Online information and support for carers of people with young-onset dementia: A multi-site randomised controlled pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: The European RHAPSODY project sought to develop and test an online information and support programme for caregivers of individuals diagnosed with young onset dementia. The objectives were to assess user acceptability and satisfaction with the programme and to test outcome measures for a larger effectiveness study. DESIGN: A pilot randomised controlled trial in England, France, and Germany was conducted with 61 caregivers for adults with young onset Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal degeneration. Evaluations at baseline, week 6, and week 12 assessed user acceptability and satisfaction. Use of the programme was measured from online back-end data. Qualitative feedback on user experiences was collected via semi-structured interviews. Measures of caregiver well-being (self-efficacy, stress, burden, frequency of patient symptoms, and caregiver reactions) were explored for use in a subsequent trial. RESULTS: Participants logged in online on average once a week over a 6-week period, consulting approximately 31% of programme content. Seventy percent of participants described the programme as useful and easy to use. Eighty-five percent expressed intent to use the resource in the future. Reductions in reported levels of stress and caregivers' negative reactions to memory symptoms were observed following use of the programme. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that the RHAPSODY programme was acceptable and useful to caregivers. The programme may be complementary to existing services in responding to the specific needs of families affected by young onset dementia. Distribution of the programme is underway in England, France, Germany, and Portugal.

Influence of early maladaptive schemas, depression, and anxiety on the intensity of self-reported cognitive complaint in older adults with subjective cognitive decline.

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) designates a self-reported cognitive decline despite preserved cognitive abilities. This study aims to explore, in older adults with SCD, the association between intensity of self-reported cognitive complaint and psychological factors including Young's early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) (i.e. enduring cognitive structures giving rise to beliefs about oneself and the world), as well as depression and anxiety. METHODS: Seventy-six subjects (69.22 years ± 6.1) with intact cognitive functioning were recruited through an advertisement offering free participation in an intervention on SCD. After undergoing a neuropsychological examination (including global cognition (MMSE) and episodic memory (FCSRT)) and a semi-structured interview to assess depressive symptoms (MADRS), they completed a set of online self-reported questionnaires on SCD (McNair questionnaire), Young's EMSs (YSQ-short form), depression (HADS-D), and anxiety (HADS-A and trait-STAI-Y). RESULTS: The McNair score did not correlate with the neuropsychological scores. Instead, it was highly (r > 0.400; p < 0.005) correlated with trait anxiety and three EMSs belonging to the "Impaired autonomy and performance" domain: Dependence/incompetence, Failure to achieve and Vulnerability to harm or illness. Our final regression model comprising depression, anxiety, and these three EMSs as predictors (while controlling for age, gender, and objective cognition) accounted for 38.5% of the observed variance in SCD intensity. CONCLUSIONS: The level of cognitive complaint is significantly associated with Young's EMSs in the category of "Impaired autonomy and performance". We assume that SCD may primarily be driven by profound long-term inner beliefs about oneself that do not specifically refer to self-perceived memory abilities.

Tackling psychosocial maladjustment in Parkinson's disease patients following subthalamic deep-brain stimulation: A randomised clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for the motor and non-motor signs of Parkinson's disease (PD), however, psychological disorders and social maladjustment have been reported in about one third of patients after STN-DBS. We propose here a perioperative psychoeducation programme to limit such social and familial disruption. METHODS: Nineteen PD patients and carers were included in a randomised single blind study. Social adjustment scale (SAS) scores from patients and carers that received the psychoeducation programme (n = 9) were compared, both 1 and 2 years after surgery, with patients and carers with usual care (n = 10). Depression, anxiety, cognitive status, apathy, coping, parkinsonian disability, quality-of-life, carers' anxiety and burden were also analysed. RESULTS: Seventeen patients completed the study, 2 were excluded from the final analysis because of adverse events. At 1 year, 2/7 patients with psychoeducation and 8/10 with usual care had an aggravation in at least one domain of the SAS (p = .058). At 2 years, only 1 patient with psychoeducation suffered persistent aggravated social adjustment as compared to 8 patients with usual care (p = .015). At 1 year, anxiety, depression and instrumental coping ratings improved more in the psychoeducation than in the usual care group (p = .038, p = .050 and p = .050, respectively). No significant differences were found between groups for quality of life, cognitive status, apathy or motor disability. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a perioperative psychoeducation programme prevents social maladjustment in PD patients following STN-DBS and improves anxiety and depression compared to usual care. These preliminary data need to be confirmed in larger studies.

RHAPSODY - Internet-based support for caregivers of people with young onset dementia: program design and methods of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Young Onset Dementia (YOD), defined by first symptoms of cognitive or behavioral decline occurring before the age of 65 years, is relatively rare compared to dementia of later onset, but it is associated with diagnostic difficulty and heavy burden on affected individuals and their informal carers. Existing health and social care structures rarely meet the needs of YOD patients. Internet-based interventions are a novel format of delivering health-related education, counseling, and support to this vulnerable yet underserved group. METHODS: The RHAPSODY (Research to Assess Policies and Strategies for Dementia in the Young) project is a European initiative to improve care for people with YOD by providing an internet-based information and skill-building program for family carers. The e-learning program focuses on managing problem behaviors, dealing with role change, obtaining support, and looking after oneself. It will be evaluated in a pilot study in three countries using a randomized unblinded design with a wait-list control group. Participants will be informal carers of people with dementia in Alzheimer's disease or behavioral-variant Frontotemporal degeneration with an onset before the age of 65 years. The primary outcome will be caregiving self-efficacy after 6 weeks of program use. As secondary outcomes, caregivers' stress and burden, carer health-related quality of life, caring-related knowledge, patient problem behaviors, and user satisfaction will be assessed. Program utilization will be monitored and a health-economic evaluation will also be performed. CONCLUSIONS: The RHAPSODY project will add to the evidence on the potential and limitations of a conveniently accessible, user-friendly, and comprehensive internet-based intervention as an alternative for traditional forms of counseling and support in healthcare, aiming to optimize care and support for people with YOD and their informal caregivers.

Evaluating depressive symptoms in hypomanic and manic episodes using a structured diagnostic tool: validation of a new Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) module for the DSM-5 'With Mixed Features' specifier.

BACKGROUND: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), includes a new 'With Mixed Features' specifier for mood episodes. In (hypo-)manic episodes, the specifier is given if three or more depressive symptoms are present nearly every day during the episode. A new module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) has been developed as a patient-completed questionnaire to evaluate the DSM-5 specifier for (hypo-)manic episodes. The objective of this study was to validate this new module. METHODS: In Phase I, patients with a manic episode in the past 6 months completed the module and were asked whether the wording was clear, understandable, relevant and specific. Based on their feedback, the module was refined and finalised. In Phase II, psychiatrists each invited five patients to complete the module. The psychiatrists completed record forms for these five patients, which included their diagnoses, made according to DSM-5 criteria during clinical interviewing. The module was validated by comparing depressive symptoms reported by the patients themselves using the M.I.N.I. module with those evaluated by their psychiatrist using DSM-5 criteria during clinical interviewing. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In Phase I, a few changes were made to the M.I.N.I. module based on feedback from 20 patients (60% of whom had mixed features). In Phase II, 23 psychiatrists completed record forms for 115 patients, 99 (86.1%) of whom completed the M.I.N.I. module. Agreement between psychiatrists' DSM-5 diagnoses and patients' M.I.N.I. responses was substantial (Cohen's kappa coefficient, 0.60). The overall sensitivity of the M.I.N.I. was 0.91 and its specificity was 0.70. Sensitivity ranged from 0.63 for psychomotor retardation to 0.90 for suicidal thoughts. Specificity ranged from 0.63 for diminished interest/pleasure to 0.90 for suicidal thoughts. The module's positive and negative predictive values were 0.72 and 0.90, respectively. In summary, the M.I.N.I. module demonstrated good concurrent validity with psychiatrists' evaluation of DSM-5 mixed features in manic patients, accurately detecting mixed features with limited risk of over-diagnosis. Due to its simplicity, the M.I.N.I. module could be incorporated into routine psychiatric evaluation of patients with manic episodes. It could also provide a valuable standardised tool for clinical and epidemiological research.