Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Οργάνωση & Διαχείριση ανακουφιστικής & υποστηρικτικής φροντίδας χρονίως πασχόντωνLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Varveri Athina-Pinelopi
Supervisors info:
Άννα Ζυγογιάννη, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μυστακίδου Κυριακή, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Βουμβουράκης Κωνσταντίνος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Επιθυμία επίσπευσης θανάτου και ψυχολογική κατάσταση σε ανοϊκους ασθενεις αρχόμενου σταδίου
Translated title:
Desire to hasten death and psychological condition in dementia patients of early stage
Summary:
PURPOSE: The relationship between dementia and depression has been studied several times before, and there is a number of studies on the desire towards hastened death for patients with life threatening illness. The purpose of this study is to examine the desire towards hastened death and its relationship with depression in patients with early dementia.
METHOD: Participants were 100 patients with early dementia who completed the geriatric depression scale (GDS Greek version) and the schedule of attitudes towards hastened death (HASD Greek version) questionnaires and were assessed for dementia with the questionnaires Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA Greek version) and a mini mental state examination (mmse Greek version).
RESULTS: Depression is related to the stage of dementia as well as to the disease which is the cause of the syndrome. Demographic data also appear to be related to both depression and attitude towards hastened death. Subsequently, a strong relationship between depression and the desire to hasten death is confirmed.
CONCLUSIONS: Depression in patients with dementia should be diagnosed and treated promptly. The purpose is to delay the course of the disease. Palliative care should be followed to demented persons despite the stage of the disease and one of the most important reasons is the potential change in their attitude towards hastening their death.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Early dementia, Geriatric depression, Desire to hasten death
