There is evidence from epidemiological studies that low levels of zinc are associated with depression, but good quality clinical trials that explore the link between zinc supplementation and depression are few and far between. This systematic review conducted by a research team from the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, aimed to synthesise results from [read the full story…]
It has been widely reported that antipsychotics have been frequently used to treat the behavioural and psychological symptoms that affect people with dementia and that this course of action has resulted in an estimated 1,800 excess strokes and 1,600 excess deaths in the UK alone. This double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled randomised trial looks at one of the [read the full story…]
There are a number of cross-sectional studies that investigate antidepressant use in teenagers and young adults. These are interesting, but because they don’t tend to follow-up study participants prospectively over a long period of time, there is only so much we can learn from them. However, now researchers in Finland have published a study that [read the full story…]
This long term study looked at the effectiveness of a preventive programme on dental health in people with Down syndrome, who are known to have increased prevalence of periodontal disease (affecting the neck and root of a tooth) The researchers looked at the long-term effect of periodic plaque control on the progression of periodontal diseases [read the full story…]
Researchers from Oxford and Verona have published a major new meta-analysis in the Lancet, which measures the effectiveness of all anti-manic drugs. The review team searched and found 68 randomised controlled trials from 1980-2010 (a total of 16,073 patients). The study includes a range of antipsychotics and mood stabilisers used at a therapeutic dose range [read the full story…]
The Adapted Sex Offender treatment Programme (ASOTP) was piloted in a secure learning disability service. This study set out to evaluate its effectiveness and respond to the criticisms and concerns of conventional closed format programmes. The researchers set out to gather the views of a variety of stakeholders (purchasers, clients, clinicians, group facilitators and clients’ [read the full story…]
Researchers from the VU University in Amsterdam and the EMGO Institute have published a nice summary of the effects of psychotherapies for adult depression. The study summarises a series of meta-analyses that they have carried out, to measure the strength of the evidence for the different types of psychotherapy in treating different types of depression. Here’s what [read the full story…]
Depression is common in patients with dementia and antidepressants are widely prescribed for this population although the evidence remains limited. This randomised controlled trial conducted by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and published in the Lancet, explored the safety and efficacy of two widely-used drugs (sertraline and mirtazapine) in patients with dementia and [read the full story…]
Older people who suffer from depression and executive dysfunction experience significant levels of disability and often don’t respond well to conventional drug treatments. This randomised controlled trial conducted by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York State, attempted to find out if problem-solving therapy is better than supportive therapy for reducing disability in older [read the full story…]
This American study set out to look at the use of physical restraint in services for people with learning disabilities. The researchers looked at data on the incidence and implementation of physical restraint for 448 adults with learning disabilities in community-based day services and shared supported housing. They found that physical restraint was used exclusively [read the full story…]
