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INTRODUCTION: The treatment of certain psychotic, behavioural and delusional symptoms in the elderly frequently involves the prescription of antipsychotics. Prescribing such drugs to elderly patients has recently been called into question, leaving physicians with little or nothing to treat a range of symptoms that are often complex and difficult to treat. AIMS: The study aimed to evaluate the prescription of antipsychotics amongst elderly and to compare it with data in the literature. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 65 and older admitted to the psychiatric ward of Mahdia University Hospital over the period from 2014 to 2018 who received antipsychotic treatment during their hospitalization. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 44 elderly patients, with 31.8% patients using atypical agents, 34.1% using typical agents, 27.3% received both of them and 6.8% received a long-acting injectable antipsychotic. A majority of the elderly study sample were men (75 %). The mean (SD) age of the study sample was 69.8 years. 61.3% had at least somatic comorbidity. The most common diagnosis was schizophrenia with 31.8%, followed by dementia (27.3%). 34.1% reported adverse effects due to antipsychotic treatment. CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that there is a need to be cautious when prescribing antipsychotic in the elderly population. Patient education and regular follow-up of patients can be instrumental in minimizing the adverse outcomes associated with the use of antipsychotics in the the aging population.
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INTRODUCTION: Eating disorders (ED) are relatively frequent, but convey a high mortality and morbidity. More than half of individuals with ED remain undetected in primary care. The general practitioners (GP) are in a strategic position to detect patients with ED. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of ED in Tunisian women visiting their GP using the SCOFF-F score and to determinate the associated socioeconomic, clinical, and lifestyle factors. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of women who consulted two primary health care in the city of Monastir, during 4 months of the year 2020. The SCOFF-F was performed. RESULTS: We included 445 women; the mean age of our patients was 36 ± 12 years. SCOFF-F was positive in 48% of cases CI95% [43-52%], 14% presented with bulimia nervosa and 12% with binge eating disorder. Patients with ED were overweight in 33% of cases, 40% perform a physical activity and 53% eat three meals per day. A family history of ED was 35%. 20% of the patients have a history of psychiatric disorder. In multivariate analysis, performing physical activity to control weight, eating three meals a day, maintaining the current diet without trying to change into a different one, non continous occupation and anxiety increase the risk of ED with respective ORs of 2.34, 4.26, 3.69, 2.09 and 2.09 respectively. Ages between 35 and 60 years, and a history of ED in siblings increases the risk of ED by 1.6. CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that ED was associated with common family behavior, especially among siblings, and with a particular psychological state which are interesting to screen by GP and to focus on targeting family care.