The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialPreserving health of Alzheimer caregivers: impact of a spouse caregiver intervention.
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of counseling and support on the physical health of caregivers of spouses of people with Alzheimer disease. ⋯ Counseling and support preserved SRH in vulnerable caregivers. Enhancing caregivers' social support, fostering more benign appraisals of stressors, and reducing depressive symptoms may yield indirect health benefits. Psychosocial intervention studies with biological measures of physical health outcomes are warranted.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialPredictors of incident depression after hip fracture surgery.
Depression after hip fracture surgery is prevalent and associated with increased mortality rates and impaired functional recovery. The incidence of new-onset depressive symptoms in patients initially not depressed after hip fracture surgery and their relationship with functional recovery is unknown. ⋯ This exploratory study identified two treatable baseline characteristics that predicted incident depression in nondepressed patients after hip-fracture surgery.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2007
Narcissistic personality and vulnerability to late-life suicidality.
Narcissistic personality (NP) has been implicated as a potential vulnerability factor for late-life suicide. The present study investigated whether NP increases vulnerability to suicidal ideation and behavior among geriatric depression day-hospital patients. ⋯ Findings suggest that NP may be a clinical marker of elevated suicide risk among depressed older adults. Clinicians are advised to assess the presence of self-pathology and its potential impact upon psychological functioning in depressed older patients, and to incorporate discussions of life transitions into therapeutic work with those at-risk for suicide.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Aug 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPain limits the effectiveness of collaborative care for depression.
To ascertain the effects of baseline pain on depression outcomes in a collaborative care treatment trial of depression for older adults. ⋯ A collaborative care intervention was significantly more successful in older adults with less pain. Pain may be an important barrier to improvement of depression and attending to pain might produce better depression outcomes.