Elderly patients with adaptive disorder diagnosis in psychogeriatry interconsultation: clinical profile and therapeutic approach.

Adaptive disorder is a frequent diagnosis but poorly studied in the elderly population hospitalized. Despite it is considerate benign and non-subsidiary entity of improvement through pharmacological treatment. It can evolve in a difficult way and the pharmacological treatment is widespread. The use of drugs could be harmful the elderly population with pluripathology and polypharmacy.

Ancianos con trastorno adaptativo en la interconsulta de psicogeriatría: perfil clínico y abordaje terapéutico / Elderly patients with adaptive disorder diagnosis in psychogeriatry interconsultation: clinical profile and therapeutic approach

Introducción. El trastorno adaptativo es una entidad clínica frecuente pero muy escasamente estudiada en población anciana hospitalizada por causas somáticas. A pesar de su doble consideración como entidad benigna y no subsidiaria de mejoría mediante tratamiento farmacológico, su evolución puede ser tórpida y el empleo de psicofármacos está muy extendido. En una población anciana con pluripatología y polifarmacia, el uso de fármacos podría ser nocivo. Métodos. Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de 123 pacientes con diagnóstico de trastorno adaptativo atendidos por la Interconsulta de Psicogeriatría de un hospital de tercer nivelen los años 2016 y 2017. Se valoran antecedentes, manejo al diagnóstico y durante el seguimiento posterior hasta el año. Resultados. Un 75,9% del total de pacientes recibieron tratamiento farmacológico al diagnóstico de trastorno adaptativo, mientras que solo un 22,8% son derivados a Psicología clínica. Al alta, solo 50% de los pacientes son derivados a Salud Mental. El 13,8% de los pacientes fueron exitus antes del alta de hospitalización. El 72,6% precisaron durante el año de seguimiento un nuevo reingreso hospitalario, y de este grupo, el 16,6% precisó escalada en la dosis de psicofármacos. Conclusiones. Además de aportar datos sobre el manejo clínico de este perfil complejo y frecuente de pacientes, este trabajo sirve como punto de partida para futuras líneas de investigación que puedan aportar luz sobre un aspecto muy pobremente reflejado en la bibliografía médica actual a pesar del envejecimiento inexorable de la población. (AU)

Introduction. Adaptive disorder is a frequent diagnosisbut poorly studied in the elderly population hospitalized. Despite it is considerate benign and non-subsidiary entityof improvement through pharmacological treatment. It canevolve in a difficult way and the pharmacological treatmentis widespread. The use of drugs could be harmful the elderly population with pluripathology and polypharmacy. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study, total of 123patients diagnosed with adaptive disorder and attended bythe Psychogeriatric Liaison in a third-level hospital between2016 and 2017. Medical history, management at diagnosis andfollow-up until one year after discharge were collected on. Results. At the diagnosis of adaptative disorder the75.9% of all patients received pharmacological treatment, while only 22.8% were referred to psychology. Only 50% ofpatients were referred to mental health upon discharge. The13.8% of patients died before discharge from hospital. During the follow-up year, the 72.6% required a new hospital admission. And of this group, the 16.6% required increasingthe dose of drugs. Conclusions. This study provides data on the clinical management of this complicated and frequent profile ofpatients. In addition, this work is a starting point for future lines of research that can shed light on an aspect very poorly reflected in the current medical literature despite the aging of the population. (AU)

The influence of the working alliance on the treatment and outcomes of patients with bipolar disorder: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The working alliance plays an essential role in the treatment of patients with different diseases. However, this variable has received little attention in patients with bipolar disorder. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to examine the working alliance's influence on these patients' treatment outcomes, analyze its role in the adherence to pharmacotherapy, and identify the variables that are related to a good working alliance. METHODS: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched until January 5, 2018 using a predetermined search strategy. Then, a formal process of study selection and data extraction was conducted. RESULTS: Seven articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and they included a total of 3,985 patients with bipolar disorder type I and II. Although the working alliance's ability to predict the duration and presence of manic and depressive symptoms is unclear, a good working alliance facilitates the adherence to pharmacological treatment. In addition, good social support for patients is associated with a strong working alliance. LIMITATIONS: The selected studies used different definitions and measures of the working alliance and adherence, and most used self-reports to assess the working alliance. Furthermore, the relationships found among the variables were correlational. CONCLUSIONS: The working alliance can play an important role in adjunctive psychological therapies and in pharmacological and somatic treatments for patients with bipolar disorder. However, the number of studies on working alliance in bipolar disorder is rather limited and there is methodological heterogeneity between the studies.