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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:18
Health care professionals need to address all the health-related issues experienced by people with severe mental illness (SMI), not just the mental illness itself, according to a report published this week.
“Running on empty” states that people with SMI have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and HIV or AIDS than the general population, and that they die between 10 to 15 years earlier. It says that there is an urgent need to ensure they are treated holistically by all health care professionals.
The report says that people affected by SMI are often not given routine assessments such as blood pressure or blood glucose tests and are not provided with weight management or lifestyle advice.
Sandra Gidley, a pharmacist and MP for Romsey, said that implementation of the new pharmacy contract puts pharmacists in an ideal position to carry out such health checks. She commented: “This group of people are generally regarded as hard to reach, yet they access pharmacies regularly. This is an ideal opportunity for pharmacists to widen their expertise and engage with what is a neglected section of society that people do not go out of their way to understand.”
David Yeomans, consultant psychiatrist at the University of Leeds and a contributor to the report, added that pharmacists could present the case studies contained in the report to their primary care trusts as examples of good practice when bidding for funding to extend their services.
Regarding medication, the report advises that patients with SMI should be aware of any side effects their medicines may have and be provided with advice on how to manage them. It says that alternative options should always be discussed and attempted if the side effects are considered to be unacceptable by the patient or the prescriber.
Posted by Racer on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to UK psych care needs to cover all facets of health, posted by ed_uk on July 1, 2005, at 12:01:21
I notice that the comments about Type II diabetes and weight management fail to mention the propensity of psychotropic drugs to *cause* weight gain...
That's one of my own pet soapboxes, so I'll go sit quietly in the corner now...
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to Re: UK psych care needs to cover all facets of hea, posted by Racer on July 1, 2005, at 12:08:32
>I notice that the comments about Type II diabetes and weight management fail to mention the propensity of psychotropic drugs to *cause* weight gain...
Haha, I know!! That's what I was thinking!
~Ed
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to UK psych care needs to cover all facets of health, posted by ed_uk on July 1, 2005, at 12:01:21
Pain neglected in depression
Patients with depression are likely to visit their GP because of unrelieved aches and pains, sleep problems and fatigue, according to a new survey.
Despite the knowledge that somatic symptoms can be caused by depression, these frequently go unrecognised, said Patt Franciosi, president of the World Federation for Mental Health, presenting the results during a recent American Psychiatric Association meeting.
“Undiagnosed patients are likely to overuse the medical system because of their continuing physical complaints,” she said.
In the WFMH survey people with major depressive disorder waited more than 11 months on average before consulting a GP and were not diagnosed until they had made five visits. Over two thirds failed to link their physical and somatic symptoms to depression.
Posted by Racer on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to Pain neglected in depression, posted by ed_uk on July 1, 2005, at 12:37:50
There is a show over here that runs on Public Television, called "Medical Answers" that had a show on this a while back. The show is simple: a doctor interviewing other doctors about their specialties. (The host is a psychiatrist, which makes it very funny when they discuss psychiatric issues -- he often invites someone on to interview him!)
The pain researcher talked about how often pain was neglected in the medical field, and how damaging that was. Seems that nerves get into the habit of expressing pain, if you don't treat pain adequately. This was all pretty new stuff, but he said that he was working to get all GPs to ask about pain -- even used the joke about "WNL" meaning "We Never Looked" -- rather than waiting for the patient to volunteer the info. He also mentioned that chronic pain can *cause* depression in vulnerable people.
Very interesting show.
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to Re: Pain neglected -- Period! » ed_uk, posted by Racer on July 1, 2005, at 19:38:34
True, so true........chronic pain treatment is really bad in the UK. Probably even worse than in the US. It just get anywhere near the attention it deserves :-(
~Ed
Posted by MidnightBlue on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to Pain neglected in depression, posted by ed_uk on July 1, 2005, at 12:37:50
Ed,
I am in pain every day, and expect to be for the rest of my life. (a long story) But the depression adds to the pain, and of course the pain adds to the depression, and BOTH make it hard to sleep. :-(
MidnightBlue
Posted by Phillipa on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:19
In reply to Re: Pain neglected in depression » ed_uk, posted by MidnightBlue on July 1, 2005, at 23:43:27
I can relate to that. My back always hurts and I really don't want to know why. I've been diagnosed with so many ailments I could win the Guinness Book of Records. They even tried to tell me I had fibromyalgia and no trigger points hurt. But what really is bothering me now is I just got all my medical records from the Infection control specialist who treated my chronic Lymes's disease. Number l dx is lymes disease/meningitis. Wouldn't they have to tell you if you had this th meningitis. I was in the hospital and treated with Rocephin IV and had a spinal tap but the fluid was clear. It has to be a mistake right? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by MidnightBlue on July 2, 2005, at 1:13:20
In reply to Re: Pain neglected in depression, posted by Phillipa on July 2, 2005, at 0:09:09
Phillipa,
It ALL is a mistake. I'm really 25, beautiful, thin, and pain free. Right?
;-)
MidnightBlue
Posted by ed_uk on July 2, 2005, at 6:47:13
In reply to Re: Pain neglected in depression » ed_uk, posted by MidnightBlue on July 1, 2005, at 23:43:27
Hi,
Are you taking Celebrex?
~Ed
This is the end of the thread.
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