American family physician
-
American family physician · Oct 2024
ReviewDiagnosis and Management of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Primary Care Setting.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. It is characterized by obsessions, which are intrusive and include unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that cause marked anxiety or distress. Obsessions also drive patients to engage in repetitive actions or thoughts, known as compulsions. ⋯ If monotherapy is not effective, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy can be combined. Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder is typically recommended for at least 12 months for maintenance and prevention of relapse. In patients requiring augmentation, higher-risk or novel adjunctive treatments or investigational therapies should be managed by an experienced multidisciplinary team.
-
American family physician · Oct 2024
Understanding the Health Care Needs of the Deaf Community Through Medical Interpreters.
For approximately 500,000 Deaf people in the United States who use American Sign Language (ASL), accessing quality health care is challenging.1 Deaf people are more likely to have been admitted to a hospital in the past 12 months and have a history of chronic illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, arthritis, HIV, obesity) compared with those without hearing impairment.2,3 Contributing factors include lack of cultural competency, few appropriately trained ASL interpreters, insufficient clinician education, and low health literacy levels.4 Deaf is defined here as people who are culturally Deaf (values, traditions, and norms5,6) and use ASL as a primary mode of communication.