Thesis
Nurses Assessment of Akathisia Versus Anxiety in Elders on Psychotropics
Washington State University
Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
12/2005
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/3782
Abstract
Elderly adults have rates of suicide 50% higher than that of the nation as a whole and may be under-reported by 40% or more (American Association of Suicidology 2001). Elders are increasingly prescribed new atypical antipsychotics as the number of elderly individuals with psychosis increases, (Madhusoodanan, Sinha, Brenner, Gupta, & Bogunovic, 2001). These new or atypical antipsychotics can produce akathisia but at a much lower rate than the older antipsychotic agents. This is a concern because akathisia has been associated with an increase in suicidal ideation and even suicidal attempts (Atbasoglu, Schultz, & Andreasen, 2001).\n"Akathisia (Greek 'not to sit') is an extrapyramidal movement disorder consisting of difficulty in staying still and a subjective sense of restlessness" (Akagi & Kumar, 2002, p.1506). Detecting akathisia in patients can be difficult, especially in the elderly. This perplexing movement disorder may mimic a worsening of psychopathology leading to a missed diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The distinctive features of akathisia require a thorough assessment and screening to identify the underlying pathophysiology separating it from the primary illness. The literature supports the position that diagnosing akathisia through skillful assessment and prompt treatment, is an important step to minimize the link with suicide ideation. The Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) assessment includes measurement of mild, moderate, and severe akathisia within objective features of motor restlessness, subjective complaints of restlessness, and associated distress. The purpose of the project is to develop a standardized assessment that differentiates akathisia from anxiety in elders.
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Details
- Title
- Nurses Assessment of Akathisia Versus Anxiety in Elders on Psychotropics
- Creators
- Shiela J. Stump
- Contributors
- Michael Rice (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Research Projects, College of Nursing
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Spokane, Washington
- Identifiers
- 99900590535701842
- Copyright
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis