The psychiatric consequences of spontaneous abortion

Article Abstract:

Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) occurs in approximately one out of five pregnancies. To assess the psychological repercussions, 67 women were interviewed and given a battery of standardized psychiatric tests four weeks after the abortion occurred. The average age of the women was 29 years. Sixty-one had abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy, and six early in the second trimester. Twenty-one reported a previous abortion, while 13 had histories of therapeutic abortions. Almost half the women suffered from depressive disorder. Three distinct measures of depression indicated that the majority of women were mildly-to-moderately depressed. The most common symptoms were sadness, irritability, tiredness, crying, guilt, and loss of sexual interest. Most of the women experienced symptoms typical of bereavement (e.g., emotional numbness followed by extreme upsets). Twenty-five women experienced guilt, three attempted suicide, and 24 felt as if they were still pregnant. Of the 63 women who were married or had partners, 51 reported a great deal of support from spouse or partner. Depression was more common in single women (78 percent) than in married women (43 percent). No relationships were found between previous therapeutic abortion and depression, although women who had previous abortion (76 percent) were significantly more depressed than those who did not (35 percent). No significant differences were found on any of the psychological measures between the women who had children (38) and those who did not. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Complications and side effects, Miscarriage

---

The TAPS project; 3: Predicting the community costs of closing psychiatric hospitals

Article Abstract:

One hundred thirty-six long-term patients who were discharged from psychiatric hospitals in England were studied for one year, in order to compare the costs of their return to the community and their past in-hospital care costs. Patients over 65 years old with a diagnosis of dementia were excluded from the study. A prediction equation for future cohorts of patients was then estimated, in part by using data from an earlier study linking baseline characteristics of the patients (their clinical diagnoses, social behaviors and clinical symptoms) with their community care costs. Large variations in community costs were found between patients. Patients' baseline characteristics accounted for approximately one third of the variation. Patients who had been hospital residents for more than 10 years had the highest community costs. Past in-hospital status, in terms of well-being, clinical state, and pervasive general symptoms, was also found to be a significant influence on later community costs. Patients with more ''negative'' symptoms, such as social withdrawal, flattened or blunted emotions, and poverty of speech, were harder to place in the community and were likely to have more costly needs. However, the one-year community cost for the study group as a whole was slightly lower than their past year's in-hospital cost. Community cost estimates for future hospital populations (for the first year back in the community) were also lower than predictions for future in-hospital residence costs. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

United Kingdom, Finance, Prices and rates, Hospitals, Psychiatric hospital care, Psychiatric hospitals, Hospital rates, Deinstitutionalization, Great Britain

---

Antidepressants

Article Abstract:

A number of drugs are commonly used to treat depressive illness which affects around 10%-15% of the population with varying degrees of severity. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) do not have the troublesome anticholinergic side-effects of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), are similarly effective and are far less dangerous in overdose. Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can be useful for some patients, but precautions are necessary because of their potentially life-threatening interaction with tyramine. Other antidepressants and mood stabilisers are discussed.

Health aspects, Drug therapy, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Antidepressants

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Hepatic iron in dialysed patients given intravenous iron dextran. Prevention of postischaemic lipid peroxidation and liver cell injury by iron chelation
• Abstracts: The association of hepatitis delta virus and hepatitis B virus in parenteral drug abusers. Evidence against the association between alcohol use and ischemic stroke risk
• Abstracts: Current concepts: fecal impaction. Fecal incontinence. The changing concepts of Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Abstracts: Changes in therapeutic proteins caused by preparation techniques. Outbreak of invasive mycoses caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus from a contaminated skin lotion
• Abstracts: Hyperventilation: is it a cause of panic attacks? Pituitary microadenoma presenting as panic attacks. Symptom specificity in patients with panic

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.