General hospital psychiatry
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Nov 2011
Current practices for mental health follow-up after psychiatric emergency department/psychiatric emergency service visits: a national survey of academic emergency departments.
The objective was to describe continuity of care approaches for psychiatric emergencies in the emergency department. ⋯ While systematic identification of repeat psychiatric emergency patients was uncommon, emergency departments reported using a variety of fairly intensive strategies to promote continuity of care with outpatient mental health services.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Nov 2011
Suicidal ideation in medical inpatients: psychosocial and clinical correlates.
To identify psychosocial and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation in medical inpatients. ⋯ Three out of the four correlates of suicidal ideation in medical inpatients are potentially modifiable factors: severe anxiety, depressive symptoms and poor social support. The fourth variable, prior suicide attempts, is not modifiable but should serve as a red flag to suspect and investigate current suicide risk. These findings highlight the importance of suicidal ideation as a proxy for the distress that is incumbent upon physicians to manage if they wish to provide excellent and comprehensive inpatient care.
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Very few studies have evaluated the level of distress due to the experience of delirium in patients who have recovered from delirium. ⋯ Overall experience of delirium is distressing for the patients. Most of the patients (those who remembered or who were not able to remember) experienced at least moderate level of distress.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyTrends in the prescription of opioids for adolescents with non-cancer pain.
Opioids are among the most commonly abused drugs among adolescents, and the prescription of these drugs has increased over the last decade. The goal of the current study is to examine trends and factors associated with prescription opioid use among adolescents with common non-cancer pain (NCP) conditions, sampled from two contrasting populations. ⋯ Prescription of opioids among adolescents with NCP is common, and the prescription rate is higher among adolescents with multiple pain conditions and comorbid mental health disorders. Further research is necessary to determine risk factors for abuse and misuse of opioids in adolescents to help develop guidelines for use in this age group.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyFatigue in patients with sarcoidosis, compared with the general population.
Fatigue is a significant symptom in sarcoidosis patients. The causes for this symptom are unclear. The aims of this study were to analyze age and gender differences in fatigue, compared with the general population, and to test the psychometric properties of two questionnaires measuring fatigue in sarcoidosis. ⋯ The comparison to norm data is highly recommended for the evaluation of age and gender differences. Compared with the general population, young sarcoidosis patients are especially affected by fatigue.