Benzodiazepine-receptor agonist prescription in a population of hospitalised patients in four psychogeriatric units in Switzerland.

The aim of this study is to describe the patterns of prescription of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists in hospitalised patients in four psychogeriatric units in Switzerland. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study that included patients aged 65 years or more hospitalised in one of the four psychogeriatric units of a university hospital in Switzerland during 2019. The presence, type and dose of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists was assessed at admission and at discharge. Three-hundred and eighty-six patients (214 women, 78.2 ± 8.1 years) were included in the study; 33.4% of patients had at least one benzodiazepine-receptor agonist at admission and 22.5% at discharge. The relative reduction of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists prescription in standardised dose was 78%. Age was found to be a protective factor against benzodiazepine-receptor agonists prescription at admission (adjusted odds ratio 0.94, confidence interval 0.91-0.98), and diagnosis of substance abuse was found to be a risk factor (adjusted odds ratio 4.43, confidence interval 1.42-17.02). Longer hospital stays (> 14 days) were associated with higher reduction of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists. The prevalence of a prescription of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists at admission was high, but during the psychogeriatric hospitalisation benzodiazepine-receptor agonists prescription decreased both in absolute and relative terms.

[Psychiatry: what's new in 2023]. / Psychiatrie : ce qui a changé en 2023.

Resistance to treatment in psychiatry can arise from a variety of causes, and here we look at two strategies that can improve this problem. First, we discuss the role of patients' relatives; in addition to family therapy interventions, setting up groups of relatives makes it possible to increase their skills in helping their sick relative and to help each other in this process. And finally, we look at the option of interventional psychiatry. These methods, which have been greatly enriched in recent years, are now available in the interventional psychiatry unit recently opened in the new Cery psychiatric hospital in Lausanne.

La résistance au traitement en psychiatrie peut découler de multiples causes ; deux stratégies pouvant améliorer ce problème sont abordées dans cet article. En premier lieu, le rôle des proches des patients ; au-delà d'interventions de thérapie de famille, la mise en place de groupes de proches permet d'augmenter leurs compétences à aider leur proche malade et de s'entraider dans cette démarche. Et enfin, l'option que peuvent constituer les approches de psychiatrie interventionnelle. Ces méthodes se sont grandement enrichies au cours des dernières années et sont maintenant accessibles dans l'Unité de psychiatrie interventionnelle récemment ouverte dans le nouvel hôpital psychiatrique de Cery, récemment inauguré à Lausanne.

[Polysemy of agitation in dementia]. / Polysémie de l'agitation chez le sujet dément.

Agitation is a common feature in people with dementia. Agitation can be the clinical expression of a medical condition comorbid with dementia or a behavioural and psychological symptom of dementia. In both cases, it is a clinical manifestation and not a disease in itself. This polysemy of agitation invites us to think of a global care of the demented subject taking into account the subject in his environment and their history. Reducing the treatment of agitation to sedating it amounts to a reification of the demented subject.

L'agitation est une manifestation clinique fréquente chez les sujets déments. Elle peut être l'expression d'un trouble médical comorbide à la démence mais aussi un symptôme comportemental et psychologique de la démence. Elle est dans ces deux cadres un signe clinique et non pas une maladie en soi. La polysémie de l'agitation invite à penser un soin global au sujet dément, prenant en compte ce dernier dans son environnement et son histoire. La réduction de la prise en charge de l'agitation du dément à la sédation de celle-ci est une réification du sujet dément.

Healthcare use for major depressive disorders among middle-aged and older adults in the community.

PURPOSE: There is a substantial gap between people having a mental disorder and those treated for this disorder. Studies that assessed the influence of age on healthcare use for major depressive disorder (MDD) have provided inconsistent results. We aimed to assess healthcare use in terms of treatment-seeking and psychotropic medication use in four age groups of 45- to 85-year-old community dwellers meeting criteria for MDD. METHODS: Data stemmed from CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, a population-based prospective cohort study. Diagnostic information on mental disorders, utilization of professional healthcare and psychotropic drugs was elicited using a semi-structured interview. Associations between age groups and healthcare use were established using logistic regression models with serial adjustments for socio-demographic and depression characteristics as well as comorbid mental disorders and cardio-metabolic features. RESULTS: Compared to participants of the youngest age group (ages 45 to 54 years), (1) those older than 75 years were less likely to use healthcare from psychiatrists or psychologists (OR: 0.4 [95% CI 0.17-0.96]), although the frequency of using any professional health care did not vary across age groups; (2) those older than 55 years used any psychotropic medication more frequently; and (3) those aged 55-64 years used antidepressants more frequently (OR: 1.61 [95% CI 1.07-2.44]), whereas those aged 65-74 years used anxiolytics more frequently (OR: 2.30 [95% CI 1.15-4.58]). CONCLUSION: Age is a complex biological and social factor that influences healthcare use.

Generalizability of pharmacologic and psychotherapy trial results for late-life unipolar depression.

OBJECTIVES: Despite evidence of low representativeness of clinical trial results for depression in adults, the generalizability of clinical trial results for late-life depression is unknown. This study sought to quantify the representativeness of pharmacologic and psychotherapy clinical trial results for late-life unipolar depression. METHOD: Data were derived from the 2004-2005 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative sample of 34,653 adults from the United States population. To assess the generalizability of clinical trial results for late-life depression, we applied a standard set of eligibility criteria representative of pharmacologic and psychotherapy clinical trials to all individuals aged 65 years and older in NESARC with a DSM-IV diagnosis of MDE and no lifetime history of mania/hypomania (n = 273) and in a subsample of individuals seeking help for depression (n = 78). RESULTS: More than four of ten respondents and about two of ten respondents would have been excluded by at least one exclusion criterion in a typical pharmacologic and psychotherapy efficacy trial, respectively. Similar results (i.e.41.1% and 25.9%, respectively) were found in the subsample of individuals seeking help for depression. Excess percentage of exclusion in typical pharmacologic studies was accounted for by the criterion "significant medical condition". We also found that populations typically included in pharmacologic and psychotherapy clinical trials for late-life unipolar depression may substantially differ. CONCLUSION: Psychotherapy trial results may be representative of most patients with late-life unipolar depression in routine clinical practice. By contrast, pharmacologic clinical trials may not be readily generalizable to community samples.

Benzodiazepine use among older adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorder: prevalence and associated factors in a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: Data on psychotropic medications of older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder are scarce. Specifically, information about the use of benzodiazepines among older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder is very limited. Because benzodiazepine use in older patients has been associated with many disabling side effects, its use in actual practice must be described and questioned. This study aimed at exploring the prevalence of benzodiazepine use and the clinical factors associated with such use among older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. METHODS/DESIGN: Data from the Cohort of individuals with Schizophrenia Aged 55 years or more (CSA) were used to examine the prevalence of benzodiazepine use among older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with benzodiazepine prescription were also explored. RESULTS: The prevalence of benzodiazepine use was 29.8% of older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. These patients were significantly more likely to have medical comorbidities, cognitive and social functioning impairments, to report a lifetime history of suicide attempt, to be institutionalized, and to have been hospitalized in a psychiatric service in the past year compared to those without a benzodiazepine prescription (all p<0.05). There were no between-group differences in schizophrenia severity and psychiatric comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Although it can be hypothesized that benzodiazepine prescription is part of a short-term therapeutic strategy toward patients with more severe trouble or comorbid disorders, our results suggest a strong link between benzodiazepine prescription and a particularly vulnerable subpopulation of older patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

[Entertainment committee in accommodation facilities for dependent elderly, functional importance and psychic stakes]. / Comité d'animation en Ehpad, importance fonctionnelle et enjeux.

In accommodation facilities for dependent elderly, entertainment is found in various forms. It is the place that promotes the stability and development of the relational, social and cultural life of the residents. Listening to what is said and experienced during the sessions allows a useful representation of the movements within the establishment. If daily difficulties may be encountered, the creation of an entertainment committee offers the opportunity to combine them and make them an added value.

Personality Moderates the Improvement of Depressive Symptoms After Retirement: Evidence from the GAZEL Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have suggested a positive effect of retirement on depressive symptoms. The present study took advantage of the large-scale, prospective Gaz et Electricité (GAZEL) cohort to examine whether personality could influence this effect. METHODS: Depressive symptoms were assessed in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, and 2008 with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Among the participants for which changes in depressive symptoms after retirement could be computed, 9,755 had completed the Buss and Durkee Hostility Inventory and the Bortner Type A Rating Scale in 1993. Covariates included age, gender, occupational grade, history of sickness absences for depression, and alcohol consumption. The effect of hostility and type A personality on changes in depressive symptoms after retirement were assessed with general linear models. RESULTS: Adjusting for all covariates, higher scores of total (p <0.001; η(2) = 0.017), cognitive (p <0.001; η(2) = 0.021), and behavioral hostility (p <0.001; η(2) = 0.004) as well as type A personality (p <0.001; η(2) = 0.002) were each associated with a smaller improvement of depressive symptoms after retirement. Regarding hostility subscales, only the association with cognitive hostility remained significant (p <0.001; η(2) = 0.018) when both were simultaneously entered in the model. Among participants meeting the CES-D threshold of clinical depression before retirement, those in the lowest quartile of cognitive hostility were two times more likely than those in the highest to fall short of this threshold after retirement (odds ratio: 1.99; 95% confidence interval: 1.54-2.58). CONCLUSION: Individuals with high levels of cognitive hostility display less improvement of depressive symptoms after retirement.

Comorbidity of late-life depression in the United States: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the clinical and sociodemographic correlates and the treatment-seeking rate of major depressive disorder (MDD), diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, among older adults and its association with comorbid psychiatric disorders and perceived health status. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a large cross-sectional survey (N = 43,093) representative of the US population. RESULTS: Compared with participants aged 65 years and older without a 12-month diagnosis of MDD, those with MDD were more likely to have lifetime and 12-month comorbid psychiatric disorders. Except for lifetime dysthymia, we found no significant interaction between rates of current somatic comorbidity, lifetime and 12-month psychiatric comorbidity, and age groups. Compared with younger participants with a 12-month MDD, they had an older age at onset, reported a similar number of lifetime major depressive episodes and perceived health status, and had lower mental health service utilization rates. CONCLUSIONS: Current major depression in the elderly seems to be as disabling as in younger adults in terms of comorbid psychiatric disorders and impaired quality of life. Poorer prognosis of MDD in older adults might be explained by a lower perceived need of treatment, resulting in a lower rate of treatment-seeking behavior.

Personality disorders in older adults: findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, psychiatric and medical comorbidities, and the disability of personality disorders among adults age 65 years and older. METHODS: Data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, focusing on a subsample of 8,205 adults age 65 years and older. RESULTS: A total of 8.07% (SE: 0.37) of American adults age 65 years and older presented at least one personality disorder. The most prevalent personality disorder was the obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The overall pattern of associations between each personality disorder and lifetime psychiatric comorbidity correlates was statistically significant. Participants with a personality disorder show a lower quality of life than their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Personality disorders in older adults are highly associated with disability, medical, and psychiatric disorders. These findings highlight the need to develop more effective prevention and intervention programs in this specific population.

Impact of switching or initiating antipsychotic treatment on body weight during a 6-month follow-up in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Although weight gain is one of the most widely studied adverse effects of second-generation antipsychotics, only relatively few studies have specifically evaluated the long-term effect of switching antipsychotic medication on body weight. We aimed to evaluate the impact of switching antipsychotics on body mass index (BMI) during a 6-month follow-up period in a large cohort of patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: Data came from a 6-month prospective naturalistic survey in 6007 patients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: We prospectively studied the effect on BMI of initiating or switching antipsychotic medication after 6 months of treatment among 3801 patients with schizophrenia in a real-life setting. Patients who were being treated with clozapine or olanzapine at baseline were more likely to experience a decrease in BMI during the follow-up period than the patients who were being treated with a conventional antipsychotic (odds ratio, 2.25 and 1.68, respectively). Patients treated with aripiprazole and, to a lesser extent, those treated with risperidone were more likely to experience a decrease in BMI during follow-up than patients treated with conventional antipsychotics (odds ratio, 2.96 and 2.06, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that switching antipsychotics could be an effective strategy for reducing or preventing weight gain.

Sexual assaulters in the United States: prevalence and psychiatric correlates in a national sample.

This study presents sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric correlates of a representative sample of sexual assaulters in the United States. Data were drawn from a nationally representative survey, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Face-to-face interviews of more than 43,000 adults were conducted between the 2001-2002 period, based on the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV Version. The prevalence of committing sexual assault in the U.S. was 0.15 %. Sexual assaulters had significantly lower education than their counterparts. Sexual assaulters were significantly more likely to report a wide range of antisocial behaviors. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated strong associations between sexual assault and lifetime psychiatric disorders often associated with impaired impulse control, such as antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, and cocaine use disorder. In addition, psychotic disorders were consistently associated with sexual assault. Our findings indicate that sexual assault could represent a behavioral manifestation of a broader spectrum, including impairment of impulse control and psychotic disorders.

Sex differences in shoplifting: results from a national sample.

This study presents the sex differences in sociodemographics and in psychiatric correlates of shoplifting in the United States. Data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of US adults. Shoplifting was associated with numerous psychiatric and addictive disorders with significant sex effects. Women with a lifetime history of shoplifting were significantly more likely than men with a lifetime history of shoplifting to have a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence, nicotine dependence, cannabis, amphetamine, cocaine, or inhalant use disorder, and antisocial personality disorder, whereas men were significantly more likely than women to have a lifetime diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. The findings suggest that shoplifting could be better understood as a behavioral manifestation of a broader impaired impulse control spectrum in women. Shoplifting could be more a part of the externalizing spectrum disorders rather than the internalizing spectrum disorders in women compared to men.

Contributing factors to heterogeneity in the timing of the onset of major depressive episode: Results from a national study.

INTRODUCTION: It remains unclear whether specific clinical factors contribute to heterogeneity in the timing of the onset of major depression. METHODS: Using a nationally representative US adult sample, the second wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, we compared the characteristics of 5 different groups of patients defined by their age at onset: (i) before 18 years, (ii) between 18 and 34 years, (iii) between 35 and 44 years, (iv) between 45 and 59 years, and (v) 60 years or older. Specifically, we examined parental history of psychiatric disorders, history of childhood maltreatment experiences, sociodemographic characteristics, lifetime psychiatric disorders, and psychiatric disorders that occurred before the first major depressive episode (MDE). RESULTS: Compared with first MDE occurring between 18 and 34 years, first MDE before 18 years was more strongly associated with childhood maltreatment and family history of psychiatric disorders, and less strongly linked to prior lifetime psychiatric disorders, whereas first MDE occurring at 60 years and older was more strongly associated with widowhood and a prior lifetime history of generalized anxiety disorder. LIMITATIONS: Associations found cannot be interpzreted as causal relationships due to study design and the risk of recall bias. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest substantial age differences in risk factors for first MDE. Improving early detection and treatment of major depression and other psychiatric disorders, and preventing childhood maltreatment may have broad benefits to reduce the burden of MDE at all ages.

Gender differences in firesetting: results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions (NESARC).

This study presents gender differences in sociodemographics and in psychiatric correlates of firesetting in the United States. Data were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a representative sample of U.S. adults. Face-to-face interviews of more than 43,000 adults were conducted in the 2001-2002 period. This study focused on the 407 subjects with a lifetime history of firesetting. The prevalence of lifetime firesetting in the U.S. was 1.7% in men and 0.4% in women. Firesetting was significantly associated with a wide range of antisocial behaviors that differed by gender. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated associations in both genders with psychiatric and addictive disorders. Men with a lifetime history of firesetting were significantly more likely than men without such history to have lifetime generalized anxiety disorder as well as a diagnosis of conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, alcohol or cannabis use disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Women with a lifetime history of firesetting were significantly more likely than women without such history to have lifetime alcohol or cannabis use disorder, conduct disorder, and antisocial or obsessive compulsive personality disorder, as well as psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder or schizoid personality disorder. Women with a lifetime history of firesetting were significantly more likely than men with such history to have a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol abuse and antisocial personality disorder as well as a diagnosis of schizoid personality disorder. Our findings indicate that firesetting in women could represent a behavioral manifestation of a broader spectrum than firesetting in men.

[Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Psychotic Disorders in the Elderly]. / Empfehlungen für die Diagnostik und Therapie psychotischer Erkrankungen im Alter.

Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Psychotic Disorders in the Elderly Abstract. Psychotic disorders in the elderly cover a wide range of causes and manifestations. They often occur as part of a depression, dementia, substance abuse or delirium. While psychosis can occur with a first manifestation in advanced age, many patients with chronic psychotic disorders reach a high age. Many elderly individuals are also affected by cognitive impairment and somatic conditions, making a third-party history most relevant. The associated changes in life and the complexity of the individual situation needs to be integrated into the diagnosis and treatment. The presented recommendations have been developed under the lead of the Swiss Society of Old Age Psychiatry (SGAP) in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Nurses (SBK) and the subcommittees for gerontological and psychiatric nursing of the association of nursing science (VFP) as well as further professional societies. We aim to make current knowledge concerning diagnosis and treatment available to the interprofessional teams working in in- and outpatients' settings.

Association between peptic ulcer and personality disorders in a nationally representative US sample.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between peptic ulcer and a wide range of personality disorders in a large sample representative of the general population in the United States. METHODS: Data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, on the basis of a face-to-face interview of more than 43,000 adults. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between self-reported "stomach ulcer" and personality disorders. RESULTS: All seven personality disorders assessed in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (i.e., avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid, schizoid, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders) were associated with stomach ulcer, with odds ratio ranging from 2.26 (obsessive compulsive personality disorder) to 5.54 (dependent personality disorder). Participants with ulcer were five times more likely to have more than three personality disorders than participants without ulcer. The relationship between ulcer and personality disorders was only slightly attenuated after adjusting for sociodemographic conditions, physical and psychiatric disorders, and addictions. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported peptic ulcer is associated with increased rates of personality disorders, beyond the influence of psychiatric disorders or addictions.

Epidemiology of at-risk alcohol use and associated comorbidities of interest among community-dwelling older adults: a protocol for a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: There is little epidemiological evidence and knowledge about at-risk alcohol use among community-dwelling older adults and their chronic and acute alcohol-related comorbidities of interest. This systematic review will summarise and examine relevant studies about the epidemiology of at-risk alcohol use and associated comorbidities of interest in this population. METHODS: We will search the following databases, without language or date restrictions, from inception to 31 August 2019: Embase.com, Medline Ovid SP, Pubmed (NOT medline[sb]), CINAHL EBSCO, PsycINFO Ovid SP, Central-Cochrane Library Wiley and Web of Science (Core Collection). Search strategies will be developed in collaboration with a librarian. We will use predefined search terms for alcoholism, epidemiology, the elderly, living place and comorbidities of interest, as well as terms related to the identification of "measurements", "tools" or "instruments" for measuring harm from alcohol use. At-risk status will be determined by the amount of alcohol consumed and any comorbidities of interest associated with at-risk alcohol use, with the latter being documented separately or using an assessment tool for at-risk drinking. We will also examine the bibliographies of all the relevant articles found and search for unpublished studies. We will consider publications in all languages. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical approval is necessary. Results will be presented in national and international conferences on addiction and published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018099965.

Contributing Factors to Heterogeneity in the Timing of the Onset of Nonfatal Suicidal Behavior: Results From a Nationally Representative Study.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether specific clinical factors contribute to heterogeneity in the timing of the onset of nonfatal suicidal behavior. This knowledge could have important implications for suicide prevention. METHODS: Using a nationally representative US adult sample, the second wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2004-2005; n = 34,629), we compared the characteristics of 4 different suicide attempter groups: those who first attempted (1) before 18 years, (2) from 18 to 34 years, (3) from 35 to 49 years, and (4) at 50 years or older. Specifically, DSM-IV psychiatric disorders that occurred before the first suicide attempt, childhood maltreatment experiences, parental history of psychiatric disorders, and sociodemographic characteristics were examined. RESULTS: Most first nonfatal suicide attempts (85.3%) occurred before age 35 years. Compared with suicide attempts occurring from 18 to 34 years, suicide attempts occurring before 18 years were more strongly associated with childhood maltreatment and less strongly linked to lifetime prior psychiatric disorders, whereas first suicide attempts occurring at 35 years and older were more strongly associated with a prior lifetime history of substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder and nicotine dependence, and mood disorders, including mania/hypomania and dysthymic disorder between 35 and 49 years and major depressive episode at 50 years and older (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest age differences in risk factors for first nonfatal suicide attempt. Improving early detection and treatment of psychiatric disorders and preventing childhood maltreatment may have broad benefits to reduce the burden of suicidal behavior at all ages.