Blue-blocking glasses as additive treatment for mania: Effects on actigraphy-derived sleep parameters.

Improvement of sleep is a central treatment goal for patients in a manic state. Blue-blocking (BB) glasses as adjunctive treatment hasten overall recovery from mania. This method is an evolvement from dark therapy and builds on the discovery of the blue-light-sensitive retinal ganglion cell that signals daytime to the brain. We report effects of adjunctive BB glasses on actigraphy-derived sleep parameters for manic inpatients as compared to placebo. Hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder in a manic state aged 18-70 years were recruited from five clinics in Norway from February 2012 to February 2015. The participants were randomly allocated to wearing BB glasses or placebo (clear glasses) as an adjunctive treatment from 18:00 to 08:00 hours for seven consecutive nights. Sleep and wake were monitored by actigraphy. From 32 eligible patients, 10 patients in each group qualified for the group analyses. The BB group's mean sleep efficiency was significantly higher at night 5 as compared to the placebo group (92.6% vs. 83.1%, p = .027). The 95% confidence interval (CI) was 89.4%-95.8% in the BB group and 75.9%-90.3% in the placebo group. There were fewer nights of interrupted sleep in the BB group: 29.6% versus 43.8% in the placebo group. The BB group received less-intensive sleep-promoting pharmacological treatment and showed significantly higher sleep efficiency and more consolidated sleep as compared to the placebo group. Our findings suggest sleep-promoting effects through deactivating mechanisms. Adjunctive BB glasses seem to be useful for improving sleep for manic patients in the hospital setting.

Use of optical aids by visually impaired students: social and cultural factors.

PURPOSE: To identify conceptions, social and cultural factors regarding the use of optical aids by visually impaired students and to present information to health and educational professionals. METHODS: Qualitative research using spontaneous theater (interactive theater modality based on improvisation) as research instrument. To analyze data, an adapted form of the collective subject discourse technique - procedures for organization of verbal data - was applied. Scenes, gestures, expressions, silences and behaviors were added to the original proposal. The study population included all visually impaired students from elementary public schools, aged 10 to 14 years who attended a resource room in a São Paulo state city. The students were examined at a university low vision service. RESULTS: Little knowledge about the impairment and difficult adaptation to use of optical aids were identified. The students' behavior showed denial of own problems, discomfort on public use of aids and lack of participation in own health decisions. CONCLUSION: Analysis through spontaneous theater session allows the professional to gather information which is not possible to acquire in the health assistance atmosphere. Needs, difficulties and barriers the users found before the prescribed treatment were identified.

Use of optical aids by visually impaired students: social and cultural factors / Uso de auxílios ópticos por escolares com deficiência visual: fatores socioculturais

PURPOSE: To identify conceptions, social and cultural factors regarding the use of optical aids by visually impaired students and to present information to health and educational professionals. METHODS: Qualitative research using spontaneous theater (interactive theater modality based on improvisation) as research instrument. To analyze data, an adapted form of the collective subject discourse technique - procedures for organization of verbal data - was applied. Scenes, gestures, expressions, silences and behaviors were added to the original proposal. The study population included all visually impaired students from elementary public schools, aged 10 to 14 years who attended a resource room in a São Paulo state city. The students were examined at a university low vision service. RESULTS: Little knowledge about the impairment and difficult adaptation to use of optical aids were identified. The students' behavior showed denial of own problems, discomfort on public use of aids and lack of participation in own health decisions. CONCLUSION: Analysis through spontaneous theater session allows the professional to gather information which is not possible to acquire in the health assistance atmosphere. Needs, difficulties and barriers the users found before the prescribed treatment were identified.

OBJETIVO: Identificar concepções e verificar aspectos socioculturais a respeito do uso de auxílios ópticos por escolares deficientes visuais e oferecer informações a profissionais das áreas de saúde e educacional. MÉTODOS: Utilizou-se pesquisa qualitativa mediante aplicação da técnica do teatro espontâneo - modalidade de teatro interativo, de improviso, construído a partir de histórias contadas pelos participantes. Para análise das informações colhidas, foi adaptada a técnica de análise do discurso do sujeito coletivo, conjunto de procedimentos de organização de dados discursivos de natureza verbal. Por se tratar de técnica psicodramática foram consideradas não somente as informações verbais, mas também as cênicas, que incluem gestos, expressões, silêncios e comportamentos. A população estudada constituiu-se da totalidade de escolares deficientes visuais, com idades entre 10 e 14 anos completos, inseridos no sistema público de ensino, que recebiam apoio pedagógico em sala de recursos para deficientes visuais da cidade de Santa Bárbara d'Oeste (SP), no período da pesquisa. Os sujeitos foram previamente examinados em Serviço de Visão Subnormal de Hospital Universitário. RESULTADOS: Foram identificados conhecimentos insuficientes sobre a própria deficiência e dificuldade de adaptação ao uso dos auxílios ópticos. Na observação de comportamentos, verificou-se desconforto no uso dos auxílios ópticos em público, negação da deficiência visual e falta de participação nas decisões sobre tratamentos para sua própria saúde. CONCLUSÃO: A análise de sessões de teatro espontâneo permitiu identificar necessidades, dificuldades e barreiras encontradas pelos sujeitos na efetivação dos tratamentos a eles prescritos, assim como concepções e comportamentos que dificilmente se revelam no ambiente de assistência à saúde.