affective Symptoms ◽

The Life Course ◽

Childhood Reading

Download Full-text

Predictive Factors in Sacral Neuromodulation: A Systematic Review

Urologia Internationalis ◽

10.1159/000513937 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Ranjana Jairam ◽

Jamie Drossaerts ◽

Tom Marcelissen ◽

Gommert van Koeveringe ◽

Desiree Vrijens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Predictive Factors ◽

Sacral Neuromodulation ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Specific Patient ◽

Detrusor Contractility ◽

Affective Symptoms ◽

Lower Success Rate ◽

Patient Groups ◽

Based Medicine

Introduction: Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is an effective treatment in patients with overactive bladder syndrome or nonobstructive urinary retention when conservative treatment fails. Several factors that could impact outcome with SNM have been studied. This systematic review investigated these predictive factors and their relevance for clinical practice. Methods: Systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines was conducted. This review is registered in the PROSPERO register (CRD42015016256). Results: Seventy-eight studies (of which 11 abstracts) were included. Females, younger patients, and a tined lead procedure tend to be predictive in successful SNM outcome. Factors that did not influence SNM outcome were prior back surgery, surgery for stress urinary incontinence, affective symptoms, and duration of complaints. Reduced detrusor contractility is associated with a lower success rate. The level of evidence of most studies (graded according to the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine) was 3b. Conclusion: Even though this systematic review investigated predictive factors (gender, age, type of procedure, type of lead, and detrusor contractility), no general consensus on predictive factors could be made. Most studies are small, retrospective, and involve a heterogeneous population. Therefore, prospective research in larger specific patient groups remains necessary to find predictors of SNM outcome.

Download Full-text