Bensham Hospital

As many as two million people in the United Kingdom repeatedly see people, animals, and objects that have no objective reality. Hallucinations on the border of sleep, dementing illnesses, delirium, eye disease, and schizophrenia account for 90% of these. The remainder have rarer disorders. We review existing models of recurrent complex visual hallucinations (RCVH) in the awake person, including cortical irritation, cortical hyperexcitability and cortical release, top-down activation, misperception, dream intrusion, and interactive models. We provide evidence that these can neither fully account for the phenomenology of RCVH, nor for variations in the frequency of RCVH in different disorders. We propose a novel Perception and Attention Deficit (PAD) model for RCVH. A combination of impaired attentional binding and poor sensory activation of a correct proto-object, in conjunction with a relatively intact scene representation, bias perception to allow the intrusion of a hallucinatory proto-object into a scene perception. Incorporation of this image into a context-specific hallucinatory scene representation accounts for repetitive hallucinations. We suggest that these impairments are underpinned by disturbances in a lateral frontal cortex-ventral visual stream system. We show how the frequency of RCVH in different diseases is related to the coexistence of attentional and visual perceptual impairments; how attentional and perceptual processes can account for their phenomenology; and that diseases and other states with high rates of RCVH have cholinergic dysfunction in both frontal cortex and the ventral visual stream. Several tests of the model are indicated, together with a number of treatment options that it generates.

Much of the research on visual hallucinations (VHs) has been conducted in the context of eye disease and neurodegenerative conditions, but little is known about these phenomena in psychiatric and nonclinical populations. The purpose of this article is to bring together current knowledge regarding VHs in the psychosis phenotype and contrast this data with the literature drawn from neurodegenerative disorders and eye disease. The evidence challenges the traditional views that VHs are atypical or uncommon in psychosis. The weighted mean for VHs is 27% in schizophrenia, 15% in affective psychosis, and 7.3% in the general community. VHs are linked to a more severe psychopathological profile and less favorable outcome in psychosis and neurodegenerative conditions. VHs typically co-occur with auditory hallucinations, suggesting a common etiological cause. VHs in psychosis are also remarkably complex, negative in content, and are interpreted to have personal relevance. The cognitive mechanisms of VHs in psychosis have rarely been investigated, but existing studies point to source-monitoring deficits and distortions in top-down mechanisms, although evidence for visual processing deficits, which feature strongly in the organic literature, is lacking. Brain imaging studies point to the activation of visual cortex during hallucinations on a background of structural and connectivity changes within wider brain networks. The relationship between VHs in psychosis, eye disease, and neurodegeneration remains unclear, although the pattern of similarities and differences described in this review suggests that comparative studies may have potentially important clinical and theoretical implications.

To resolve differences in the literature, we have systematically reviewed 21 controlled comparisons of the cognitive performance of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) These were identified by end May 2002 by Medline and PsycInfo searches, checking reference lists and contacting authors. Nine had comparisons between DLB patients (total n = 180) and age-matched controls (n = 172). Sixteen had comparisons between DLB (n = 312) and Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 380). Three compared DLB (n = 48) with Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 65). Two raters independently scored the methodological quality. This was variable with a lack of high-quality studies (median rating 3 on a 0-7 scale, Kw = 0.41). There was a significant heterogeneity in results with marked discrepancies between studies. In a meta-analysis, DLB patients were more cognitively impaired than were AD or PD patients (95% CI of inverse variance weighted average of effect size relative to controls DLB 2.0-2.2; AD 1.4-1.6; PD 0.7-1.0). To permit an analysis of impairments in specific cognitive areas, the cognitive abilities underpinning the wide variety of tasks used were classified by a group of experienced neuropsychologists. Reducing overlapping task classifications using factor analysis showed large effect sizes relative to controls, AD and PD on two factors (combined variance 30%): attentional/executive impairment (effect sizes 1.1-2.9) and visual-perceptual impairment (0.7-3.6). There were small differences on two other factors (combined variance 39%): general verbal/non-verbal impairment (-0.12 to -0.5) and relative verbal memory impairment (-0.33 to 0.21). The cognitive performance is also more variable in DLB than in controls or in AD, but not PD (ratio of DLB to comparator standard deviations estimated from linear regression: DLB/controls 2.5-3.6; DLB/AD 2.1-2.6; DLB/PD 0.8-1.0). The greater variability of patients with DLB is seen only on tasks needing timed or motor responses, visual learning, executive or attentional abilities, or with visual content. Further stratification indicated that recent consensus diagnostic criteria, clinical diagnoses, and milder dementia were all associated with a more distinctive cognitive profile. The uniquely profound visual-perceptual and attentional-executive impairments that characterize DLB are consistent with the most frequent locations of Lewy bodies in frontal, cingulate, and inferior temporal cortex and may be related to the characteristic visual hallucinations and clinical fluctuations of this disease. These findings need to be confirmed in prospective, longitudinal, clinicopathological studies.

BACKGROUND: Current clinical classifications do not contain specific diagnostic categories for patients with senile dementia of the Lewy body type (SDLT), recently proposed as the second commonest neuropathological cause of dementia in the elderly. This study determines how existing clinical diagnosis systems label SDLT patients and suggests how such patients may be identified. METHOD: A range of clinical diagnostic criteria for dementia were applied to case notes of autopsy-confirmed SDLT (n = 20), dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT; n = 21) and multi-infarct dementia (MID; n = 9) patients who had received psychogeriatric assessment. The predictive validity of each set of clinical criteria was calculated against the external criterion of neuropathological diagnosis. RESULTS: Many SDLT patients erroneously met criteria for MID (35% with Hachinski scores > or = 7) or for DAT (15% by NINCDS 'probable AD', 35% by DSM-III-R DAT and 50% by NINCDS 'possible AD'). Up to 85% of SDLT cases could be correctly identified using recently published specific criteria. CONCLUSIONS: SDLT usually has a discernible clinical syndrome and existing clinical classifications may need revision to diagnose correctly such patients.

The study aimed to evaluate the merits of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in the assessment of parkinsonism in patients suffering from Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Parkinsonian symptoms were assessed in 73 dementia patients using the UPDRS and staged using the Hoehn & Yahr system. A staging of 1 or greater was taken to indicate significant parkinsonism. DLB (n=42) was diagnosed using the McKeith et al. criteria, Alzheimer's disease (n=30) was diagnosed using the NINCDS ADRDA criteria. The inability of some patients to comply with some of the more complicated tasks meant that the full UPDRS assessment could only be completed in 35 (83%) of the DLB patients, 23 (66%) of whom had significant parkinsonism. Patients with parkinsonism were significantly younger than those without. A Principal Components Analysis derived a sub-scale including the items tremor at rest, action tremor, bradykinesia, facial expression and rigidity. These items had a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 85% for significant parkinsonism using a cut-off of 7/8. The brief scale had several advantages over the complete UPDRS. Unlike the full scale it was independent of the severity of cognitive impairment and the 5 key items could be assessed in 41 (98%) of the DLB patients. Autopsies have been completed on 31 patients, with a specificity of greater than 90% for the operationalized clinical diagnosis of DLB. It is suggested that a 5 item subscale of the UPDRS provides a reliable and generally applicable instrument for the assessment of parkinsonism in DLB patients.

African Experiences of Cinema Get access African Experiences of Cinema, edited by Imruh Bakari and Mbye Cham. British Film Institute, 1996. x+276 pp. £40.00 hardback; £14.99 paperback. ISBN 0-85170-510-3 and 0-85170-511-1. CHARLES ARMOUR CHARLES ARMOUR Chesham Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 96, Issue 385, October 1997, Pages 630–631, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007897 Published: 01 October 1997

OBJECTIVES: To compare the acceptability and feasibility of computerized and pencil-and-paper tests of cognitive function in 85-year-old people. DESIGN: Group comparison of participants randomly allocated to pencil-and-paper (Wechsler Adult Intelligence and Memory Scales) or computerized (Cognitive Drug Research) tests of verbal memory and attention. SETTING: The Newcastle 85+ Pilot Study was the precursor to the Newcastle 85+ Study a United Kingdom Medical Research Council/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council cohort study of health and aging in the oldest-old age group. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-one community-dwelling individuals aged 85. MEASUREMENTS: Participant and researcher acceptability, completion rates, time taken, validity as cognitive measures, and psychometric utility. RESULTS: Participants randomized to computerized tests were less likely to rate the cognitive function tests as difficult (odds ratio (OR)=0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.07-0.39), stressful (OR=0.18, 95% CI=0.07-0.45), or unacceptable (OR=0.18, 95% CI=0.08-0.48) than those randomized to pencil-and-paper tests. Researchers were also less likely to rate participants as being distressed in the computer test group (OR=0.19, 95% CI=0.07-0.46). Pencil-and-paper tasks took participants less time to complete (mean+/-standard deviation 18+/-4 minutes vs 26+/-4 minutes) but had fewer participants who could complete all tasks (91% vs 100%). Both types of task were equally good measures of cognitive function. CONCLUSION: Computerized and pencil-and-paper tests are both feasible and useful means of assessing cognitive function in the oldest-old age group. Computerized tests are more acceptable to participants and administrators.

BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of patients in an acute hospital is made up of older people, many of whom have cognitive impairment or dementia. Rightly or wrongly, if a degree of confusion is apparent, it is often questioned whether the person is able to return to the previous place of residence. We wished to understand how, on medical wards, judgements about capacity and best interests with respect to going home are made for people with dementia and how decision-making around hospital discharge for people with dementia and their families might be improved. Our research reflects the jurisdiction in which we work, but the importance of residence capacity rests on its implications for basic human rights. METHODS: The research employed a ward-based ethnography. Observational data were captured through detailed fieldnotes, in-depth interviews, medical-record review and focus groups. Themes and key issues were identified using constant comparative analysis of 29 cases. Theoretical sampling of key stakeholders was undertaken, including patients with dementia (with and without residence capacity), their relatives and a range of practitioners. The research was carried out in three hospital wards (acute and rehabilitation) in two hospitals within two National Health Service (NHS) healthcare trusts in the North of England over a period of nine months between 2008 and 2009. RESULTS: Our analysis highlights the complexity of judgements about capacity and best interests in relation to decisions about place of residence for people with dementia facing discharge from hospital. Five key themes emerged from data: the complexity of borderline decisions; the requirement for better understanding of assessment approaches in relation to residence capacity; the need for better documentation; the importance of narrative; and the crucial relevance of time and timing in making these decisions. CONCLUSIONS: We need: more support and training for practitioners, as well as support for patients and families; clarity about the information to be imparted to the person with dementia; more advocacy for people with dementia; appropriate assessments embedded in routine clinical practice; the patient with dementia to be centre-stage; and properly resourced step-down or rehabilitation units to facilitate timely and good decision-making about place of residence.

The recent Dermatological Care Working Group report highlighted important deficiencies in the dermatology service in the UK and recommended that care should move closer to the patient. The report stated that 'expert patients' could become 'sharers in their care' and are best placed to improve their own self management. One area that could benefit greatly from increased patient education and participation is the use of emollients. Emollients are frequently prescribed for patients with eczema and other dry skin conditions. Although the benefits of emollient therapy are widely accepted, prescribing practices vary considerably, often according to physicians' individual preferences. Patients can receive confusing or conflicting treatment advice, leading to frustration, non-compliance, and difficulty in following an effective regimen. To promote the effective use of emollients it is important for patients and health professionals to understand the functions of the skin and the principles of emollient use and application. We propose a set of simple guidelines for emollient therapy in eczema care to improve day-to-day management by health professionals in the community and to promote consistent practices by patients. These guidelines form the ABC dry skin and eczema management programme supported by the National Eczema Society and accredited by the British Skin Foundation.

Visual hallucinations (VH) are a core feature of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), but little is known about their phenomenology. A total of 73 dementia patients (42 DLB, 30 Alzheimer's disease [AD], 1 undiagnosed) in contact with clinical services were assessed with a detailed standardized inventory. DLB was diagnosed according to the criteria of McKeith and colleagues, AD was diagnosed using the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Autopsy confirmation has been obtained when possible. VH were defined using the definition of Burns and colleagues. Detailed descriptions of hallucinatory experiences were recorded. Annual follow-up interviews were undertaken. The clinical diagnosis has been confirmed in 18 of the 19 cases that have come to autopsy. A total of 93% of DLB patients and 27% of AD patients experienced VH. DLB patients were significantly more likely to experience multiple VH that persisted over follow-up. They were significantly more likely to hear their VH speak but there were no significant differences in the other phenomenological characteristics including whether the hallucinations moved, the time of day that they were experienced, their size, the degree of insight, and whether they were complete. VH may be more likely to be multiple, to speak, and to be persistent in DLB patients. These characteristics could potentially aid accurate diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The quality of care and overuse of neuroleptic medication in care environments are major issues in the care of elderly people with dementia. METHOD: The quality of care (Dementia Care Mapping), the severity of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms (BPSD--Neuropsychiatric Inventory), expressive language skills (Sheffield Acquired Language Disorder scale), service utilization and use of neuroleptic drugs was compared over 9 months between six care facilities receiving a psychiatric liaison service and three facilities receiving the usual clinical support, using a single blind design. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in neuroleptic usage in the facilities receiving the liaison service (McNemar test p<0.0001), but not amongst those receiving standard clinical support (McNemar test p=0.07). There were also significantly less GP contacts (t=3.9 p=0.0001) for residents in the facilities receiving the liaison service, and a three fold reduction in psychiatric in-patient bed usage (Bed days per person 0.6 vs. 1.5). Residents in care facilities receiving the liaison service experienced significantly less deterioration in expressive language skills (t=2.2 p=0.03), but there were no significant differences in BPSD or wellbeing. CONCLUSION: A resource efficient psychiatric liaison service can reduce neuroleptic drug use and reduce some aspects of health service utilization; but a more extensive intervention is probably required to improve the overall quality of care.

We reflect, using a vignette, on conceptual tensions and the value judgements that lie behind difficult decisions about whether or not the older person with dementia should return home or move into long-term care following hospital admission. The paper seeks, first, to expose some of the difficulties arising from the assessment of residence capacity, particularly around the nature of evaluative judgements and conceptual tensions inherent in the legal approach to capacity. Secondly, we consider the assessment of best interests around place of residence, which demonstrates significant conceptual tensions. In addition, ‘best interests’ raise issues around the perception of risk and the perceptions of the family and crucially involve the notions of autonomy and trust. Finally, we not only gesture at some practical considerations based on insights from values-based medicine, but also make the suggestion that we require tighter functional assessments of residence capacity coupled with broader judgements about best interests.

Hallucinations and other unusual sensory experiences (USE) can occur in all modalities in the general population. Yet, the existing literature is dominated by investigations into auditory hallucinations ("voices"), while other modalities remain under-researched. Furthermore, there is a paucity of measures which can systematically assess different modalities, which limits our ability to detect individual and group differences across modalities. The current study explored such differences using a new scale, the Multi-Modality Unusual Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (MUSEQ). The MUSEQ is a 43-item self-report measure which assesses USE in six modalities: auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, bodily sensations, and sensed presence. Scale development and validation involved a total of 1,300 participants, which included: 513 students and community members for initial development, 32 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder for validation, 659 students for factor replication, and 96 students for test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a correlated-factors model and bifactor model yielded acceptable model fit, while a unidimensional model fitted poorly. These findings were confirmed in the replication sample. Results showed contributions from a general common factor, as well as modality-specific factors. The latter accounted for less variance than the general factor, but could still detect theoretically meaningful group differences. The MUSEQ showed good reliability, construct validity, and could discriminate non-clinical and clinical groups. The MUSEQ offers a reliable means of measuring hallucinations and other USE in six different modalities.

Journal Article News out of Africa: Biafra to Band Aid Get access News out of Africa: Biafra to Band Aid, by Paul Harrison and Robin Palmer. Hilary Shipman, London, 1986. x+147 pp. £12.00 hardback, £5.95 paperback. ISBN 0 948096 02 0 and 0 948096 03 9. CHARLES AMOUR CHARLES AMOUR Chesham Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 86, Issue 344, July 1987, Pages 434–435, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097928 Published: 01 July 1987

This paper summarizes a recently developed model for understanding the genesis of visual hallucinations, shows how this can be incorporated into a cognitive behavioural framework, and then illustrates possible ways in which this may be used to successfully treat the emotional distress that some older people experience as a consequence of their hallucinations. These ideas have been developed as a model-based clinical response to patients distressed by their hallucinations. The purpose of this paper is to outline this approach in order to stimulate discussion and empirical evaluation.

Journal Article South Africa's Alternative Press: Voices of protest and resistance, 1880–1960 Get access South Africa's Alternative Press: Voices of protest and resistance, 1880–1960, edited by Les Switzer. Cambridge University Press, 1997. xv+400 pp. £55.00 hardback. ISBN 0-521-55351-2 CHARLES ARMOUR CHARLES ARMOUR Chesham Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 97, Issue 387, April 1998, Pages 270–271, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007932 Published: 01 April 1998

Carers' beliefs about the controllability of challenging behaviour have been shown to be related to their emotional and behavioural responses to such behaviour. This paper describes the psychometric properties of a new 15-item scale that assesses such beliefs. The scale has good internal reliability and a two-factor structure representing positive and negative beliefs about controllability. The negative beliefs about controllability sub-scale correlate highly with a wishful-thinking coping style but not with a practical problem-solving coping style. The clinical use of this scale is discussed.

Aims and Method We surveyed old age psychiatrists in the north-east of England to determine what they considered relevant indicators of driving ability. The survey asked about their satisfaction with the current Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) procedure of assessing competence to drive in patients with dementia and how they thought this could be improved. Results Fifty-seven out of 76 psychiatrists (75%) responded; 26 (45%) respondents thought the forms issued by the DVLA were unsatisfactory but 32 (57%) were satisfied with the eventual decisions made about individual patients. Factors thought to be relevant indicators of driving ability were occupational therapy ( n =46, 81%), neuropsychological assessments ( n =43, 75%) and carer's report of driving ( n =48, 84%). Factors thought not to be relevant were patient's report of driving ability ( n =13, 23%) and the Mini Mental State Examination ( n =21, 38%). Clinical Implications The current system for determining driving ability in people with cognitive impairment and dementia was felt to be unsatisfactory. A multidisciplinary approach and use of on-road driving assessments may improve decision-making.

Cytokines are peripherally and centrally produced proteins that regulate immune and immunological responses. They also have neurochemical, neuroendocrine and behavioural effects similar to those seen in patients with depression. A review of the literature reveals several cytokines, including IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-6 and IFN, have been shown to be elevated in plasma of working-age adults with depression and dysthymia. A more detailed review of the literature also reveals similar associations between cytokines and late-life depression, with IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha all being reported to be elevated in both depression and dysthymia. It has been hypothesized that cytokines provide the link between depression, neurochemical changes and the altered HPA axis that are known to occur in this disease, and evidence is presented that supports this view. However, the evidence that antidepressants may have effects on cytokines is conflicting. Increased cytokine levels may also serve as an explanation for the increased risk for vascular disease that has been associated with depression, and a possible mechanism for this is discussed.

from the perspective of both the patient and the physician. Also, patients may undergo extensive investigation and medical treatment, which may not only be inappropriate but also hazardous. Iatrogenic factors such as inappropriate information, overinvestigation, and overtreatment are common in the management of these patients. 15 16 Avoidance of these factors forms the mainstay of most advice on management. We have shown that medically unexplained symptoms account for a considerable proportion of presentations in frequent attenders in secondary care and conclude that these patients should be considered a focus for attention.