bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Male secondary school student's attitudes towards using mental health services
Authors: Burke Shane , Kerr Robert , McKeon Patrick 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: The rate of suicide among young men is rising. However, young men are reluctant to use mental health services. In this study we explored young men's attitudes towards mental illness and mental health services, as well as their willingness to use these services.Methods: Four focus groups were conducted in two Dublin schools. A total of 18 students participated in the study.Results: Students held negative views towards mental health services, particularly in respect to psychiatric hospitals and medication. Students were not well informed about whom to contact if they had depression and were very conscious about the stigma of going to see a ‘professional’. Many students did not recognise depression as being a mental illness and could not differentiate between depression and feeling sad.Conclusions: This study shows that a lack of knowledge and understanding about mental illness, combined with prejudice against mental health professionals and fear of stigma, are important barriers to access of mental health services for young men.
Physical health and attendance at primary care in people with schizophrenia
Authors: Behan Caragh , McGlade Nicola , Haq Farhan , Kinsella Anthony , Gill Michael , Corvin Aiden , O'Callaghan Eadbhard 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: People with schizophrenia are at increased risk of cardiovascular and endocrine disease. National guidelines recommend the physical health of people with schizophrenia be monitored by primary care, but little is known about whether such people attend primary care. We sought to examine the prevalence of cardiovascular and endocrine disease in a stable population with schizophrenia, and factors associated with attending primary care.Method: A cross sectional survey of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder was taken from a larger cohort participating in the Resource for Psychoses and Genomics in Ireland (RPGI) study. Participants were interviewed using standardised clinical assessments, and underwent anthropometric measurements, and further information was collected by medical record review and contacting the general practitioner (GP).Results: Thirteen percent (n = 14) had established cardiovascular disease and 4.3% (n = 4) had type 2 diabetes. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes were higher than the general population. Sixty-eight point five percent (n = 63) had attended their GP at least once in the previous year. Only 35% self reported a physical illness. Females (p = 0.03), those with both self-reported presence of physical illness (p = 0.007), and diagnosed physical illness (p = 0.001) were more likely to attend their GP. Other psychosocial, psychological and illness related variables did not predict attendance at primary care.Conclusion: While established patients attend their GP, they had significant unidentified risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It is likely that non-attendees at secondary care would fare worse yet.
An assessment of the new memory clinic at Cork University Hospital
Authors: Popoola Abraham , O'Donovan Maria , Mullan Eleanor 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjective: Dementia is a progressive brain disease. The prevalence of dementia increases with age. Symptomatic pharmacological treatments for dementia are available. Psychological and social interventions can support the patient and their carer. Early recognition and diagnosis of dementia are necessary to access this care and reduce crisis-led intervention. A memory clinic service is ideally placed to commence the assessment and management of dementia. The objective of this paper was to describe the setting up of the memory clinic in Cork University Hospital and review the characteristics of the first 118 patients.Method: One hundred and eighteen patients were assessed at the memory clinic between July 2004 and Feb 2007. In general the service operated on a two-appointment system. The first appointment was for a comprehensive assessment with investigations. The second appointment was a feedback session with discussion of the diagnosis, prognosis and management plan for the patient and generally their carer. We examined their demographic characteristics, clinical details, psychological test results and results of investigations.Results: Of the 127 patients referred, 118 (92.9%) attended. Fifteen (12.7%) patients had diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 93 (78.8%) patients were diagnosed with dementia and 5 (4.2%) had diagnosis of depressive disorder with no co-morbid dementia. The dementia type in descending frequency was Alzheimer's disease (50.5%), vascular dementia (34.4%), mixed type dementia (10.8%), Frontal lobe dementia (2.2%) and Lewy body type (2.2%). Of the 93 (78.8%) patients with dementia, 47 (50.5%) had MMSE score ≥20, 29 (31.2%) had MMSE score 11-19 and 17 (18.3%) had score of 0-10. Thirty-three (35.5%) patients were on antidementia medication at the point of referral and a further 16 (17.2%) patients were commenced on these drugs following assessment.Conclusion: The memory clinic provides a service for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. It offers diagnosis, an opportunity to receive specific advice regarding dementia management, differentiation between dementia and depression and a resource point for carers and patients.
A survey of old age psychiatry consultation/liaison services in Ireland
Authors: Reidy Julianne , Kirby Michael 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: The aim of this survey was to assess current structures for provision of consultation/liaison services to older people in the Republic of Ireland, and to ascertain the proportion of referrals to psychiatry of old age arising from consultation/liaison referrals.Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to the 19 public sector, old age psychiatry services, operating in 2005. Information was obtained from 15 of these 19 services regarding the referrals they received in 2005.Findings: Consultation/liaison referrals make up 36% of total referrals to psychiatry of old age services. Two of 14 services had ring-fenced resources for consultation/liaison work. Three of 14 consultants described their service as having a significant liaison component. Location of the service and the criteria for accepting a referral are associated with the proportion of referrals that are consultation/liaison.Conclusions: Consultation/liaison referrals make up a significant proportion of referrals. To provide an effective consultation/liaison service ring-fenced resources are required. Despite this recent long term strategies for national service development have neglected this area.
Children's depression, gender and age norms for an Irish national (primary) school population
Authors: Meehan Fiona , Houghton Frank , Cowley Hilary , Houghton Sharon , Kelleher Kevin 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: To provide normative data for older national (primary) school children, broken down by age and gender, for the Children's Depression Inventory-Short version (CDI-S) and revised norms for the Children's Depression Inventory-Parent version (CDI-P) and its subscales.Method: Forty-three randomly selected national schools took part in this study. Participants were 1,255, fifth and sixth class, Irish national school children who completed the Children's Depression Inventory Short Form (CDI-S). In total 1,018 parents completed the corresponding parent form, the Children's Depression Inventory-Parent version (CDI-P).Results: Norms for the CDI-S and the CDI-P subscales were produced. Revised norms for the CDI-P are proposed. Results revealed no significant age or gender difference in depressive symptomatology as measured by respondent's CDI-S and total CDI-P scores. Parent's ratings of their children's depression levels (CDI-P) and children's self-reported depression levels (CDI-S) were significantly correlated. The CDI-S and CDI-P displayed good internal reliability.Conclusion: Results indicate the utility of both the CDI-S and the CDI-P for assessing depressive symptoms in national school children in Ireland. This study confirms that national school children do display symptoms of depression. School based policies, materials and services supporting and promoting positive mental health should be developed, implemented and resourced.
Bone mineral density and general health of long-term residential psychiatric inpatients
Authors: Hallahan Brian , Lyons Declan , Doyle Patrick 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjective:The aim of this study was to determine the rates of osteopenia and osteoporosis and other general health problems in a long-stay male psychiatric unit.Method:All 15 patients underwent a semi-structured clinical interview and a full physical examination including calculation of Body Mass Index, central obesity (abdominal circumference) and blood pressure measurement. All patients had blood sampling examining FBC, U&E, LFTs, TFTs, PSA, prolactin, lipid profile and glucose. The rates of metabolic syndrome were calculated according to the International Diabetes Federation consensus worldwide definition. Bone mineral density was determined in the lumbar vertebrae and left hip by DEXA scanning.Results:The prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis was 46%, and bone mineral density was inversely correlated with serum prolactin levels (r = -0.595, p = 0.041) and chlorpromazine equivalence (r = -0.645, p = 0.017). The prevalence of obesity was 53%, while central obesity was present in 87% of patients. Metabolic Syndrome was present in 27% of patients.Conclusions:More attention should be given to diagnosing and treating osteopenia and osteoporosis in patients on long-term antipsychotic agents and preventative measures should form part of any treatment regime in these individuals. Frequent input from dietitians should also be available for long-stay psychiatric inpatients to reduce the prevalence of obesity.
Management of patients' physical health in an acute psychiatric unit
Authors: Payne Ann , Essem Julius 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to help clarify the range of acute medical problems experienced by patients on an acute psychiatric unit during a period of 28 days and nights, as encountered by psychiatric trainees, and to document any difficulties experienced by the trainee during these patient contacts.Method: This survey was carried out prospectively over 28 days and nights in an acute psychiatric ward attached to a teaching University Hospital. Following contact with an individual patient, the trainee recorded diagnosis, intervention and any difficulties encountered.Results: Thirty-three patient contacts were recorded (n = 33). Trainees faced a range of primary care problems 22/33 (67%), but moreover, three patients demonstrated more serious and potentially life threatening problems, leading to 11/33 (33%) patient contacts requiring urgent interventions.Conclusions: While the debate continues as to who is best placed to provide medical healthcare for psychiatric patients, this study provides evidence that psychiatry trainees are required to draw on their previous medical and surgical experience on an almost daily basis. As psychiatrists we should consider our options on how best to manage medical problems on the acute psychiatric unit and consequently ensure confident liaison with our medical and surgical colleagues.
Big boys don't cry: male secondary school students' attitudes to depression
Authors: Kerr Robert , Burke Shane , McKeon Patrick 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: In an earlier qualitative study we explored the attitudes of young men aged 15-19 (Group A) to mental health and, in particular, to engaging with the various mental health services available. We found that the participants perceived stigma in connection with mental ill health and they displayed particularly strong negative attitudes in relation to both doctors and medication. The investigation was then repeated with students who had been given a short (less than two-hour) programme called ‘Beat the Blues’ (BTB) about mental health (Group B) in order to assess the effect of that exposure by comparing the attitudes of the two groups of students. This present phase of the analysis is a quantitative examination of the written responses by both Groups A and B to an administered questionnaire.Methods: A total of 42 young men took part in eight focus groups held in boys-only Dublin secondary schools, described in Burke et al. A questionnaire, administered to each participant, examined the students' attitudes to depression and mental illness. The results were analysed by computer using SPSS to search for any trends and any contrasts between groups A and B and among the different socio-economic groups (SEGs) within the sample.Results: Almost no statistically significant differences were found between groups A and B. However, some differences were found among the SEGs. In particular, very significant differences (p < 0.01 in each case), were found in attitudes towards depression, with increasing support for statements such as “People with depression just need to snap out of it”, “Drinking alcohol can help cure depression” and “Depression is only an excuse for laziness” found among the lower SEGs. A very high percentage of students indicated their desire to talk to someone in times of personal stress; this was almost always their best friend or their mother. However, most students said they would be uncomfortable if a friend raised such a topic.Conclusion: The main conclusion – that a single exposure to a positive programme about depression produces little or no effect – is hardly unexpected. Nonetheless, there are indications of a great willingness among older secondary students to learn about and discuss mental health issues. Furthermore, the highly negative attitudes among students from the lowest socio-economic group in this study would seem to indicate that the greatest need for education about mental health lies with working-class adolescents. Hence, it is recommended that a programme of multiple interventions be introduced into the senior cycle of secondary education.
Mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland: vision and reality
Authors: Ijaz Atif , Killaspy Helen , Holloway Frank , Keogh Fiona , Lavelle Ena 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: The Irish national mental health policy document, A Vision for Change, included recommendations to develop specialist rehabilitation mental health services. This survey was conducted as part of a multicentre study to investigate current provision of mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland and factors associated with better clinical outcomes for users of these services. The aim was to carry out a detailed national survey of specialist rehabilitation services in order to describe current service provision.Method: A structured questionnaire was sent to consultant rehabilitation psychiatrists in all mental health catchment areas of Ireland that had any rehabilitation services to gather data on various aspects of service provision.Results: Twenty-six of the 31 mental health areas of Ireland had some form of rehabilitation service. Sixteen teams working in 15 of these areas fulfilled A Vision for Change criteria to be defined as specialist rehabilitation services and all 16 responded to the survey. The overall response rate was 73% (19/26). Most services lacked a full multidisciplinary team. Only one service had an assertive outreach team with acceptable fidelity to the assertive outreach model. Urban services were less well resourced than rural services.Conclusion: This is the first national survey to describe the provision of mental health rehabilitation services in Ireland. Although there has been an increase in the provision of consultant-led specialist rehabilitation services nationally, these services lack multidisciplinary input. There also appears to be a lack of planned provision of the facilities required to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services with unequal distribution of resources between urban and rural areas. This has potential cost implications for local mental health services in relation to ‘out of area treatment’ placements and perhaps more importantly to the overall quality of patient care.
Prescription chart writing practices in an acute psychiatric unit
Authors: Akinsola Oluwatosin , Nwachukwu Kingsley , Kavanagh Annette 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: The survey was designed to evaluate the current prescribing practice of the doctors in our local psychiatric unit against the standards outlined by the National Health Office in the Code of Practice for Healthcare Records Management, and to assess the changes in practice by completing an audit cycle.Method: The survey was carried out in a 27 bed acute psychiatric unit. A single assessor reviewed 51 inpatient drug prescription charts using a standardised data collection form derived from the Code of Practice document. Results were presented to the relevant clinical staff and a repeat survey was conducted a few months afterwards. All data were categorical and the frequencies were computed using SPSS 13.0.Results: A total of 51 medication prescription charts were analysed on each occasion during the period of the study. The information contained on the drug charts were assessed against explicit predefined criteria as per the approved standard. At the initial survey, allergy documentation was absent in 59% of charts, only 18% of charts had generic only prescriptions, 90% of ‘as required’ medication lacked review dates, and only 33% of charts were considered to be reasonably neat. The repeat survey showed improvements in these practices, generic only prescribing increased to 39%, and 55% of charts were considered to be reasonably neat by the assessor.Conclusion: Our study has identified deficiencies in prescribing practices and we have shown improvement in some of these practices at the repeat survey, however, further improvement is required. Given that the non-consultant hospital doctors are mostly involved in prescribing on drug charts, approved standards should be incorporated into the induction programme at the commencement of training in this unit. This standard should be monitored and maintained through the means of regular audits.
Diogenes syndrome and autistic spectrum disorder
Authors: Sadlier Matthew , Cooney Colm , Philbin-Bowman Eimer , Lewis Aideen 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDiogenes syndrome or senile squalor syndrome has been described in the psychiatric literature with an associated mental illness in between one half and two thirds of the cases cited. The occurrence of the syndrome in the absence of a psychiatric disorder has received much attention with many hypotheses proposed. We present the case of a 72-year-old man living for many years in domestic squalor whose presentation, neuropsychological profile and history suggest an underlying autistic spectrum disorder. We are not aware of any similar case in an older adult reported in the medical literature. The co-occurrence of these two conditions is an intriguing one as certain key features of autistic spectrum disorder may predispose to Diogenes syndrome.
Long-term prospective mood self-rating and antidepressant treatment
Authors: Gadde Sumana , Brown Carl , Shah Amy , S. El-Mallakh Rif 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe use of antidepressants in bipolar illness remains controversial. This controversy continues to be fuelled by short-term studies that inconsistently report efficacy or no benefit. However, long-term studies have been consistently unfavourable, suggesting that understanding the long-term course of the illness in the setting of antidepressant treatment is important. This is an extraordinary case in which prospectively collected daily mood ratings were available in a type I bipolar individual who had experienced minimal medication changes over a 21-year period was reviewed. Data regarding the number of euthymic days in the setting of antidepressant use and after antidepressant discontinuation were collected.Induction of cycling and increase in the number of depressed days occurred after five years of continuous serotonergic antidepressant administration. Discontinuation of antidepressants after 11 years of continuous use was associated with only a partial improvement which had a delayed onset. Cycling and increase in depression was noted after years of continuous use of serotonergic antidepressant treatment. Antidepressant-associated destabilisation may occur after long-term exposure and may be associated with prolonged worsening even after antidepressant discontinuation.
Developing a brief tool for anger assessment in clinical settings
Authors: Merriman Brian , Guerin Suzanne , Horgan Fiona , Maguire Brian 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: To develop and validate a new brief assessment tool for anger in clinical settings at the Cluain Mhuire Acute Day Hospital.Methods: The Cluain Mhuire Clinical Anger Scale (CMCAS) was developed using mixed methods including content analysis of interviews with five clients and six clinicians and qualitative item analysis of nine existing assessment tools. An initial 16-item scale was completed by 112 clients of a psychiatric day hospital and a nonclinical comparison group (n = 76).Results: Psychometric analysis found that the CMCAS consisted of one 12-item factor with good internal reliability (α = 0.82, n = 178) and good test-retest reliability (r = 0.93, n = 12) and converged with scores on STAXI-2. It distinguished between a sub-group referred for an anger management programme and matched groups from non-anger clinical and non-clinical samples (F(2) = 18.13; p < .01).Conclusions: Findings suggest the CMCAS may be useful in clinical settings as a screening and assessment tool.
Who attends outpatient adolescent mental health services?
Authors: Fitzpatrick Carol , Catherine McAuley , Kehoe Anne , Devlin Nina , Glackin Sinead , Power Lorna , Guerin Suzanne 
Published: March 2016

AbstractObjectives: This study set out to profile the diagnoses and level of suicidal behaviour of adolescents aged 12-15 years newly referred to a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Information on the nature and range of disorders and level of functional impairment among adolescents attending outpatient CAMHS is important for service planning and development.Methods: A total of 100 newly referred adolescents were assessed using the KSADS-PL standardised interview. Overall level of functional impairment was measured using The Clinical Global Impressions Scale and The Children's Global Assessment Scale.Results: Results showed that the majority of adolescents had more than one disorder, with almost one quarter having four or more disorders. Behavioural disorders were the most common diagnostic category, followed by anxiety disorders, and affective disorders. Although relatively uncommon, levels of functional impairment were highest in those with psychotic disorders, followed by substance abuse disorders. The most common pattern of comorbid disorders were depressive disorders plus anxiety disorders, followed by anxiety disorders plus behavioural disorders and depressive disorders plus behavioural disorders. One quarter of the young people had engaged in suicidal acts in the six months prior to attendance, while this had been the case in over one half of those with a depressive disorder.Conclusion: This study showed that adolescents attending CAMHS tend to have multiple disorders, high levels of suicidality, and are significantly functionally impaired. These factors need to be taken into account in the development of effective treatments.