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Biomedical subjects

R Farmer

Publications and source records attributed to R Farmer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Behaviour problems associated with lack of speech in people with learning disabilities.

It has been observed in a population of people with learning disabilities that people with good understanding but no speech have significantly more behaviour problems than those with good speech. This observation was confirmed by testing a data set of 3662 people. The purpose of the study was to stress the importance of teaching communication techniques as early as possible in order to pre-empt behaviour problems.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Explaining suicide: the views of survivors of serious suicide attempts.

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of information on the motivational aspects of serious suicide attempts, in particular those which involve violent methods. Clarification of the reasons which lie behind such acts may suggest appropriate preventive strategies. METHOD: Interviews were carried out with 20 individuals who had attempted suicide by jumping in front of a railway train. Demographic and psychiatric data were collected for each case and the Suicidal Intent Scale was administered. RESULTS: In most cases the act had been impulsive and was characterised by an extremely high level of suicidal intent. The majority were receiving psychiatric treatment at the time of their suicide attempt. In some cases, survival and the aftermath of the attempt appeared to have a beneficial effect on mental state. CONCLUSIONS: While high levels of psychiatric morbidity and high suicidal intent were common, impulsivity and improved mental state indicate that there are similarities between high and low suicide intent survivors.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sexual abuse in people with alcohol problems. A study of the prevalence of sexual abuse and its relationship to drinking behaviour.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that people with a history of sexual abuse may have an increased risk of developing alcohol and drug problems. METHOD: A self-completion sexual abuse questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of attenders at three London alcohol services. Drinking behaviour was assessed using the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire and the Alcohol Problems Questionnaire, and additional data were derived from case notes. RESULTS: Fifty-four per cent of women and 24% of men identified themselves as victims of sexual abuse or assault For the majority this had started before the age of 16 and involved non-relatives. Subjects with a history of sexual abuse were younger, reached drinking milestones earlier, were more likely to have a family history of alcohol misuse and had more alcohol-related problems than non-abused subjects. Sexual abuse, age and alcohol dependence predicted level of problems in a regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The high rates of sexual abuse and its association with indications of increased morbidity suggest it is an important issue for the management of alcohol problems. More use could be made of self-completion questionnaires for the investigation of sexual abuse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Characteristics of drug misusers and their perceptions of general practitioner care.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about drug misusers' views of the care they receive from general practitioners. AIM: This study set out to determine drug users' views about primary health care and their relationship with their general practitioners. METHOD: A semi-structured interview was conducted with 180 drug users who were consecutive attenders at five treatment services in north east London--a general practice with a special interest in treating drug users, a private drug clinic, a community drug team, a drug dependence unit and a street agency for drug users. RESULTS: The majority of the 145 London-based drug users attending the four treatment centres other than the general practice with a special interest were registered with a general practitioner (88%). Forty-two per cent of users sought out a general practitioner prepared to treat them, rather than register with a local or the family doctor. Most drug users reported that their general practitioners were aware of their drug problems (88%) but half of the general practitioners were not prescribing replacement drugs with almost 20% of the users not receiving prescriptions claiming that this was due to lack of knowledge or trust on the part of the doctor. Sixty per cent of the drug users attending the four centres perceived that their general practitioners held negative or neutral views about them. However, 34 of the 35 drug users interviewed in the specialist general practice believed their doctors had a positive view of drug users. CONCLUSION: Most drug users were registered with general practitioners but the relationship between doctor and patient was not always easy or productive. There is a need to clarify the role of general practitioners in this field and provide them with better educational opportunities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The limitations of official suicide statistics.

BACKGROUND: This study explored some of the problems associated with current procedures for the ascertainment of suicide. METHOD: A sample of 242 deaths which were known to have been self-inflicted was followed up through the coroners' courts where causes of death were legally established. RESULTS: Verdicts other than suicide were returned on half of the men, and on one-quarter of the women. CONCLUSIONS: For suicide statistics to become valid indicators of suicide rates it might be more appropriate to apply the civil, rather than the criminal, standard of proof during inquest proceedings.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Towards the development of a multi-axial classification of people with learning difficulties.

The complexity of need experienced by people with learning disabilities might best be described by a multi-axial classification. The data routinely collected for a register of people with learning disabilities were analysed to see whether factors that might discriminate between individuals could be identified. Three factors were identified. The factor scores were used in a cluster analysis. A ten-cluster model formed from these factors made empirical sense. The present investigation indicates that a multi-axial classification is feasible and may be useful. However, the results cannot be applied beyond the data set used for its development at the present time. Ultimately, it will be necessary to collect additional information in order to calibrate the factor scores.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Upper excited state photochemistry of DNA.

The quantum yields for cyclobutylpyrimidine dimers, alkali-labile sites, and frank strand breaks in double-stranded DNA have been measured using low-intensity radiation at 199.8, 217.8, and 239.5 nm from a Raman-shifted frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. The quantum yield for cyclobutylpyrimidine dimers was also measured using 254 nm radiation from a low-pressure mercury lamp. The quantum yield for cyclobutylpyrimidine dimers is constant within a factor of two between 254 and 199.8 nm except for 239.5 nm, indicating that upper excited singlet states of bases convert efficiently to the lowest singlet state. The quantum yields for alkali-labile sites and frank strand breaks both increase as the wavelength decreases but follow different patterns. These results indicate that alkali-labile sites from a higher excited state of the base, whereas frank strand breaks form by excitation of the sugar-phosphate backbone.

DNA↗
PubMed1993

Suicide notes.

Detailed case reports of incidents of suicide and attempted suicide on the London Underground railway system between 1985 and 1989 were examined for the presence of suicide notes. The incidence of note-leaving was 15%. Notes provided little insight into the causes of suicide as subjectively perceived, or strategies for suicide prevention.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1992

Railway suicide: the psychological effects on drivers.

People have jumped (or fallen) in front of trains on the London Underground system in increasing numbers throughout the twentieth century. During the past decade there have been about 100 such incidents each year, of which around 90 would involve the train driver witnessing his train strike the person on the track. Most are suicides or attempts at suicide. They represent major unexpected and violent events in the lives of the train drivers and it might be expected that some of them would respond by developing a post-traumatic stress reaction of the type identified by Horowitz (1976) or other adverse psychological reactions or both. The research reported in this paper was designed to characterize the range of responses of drivers to the experiences of killing or injuring members of the public during the course of their daily work. It was found that 16.3% of the drivers involved in incidents did develop post-traumatic stress disorder and that other diagnoses, e.g. depression and phobic states, were present in 39.5% of drivers when interviewed one month after the incident.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Suicide on the London Underground System.

Over the past 50 years there has been an increase in the numbers of people jumping/falling in front of trains on the London Underground system. Case-fatality rates have fallen from 70% in the 1950s to 55% today. The proportion certified as suicide has fallen while the proportions certified as accidents or open verdicts have risen. There is unusual clustering of events at some stations which are adjacent to psychiatric units. The hypothesis that ease of access to London Underground stations may sometimes be a determinant of suicide is investigated.

Humans↗