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Biomedical subjects

D Hemsley

Publications and source records attributed to D Hemsley.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Abnormalities of response processing in a chronic psychiatric group. A possible predictor of failure in rehabilitation programmes?

This study attempted to identify, in a mixed group of chronic patients, a specific measure of cognitive processing that may be of use in predicting dependence on psychiatric care. The measures investigated are derived from reaction-time tasks. Difficulties of response processing seem to account for the largest amount of variance in current service use. When compared with other variables shown to have some predictive power (e.g. social behaviour, symptoms and chronicity), the reaction time measures fare well. Functions derived from discriminant analyses using all the variables correctly classified 90% of those requiring day care and 95% of those requiring night care. Stepwise methods produced lower classification rates but always included reaction-time measures in the predictor set. Patients with continuing cognitive difficulties are likely to remain in more supportive psychiatric settings despite rigorous rehabilitation procedures.

Chronic Disease

A controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural and behavioural treatment of anorexia nervosa.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether a cognitive-behavioural treatment procedure was superior to a standard behavioural treatment, in the outpatient therapy of patients with anorexia nervosa. The two treatments were also compared with a control treatment procedure consisting of routine outpatient management. Each group consisted of eight subjects. All the groups showed some improvement, but the findings did not provide support for the prediction that cognitive-behavioural treatment, designed specifically to manipulate both attitudes and behaviour, was superior to the other types of treatment. The implications of the findings are considered.

Adult

Selective processing of food words in anorexia nervosa.

The selective processing of food- and body size-related information was investigated using a modified version of the Stroop task. Anorexic subjects were generally slower than controls in colour-naming all words, and particularly slow with food-related words. This interference effect appeared to operate maximally amongst subjects who fell into the higher end of the anorexic weight range. The findings appeared to be a reflection of current concerns with food and eating.

Anorexia Nervosa

Comparison of current levels of performance and scores based on change as diagnostic discriminators among the elderly.

Elderly in residential care were classified as probably 'normal' and probably 'organic' by a community screening questionnaire. Performance on a test of verbal learning was assessed at baseline and after two years. The initial and follow-up scores on this test, the changes shown during follow-up and the discrepancies between follow-up score and predicted follow-up performance (estimated from baseline score) were related to this classification. Against expectation, scores based on change did not discriminate better than current levels of performance at baseline or follow-up.

Aged

Measuring delusional experiences: a method and its application.

This study describes the development and use of some measures that can be used to make systematic evaluations of delusional experiences. In a series of nine single-case studies using these measures, delusions were found to be multidimensional in character, with a marked desynchrony and lack of covariance between different aspects of delusional beliefs. The rationality of delusional thought processes is also considered with suggestions as to methods that can be used to clarify the role of objective experiences in dispersing delusional beliefs.

Adult

Comparison of the sensitivity of three instruments for the detection of cognitive decline in elderly living at home.

We followed up 181 elderly living at home over 2 years. The changes shown on a brief dementia rating scale (the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS] were monitored. At follow-up, subjects were classified as organic or non-organic by three potential screening tools-a screening questionnaire (the Psychogeriatric Assessment Schedule), a psychometric test (the Inglis' Paired Associate Learning Test) and a dementia scale (the AMTS). The value of these as screening tools for community samples was considered as a function of their sensitivity to cognitive decline. The classifications made by each were significantly related to previous cognitive change, but all were conservative, missing many subjects who had declined. Of the three, the AMTS appeared the most useful as a predictor of previous change on the AMTS. It remains to be seen whether it is equally useful with different samples and with different measures of outcome.

Cognition Disorders