No abstract

In this cross-sectional study, we examined the neuropsychiatric profile of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Data were available on 875 controls, 339 MCI cases, and 975 AD participants. Surprisingly, differences in neuropsychiatric symptom (NPS) severity by ethnicity in subjects with AD, but not with MCI, were found. More so, in Hispanics with AD, a higher frequency in most of the individual NPI-Q symptom items of the scale was observed, except for apathy. After adjustment for clinical features, some individual NPI-Q symptoms also showed an association with Hispanic ethnicity in the control group that nearly reached statistical significance. There may be cross-ethnic differences in the neuropsychiatric presentation of AD in Hispanics versus non-Hispanic whites. Future studies are needed to clarify the etiology of these differences, and to assess the need for ethnicity-specific treatment and care-giving interventions.

Purpose To examine the prevalence of difficult psychiatrist-patient interactions of 20 psychiatrists in the South Texas Psychiatric PBRN, determine what characteristics were associated with “difficult” patients, and compare findings with previous studies in primary care. Methods During a 2-month observational study, psychiatrists collected patient information on setting, demographics, diagnoses, medications and rated the patients using a Difficult Doctor Patient Relationship Questionnaire (DDPRQ-10) which had previously been used and validated in the primary care setting. Results A total of 905 valid data cards were collected. Difficult patients were identified in 15% of the sample. Diagnoses of schizophrenia, alcohol/substance abuse, and personality disorder were associated with difficulty. Psychiatrists least burdened by difficult patients were older, in solo practice, and worked 51-55 hours per week. Conclusions This cross-sectional study demonstrates that psychiatrists encounter difficult patients at a similar rate (15%) as do primary care physicians. Mentoring programs and structured treatment interventions for the most difficult patient groups may assist all physicians who treat psychiatric patients whether in specialty, family medicine, or other primary care settings.

Objective The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a well-established measure of psychopathology and frequently used in dementia studies. Little is known about its psychometric characteristics at a population level, particularly among Hispanics. We report the frequency of NPI symptoms in a community-dwelling older Mexican-American (MA) population cohort and the degree of symptom-related distress experienced by participant informants. Methods Participants were 1079 MA age 80 years and over residing in five southwestern states who were administered the NPI as part of wave-7 of the Hispanic Established Population for Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (HEPESE) conducted from 2010 to 2011. Results Nine hundred twenty-five informants rated NPI domains. Prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) varied by symptom domain and ranged from agitation/aggression (32%) to euphoria/elation (5%). The overall rate of behavioral disturbances was 62.7%. On the other hand, 37.3% of informants reported no NPS. A significant fraction of the informants reported distress from the mood disorder cluster of the scale. Conclusions A large percentage (>60%) of community-dwelling older MA have one or more informant-reported NPS. These symptoms have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications. Although neuropsychiatric disorders may be the initial clinical manifestation of dementia and often appear before cognitive alterations, the high frequency of these symptoms in the HEPESE cohort may reflect a high prevalence of these disorders among community-dwelling MA. The pattern we observed also suggests relatively advanced stages of dementia.