International journal of geriatric psychiatry
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jun 2010
Duloxetine and care management treatment of older adults with comorbid major depressive disorder and chronic low back pain: results of an open-label pilot study.
In older adults, major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) are common and mutually exacerbating. We predicted that duloxetine pharmacotherapy and Depression and Pain Care Management (DPCM) would result in (1) significant improvement in MDD and CLBP and (2) significant improvements in health-related quality of life, anxiety, disability, self-efficacy, and sleep quality. ⋯ Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like duloxetine delivered with DPCM may be a good choice to treat these linked conditions in older adults. Treatments that target low self-efficacy for physical function and improving disability may further increase response rates.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jun 2010
Evaluation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 with homebound older adults.
Homebound older adults are at high risk for depression and anxiety. Systematic screening may increase identification of these difficulties and facilitate service usage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) for use as a screening instrument for depression and anxiety with homebound older adults and to examine if the BSI-18 could be shortened further and exhibit comparable psychometric properties. ⋯ These findings provide initial evidence that the BSI-18 is valid for use with homebound older adults.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · May 2010
The effect of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and apolipoprotein E genotype, on the age of onset in Alzheimer's disease.
This study examined the association between a history of heavy alcohol use and smoking, presence of the apolipoprotein-E epsilon 4 allele (APOE epsilon4), and age of disease onset in a community dwelling sample of 685 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients spanning three ethnic groups. ⋯ The results suggest that APOE epsilon4 and heavy drinking and heavy smoking lower the age of onset for AD in an additive fashion.