Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychological therapy that addresses trauma, stress and emotional distress. It has been successfully used in the management of various psychiatric disorders. This article shows that it may also be safely used to manage the psychological distress arising from a variety of physical health conditions and in so doing, reduce the illness burden from conditions such as various cancers, traumatic childbirth, tokophobia, pre-eclampsia, myocardial infarction, haemodialysis in end-stage renal disease, and acute postoperative pain. It can be a stand-alone treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum and tinnitus. The article examines the rationale and evidence for its use in these conditions and suggests areas where more research is needed. Adding EMDR therapy to the range of available interventions in general hospitals has the potential to improve the health and well-being of patients in these settings.

Mental health service delivery in the general health care sector is restricted with regard to understanding the magnitude and impact of mental illness in the medically ill (co-morbidity), as well as the significance of current mental health service delivery. A new model in development in the framework of a Biomed2 grant is presented. It consists of case-finding through complexity of hospital care prediction (COMPRI) followed by an integral health service needs assessment (INTERMED). It might serve to develop a more structural relation with the general health care sector for the management of mentally co-morbid high utilizing patients.

We performed a retrospective evaluation of the use of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) in a general hospital, for diagnosing alcohol abuse. The high specificity for the CDT test and lower sensitivity as reported in the literature were confirmed. Alcohol anamnesis proved rather often to be incomplete. In intensive care medicine, the CDT investigation could be used as a guide to diagnoses and treatment, especially for patients that are difficult to communicate with. For being of use here, results of the CDT determination should be available within a day. CDT proved to be of use also in psychiatric medicine, the test being of help in clarifying the patients acohol addiction.

Background: Few studies have examined suicidal ideation and behavior in hospitalized physically ill elderly patients, a group potentially at high risk. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for suicide ideation, and direct and indirect self-destructive behaviors among a sample of elderly inpatients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009; 650 inpatients aged 60 years and over were screened from various medical services in teaching hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Suicidal ideation and behavior were measured with the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) and the Harmful Behavior Scale (HBS). Depression was measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), medical burden with the geriatric version of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS-G), life events with the Paykel Life Event Scale, and social support with the Perceived Social Support Scale.

Result: Of the 650 patients screened with a mean age of 70.5 years (SD ± 7.5), 570 met inclusion criteria and of these 123 (21.6%) reported suicidal ideation on the BSSI and 80 (14.4%) had at least one self-destructive behavior included in the HBS. There was a significant correlation between suicide ideation and harmful behaviors (r = 0.503, p = 0.001). In a regression analysis, depressive symptoms, increased burden of medical conditions, marital status, history of substance use, history of traumatic life events, lack of perceived social support, and poor education were associated with both suicide ideation and harmful behavior. From demographic variables, living without a spouse and unemployment were predictors of suicidal ideation and behavior.

Conclusion: Hospitalized, physically ill elderly patients have high rates of suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior and these vary according to psychosocial and clinical factors. The general hospital is therefore a potential site for the recognition of suicidal individuals and implementation of proximal suicide prevention strategies.

Background: Older people are commonly admitted to the acute hospital and increasing numbers will have dementia. In this study we systematically reviewed the prevalence, associations and outcomes of dementia in older people in the general hospital, to examine the range of diagnostic tools used and highlight gaps in the literature.

Methods: We searched the English language literature using Embase, PsychInfo and Medline. Studies were included if they used validated criteria for diagnosing dementia, involved subjects over the age of 55 years and were set in the general hospital.

Results: Fourteen papers were identified. Prevalence estimates for dementia in studies with robust methodology were 12.9–63.0%. Less than a third of studies screened for delirium or depression and therefore some subjects may have been misclassified as having dementia. The data were highly heterogeneous and prevalence estimates varied widely, influenced by study setting and demographic features of the cohorts. Patients with dementia in the acute hospital are older, require more hours of nursing care, have longer hospital stays, and are more at risk of delayed discharge and functional decline during admission.

Conclusions: When planning liaison services, the setting and demographic features of the population need to be taken into account. Most study cohorts were recruited from medical wards. More work is required on the prevalence of dementia in surgical and other specialties. A wider range of associations (particularly medical and psychiatric comorbidity) and outcomes should be studied so that care can be improved.

Background: Mental capacity has been little studied among older general hospital inpatients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken of routinely collected data (age, gender, ethnicity, admission diagnosis, psychiatric diagnosis, Mini-mental State Examination score, whether capacity was assessed, the outcome of that assessment, and discharge destination) on referrals to a liaison psychiatry service for older people (2003–2006) from medical and surgical teams at a large London teaching hospital.

Results: 1267 patients were referred to the service, of whom 379 (30%) were assessed for capacity. The most common mental capacity issues were placement (303 assessed of whom 54% lacked capacity), treatment (86 assessed, 59% lacking capacity) and finances (70 assessed, 79% lacking capacity). Cognitive impairment, dementia and delirium, rather than mental disorders were associated with incapacity. Those assessed and deemed to lack capacity for placement decisions were twice as likely to be placed in a care home, and four times as likely to be placed in an elderly mentally ill (EMI) facility, independent of dementia diagnosis and cognitive functioning.

Conclusion: Referrals to a liaison psychiatry service for older people for assessment of mental capacity are common. The main mental capacity issues in older people were those linked to discharge planning. The relatively high proportion of those found to have capacity when capacity had been queried by referring clinicians attests to the important role of specialist liaison teams, particularly in complex cases, in protecting the autonomy of vulnerable older people, and avoiding institutionalization.

Objective: The evaluation of psychosocial need is an important part of the assessment of any patient who presents to a psychiatrist. The Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) instrument was developed for the systematic assessment of need in people with severe and enduring mental illness. Variations of the CAN have been developed for forensic, elderly and learning disability populations. Patients presenting to psychiatrists in the general hospital may also have different needs to those presenting to psychiatrists in other settings. We set out to examine whether the CAN would be useful in identifying needs in patients referred to psychiatrists in the general hospital with self-harm or alcohol problems.

Method: Over a four-month period from September 2004 we prospectively assessed all patients with self-harm or alcohol problems referred to a liaison psychiatry service. We used the short version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need instrument (CANSAS) to assess psychosocial needs. Urgent referrals to a local psychiatric service of patients with severe enduring mental illness (SEMI) were assessed using identical methodology over the same time period and used as a comparison group.

Results: Over the study period 53 patients with self-harm, 42 with alcohol problems and 45 with SEMI were assessed. Patients presenting with self-harm and alcohol problems had significantly fewer needs than those with SEMI (4.40 vs 3.98 vs 7.96, p < 0.001). Looking after the home, self-care, daytime activity, psychotic symptoms, safety to others and sexual expression needs were significantly greater in the SEMI group than in either the DSH or alcohol groups. Only safety to self-needs in the DSH group and alcohol needs in the alcohol group were significantly higher than in the SEMI group. The proportion of needs that were unmet was similar in each group.

Conclusions: The CANSAS instrument identified some needs in deliberate self-harm and alcohol problem patients that might not have been identified during the course of a standard psychosocial assessment. It was easy to administer and as such was a useful addition to the assessment process. However the development of a more specific instrument for the assessment of need in these populations would be useful.

Objective: The size of the elderly population is growing rapidly in Turkey. We aimed to characterize geriatric psychiatry consultations to obtain the characteristic pattern of these patients for further interventions.

Method: A retrospective chart review was undertaken for each patient.

Results: One hundred and sixty-six patients with a mean age (± S.D.) of 75.5 ± 6.6 years were included in this study. Most referrals came from the Department of Internal Medicine (42.2%), with sleep problems (42.1%), depression (29.5%) and anxiety (28.3%) being the most common reasons for referral. Hypertension was the most frequent medical diagnosis (53.6%). The mean number ± S.D.) of medications used by each patient was 4.4 ± 2.0. The leading psychiatric diagnosis at the end of the assessment was adjustment disorder (31.3%).

Conclusion: Turkish geriatric psychiatry consultation patients display similar characteristics to elderly patients from other western countries. The main difference comes from diagnosis of adjustment disorder, which may be related to hospital conditions and strong family ties in developing countries.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of alcohol dependence syndrome in a rural General Hospital. Method: The entire inpatient population of 107 patients was administered the CAGE questionnaire to detect alcohol dependency. Patients scoring two or more (maximum score 4) were diagnosed alcohol dependent. Results: Sixteen patients were unable to complete the questionnaire due to severity of illness or dementia. Of the 91 patients who completed the CAGE questionnaire, 20 scored one or more, and 12 scored two or more, giving a prevalence of probable alcohol dependency in this population of 13%. There were significantly more male alcohol dependent patients than female, 30% vs 2% (p<0.001). Fifty percent of the patients who scored on the CAGE as alcohol dependent were not recognised by medical staff as being problem drinkers. All of the alcohol dependent patients came from the medical and surgical units including Ear, Nose and Throat surgical unit (ENT). Conclusion: Administration of the CAGE questionnaire to all medical and surgical admissions seems to be one of the most economical way of detecting alcohol dependency and engaging patients in treatment as early as possible.

Objective: To determine the level of engagement as defined by return for out-patient appointment in patients referred for alcohol counselling in a general hospital. Method: The hospital was offered a service with counselling within 24 hours for patients who were identified by ward staff as having alcohol related problems. Referred patients were interviewed on the ward by a nurse who specialised in alcohol counselling. Follow-up appointments were offered. Results: 60% of those given counselling returned for further counselling as out-patients. 83% of women counselled were engaged compared with 42% of men (p<0.05). The mean SADD (a measure of alcohol dependency) score was 23.9 in those subjects who were engaged and 18.6 in those not engaged (p<0.05), indicating greater dependency in the former group. Conclusions: Although these patients had not actively sought help with their drinking 60% returned for counselling as out-patients. Women and those with high levels of alcohol dependency were more likely to seek further counselling.