RESUMO
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare and devastating illness. It is the most frequently encountered form of the spongiform encephalopathies with 50 new cases a year in the UK. It presents with a myriad of symptoms reflecting central nervous system dysfunction and is characterized by a rapidly progressive dementia leading to death. The disease process can pose multiple challenges: diagnostic conundrums, complexities in management, and palliative care issues. Good coordinated care between services and information is paramount in adequate management and delivery of care for patients suffering from sCJD.Psychiatry services frequently become involved in the assessment and management of sCJD.
Assuntos
Síndrome de Creutzfeldt-Jakob/diagnóstico , Idoso , Encéfalo/patologia , Síndrome de Creutzfeldt-Jakob/patologia , Síndrome de Creutzfeldt-Jakob/psicologia , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Feminino , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , MasculinoAssuntos
Internação Compulsória de Doente Mental , Necessidades e Demandas de Serviços de Saúde , Transtornos Mentais/terapia , Unidade Hospitalar de Psiquiatria , Idoso , Humanos , Serviços de Saúde Mental/organização & administração , Unidade Hospitalar de Psiquiatria/classificação , Unidade Hospitalar de Psiquiatria/organização & administração , Medidas de Segurança , Reino UnidoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cultural factors may influence cross-national variations in elderly suicide rates. METHODS: A cross-national study examining the relationship between elderly suicide rates and elderly dependency ratios was conducted with the a priori unidirectional hypothesis that lower elderly dependency ratios (ratio of people over the age of 65 years to people under the age of 65 years) may imply a greater number of younger people being potentially available to provide support and respect to the elderly and to hold them in high esteem, and this would lead to a reduction in elderly suicide rates. Data on elderly suicide rates, and the total number of elderly and young people were ascertained from the World Health Organization website. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were found between the natural logarithm of suicide rates, in both sexes in two elderly age-bands (65-74 years and 75+ years), and the elderly dependency ratio for males, females and both sexes combined. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of elderly dependency ratios on elderly suicide rates may interact with and be modified and mediated through cultural factors. The contribution of cross-national differences in cultural factors on elderly suicide rates require further study by formally measuring cultural factors with validated instruments.
