Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Illness may present clinically in different ways causing misdiagnosis of the case and inappropriate treatment; an example of this is dementia with Lewy bodies. This neurodegenerative disorder has overlapping features with both... more
ABSTRACT Illness may present clinically in different ways causing misdiagnosis of the case and inappropriate treatment; an example of this is dementia with Lewy bodies. This neurodegenerative disorder has overlapping features with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia, which tends to confuse the clinician to arrive at the right diagnosis. It is important that clinicians update their knowledge of the diagnostic criteria of dementia with Lewy bodies in order to provide suitable pharmacological and non-pharmacological management for its cognitive, neuropsychiatric, motor and sleep disturbances without causing distressing side effects by inappropriate drug prescription. This article will describe a case of dementia with Lewy bodies with literature review.
Aims and method This study used data collected to describe the activity, case-load characteristics and outcome measures for all patients seen during a 6-year period. The service reviewed 2153 patients over 6 years with referral rates and... more
Aims and method This study used data collected to describe the activity, case-load characteristics and outcome measures for all patients seen during a 6-year period. The service reviewed 2153 patients over 6 years with referral rates and case-load characteristics comparable to those described in a previous study period. The team saw 82% of patients on the day they were referred. Data and outcome measures collected showed significant complexity in the cases seen and statistically significant improvement in Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) scores following service input. Clinical implications The outcome measures used were limited, but the study supports the need for specialist liaison psychiatry for older adults (LPOA) services in the general hospital. The Framework of Outcome Measures - Liaison Psychiatry has now been introduced, but it remains unclear how valid this is in LPOA. It is of note that cost-effectiveness secondary to service input and training activities are n...
Suicide is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world affecting people of all age groups. It has detrimental consequences on patients, their families, and the community as a whole. There have been numerous risk factors described for... more
Suicide is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world affecting people of all age
groups. It has detrimental consequences on patients, their families, and the community
as a whole. There have been numerous risk factors described for suicide including mental
illness, stressful life situations, loss of social support, and general despair. The association
of suicide with Islam has not been extensively studied. The common impression from
clinical practice is that being a practicing Muslim reduces the risk of suicide. Another
factor associated with suicide is starting a patient on antidepressants. However, this
has been questioned recently. This report describes a middle-aged man with depression
and multiple social stressors who survived a serious suicide attempt. The discussion
will focus on the factors that lead him to want to end his life and the impact of the
assumed protective factors such as religious belief and family support on this act of selfharm.
Such patients can be on the edge when there is an imbalance between risk factors
(such as depression, insomnia, and psychosocial stressors) and protective factors (like
religious affiliation and family support). All physicians are advised to assess the suicide
risk thoroughly in patients with depression regardless of any presumed protective factor.
groups. It has detrimental consequences on patients, their families, and the community
as a whole. There have been numerous risk factors described for suicide including mental
illness, stressful life situations, loss of social support, and general despair. The association
of suicide with Islam has not been extensively studied. The common impression from
clinical practice is that being a practicing Muslim reduces the risk of suicide. Another
factor associated with suicide is starting a patient on antidepressants. However, this
has been questioned recently. This report describes a middle-aged man with depression
and multiple social stressors who survived a serious suicide attempt. The discussion
will focus on the factors that lead him to want to end his life and the impact of the
assumed protective factors such as religious belief and family support on this act of selfharm.
Such patients can be on the edge when there is an imbalance between risk factors
(such as depression, insomnia, and psychosocial stressors) and protective factors (like
religious affiliation and family support). All physicians are advised to assess the suicide
risk thoroughly in patients with depression regardless of any presumed protective factor.