Assessment of dementia in a clinical sample of persons with intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of age-associated disorders has become increasingly important. METHODS: In a clinical setting, people with intellectual disability with and without dementia were assessed retrospectively using the Neuropsychological Test Battery (NTB) and the Dementia Questionnaire for People with Learning Disabilities (DLD) at two different times to analyse neuropsychological changes and diagnostic validity. One group (n = 44) was assessed with both instruments, while the DLD was applied in 71 patients. RESULTS: In the NTB (n = 44), only patients with dementia (n = 26) showed a decline in the NTB total score and three subscales. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a diagnostic sensitivity of .67, a specificity of .81, and an area under the curve (AUC) of .767. In the DLD group (n = 71), only those with dementia displayed a decrease in the cognitive and social scale; diagnostic sensitivity and specificity values were low (.61/.63) and the AUC was .704. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychological assessment was sensitive to detect cognitive changes over time. Sensitivity values of both instruments suggest a reassessment at a later time point.

Process-Outcome Associations in an Interdisciplinary Treatment for Chronic Pain and Comorbid Mental Disorders Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous studies support the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for chronic pain, yet little research has been conducted about its underlying mechanisms of change, especially regarding patients with comorbid mental disorders. The present investigation addressed this issue by examining associations of processes targeted by ACT (pain acceptance, mindfulness, psychological flexibility) and clinical outcomes (pain intensity, somatic symptoms, physical health, mental health, depression, general anxiety). SUBJECTS: Participants were 109 patients who attended an ACT-based interdisciplinary treatment program for chronic pain and comorbid mental disorders in a routine care psychiatric day hospital. METHODS: Pre- to posttreatment differences in processes and outcomes were examined with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and effect size r. Associations between changes in processes and changes in outcomes were analyzed with correlation and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Pre- to posttreatment effect sizes were mostly moderate to large (r between 0.21 and 0.62). Associations between changes in processes and changes in outcomes were moderate to large for both, bivariate correlations (r between 0.30 and 0.54) and shared variances accounting for all three processes combined (R2 between 0.21 and 0.29). CONCLUSION: The present investigation suggests that changes in pain acceptance, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility are meaningfully associated with changes in clinical outcomes. It provides evidence on particular process-outcome associations that had not been investigated in this way before. The focus on comorbid mental disorders informs clinicians about a population of chronic pain patients who often have a severe course of illness and have seldom been studied.

Telemedicine Treatment and Care for Patients with Intellectual Disability.

In recent years, telemedicine has been developing very dynamically. The development of new technologies allows their use in the treatment of dermatological, cardiological, endocrine and other diseases. However, there are few reports on the use of digital technologies in the mental health care of people with intellectual disabilities. Intellectual disability is a disease that affects a large number of people. Patients suffering from intellectual disability encounter barriers that make it difficult for them to fully use telemedicine, however, these barriers can be overcome with appropriate support and adaptation. A review of the literature on telemedicine solutions in the care of people with intellectual disabilities indicates that the applications support the communication of these people with the doctor, enable simple behavioral interventions, stimulate cooperation in treatment, provide simple medical education as well as record medical data for the doctor. The authors present the potential risks related to the use of telemedicine solutions for people with intellectual disabilities as well as the project of creating a new, multi-module telemedicine system.

Acceptance and commitment-based therapy for patients with psychiatric and physical health conditions in routine general hospital care - Development, implementation and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Transdiagnostic approaches are needed to effectively treat patients with a broad range of diagnoses and comorbidities in routine general hospital care. Yet the evidence for the effectiveness of treatments beyond Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is largely lacking. We describe the process of implementing an interdisciplinary multi-professional Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based treatment for patients with psychiatric and physical health conditions and present outcomes before and after implementation. METHOD: The present investigation was a naturalistic comparative study comparing ACT-based (n = 126) vs. CBT-based (n = 127) treatments in a psychiatric day hospital in Berlin, Germany. Within- and between-group changes (pre- to post-treatment) in everyday functioning and health-related quality of life (primary outcomes; assessed by the Short Form 36 (SF-36)), as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms (secondary outcomes; assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)), were analyzed with Generalized Linear Models, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and effect size r. RESULTS: Data analysis showed statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-treatment (r ranging from 0.27 to 0.61, p < 0.001) for most SF-36 scales as well as for all HADS and BDI-II scores (r ranging from 0.38 to 0.60, p < 0.001) for both the ACT and CBT groups. ACT and CBT showed comparable effects in relation to clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: An interdisciplinary multi-professional ACT-based group treatment is a valuable approach for patients with psychiatric and physical health conditions in real-life hospital settings, with effects equivalent to CBT interventions.

[Guidance in Simple Language for Psychopathological Assessment of People with Intellectual Disabilities According to the AMDP]. / AMDP-Leitfaden in leichter Sprache für die psychopathologische Befunderhebung bei Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung.

This study evaluates the usefulness of a modified version of "AMDP Interview Guidance", the established German instrument in simple language for psychopathological examination. A total of 19 patients with intellectual disabilities underwent psychopathological examination with the help of the original version of the AMDP interview guidance, a modified version and a free, non-standardised and the three versions were assessed. With the original version of the AMDP interview guidance, 50% of the patients with intellectual disabilities were able to answer in a proper way and delivered an appropriate result for the psychopathological assessment. Of the remaining patients 85-90% could handle the questions of the modified version with success. The modified version of the AMDP interview guidance in simple language seems to contribute to a better psychopathological examination compared with the original version. Further studies with a statistically appropriate number of patients need to be carried out in the future.

A clinical effectiveness trial comparing ACT and CBT for inpatients with depressive and mixed mental disorders.

AbstractObjective: Meta-analyses show that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an efficacious treatment for a wide range of mental health problems. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of ACT in naturalistic inpatient settings and in direct comparison to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ACT and CBT with regard to depression, general symptom strain and life satisfaction. Method: 177 inpatients in a psychiatric ward were included in the study and assigned to either ACT or CBT group intervention. All patients were assessed with the SCID-I interview and disorder-specific questionnaires as well as with a satisfaction with life scale. To control for confounding variables, amongst others, treatment integrity was evaluated. Results: Both the ACT and CBT intervention showed a large, statistically significant and stable symptom reduction over six months across all outcomes. Both approaches led to small improvement in life satisfaction. With regards to depressive symptoms, more than half of the patients reliably recovered due to therapy. Conclusion: ACT and CBT were similarly effective in treating patients with depressive and other mental disorders in a routine clinical setting. ACT is a viable alternative to CBT for treating inpatients.

Migration-related emotional distress among Vietnamese psychiatric patients in Germany: An interdisciplinary, mixed methods study.

Culture and socialization influence how individuals perceive and express emotional distress. Research therefore, must consider the context to capture individual experiences. However, the majority of studies on factors associated with emotional distress among migrants use quantitative approaches, limiting an in-depth understanding. This study investigates emic themes of emotional distress among Vietnamese migrants by integrating anthropological and psychiatric approaches. The mixed methods study first quantified differences in reported themes of distress between Vietnamese (n = 104) and German (n = 104) patients, who utilized two psychiatric outpatient clinics in Berlin, Germany. Based on these differences, ethnographic interviews were conducted with 20 Vietnamese patients. In the quantitative part, differences in frequency of reported distress between Vietnamese and German patients indicate cultural and migration-related issues among Vietnamese migrants, such as the upbringing of children in a transcultural context. In the qualitative part, interviews with Vietnamese patients elicited contextualizing information and additional themes of distress. Besides commonly expressed socioeconomic themes, such as work and finances, we identified affectively charged themes concerning roles toward partnership and children. A central emic theme is expressed as "moments of speechlessness," which go beyond a lack of language proficiency and challenge patients in different spheres of life. Migration entails complex affective dynamics, determined by a specific migratory and post-migratory context. Within this context, norms and values determine which themes of distress patients articulate openly. Therefore, an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach can yield a contextualized understanding of emotional distress and the complex nature of migration.

[Comorbidity of hypoglycaemia anxiety and panic disorder in a patient with type-1 diabetes - Combined treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in a psychosomatic day-treatment center]. / Komorbidität von Hypoglykämieangst und Panikstörung bei einer Patientin mit Typ-1-Diabetes ­ Kombinationsbehandlung mit Verhaltenstherapie und kontinuierlicher Glukosemessung (CGM) in einer psychosomatischen Tagesklinik.

CLINICAL HISTORY AND FINDINGS: A patient with T1DM, panic disorder and hypoglycaemia fear diabetes duration 4 years, BMI 25. 6, was treated in the day clinic psychosomatics with a multimodal treatment approach. She reports severe fear of hypoglycaemia and repeated hypoglycaemia. Fearing hypoglycaemia, the patient changed her diabetes self-management and thus experienced limitations in her everyday functionality. DIAGNOSIS: Diabetes mellitus type 1, panic disorder and exaggerated fear of hypoglycaemia. THERAPY: The combination of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and a symptom record diary from classical cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and in addition a multimodal psychotherapeutic group intervention based on Acceptance and Commitmenttherapy (ACT) were applied. The patient learned to differentiate between symptoms of panic attacks and symptoms due to low blood glucose levels. CONCLUSION: The combination of psychotherapeutic measures with CGM appears to be a helpful approach to the treatment of disease-specific mental disorders in diabetes mellitus.

Psychopharmacological Treatment in Older People: Avoiding Drug Interactions and Polypharmacy.

BACKGROUND: As the elderly population increases, so, too, does the number of multimorbid patients and the risk of polypharmacy. The consequences include drug interactions, undesired side effects of medication, health impairment, and the need for hospital- ization. 5-10% of hospital admissions among the elderly are attributable to undesired side effects of medication. METHODS: This review is based on publications retrieved by a selective search in PubMed and the Cochrane Library that employed the search terms "drug interaction," "undesired side effect," "polypharmacy," "pharmacokinetics," and "pharmacody- namics." RESULTS: Elderly patients are particularly at risk of polypharmacy, both because of the prevalence of multimorbidity in old age and because of physicians' uncritical implementation of guidelines. The more drugs a person takes, the greater the risk of drug interactions and undesired side effects. Age-associated changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics elevate this risk as well. Physicians prescribing drugs for elderly patients need to know about the drugs' catabolic pathways, protein binding, and inductive and inhibitory effects on cytochrome P450 in order to avoid drug interactions and polypharmacy. CONCLUSION: Multiple aids and instruments are available to ensure practical and reasonable drug monitoring, so that the risks of drug interactions and undesired side effects can be detected early and avoided.

Developing a Diagnostic Algorithm for the Music-Based Scale for Autism Diagnostics (MUSAD) Assessing Adults with Intellectual Disability.

Initial studies have presented the Music-based Scale for Autism Diagnostics (MUSAD) as a promising DSM-5-based observational tool to identify autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults with intellectual disability (ID). The current study is the first to address its clinical utility in a new sample of 124 adults with ID (60.5% diagnosed with ASD). The derived diagnostic algorithm differentiated well between individuals with and without ASD (sensitivity 79%, specificity 74%, area under the curve = 0.81). Inter-rater reliability, assessed by the scorings of four independent experts in 22 consensus cases, was excellent (ICC = 0.92). Substantial correlations with scores from other ASD-specific measures indicated convergent validity. The MUSAD yields accurate and reliable scores, supporting comprehensive ASD diagnostics in adults with ID.

The relationship between causal beliefs and desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia and depression: Results from a survey of young Ghanaian adults.

This study examines attitudes of the young Ghanaian population regarding the relationship between causal beliefs and desire for social distance from people with symptoms of schizophrenia and depression. Respondents (n = 507) were presented with depression and schizophrenia symptoms using unlabeled case vignettes. A factor analysis examined three factors for causal beliefs, and multiple linear regression analysis on the desire for social distance was conducted. The desire for social distance was higher when symptoms in both case-vignettes were attributed to childhood adversities and overall lower when respondents lived in northern regions of Ghana. Only, for vignettes depicting schizophrenia, mental illness attribution was associated with more desire for social distance. Significant gender effects were found for depression vignettes only: female respondents reported significantly more desire for social distance, whereas female gendered vignettes were associated with less desire for social distance by respondents of both genders.

[Autism spectrum disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities : Frequencies and characteristics]. / Autismusspektrumstörungen bei Erwachsenen mit Intelligenzminderung : Häufigkeiten und Charakteristika.

OBJECTIVE: Collation of frequencies and clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in persons with intellectual disability (ID). METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of a clinical psychiatric sample of 710 adults with ID and mental disorders. RESULTS: The frequency of ASD in an adult sample with ID was 19%. The occurrence of ASD was associated with a higher severity of ID, male gender (in mild to moderate ID), anticonvulsive therapy and reduced employment rates in workshops. CONCLUSION: The ASD are a frequent clinical diagnosis in adults with ID.

The Medical Care of People With Intellectual Disability.

BACKGROUND: An estimated 1.5 million persons in Germany are intellectually disabled. Persons with intellectual disability (ID) are especially vulnerable to somatic and mental illnesses. METHODS: This review is based on pertinent literature retrieved by selective searches in PubMed and the Cochrane Library. RESULTS: Genetic abnormalities are a frequent cause of diseases that affect multiple organs and need interdisciplinary treatment. A number of somatic diseases are more common in persons with ID than in the general population, including epilepsy (30-50% in persons with severe or very severe ID, vs. 0.5% in the general popu- lation) and dementia (five times more common than in the general population). Patients with Down syndrome are 20 times more likely than the general population to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Some mental illnesses, too, are more common in persons with ID, e.g., autism spectrum disorders (7.5-15% vs. 1% in the general population). The history and the findings of the physical and psychiatric examination are assessed in accordance with the biopsychosocial model of disease, and in the light of the patient's mental developmental age. Structured instruments for behavioral evaluation and diagnosis are an important additional component of the diagnostic assessment. A holistic approach is required that takes multiple life areas into account and involves the patient's familial and social environment, while obeying the rules of simple language. Psychotherapeutic and psychosocial measures must be adapted to the patient's cognitive abilities and mental developmental age. CONCLUSION: Intellectually disabled persons can be treated in a multimodal, multiprofessional approach. As of early 2019, there were 38 medical centers for adults with intellectual disability or severe multiple disabilities in Germany (Medizinische Behandlungszentren für Erwachsene mit geistiger Behinderung oder schweren Mehrfachbehinderungen, MZEB), where they can be cared for with due attention to their special needs.

[Dementia in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Frequent Reason for Admission to Psychiatry]. / Demenz bei Down-Syndrom: Ein häufiger psychiatrischer Vorstellungsgrund.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of dementia in a clinical sample of adults with Down syndrome. Consequences for clinical practice were deduced. METHODS: Patient characteristics and prevalence rates of dementia were evaluated in adults with Down syndrome who were admitted to psychiatry from 2005 to 2012 (N = 75). RESULTS: In every third patient with Down syndrome, dementia was diagnosed in a second assessment 6 to 12 months after initial hospital admission. Patients with dementia were older and more often female, while no association was found with the level of intellectual disability. Thyroid function and calcium values were often abnormal in those with and without dementia. DISCUSSION: In persons with Down syndrome, dementia is a prevalent cause for admission to psychiatry, especially in females and those of advanced age. Services should be adapted to the increased demands.

Public attitude towards restrictions on persons with mental illness in greater Hanoi area, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to protect human rights in psychiatry. Within the last years, considerable effort has been made to reduce restrictive measures in mental health settings. Reducing restrictive measures within mental health care has also moved increasingly into the focus of public debate. This study aims, for the first time in a Southeast Asian sample, to explore whether socio-demographic factors affect public attitudes toward restrictions on mentally ill people in Hanoi, Vietnam. METHODS: A general population-based survey (self-report questionnaire) was carried out in 2013 in the greater Hanoi area. The survey sample ( N = 813) was recruited according to the latest published census (2009) and micro-census (2013) in Vietnam and Hanoi with regard to the socio-demographic factors gender, age, urbanity, household size and marital status. Multinomial logistic regressions for odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to examine the influence of epidemiological variables, like gender and age, on the public attitude toward restrictions imposed on mentally ill people in Vietnam. RESULTS: This study found, for the first time in a large Vietnamese sample, that gender and age were associated with public attitudes toward restrictions on mentally ill people. In detail, significantly fewer men endorsed compulsory admission to a hospital and abortion than Vietnamese women. In addition, endorsement of abortion was significantly higher in older people. CONCLUSION: The results offer some insight into roles of women in the Vietnamese society and might reflect the traditional gender expectations in Vietnamese families. Moreover, the results emphasize the need for supporting female psychiatric patients and their families within their communities and in the Vietnamese society.

Public attitudes towards psychiatrists in the metropolitan area of Hanoi, Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: Mental health associated stigmatization remains problematic in low and middle-income countries, thus preventing patients from adequate access to psychiatric care. Public attitudes towards psychiatrists have not been examined in many countries, especially not in Vietnam where merely one psychiatrist per 300.000 population is available. The study aims to explore attitudes towards psychiatrists in the Hanoi municipality and to identify socio-demographical factors that influence these attitudes. METHODS: Between April and August 2013, a general population-based survey was carried out in the greater Hanoi area, Vietnam. The sample of 817 participants was stratified according to the latest Vietnamese census (2009) and micro-census (2013) with regards to socio-demographic factors. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the influence of these factors on attitudes towards psychiatrists. RESULTS: Gender and religious beliefs significantly influenced public attitudes towards psychiatrists. Male participants reported significantly more negative perception towards psychiatrists compared to female respondents. Participants following a religion reported significantly more negative attitudes toward psychiatrists than those without self-reported religious attainment. CONCLUSIONS: Negative attitudes towards psychiatrists are associated with religious beliefs and gender affiliation in the greater Hanoi area. A strategy that involves religious institutions in raising awareness about mental health issues while considering public's socio-cultural attitudes may pave the way for greater potentialities of adequate psychiatric care, destigmatize the mental health system, and care provider.