It can be hard to detect and treat depression when it occurs in palliative care because it often presents amongst a multitude of other symptoms. There are obviously many systematic reviews that assess the use of antidepressants as a treatment for various life threatening illnesses, but no previous study has synthesized the evidence in palliative [read the full story…]
The extent to which mental disorder and learning disability co-occur varies substantially between studies. This review set out to identify studies in children and/or adolescents with acceptably rigorous methods and to ascertain key risk factors. The review found nine studies with acceptable methods, 4 which compared prevalence of mental disorder in populations of those with [read the full story…]
This systematic review conducted by the UK National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health set out to review the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment for depression in people with depression and chronic physical health problems. They found 35 RCTs that met their inclusion criteria and ended up conducting a meta-anlalysis of 22 studies using a random-effects model. The bulk [read the full story…]
Active Support is a coherent package of training in staff working practices and home organisational procedures to help staff to provide more direct support for resident participation, and increase levels of engagement in activities by residents. This systematic review identified two studies in which researchers reported three experimental evaluations of active support. Two of the [read the full story…]
A new Cochrane review has found 7 randomised controlled trials that investigate the efficacy of amphetamine derivatives against placebo or an active intervention. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a childhood onset psychiatric disorder that can persist into adulthood in up to 50% of patients. From a clinical point of view, ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, [read the full story…]
The Cochrane Scizophrenia Group have updated the systematic review that brings together all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) designed to prevent progression to psychosis in people showing prodromal symptoms, or to improve outcome for people with first-episode psychosis. The reviewers found 18 RCTs this time around, but (as is often the case with systematic reviews) the [read the full story…]
Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of good health and previous studies have shown that many people with learning disabilities do not engage in such activity. This systematic review set out to critically assess the evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for adults with learning disabilities. The authors found eleven clinical studies that [read the full story…]
A research team from the Institute of Psychiatry in London have conducted a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies of General Practitioners’ and Practice Nurses’ attitudes to managing depression in primary care. They found 7 qualitative and 10 quantitative studies, none of which looked at depressed people with co-morbid physical illness. Two contrasting understandings of depression were [read the full story…]
This systematic review of prevalence rates of chronic health conditions in children with intellectual disability found 2,994 relevant studies published between 1996 to 2008. 31 studies were included that the authors felt had sufficient methodological quality. They found that the 6 most prevalent chronic health conditions were: Epilepsy (22.0/100), Cerebral palsy (19.8/100), Anxiety disorder (17.1/100), [read the full story…]
Epilepsy is a major issue for people with learning disabilities. The National epilepsy society suggest that around 30% of people with mild to moderate learning disability also have epilepsy and the more severe the learning disability, the more likelihood there is that the person will have epilepsy. However, diagnosing epilepsy in a person with learning [read the full story…]
