DEPRESSION IN AGITATED, DEMENTED NURSING HOME PATIENTS: AN ETHOLOGICAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY.
Contributors: Walden University.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 135
Subjects: Health Sciences, Mental Health.; Psychology, Psychobiology.; Gerontology.
Description: In this quasi-experimental study, patients from two nursing homes in a retirement community in Florida were screened for two criteria: dementia and agitation or noisiness of some type. A convenience sample of 38 clients was identified by the nursing home medical director and director of nurses of each nursing home. Twenty clients were authorized by their families to participate in the study. Twenty more were identified as a comparison group, matched for dementia and agitation levels. All clients underwent medical screening to eliminate other possible causes of agitation. All subjects were also examined for level of cognition, level of dependency, and level of agitation. The twenty subjects in the treatment group were then given antidepressants, generally Prozac 10 mg daily. Small amounts of Sinequan or Desyrel were added if there was severe insomnia or anorexia. After 6 weeks, testing was repeated and results compared by t-test, in order to challenge the null hypothesis.

Results failed to support the null hypothesis which states that no significant difference exists between treatment and comparison groups at post-test on measures of agitation. While both groups demonstrated improvement in agitation levels, the improvement in the treatment group was significantly greater than in the comparison group. The difference is thought to be related to the administration of antidepressant medication.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-02, Section: B, page: 0737.

Thesis (PH.D.)--WALDEN UNIVERSITY, 1994.

School code: 0543.