The influence of health, social support quality and rehabilitation on depression among disabled elders.

This study examined the influence of health, social support, disability, and vision rehabilitation services on depression among visually impaired older adults seeking vision rehabilitation services. Participants (n = 95) were interviewed at application and approximately two years later. The first hierarchical regression model focused on concurrent relationships at baseline. The second model used baseline health […]

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Treatment of previously undiagnosed psychiatric disorders in persons with developmental disabilities decreased or eliminated self-injurious behavior.

Background: Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is one of the most common challenging behaviors in persons with autistic disorder or severe/profound mental retardation. Many psychotropic drugs have been evaluated for their effectiveness in SIB. Results have varied, and no one psychotropic drug has been indicated for SIB. In this prospective, open clinical study, psychotropic drugs were used […]

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Intellectual disabilities, depressive episode, diagnostic criteria and Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for Use with Adults with Learning Disabilities/Mental Retardation (DC-LD).

Background: Depressive episode is one of the most common types of psychiatric illness that occurs in adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was undertaken using Medline, PsychLIT and hand-searching of key journals. This paper reviews the evidence and integrates findings, to report how evidence relates to the development of the new Diagnostic […]

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Depressive symptoms in intellectual disability: does gender play a role?

Background: Gender issues remain largely unaddressed in the dual diagnosis arena, even in the area of depression where there is a 2:1 female to male ratio in the general population. This paper argues that women with intellectual disability (ID) report higher levels of depressive symptoms than men with ID and that risk factors for depression […]

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Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries.

Objective: To examine the potential efficacy of a mindfulness-based stress reduction approach to improve quality of life in individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. Design: Pre-post design with drop-outs as controls. Methods: We recruited individuals with mild to moderate brain injuries, at least 1 year post-injury. We measured their quality of life, psychological status, […]

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Quality of life of adolescents with perceived disabilities.

Objective: To compare the self-perceived quality of life (QoL) of adolescents with and without disabilities. Methods: A school-based survey was conducted with 2801 7th to 12th grade students in a rural area of the United States. The Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Surveillance Module and the Youth Quality of Life Group-Disability Screener were completed. Results: Twenty-one […]

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Development and psychometric properties of the Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability. Individual and career supplement versions.

Background: There is no reliable and valid self-report measure of depressive symptoms for people with learning disabilities. AIMS: To develop a scale for individuals with learning disability, and a supplementary scale for carers. Methods: Items were generated from a range of assessment scales and through focus groups. A draft scale was piloted and field tested […]

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Depression and folate status in the US Population.

Background: Folate deficiency and low folate status have been linked in clinic studies to depression, persistent depressive symptoms, and poor antidepressant response. These relationships have not been demonstrated in general populations. This study examined associations between depression and folate status indicators in an ethnically diverse general US population sample aged 15-39 years. Methods: Healthy subjects […]

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