Biomedical subjects

E Markowitz

Publications and source records attributed to E Markowitz.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Child and adolescent suicide in a large, urban area: psychological, demographic, and situational factors.

We examined all completed suicides by children and adolescents in Los Angeles County who died during 1996 and 1997. There were 46 subjects, aged 11 through 16. The majority of the decedents were males and over age 14. The predominant racial group was Hispanic. There was an almost even split between firearms and hanging as the means of death. Females had a statistically significantly higher rate of prior suicide attempts than males. Over one-third left a suicide note, almost one-half were noted to be depressed, and 22% tested positive for alcohol or illicit drugs. Less than one-quarter were in mental health treatment. Eighty-seven percent had difficulty transitioning to or during adolescence; e.g., problems at home, legal and school difficulties, and relationship losses. These findings are discussed in terms of Eriksonian developmental theory. We offer recommendations for intervention and prevention of suicide.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Psychological factors in the determination of suicide in self-inflicted gunshot head wounds.

Self-inflicted contact gunshot wounds to the head have usually been considered presumptive of suicide. This study evaluates whether sufficient psychological data are gathered in such cases to support a manner of death determination of suicide. We suggest that law enforcement agencies and coroner's departments do not fully explore the decedent's state of mind at the time of death. We studied the first 50 consecutive deaths in 1993 in a major metropolitan county due to self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. The sample consists primarily of unmarried, white males, with a median age of 35 years, who displayed psychiatric disturbance, primarily depression, before their death. Younger individuals were often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of death. Stressors, such as the loss of a loved one, are common among young and middle-aged persons, while serious health problems are found among the majority of middle-aged and elderly individuals. Many of the findings of this study are consistent with the literature regarding individuals who commit suicide. Although data on many important psychological risk factors are missing in most cases, sufficient psychological material is gathered about the decedent's mental condition at the time of death to support a suicide determination.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Total knee arthroplasty in the elderly: patients' self-appraisal 6 and 12 months postoperatively.

The objective of this work was to study patients' self-appraisal of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and to establish which factors determine dissatisfaction from surgery. The study group consisted of 79 patients subjected to TKA who underwent rehabilitation in a specialized institution from which they were discharged home after becoming independently ambulatory and capable of independent home care. Data were collected by interviews and physical examinations which were conducted upon admission to the rehabilitation program and at the patients' homes 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied for data analysis. Results of the 1-year follow-up indicated a decrease in the prevalence of pain in the postoperated knee and improvement in ambulatory capacities. The frequency of reliance on a walking aid and the prevalence of pain in the nonoperated knee were not substantially changed, however. In 27% of the subjects pain in the nonoperated knee had worsened at 1 year. One third of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction from the operation. Outcomes of the logistic regression analysis pointed to pain in both the ipsi- and contralateral knee and to the limitations in using stairs as the variables which significantly affected the levels of dissatisfaction 1 year postoperatively. Dissatisfaction could have resulted from inappropriate expectations from either misinterpretations or limited prior knowledge of the likely results of the operation.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Extended civil commitment for dangerous psychiatric patients.

Mental health clinicians are increasingly held civilly liable for the dangerous acts of their psychiatric patients. One area of liability is the negligent release of involuntarily committed patients who engage in dangerous acts after their hospital discharge. All states have provisions for extended involuntary commitment for mentally ill dangerous patients. We examined extended civil commitment petitions in Los Angeles County, California, and found that the great majority were rejected. While the standard for extended civil commitment in California includes verbal threats of substantial physical harm, deputy district attorneys tended to reject petitions initiated by clinicians when verbal threats were the sole criterion of dangerousness. This tendency by deputy district attorneys can be quite confusing for clinicians. Mental health professionals' liability has sensitized them to the legal implications of patients' verbal threats of harm; attorneys do not incur the same legal liability and are not so sensitized.

Adult↗

PubMed1970