Cochrane

Background Constipation is a common side effect for people taking antipsychotic medications, especially clozapine. It has been shown that clozapine reduces bowel motility, and the consequences of this are sometimes serious. For every thousand patients treated with clozapine, it is thought that 300 to 600 will suffer constipation; at least four will ...

Background Accurately identifying people with dementia is an area of public and professional concern. Dementia is often not diagnosed until late in the disease, and this may limit timely access to appropriate health and social support. There is a growing interest in tests that detect dementia at an early stage, before symptoms have become problematic ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalised patients, not including those on intensive care units (ICU) (specialised wards for the care of critically ill patients). Background Delirium is a common and serious illness for people admitted to hospital. It can be distressing ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effect of non-drug treatments for depression after traumatic brain injury (TBI), to determine whether these treatments are better than no intervention, or better than drug-based treatments, at reducing the symptoms or diagnosis of depression. We searched for evidence about the relative effectiveness ...

Why is this review important? Many people in northern latitudes suffer from winter blues, which occurs as a reaction to reduced sunlight. Three-quarters of those affected are women. Lethargy, overeating, craving for carbohydrates and depressed mood are common symptoms. In some people, winter blues becomes depression, which seriously affects their ...

Why is this review important? Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterised by depressed mood and/or a markedly decreased pleasure or interest in all activities. It has negative impacts on the individual and on society, often over the long term. One possible treatment for MDD is n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFAs), also known as omega-3 ...

The issue: Depressive states are frequent complications among people suffering from cancer. Often depressive symptoms are a normal reaction or a direct effect of such a severe and life-threatening illness. It is therefore not easy to establish when depressive symptoms become a proper disorder and need to be treated with drugs. Current scientific literature ...

Background Healthcare workers suffer from work-related or occupational stress. Often this is because healthcare workers face high expectations and they may not have enough time, skills and social support at work. This can lead to severe distress, burnout or physical illness. In the end, healthcare workers may be unable to provide high quality healthcare ...

Why is this review important? Depression affects 350 million people worldwide, impacting on quality of life, work, relationships and physical health. Medication and talking therapies are not always suitable or available. Dance movement therapy (DMT) uses bodily movements to explore and express emotions with groups or individuals. This is the first ...

Who may be interested in this review? - People with long-term unexplained physical symptoms (somatoform disorders) and their family and friends. - Professionals working with people with somatoform disorders. - Professionals working in chronic pain services. - General practitioners. Why is this review important? Around 6 in 100 people are affected ...