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Biomedical subjects

S Benjaminsen

Publications and source records attributed to S Benjaminsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Psychiatric diseases among the homeless in Funen County].

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients had produced a clientele of homeless mentally ill people which is not treated. During week 47, 1990, 94 of the 129 residents 73%) in the institutions for homeless people in the County of Funen (population 459,000) were examined for mental illness by a psychiatrist. Diagnoses were made using the ICD-8 classification. Social data were recorded. Eighty-nine per cent were men, 59% were aged 30-49 years, 93% were single, and source of incomes for 80% were public assistance or disability pensions. More than half had been sentenced for crime at least once. The majority suffered from severe psychosocial strain. In 91% a psychiatric diagnosis was established, the most frequent being alcoholism (73%) and personality or character disorder (70%). Psychoses were found in 10 cases or 11%. About 29% required psychiatric treatment. The conclusion was that deinstitutionalization in the County of Funen had not resulted in influx of psychotic persons to institutions for the homeless people.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[The circumstances of life and need for social measures of patients with prolonged psychiatric illness].

The circumstances of life and the need for social support were investigated in 142 patients with prolonged psychiatric illness who sought help consecutively in the psychiatric casualty department or who were referred to the psychiatric department of Odense Hospital during the period 11 Sep. 1989-31 Dec. 1989. 80% of these were psychotic and 20% were borderline psychotic. Approximately 90% were young adults (20-49 years). Schizophrenic men predominated. More than 40% of all the patients had some form of addiction as a contributory diagnosis and 71% of the patients with borderline psychoses were addicts. Approximately 3/4 of the patients lived alone in flats. The level of occupational training was low as compared with the remainder of the population. The majority received early pensions. The majority lived in social isolation from the remainder of the community. Only a single patient had no fixed abode but suitable forms of residence where social support could be given were insufficient. Similarly, the requirements for possible employment and leisure activities were great.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Violent patients in a psychiatric outpatient department].

During the period 23.11.1987-22.11.1989, a total of 7,906 patients attended the psychiatric outpatient department and observation section on 12,469 occasions. Sixty patients (0.8%) behaved violently on 85 occasions. None of these episodes of violence resulted in injuries to persons requiring medical attention. 90% of the violent patients were men and 70% were in the age group 20-39 years. Approximately 1/5 were psychotic and, of these, approximately half suffered from schizophrenia. Comparison with the non-violent patient revealed that the probability of violence was greater if the patient was a man under the influence of alcohol and who had the diagnoses of narcomania, drug abuse or personality disorders. Significantly fewer violent patients were admitted than non-violent patients. Over 80% of the violent patients had previously been admitted to psychiatric departments. Approximately 60% had behaved violently on previous consultations with the psychiatric outpatient department.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Violent behavior among hospitalized psychiatric patients. 1. Occurrence and psychopathology].

The majority of psychiatric patients are not violent during hospitalisation. A minority behave violently during hospitalisation on repeated occasions but violent episodes are mainly concerned and these do not result in corporeal injuries. Gross violence rarely occurs. Violence involves the caring staff most frequently and, more rarely, fellow patients. The patients who are most frequently violent are the most severely ill and untreated psychotic patients. The commonest diagnosis among the violent patients is schizophrenia. Younger patients are often violent. No sex differences exist for violent behaviour. Manic patients are rarely violent and depressive illness is negatively correlated with violence. Approximately 1/5 of the demented patients show violent behaviour. The review demonstrates many methodological deficiencies in the investigations mentioned and presents recommendations concerning the design of investigations in future investigations.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Violent behavior among hospitalized psychiatric patients. 2. The significance of the functioning of the department and the reactions of the staff].

Violence is commonest in emergency and closed departments. Lack of structure in the department and inactivity together with an authoritarian staff attitude may increase the frequencies of violent episodes. Too much therapeutic activity may also cause violence in the department. In order to reduce the frequency of episodes of violence, the staff must be adequate in number. Good contact with the patients may have a preventative effect on violence. The experience of the care staff in the treatment of psychiatric patients is of considerable significance. Massive staff changes with appointment of less experienced care staff and many temporary staff members in the department may increase the extent of violence. Training of the staff in the technique of controlling aggression may improve their ability to cope with violent situations. The effect of staff training may depend upon the content of the training programme. Medical assistance may increase the staff capacity to manage difficult situations such as violent episodes. Leaders have considerable influence on the factors which can reduce the extent of violence. Previous investigations show many methodological defects and new investigations are necessary.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

[Attempted suicide and depression].

The frequency of depressive illness was investigated in 195 patients who had been referred consecutively after attempted suicide during the period 15. February 1989-15, October 1989. A total of 130 of these patients were admitted to hospital while the remainder were treated in the psychiatric emergency room or admission department. Registration of depressive symptoms on admission revealed that 85% had depressed mood and other depressive symptoms. According to the criteria established by Feighner et al. 51% suffered from definite depressive disease on admission. According to Zung's Depression Scale, 60% were depressed. On the basis of observations during hospitalization, 25% suffered from depressive disease according to the criteria established by Feighner et al. 19% of these patients suffered from endogenic depression according to the Newcastle I scale which corresponds to 5% of all the hospitalized patients with attempted suicide. Approximately 10% were treated with antidepressives. Only 8% were discharged with the diagnoses of endogenic or reactive psychoses (ICD-8). It is concluded that depressive symptoms occur in the majority of patients with attempted suicide but that slight non-endogenic depressive states are most commonly concerned and that many of these improve rapidly during hospitalization without medicinal treatment. Restraint should be observed in prescription of antidepressive medicine to patients with attempted suicide until the diagnosis of depressive disease is verified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Personality, parental rearing behaviour and parental loss in attempted suicide: a comparative study.

Thirty psychiatric patients (aged 18-29) who had attempted suicide were compared with 2 matched control groups, one consisting of nonsuicidal psychiatric patients and the other of normal subjects, for personality patterns, parental rearing practices and personal loss before the age of 15. The instruments used were the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Lazare-Klerman-Armor Trait Scale (LKAS), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Own Memories of Child-Rearing Experiences (EMBU). Patients admitted for suicide attempts differed significantly from normals on several personality dimensions, whereas suicide attempters did not have personality characteristics that made them substantially different from nonsuicidal psychiatric controls. The suicide attempters had experienced significantly more negative and less positive parental rearing factors than normals, but no difference was found between suicidal and nonsuicidal patients for own memories of parental rearing patterns. Parental loss due to divorce had occurred significantly more often among suicide attempters than among both nonsuicidal psychiatric patients and normals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Cross-national study of perceived parental rearing behaviour in healthy subjects from Australia, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden: pattern and level comparisons.

Samples of healthy subjects from Australia, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden completed the EMBU, a Swedish questionnaire aimed at assessing the experience of parental rearing practices. For the purpose of comparison three factors - "emotional warmth", "rejection" and "overprotection" - obtained in a previous factor analytic study, have been used. The most pronounced differences occurred between the Dutch and the Swedish sample on the one hand, and the Italian and Australian sample on the other, with the Danish sample in between. Differences in perceived parental rearing should be considered when comparing personality characteristics and/or psychopathological conditions in subjects from different countries.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Memories of parental rearing practices and personality features.

Relationships between own memories of parental rearing practices and adult personality features were examined. Two hundred healthy volunteers, 86 males and 114 females, completed the Own Memories of Child-Rearing Experiences ( EMBU ), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ( EPQ ) and the Lazare - Klerman - Armor Trait Scale ( LKAS ). Relations between two sets of variables were examined by means of Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, and Bonferroni inequalities were applied for each family of hypotheses. For the male sample all correlations were not significant. For females there were several significant correlations. The most consistent finding was that the experience of negative parental rearing factors was associated with pathological features in the personality. About one half of the significant correlations were found between female hysterical scores and EMBU father. The findings support the general assumption that females with hysterical traits have complicated relations to their fathers, which may indicate fixation in the Oedipal stage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Mianserin: cardiovascular effects in elderly patients.

Cardiovascular effects of the tetracyclic antidepressant drug mianserin were examined in a prospective study including ten elderly depressed patients (age 60-77 years). During 1 week on placebo and 5 weeks on mianserin, 60 mg per day, orthostatic blood pressure testing, recording of standard electrocardiogram, 24-h electrocardiographic recording and systolic time intervals were carried out along with frequent monitoring of plasma levels of mianserin (13-57 micrograms/l) and the primary metabolite desmethylmianserin (7-27 micrograms/l). Mianserin caused a significant increase in orthostatic systolic blood pressure drop, and this correlated well with the plasma mianserin levels (rs = 0.70). There were no significant changes in supine blood pressure or in orthostatic changes in heart rate. No cardiac conduction disturbances or arrhythmias were provoked, but mianserin caused changes in systolic time intervals indicating impairment of left ventricular contractility and performance. Like tricyclic antidepressants mianserin should thus be used with caution in patients with latent or overt cardiovascular disease.

Aged↗