Current psychiatry reports
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Curr Psychiatry Rep · Aug 2009
ReviewA systematic review of the quality and impact of anxiety disorder meta-analyses.
Meta-analyses are seen as representing the pinnacle of a hierarchy of evidence used to inform clinical practice. Therefore, the potential importance of differences in the rigor with which they are conducted and reported warrants consideration. In this review, we use standardized instruments to describe the scientific and reporting quality of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of the treatment of anxiety disorders. ⋯ Neither the scientific nor reporting quality of the meta-analyses was predicted by any of the impact metrics. The finding that treatment meta-analyses were cited less frequently than quantitative reviews of studies in current "hot spots" of research (ie, genetics, imaging) points to the multifactorial nature of citation patterns. A list of the meta-analyses included in this review is available on an evidence-based website of anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
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Delirium is commonly encountered in the hospital setting, particularly in the intensive care unit. However, the diagnosis is often missed, due in part to the nature of the illness, fluctuating levels of consciousness, and varied presentation. ⋯ In this article, we review the latest information regarding the underlying mechanisms of the syndrome and treatment options available. This is accomplished by examining two complex cases encountered at a university medical center-based psychosomatic service.
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Psychiatric care for children and adolescents is limited in remote and underserved areas because of the shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. Telepsychiatry has the potential to alleviate this problem. ⋯ Many questions regarding confidentiality, legality, reimbursement, cost-effectiveness, and technology still need to be resolved. However, telepsychiatry has the potential to be a useful treatment alternative.
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This article reviews recent medical and social science literature on sexual functioning in older adults. We provide a broad definition of sexual functioning that includes a range of solo and partnered forms of sexual expression. We identify four determinants of sexual functioning: biologic, psychological, social context (including culture), and interactions of these with each other. ⋯ Recent research highlights the role of the social context, especially the presence of a sexual partner and the relationship with that partner, in sexual activity. We discuss variations in sexual functioning by life course events, gender, and race and ethnicity. Relevant results from the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors; Male Attitudes Regarding Sexual Health Survey; and the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project are also reviewed.
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Clinicians are likely to encounter delirium frequently, particularly in inpatient and intensive care settings. However, delirium is underrecognized and undertreated because of its heterogeneous and fluctuating presentation and due to the limitations in resources and training in contemporary clinical settings. ⋯ Hence, this review comprehensively discusses the phenomenology and pathophysiology of delirium and its presenting features, risk factors, differential diagnoses, assessment, prognosis, and treatment with antipsychotics; the goal is to facilitate better prevention, recognition, and treatment of delirium. Available research is reviewed, limitations of the research are discussed, and future directions for further delirium research are identified.