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Life events and senile dementia. I. Admission, deterioration and social environment change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Martin Orrell  and
Paul Bebbington
Martin Orrell*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University College London Medical School and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Paul Bebbington
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University College London Medical School and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Martin Orrell, Department of Psychiatry, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Hamsted Road, Harlow, Essex CM 20 1QX.
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Synopsis

This study examines the frequency of life events before admission and before deterioration in 70 dementia patients, in comparison with 50 dementia controls living in the community and 50 fit elderly people matched for age and sex. We hypothesized that there would be an excess of events connoting changes in routine and the social environment. Specific scales were developed to measure these aspects of events. Our results supported the initial hypothesis, confirming that it is the social disruptiveness of change rather than the threat implied by life events that is associated with deterioration. The findings are discussed in the light of current models of the dementia process.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , March 1995 , pp. 373 - 386
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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