Psychiatric Populations (psychiatric + population)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Diagnostic Accuracy of a New Instrument for Detecting Cognitive Dysfunction in an Emergent Psychiatric Population: The Brief Cognitive Screen

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010
Steven P. Cercy PhD
Abstract Objectives:, In certain clinical contexts, the sensitivity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is limited. The authors developed a new cognitive screening instrument, the Brief Cognitive Screen (BCS), with the aim of improving diagnostic accuracy for cognitive dysfunction in the psychiatric emergency department (ED) in a quick and convenient format. Methods:, The BCS, consisting of the Oral Trail Making Test (OTMT), animal fluency, the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and the MMSE, was administered to 32 patients presenting with emergent psychiatric conditions. Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation served as the criterion standard for determining cognitive dysfunction. Diagnostic accuracy of the MMSE was determined using the traditional clinical cutoff and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Diagnostic accuracy of individual BCS components and BCS Summary Scores was determined by ROC analyses. Results:, At the traditional clinical cutoff, MMSE sensitivity (46.4%) and total diagnostic accuracy (53.1%) were inadequate. Under ROC analyses, the diagnostic accuracy of the full BCS Summary Score (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.857) was comparable to the MMSE (AUC = 0.828). However, a reduced BCS Summary Score consisting of OTMT Part B (OTMT,B), animal fluency, and the CDT yielded classification accuracy (AUC = 0.946) that was superior to the MMSE. Conclusions:, Preliminary findings suggest the BCS is an effective, convenient alternative cognitive screening instrument for use in emergent psychiatric populations. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:307,315 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source]


Aggression in Very High-Risk Youth: Examining Developmental Risk in an Inpatient Psychiatric Population

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2007
Paul Boxer
The goal of this study was to examine the utility of clinical records of psychiatrically hospitalized youth for predicting critical incidents during treatment. Intake data from inpatients (N = 484, mean age = 14 years) in a secure psychiatric facility were coded for the presence of theoretically based individual and contextual risk factor information and analyzed prospectively to predict youths' involvement in incidents of seclusion and restraint. Findings indicated that whereas several individual and contextual risk factors accounted for the likelihood of a youth becoming involved in seclusion or restraint, only histories of various types of aggression, number of prior residential placements and body mass index could predict the extent of this involvement. The implications of these findings with respect to ecologically valid research and empirically informed practice with high-risk youth are discussed. [source]


The reliability and validity of general psychotic rating scales with people with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities: an empirical investigation

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2005
C. Hatton
Abstract Background Whilst assessment tools have been developed to diagnose schizophrenia in people with mild intellectual disabilities (IDs), little attention has been paid to developing reliable and valid dimensional measures of psychotic experiences with this population. This study investigates the reliability and validity of two such measures developed for the general adult psychiatric population, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS), with a population of adults with mild IDs. Method Sixty-two adults with mild IDs were interviewed using the PANSS and PSYRATS, and independently interviewed using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule , Adults with Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD) to obtain psychiatric diagnoses to the criteria of the International Classification of Diseases , Tenth Revision (ICD-10). On the basis of ICD-10 diagnosis, participants were divided into three groups: psychosis (n = 11); other mental health problem (n = 14); no mental health problem (n = 37). PANSS and PSYRATS subscale scores were compared across these three groups and were correlated with PAS-ADD symptom scores across a number of PAS-ADD symptom domains. Results All PANSS and PSYRATS subscales showed adequate internal reliability, largely good test-retest reliability, and logical inter-correlations between subscales. The PANSS positive symptoms and the PSYRATS auditory hallucinations subscales differentiated between the psychosis group and the other groups; the PANSS general symptoms subscale differentiated between the psychosis and no mental health problem groups; and the PANSS negative symptoms and the PSYRATS delusions subscales did not differentiate between the three groups. Conclusions The PANSS and PSYRATS are promising measures for use with people with mild IDs and psychotic experiences, although further investigation of items relating to negative symptoms and delusions is warranted. [source]


Validity of the Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS) with Israeli elderly individuals living in the community

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2002
Tal Zimnavoda Faculty of Medicine
Abstract The Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS) was developed to evaluate Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental ADL (IADL) in a psychiatric population. Later the KELS was assessed and adapted for a geriatric population. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the KELS with elderly individuals living in the community in Israel. The subjects included 92 elderly people living in the community, in protected housing facilities for the elderly, and those living in the community and attending day care. Instruments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to determine cognitive function, the Functional Independent Measure (FIM) to determine performance in ADL, and the Routine Task Inventory (RTI) as a measure of IADL to determine criterion validity. Results showed high correlations between the KELS and the RTI (r=0.895) and the FIM (r=0.70). The KELS was also found to be highly sensitive to the differences between all three groups, supporting construct validity. Furthermore, the KELS was found to be more sensitive to these differences than the other instruments used in the study. In conclusion, the results show the KELS to be valid and appropriate for use by occupational therapists with the Israeli elderly population, similar to the US population. The study's small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. It is recommended that further research be done on the KELS with larger and more diverse elderly populations. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


Emotion avoidance in patients with anorexia nervosa: Initial test of a functional model

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 5 2010
Jennifer E. Wildes PhD
Abstract Objective: This study aimed to evaluate emotion avoidance in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and to examine whether emotion avoidance helps to explain (i.e., mediates) the relation between depressive and anxiety symptoms and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology in this group. Method: Seventy-five patients with AN completed questionnaires to assess study variables. Rates of emotion avoidance were compared to published data, and regression models were used to test the hypothesis that emotion avoidance mediates the relation between depressive and anxiety symptoms and ED psychopathology in AN. Results: Patients with AN endorsed levels of emotion avoidance that were comparable to or higher than other psychiatric populations and exceeded community controls. As predicted, emotion avoidance significantly explained the relations of depressive and anxiety symptoms to ED psychopathology. Discussion: Findings confirm that emotion avoidance is present in patients with AN and provide initial support for the idea that anorexic symptoms function, in part, to help individuals avoid aversive emotional states. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010 [source]


Diagnostic Accuracy of a New Instrument for Detecting Cognitive Dysfunction in an Emergent Psychiatric Population: The Brief Cognitive Screen

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010
Steven P. Cercy PhD
Abstract Objectives:, In certain clinical contexts, the sensitivity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is limited. The authors developed a new cognitive screening instrument, the Brief Cognitive Screen (BCS), with the aim of improving diagnostic accuracy for cognitive dysfunction in the psychiatric emergency department (ED) in a quick and convenient format. Methods:, The BCS, consisting of the Oral Trail Making Test (OTMT), animal fluency, the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and the MMSE, was administered to 32 patients presenting with emergent psychiatric conditions. Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation served as the criterion standard for determining cognitive dysfunction. Diagnostic accuracy of the MMSE was determined using the traditional clinical cutoff and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Diagnostic accuracy of individual BCS components and BCS Summary Scores was determined by ROC analyses. Results:, At the traditional clinical cutoff, MMSE sensitivity (46.4%) and total diagnostic accuracy (53.1%) were inadequate. Under ROC analyses, the diagnostic accuracy of the full BCS Summary Score (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.857) was comparable to the MMSE (AUC = 0.828). However, a reduced BCS Summary Score consisting of OTMT Part B (OTMT,B), animal fluency, and the CDT yielded classification accuracy (AUC = 0.946) that was superior to the MMSE. Conclusions:, Preliminary findings suggest the BCS is an effective, convenient alternative cognitive screening instrument for use in emergent psychiatric populations. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:307,315 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source]


Pain-determined Dissociation Episodes

PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2001
David A. Fishbain MD, FAPA
Objectives., Dissociation disorders are a group of conditions characterized by a disruption of integrated function of consciousness, memory, or perception. The purpose of this report is to describe the impact of increased pain levels on the genesis of two types of dissociation disorders, dissociative fugue ( DF) and dissociative identity disorder ( DID), in patients with chronic pain ( PWCP). Design/Patients/Interventions/Outcome Measures.,From November 1992 to July 2000, 2 DID and 4 DF patients were identified from 2,544 consecutive PWCP evaluated and/or treated at the University of Miami Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center. The salient features of these six dissociation PWCP are presented. All four DF PWCP completed a dissociation experience scale first at the time of identification of the dissociation disorder (with chronic pain) and one alleging their experiences with dissociation predevelopment of chronic pain. Results., Frequency percentage for dissociation for this population was 0.235%. For all four of the DF PWCP, dissociation episodes began after the onset of chronic pain. All six (100%) PWCP described or associated their episodes of dissociation to times when their pain would increase. Mean dissociation scale scores for the four DF PWCP were 1.4 ± 1.11 pre-chronic pain and 20.53 ± 16.82 at time of identification of the dissociative disorder (with chronic pain). Conclusions., The frequency percentage for dissociation within PWCP is small compared with psychiatric populations. There may be an etiological association between the development of dissociation episodes and the development of chronic pain and/or increases in chronic pain. [source]


Schizophrenia and Pathological Gambling

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON ADDICTIONS, Issue 4 2007
Laurence Borras MD
High rates of pathological gambling are found in psychiatric populations, including those with mood or substance use disorders. The extent to which individuals with schizophrenia exhibit the symptoms of pathological gambling has not been adequately investigated. This paper examines the case of a 40-year-old schizophrenic female with a four-year history of gambling. The characteristics of possible interactions between pathological gambling and schizophrenic symptom profiles are outlined in order to propose better treatments for this group of patients. [source]


Adolescent attitudes toward psychiatric medication: the utility of the Drug Attitude Inventory

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 12 2009
Lisa Townsend
Background:, Despite the effectiveness of psychotropic treatment for alleviating symptoms of psychiatric disorders, youth adherence to psychotropic medication regimens is low. Adolescent adherence rates range from 10,80% (Swanson, 2003; Cromer & Tarnowski, 1989; Lloyd et al., 1998; Brown, Borden, and Clingerman, 1985; Sleator, 1985) depending on the population and medication studied. Youth with serious mental illness face increased potential for substance abuse, legal problems, suicide attempts, and completed suicide (Birmaher & Axelson, 2006). Nonadherence may increase the potential for negative outcomes. The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) was created to measure attitudes toward neuroleptics and to predict adherence in adults (Hogan, Awad, & Eastwood, 1983). No studies have been identified that have used this instrument in adolescent psychiatric populations. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the utility of the DAI for measuring medication attitudes and predicting adherence in adolescents diagnosed with mental health disorders. Method:, Structural equation modeling was used to compare the factor structure of the DAI in adults with its factor structure in adolescents. The relationship between adolescent DAI scores and adherence was examined also. Results:, The adult factor structure demonstrated only "fair" fit to the adolescent data (RMSEA = .061). Results indicated a low, but significant positive correlation (r = .205, p < .05) between DAI scores and adherence. Conclusions:, Lack of optimal model fit suggests that DAI items may require alteration to reflect adolescent experiences with psychiatric medication more accurately. Differences between adolescents and adults in developmental stage, symptom chronicity, diagnosis, and medication class may explain why the adult model demonstrated only "fair fit" to the adolescent data and why the correlation between DAI scores and adherence was low. The DAI may be improved for use with adolescents by creating items reflecting autonomy concerns, diagnostic characteristics, treatment length, and side effect profiles relevant to adolescent experiences. [source]


Annotation: Development of facial expression recognition from childhood to adolescence: behavioural and neurological perspectives

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 7 2004
Catherine Herba
Background:, Intact emotion processing is critical for normal emotional development. Recent advances in neuroimaging have facilitated the examination of brain development, and have allowed for the exploration of the relationships between the development of emotion processing abilities, and that of associated neural systems. Methods:, A literature review was performed of published studies examining the development of emotion expression recognition in normal children and psychiatric populations, and of the development of neural systems important for emotion processing. Results:, Few studies have explored the development of emotion expression recognition throughout childhood and adolescence. Behavioural studies suggest continued development throughout childhood and adolescence (reflected by accuracy scores and speed of processing), which varies according to the category of emotion displayed. Factors such as sex, socio-economic status, and verbal ability may also affect this development. Functional neuroimaging studies in adults highlight the role of the amygdala in emotion processing. Results of the few neuroimaging studies in children have focused on the role of the amygdala in the recognition of fearful expressions. Although results are inconsistent, they provide evidence throughout childhood and adolescence for the continued development of and sex differences in amygdalar function in response to fearful expressions. Studies exploring emotion expression recognition in psychiatric populations of children and adolescents suggest deficits that are specific to the type of disorder and to the emotion displayed. Conclusions:, Results from behavioural and neuroimaging studies indicate continued development of emotion expression recognition and neural regions important for this process throughout childhood and adolescence. Methodological inconsistencies and disparate findings make any conclusion difficult, however. Further studies are required examining the relationship between the development of emotion expression recognition and that of underlying neural systems, in particular subcortical and prefrontal cortical structures. These will inform understanding of the neural bases of normal and abnormal emotional development, and aid the development of earlier interventions for children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. [source]