Biomedical subjects

Adekola O Alao

Publications and source records attributed to Adekola O Alao.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Cybersuicide: review of the role of the internet on suicide.

The internet as a widespread source of communication is already having a significant influence in medicine and psychiatry. Although the internet has great potential in psychiatric education, clinical care, and research, its impact on social issues should not be underestimated. Firstly, the internet as a means of communication may encourage suicidal behavior by depicting ways by which suicide may be committed. Secondly, some internet websites may discourage people with mental illness from seeking psychiatric help, condone suicide, and forbid entry to anyone offering to discourage users from committing suicide. However, the internet could be a resource to help a potentially suicidal person get help, and can be used to identify those at risk for suicide, communicate with them, and potentially prevent suicide. If used appropriately, the internet is a powerful communication tool that can be used to benefit suicidal patients.

Access to Information↗

PubMed2005

Aripiprazole in the treatment of delirium.

OBJECTIVE: Delirium is a common condition frequently seen in consultation-liaison psychiatry. It is especially common among medically compromised patients, and is an indicator of the severity of the medical illness. In addition, it is associated with a higher morbidity, mortality, and longer hospitalization. Traditionally, haloperidol has been used to treat agitation as it may occur in delirium. However, atypical antipsychotics are being increasingly used to treat delirium. METHOD: In this article, we will describe two cases of delirium successfully treated with aripiprazole. RESULTS: Both patients had significant improvement in their delirium as measured by the delirium rating scale. CONCLUSION: Aripiprazole appears to be effective in reducing the symptoms of delirium.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

An unusual foreign body ingestion in a schizophrenic patient: case report.

The topic of foreign body ingestion has received extensive coverage in the areas of surgery, emergency medicine, and pediatrics. A subset of this topic, the intentional ingestion of foreign bodies, however, is much less common, and requires special evaluation and management. Here, we report a case of ingestion of a rolled, metal tuna can lid in a male prison inmate previously diagnosed with depression and paranoid schizophrenia. Following evaluation by the surgical team, the foreign body was removed by laparotomy and the patient was discharged back to the prison without complication. In many cases, ingestions of this type involve a command hallucination ordering the patient to swallow the foreign body. Interestingly, the patient in the present case reported auditory hallucinations commanding him not to swallow the can lid. On further investigation, we found that patient had a proclivity toward this swallowing behavior even prior to his incarceration. Early identification of inmates with this proclivity has important implications for treatment and prevention.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Charles Bonnet syndrome: visual hallucination and multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a fairly common condition that affects approximately 350,000 people in the United States. It is associated with various neuropsychiatric symptoms including cognitive and behavioral symptoms. However, visual hallucinations are rare in multiple sclerosis without the presence of cognitive deficits. We are describing the case of a 40-year-old married white female with isolated complex visual hallucinations compatible with the Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS). The patient was successfully treated with the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Drug addiction in sickle cell disease: case report.

There has been widespread speculation that patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) may become drug dependent if their painful crisis is treated with narcotics. However, there has been no scientific evidence to support this assertion. Paradoxically, individuals suffering from sickle cell disease who are not adequately treated may develop an addiction to narcotics due to self-medication to treat their pain. In this article, we describe a 38-year-old African American woman who became addicted to cocaine due to self-medication of her sickle cell pain with cocaine.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Anatomy of the mind.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Autobiographies as Topic↗

PubMed2002

ECT in the medically ill elderly: a case report.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is well recognized as an effective treatment for depression. However, it is not often used among the elderly due to increased co-morbid medical problems and fear of complications. We present here the case of an 88-year-old man with a history of depression and co-morbid medical illness. This patient was successfully treated with ECT. With the population of individuals above the age of 65 expected to double in the next 40 years, the use of ECT to treat major depression and other psychiatric conditions among the elderly will likely increase.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Sickle cell disease and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a common condition among African Americans. It is associated with severe complications including severe pain in the chest, back, abdomen, or extremities. Individuals with SCD also have a reduced life span. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition increasingly being recognized. In this article we discuss, to our knowledge, the first case of a patient with comorbid sickle cell disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Aripiprazole and delirium.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a common condition frequently seen in consultation-liaison psychiatry. It is especially common among medically compromised patients and is an indicator of the severity of the medical illness. In addition, it is associated with a higher morbidity, mortality or longer hospitalization. Traditionally, haloperidol has been used to treat delirium-associated agitation. However, atypical antipsychotics are being increasingly used to treat delirium. METHODS: Two case studies of delirium that were treated with 30 mg and 15 mg aripiprazole were described. The improvement of delirium was monitored using the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and Delirium Rating Scale (DRS). RESULTS: In both cases, the patients' confusion, disorientation, and agitation improved within 7 days of treatment. In the first case, the patient's MMSE score improved from 5 to 28, while his DRS score decreased from 28 to 6. In the second case, her MMSE score improved from 7 to 27, while her DRS score went down from 18 to 6. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the utilization of aripiprazole in the successful treatment of delirium. Although these cases showed positive results, future studies should be performed in order to further substantiate its use in delirium treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparing the side effect profile of the atypical antipsychotics.

Typical antipsychotics exert their effect by blocking post-synaptic dopaminergic receptors; blockade of the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways are therapeutic and help reduce positive psychotic symptoms but blockade of the nigro-striatal pathway produces extrapyramidal side effects (EPSE). Post clozapine, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of four newer atypical antipsychotics; risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine and ziprasidone for the treatment of schizophrenia. Because of their dual serotonin and dopamine receptor blocking abilities, atypical antipsychotics have greater efficacy (especially for negative symptoms) and fewer EPSE when compared to the typical antipsychotics. Given the lack of studies directly comparing these agents, we used the Physician Desk Reference (PDR) to calculate the treatment emergent placebo adjusted side effects for these atypical antipsychotics. The results are then presented in an easy to read table. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparison study involving these four newer antipsychotic agents.

Antipsychotic Agents↗