Biomedical subjects
S M Benbow
Publications and source records attributed to S M Benbow.
Visual hallucinations as the presenting symptom of senile dementia.
A case of senile dementia that initially presented with complex visual hallucinations in the absence of clinical cognitive impairment or other psychopathology is described. Dementia must be added to the differential diagnosis of isolated visual hallucinations in the elderly.
The role of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depressive illness in old age.
Electroconvulsive therapy is an important treatment in the depressive states of late life, and there is general agreement about the indications for its use in old age psychiatry. Indeed, old age may be associated with a better response to ECT than that in younger age groups. The additional risk involved through physical problems in the elderly is not great when compared with that of continuing depression and of the side-effects of alternative treatments. Temporary memory disorders and confusion may occur, but are minimised if unilateral electrode placement is used. Some patients treated with unilateral ECT do not respond, but will respond to bilateral treatment. Anxiety over unwanted treatment effects, which can lead to ineffective treatment of depressive illness, must be outweighed by knowledge of the dangers of leaving depression untreated in old age.
Management of depression in the elderly.
Depressive illness in late life may present to doctors in the community or on general hospital wards. Management often involves physical treatments, but social and psychological approaches may also be important. This article considers acute treatment, continuation treatment (to prevent relapse) and the treatment of resistant depressive illnesses.