Predictors of length of stay in an acute psychiatric inpatient facility in a general hospital: a prospective study

Objective: There have been significant reductions in numbers of psychiatric beds and length of stay (LOS) worldwide, making LOS in psychiatric beds an interesting outcome. The objective of this study was to find factors measurable on admission that would predict LOS in the acute psychiatric setting. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study. Results: Overall, 385 subjects were included. The median LOS was 25 days. In the final model, six variables explained 14.6% of the variation in LOS: not having own income, psychiatric admissions in the preceding 2 years, high Clinical Global Impression and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores, diagnosis of schizophrenia, and history of attempted suicide. All variables were associated with longer LOS, apart from history of attempted suicide. Conclusions: Identifying patients who will need to stay longer in psychiatric beds remains a challenge. Improving knowledge about determinants of LOS could lead to improvements in the quality of care in hospital psychiatry.

Association between duration of untreated bipolar disorder and clinical outcome: data from a Brazilian sample

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is often left untreated for long periods, and this delay in treatment correlates with unfavorable prognosis. The present study sought to assess the magnitude of duration of untreated bipolar disorder (DUB) in Brazil. We hypothesized that DUB would be longer in Brazil than in developed countries, and would be associated with poor clinical outcomes. Methods: One hundred and fifty-two psychiatric outpatients were evaluated for BD diagnosis, demographics, DUB, and clinical outcomes. Results: The mean age and mean DUB were, respectively, 38.9±10.8 and 10.4±9.8 years. An extended DUB was associated with early onset of BD (p < 0.001), depression as first mood episode (p = 0.04), and presence of BD in a first-degree relative (p = 0.012). Additionally, a longer DUB was associated with poorer clinical outcomes, such as elevated rates of rapid cycling (p = 0.004) and anxiety disorders (p = 0.016), as well as lower levels of current full remission (p = 0.021). Conclusion: As DUB may be a modifiable variable, better medical education regarding mental health, more structured medical services, and population-wide psychoeducation might reduce the time between onset and proper management of BD, thus improving outcome.

Depressive morbidity among elderly individuals who are hospitalized, reside at long-term care facilities, and are under outpatient care in Brazil: a meta-analysis

Objectives: i) To investigate studies published between 1991 and 2010 on the prevalence of depressive morbidity (major depressive disorder [MDD], dysthymia and clinically significant depressive symptoms [CSDS]) among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities; ii) to establish the prevalence of depression and identify its related factors; and iii) to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of depressive syndrome among elderly individuals assisted or hospitalized at healthcare facilities. Methods: Studies were selected from articles dated between January 1991 and June 2010 and extracted from the MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases. Results: The final analysis consisted of 15 studies, distributed as follows: i) four sampled hospitalized patients, totaling 299 individuals, and found a prevalence of CSDS varying between 20 and 56%; ii) four sampled outpatients, totaling 1,454 individuals; the prevalence of CSDS varied between 11 and 65%, and the prevalence of MDD varied between 23 and 42%; and iii) seven sampled elderly individuals residing in long-term care facilities (LTCF), totaling 839 individuals, and the prevalence of CSDS varied between 11 and 65%. Conclusion: The present review indicated a higher prevalence of both MDD and CSDS among elderly Brazilians assisted at healthcare facilities. .

Prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in temporal lobe epilepsy in a Southern Brazilian population / Prevalência de comorbidades psiquiátricas na epilepsia do lobo temporal em uma população do sul do Brasil

A great prevalence of psychiatric disorders in epilepsy is well demonstrated, although most studies have used unstructured psychiatric interviews for diagnosis. Here we present a study evaluating the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in a cohort of Southern Brazilian patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) using a structured clinical interview. We analyzed 166 patients with TLE regarding neuropsychiatric symptoms through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. One hundred-six patients (63.9 percent) presented psychiatric comorbidities. Mood disorders were observed in 80 patients (48.2 percent), anxiety disorders in 51 patients (30.7 percent), psychotic disorders in 14 (8.4 percent), and substance abuse in 8 patients (4.8 percent) respectively. Our results agree with literature data where most authors detected mental disorders in 10 to 60 percent of epileptic patients. This wide variation is probably attributable to different patient groups investigated and to the great variety of diagnostic methods. Structured psychiatric interviews might contribute to a better evaluation of prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in TLE.

Embora muitos estudos tenham demonstrado uma alta prevalência de transtornos psiquiátricos em pacientes com epilepsia, a maioria utilizou entrevistas psiquiátricas não-estruturadas para o diagnóstico. Este método pode levar a diferenças significativas nos resultados. Nós estudamos a prevalência de comorbidades psiquiátricas em pacientes com epilepsia do lobo temporal (ELT), utilizando uma entrevista clínica estruturada. Foram estudados 166 pacientes com ELT, aos quais foi aplicada a Entrevista Clínica Estruturada para o DSM-IV (SCID). Cento e seis pacientes (63,9 por cento) apresentaram comorbidades psiquiátricas. Transtornos de humor, observados em 80 pacientes (48,2 por cento), foram o transtorno neuropsiquiátrico mais comum. Transtornos de ansiedade, observados em 51 pacientes (30,7 por cento), foram a segunda comorbidade psiquiátrica mais frequente. Transtornos psicóticos foram encontrados em 14 (8,4 por cento), e abuso de substâncias foram observados em 8 pacientes (4,8 por cento), respectivamente. Nossos resultados estão de acordo com os dados da literatura, que demonstra problemas psiquiátricos em 10-60 por cento dos pacientes com epilepsia. A grande variação dos resultados pode ser atribuída aos diferentes grupos de pacientes estudados e à variabilidade de métodos diagnósticos empregados. Entrevistas psiquiátricas estruturadas podem contribuir para uma avaliação mais adequada da real prevalência de comorbidades psiquiátricas na ELT.