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Biomedical subjects

W Padoani

Publications and source records attributed to W Padoani.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Repetition of suicidal behaviour in elderly Europeans: a prospective longitudinal study.

The aim of this study was to assess any predictive factors for repeated attempted suicide and completed suicide in a 1-year follow-up on a sample of elderly European suicide attempters (60 years and over). From 1990 to 1993, 63 subjects completed the first interview and were recontacted after 1 year. At follow-up, eight subjects (12.7%) had taken their lives and seven (11.1%) had repeated at least one suicide attempt. On comparison of repeaters and non-repeaters, differences emerged in terms of death of the father in childhood and for mean Suicidal Intent Score. At the end of follow-up period, repeaters reported a more frequent desire to repeat suicidal behaviour and judged their mental health and social assistance received to be worse. Suicides and non-repeaters differed especially in relation to death of father during childhood and number of contacts with General Practitioner. Interpretation of the results must take into account the smallness of the test sample, the difficulties in obtaining complete data for the follow-up interview, the lack of a control group and a diagnosis formulated in a hospital consultation setting. The study confirms, however, the high risk of repetition of suicidal behaviour in the elderly. In old age suicidal ideation is often sustained over long periods of time and requests for help are addressed to relatives and GPs. An interesting finding is the more frequent death of the father during childhood among repeaters.

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PubMed2001

Attempted and completed suicide in older subjects: results from the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study of Suicidal Behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: The authors present an analysis of findings for the 65 years and over age group from the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study of Suicidal Behaviour (1989-93). METHODS: Multinational data on non-fatal suicidal behaviour is derived from 1518 subjects in 16 European centres. Local district data on suicide were available from 10 of the collaborating centres. RESULTS: Stockholm (Sweden), Pontoise (France) and Oxford (UK) had the highest suicide attempts rates. In most centres, the majority of elderly who attempted suicide were widow(er)s, often living alone, who used predominantly voluntary drug ingestion. Non-fatal suicidal behaviour decreased with increasing age, whereas suicide rates rose. The ratio between fatal and non-fatal behaviours was 1:2, that for males/females almost 1:1. In the years considered, substantial stability in suicide and attempted suicide rates was observed. As their age increased, suicidal subjects displayed only a limited tendency to repeat self-destructive acts. Moreover, there was little correlation between attempted suicide and suicide rates, which carries different clinical implications for non-fatal suicidal behaviour in the elderly compared with younger subjects in the same WHO/EURO study.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2001

Alternative medicine in a sample of 655 community-dwelling elderly.

OBJECTIVE: Use and satisfaction with herbal/homeopathic remedies, acupuncture and relaxation techniques were examined in an Italian elderly population. METHODS: Data were collected as part of a survey on an elderly population, conducted in 1996--1997 in the urban centre of Padua, Italy. A total of 1362 elderly received a letter inviting them to participate and to accept the visit of an interviewer at home. Of these, 212 were unable to do so for insurmountable reasons and 666 gave consent to take part in the study with a response rate of 65%. Eleven participants were excluded from the study because cognitively impaired. RESULTS: Among the 655 respondents, overall use of at least one alternative medicine was 29.5%. Herbs/phytotherapeutics (47%) and acupuncture (34%) were the most frequently cited therapies. The use of alternative medical practices seems rather widespread among the elderly population in Padua, especially among females with depressive symptoms, pain and discomfort, but not suffering from chronic somatic disease. A percentage of 3.7% of the sample used exclusively alternative medicines; those subjects seemed to be younger, less likely to be physically ill and to report functional disorders and chronic somatic disease. CONCLUSION: Alternative medicines seem to have a complementary role for the elderly with self-perceived psychological symptomatology or disorders, particularly of depressive nature. They may constitute an attempt at self-treatment, probably concealing the difficulties encountered by the elderly subjects in seeking specialist advice for these problems.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Severe and persistent regressive behaviour in three elderly subjects without cognitive decline.

The appearance of regressive behaviours in the elderly is relatively common. Among these regressive attitudes, there is a relatively high frequency of situations which mimic dementia in the absence of demonstrable organic alterations that justify the presence of a neurodegenerative profile. These generally stem from a primary psychiatric disorder and are referred to as 'pseudodementia'. All these conditions, which are generally accompanied by a marked increase in dependency on the environment, are distinguished by the presence of cognitive impairment and behavioural traits typical of dementia but which are fully reversible on treatment of the primary psychiatric disorder. Here we describe three cases, characterized by their striking discrepancy between clinical profile, with pronounced behavioural alterations similar to dementia-related conduct disorders, culminating in almost complete dependency on the environment, and almost stably intact cognitive performance (assessed through the MMSE), over a mean observation period of approximately five years.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of cognitive status on the sexual life of 352 elderly Italians aged 65-105 years.

BACKGROUND: Various factors are considered to influence sexual behavior in the elderly, but the role played by preservation of adequate cognitive functioning has not been adequately explored. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research, conducted on 352 older adults aged between 65 and 105 years, was to identify the specific role played by cognitive functioning in sexual activity and sexual interest in the elderly. METHODS: The data were collected from elderly people attending the surgeries of 21 general practitioners in the city of Padua (Italy). Analysis of sexual functioning was based on two items, from the LEIPAD questionnaire: 'Are you interested in sex?' and 'Do you have sexual relations?'. Subjects cognitive status was assessed objectively through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and subjectively by the LEIPAD subscale on cognitive functioning. RESULTS: Subjects who were sexually active and interested in sex were more highly represented among the married elderly. The elderly who reported being active and interested in sex were significantly younger and had a significantly superior educational level and MMSE score. Mean scores for cognitive functioning and all quality-of-life indicators were in general significantly better for the active and interested. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that a higher MMSE score and cognitive functioning score influenced the maintenance of sexual interest. CONCLUSIONS: One third of the subjects reported being still sexually active and 40% being still interested in sex. This study seems to suggest that a significant role may be played by cognitive functioning in the maintenance of sexual interest in the elderly, especially older females in whom this dimension is evidently linked to far more diversified experiences than their male peers.

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