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P D Nussbaum

Publications and source records attributed to P D Nussbaum.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Assessment of treatment outcomes in neuropsychiatry: a report from the Committee on Research of the American Neuropsychiatric Association.

The ANPA Committee on Research conducted a survey of its members and those of the British Neuropsychiatry Association to determine the extent to which neuropsychiatrists employ formal measures of clinical outcome. Results revealed that although respondents endorsed the practice of outcome assessment, formal diagnostic evaluations and outcome measures were rarely applied consistently to the broad range of neuropsychiatric conditions encountered clinically. These findings have implications for clinical research and managed care in neuropsychiatry and will form the basis for future work by the Committee on Research.

Cognition↗

Pseudodementia: a slow death.

The clinical term "pseudodementia" has remained a permanent nosological entity in the literature for over 100 years. Indeed, recognition of the fact that clinical symptoms associated with reversible neuropsychiatric conditions can mimic irreversible disorders was known as early as the middle of the 19th century. The importance of the term lies in the inherent assumption that the presenting dementia is not real, or is at least reversible, and therefore treatable. Nonetheless, there continues to be controversy regarding the validity and appropriate clinical use of the term. This article reviews the evolution and clinical utility of the term pseudodementia and attempts to redirect investigative efforts toward an understanding of the neuroanatomical substrates that underlie depression and cognitive impairment in the elderly. Based on a critical analysis of the relevant literatures, a subcortical-frontal neuroanatomical substrate of late-life depression is supported. Further, the presence of leukoaraiosis, as measured by magnetic resonance imaging, is proposed as a potential neurobiological marker that contributes to the depressed mood, cognitive impairment, and later cognitive deterioration of some elderly depressed.

Aged↗

Stability and change in functional assessment of patients with geropsychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Functional assessments of patients with geropsychiatric disorders accomplished by self-rating, informant rating, and performance test were compared. METHOD: Fifty-eight inpatients with major depression or progressive dementia were evaluated on three occasions over 6 months with informant and patient versions of the Activities of Daily Living Scale of the Older Americans Resources and Services Multidimensional Functional Assessment (OARS-ADL) and with the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS). RESULTS: Patients' scores became significantly worse (p < .01) on the informant version of the OARS-ADL and the PASS. Self-ratings with the OARS-ADL did not worsen significantly (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Agreement between informant rating and performance test concerning functional status of patients with dementia was good. Elderly patients with depression may experience subtle deterioration that only becomes apparent on performance tests.

Activities of Daily Living↗