Pain and Comorbid Psychiatric Illnesses in Elderly People

Author(s):  
Mellar P. Davis ◽  
John L. Shuster

Chronic pain is often associated with anxiety, depression, and frailty. The relationship between pain and mental illness is complex and bidirectional. In elderly people, poor self-rated health is strongly associated with pain severity, and pain-related interference with daily activities leads to depression. There is a shared neural substrate within the central nervous system (CNS) between pain and depression, which have a common neuroanatomical organization within the CNS. The close association between pain and depression means that assessment of pain should be accompanied by assessment of depression even if by the single question, “Are you depressed?” The physiological changes in aging influence the pain experience and analgesic tolerance, which diminishes in the presence of comorbidities. Tolerance to antidepressants is also diminished, with a greater risk for drug–drug interactions due to polypharmacy, which accompanies older age.

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco L. Atienza-González ◽  
Natalia Martínez ◽  
Castora Silva

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between self-reported life satisfaction, self-rated health, gender, and age in adolescents. 1,141 secondary school students aged between 12 and 17 participated in our study. The data were analyzed using bivariate and nonlinear canonical correlation analyses. The results of the bivariate correlation analysis support the results of previous studies. Life satisfaction was positively correlated with same-day perceived health (r = .37; p < .01) and negatively correlated with anxiety/depression (r = –.37; p < .01). Same-day perceived health was positively correlated with health in the past 12 months (r = .38; p < .01) and negatively correlated with pain/discomfort (r = –.32; p < .01) and with anxiety/depression (r = –.32; p < .01). The nonlinear canonical correlation analysis provided further evidence of the relationship between the variables, suggesting the complementarity of the indicators of self-rated health analyzed. Multiple fit values showed that demographic variables age (.61) and gender (.56) were the variables with the best discriminatory power. Graphically, two groups of related variables were displayed. A non-linear analysis better explains the relationships between the variables analyzed, showing that age and gender have a high level of discriminatory power for life satisfaction and self-rated health, suggesting a role as a moderator in the relationship between health and well-being variables.


2006 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 359-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodríguez-Rodríguez ◽  
Ortega ◽  
López-Sobaler ◽  
Aparicio ◽  
Bermejo ◽  
...  

This study investigated the relationship between the intake of antioxidant nutrients and the suffering of cataracts in 177 institutionalized elderly people (61 men and 116 women) aged ≥ 65 years. Dietary intake was monitored for 7 consecutive days using a "precise individual weighing" method. Subjects, who during their earlier years were exposed by their work to sunlight, had a greater risk of suffering cataracts (OR = 3.2; Cl: 1.1–9.3, P < 0.05) than those who worked indoors. A relationship was found between increased vitamin C intake and a reduced prevalence of cataracts (i.e., when comparing those above P95 for vitamin C intake with those below P5; (OR = 0.08; Cl: 0.01–0.75, P 0.05). Among subjects with cataracts, 12.1% had vitamin C intakes of < 61 mg/day (P10) and only 2.2% had intakes of > 183 mg/day (P95) (p < 0.01). Subjects who consumed > 3290 μg/day (P95) of lutein were less likely to have cataracts (OR = 0.086; Cl: 0.007–1.084; p < 0.05) than those whose consumption was < 256 μg/day (P5). In men, high intakes of zeaxanthin seemed to provide a protective effect against the problem (OR = 0.96; Cl: 0.91–0.99; p < 0.05). The results suggest an association exists between exposure to sunlight and the development of cataracts, and that vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin offer some protection against this disorder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
Melanie M. van der Ploeg ◽  
Jos F. Brosschot ◽  
Markus Quirin ◽  
Richard D. Lane ◽  
Bart Verkuil

Abstract. Stress-related stimuli may be presented outside of awareness and may ultimately influence health by causing repetitive increases in physiological parameters, such as blood pressure (BP). In this study, we aimed to corroborate previous studies that demonstrated BP effects of subliminally presented stress-related stimuli. This would add evidence to the hypothesis that unconscious manifestations of stress can affect somatic health. Additionally, we suggest that these findings may be extended by measuring affective changes relating to these physiological changes, using measures for self-reported and implicit positive and negative affectivity. Using a repeated measures between-subject design, we presented either the prime word “angry” ( n = 26) or “relax” ( n = 28) subliminally (17 ms) for 100 trials to a student sample and measured systolic and diastolic BP, heart rate (HR), and affect. The “angry” prime, compared to the “relax” prime, did not affect any of the outcome variables. During the priming task, a higher level of implicit negative affect (INA) was associated with a lower systolic BP and diastolic BP. No association was found with HR. Self-reported affect and implicit positive affect were not related to the cardiovascular (CV) activity. In sum, anger and relax primes elicited similar CV activity patterns, but implicit measures of affect may provide a new method to examine the relationship between (unconscious) stress and health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-772
Author(s):  
Ammar Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Aqeel ◽  
Tanvir Akhtar ◽  
Sammeen Salim ◽  
Bashir Ahmed

Adaptation level theory of tinnitus and neuropsychological theory of tinnitus are extensively used frameworks for understanding emotional and psychological distress among tinnitus sufferers. Objective of the present study was to investigate potential associations between hearing loss, tinnitus, anxiety, depression, and stress. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (Newman, Jacobson, & Spitzer, 1996) and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)scales were administered to a sample of 110 tinnitus outpatients recruited from Audiology departments of Lahore and Rawalpindi hospitals. Results revealed tinnitus was positively linked with psychological problems. Additionally, it was established that tinnitus is a positive significant predictor for anxiety, stress and depression. The moderation models related to the interactions between psychological problems and hearing loss were negative significant predictors for tinnitus symptoms. Moreover, the comparative analysis between gender differences revealed a significant diversity in the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Results also elucidated that patients at initial stages of hearing loss were more prone towards reporting tinnitus symptoms along with emerging psychological problems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Massoomeh Hedayati ◽  
Aldrin Abdullah ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki

There is continuous debate on the impact of house quality on residents’ health and well-being. Good living environment improves health, and fear of crime is recognised as a mediator in the relationship between physical environment and health. Since minimal studies have investigated the relationship, this study aims to examine the impact of the house quality on fear of crime and health. A total of 230 households from a residential neighbourhood in Malaysia participated in the study. Using structural equation modelling, the findings indicate that housing quality and fear of crime can account for a proportion of the variance in residents’ self-rated health. However, there is no significant relationship between housing quality and fear of crime. Results also show that fear of crime does not mediate the relationship between housing quality and health. This study suggests that the environment-fear relationship should be re-examined theoretically.  


Author(s):  
Karla Liliana Pérez-Sosa ◽  
Edgar Felipe Lares-Bayona

Alcohol is a toxic substance associated with acute and chronic disorders affecting the Central Nervous System and significantly altering brain function. Objective: To determine the relationship between cognitive impairment and alcohol consumption in university students of the Juárez University of the State of Durango. Methodology: It is a cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative, non-probabilistic study, for convenience. A database was designed on the results obtained in a clinical interview on alcohol consumption and the application of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Contribution: The evaluation of cognitive functions show similar results, the male sex presented a better score in Attention and the female one in Orientation. More involvement was identified in the Deferred Memory functions in both groups. In relation to alcohol consumption, the cognitive functions evaluated show lower levels. The female gender was more evident cognitive impairment in relation to alcohol consumption being statistically significant (p <0.025). Alcohol consumption is a risky behavior that deserves to be recognized by the main actors about neurocognitive effects. Alcohol consumption prevention programs and cognitive diagnostic tools are appropriate strategies to reduce risk behaviors in mental health.


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