Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

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Akanji, AO., Ohaeri, JU. (2011). Metabolic syndrome in severe mental disorders. Metabolic Syndrome in severe mental disorders, 9(2), 91-96

Main aim of this article is to determine if there is a relationship between metabolic syndrome and severe mental disorders. The scope of this study extends beyond the previously conducted studies which focused solely on schizophrenia. Other illnesses such as bipolar disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and severe depression have been included in the study. Authors in the article mainly argue that psychotropic drugs which are utilised to treat a variety of mental disorders are known to adversely affect metabolism in individuals also causing weight gain.

The article is directly related to the chosen research topic as metabolic syndrome is commonly diagnosed in individuals suffering from mental disorders. The manner in which mental illness in an individual correlates with and causes metabolic syndrome has been explained in the article. Intended audience of this article consists of the general population who might not be aware of the fact that people suffering from mental illness are also at a much higher risk of facing metabolism related conditions.

Authors of this article reviewed historical literature available on the subject from Medline and stated their findings. Since the study lacks a practical experiment base, no tables or figures were available in the study.

A major strength of this article is that it seeks to bring together a vast variety of research regarding the co-existence of mental illness and various metabolic conditions. A major weakness on the other hand consists of the fact that most literature sources consulted are single experiments whose results have not been duplicated till date.  

The article concluded by suggesting that individuals faced with a severe mental disorder are at least at two to three times higher risk of developing a metabolic syndrome as compared with normal individuals. This article aids our understanding of the research topic as it drives attention to the fact that additional attention needs to be paid towards people suffering from mental health disorders as their mental condition might lead to several co-morbidities that can also be a serious threat to their quality of life.

Barua, A., Basilio, M., Ghosh, M., Kar, N. (2012). Chronic Co-morbidities associated with depression in elderly. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 5(2), 145-149

Main objective of the article is to study the chronic co-morbid conditions which tend to exit along with depression in elderly individuals. Scope of the article is limited to examining co-morbidities in elderly individuals and depression. This might be attributed to the fact that depression is among the most common mental health disorders in the world. Authors in this article mainly argue that elderly individuals throughout the world tend to develop depressive symptoms owing to a variety of factors. Depression in turn serves to interfere with normal physical functioning of an individual thereby causing physical co-morbidities.

The article is directly related to the topic as it serves to enlighten the researcher about a diverse range of physical co-morbidities which might be faced by elderly individuals with a mental condition. This article is intended at the general population and might help in taking better care of elderly individuals faced with depression.

A retrospective study based on systematic review of prevalence of depression in the elderly population was carried out. Mental health surveys in a community health setting were carried out in different continents such as Australia, Europe, Asia, North and South America and studies published between 1955 and 2005 were considered. No tables or special aids were provided in the article.

Biggest strength of this article is that it draws from a large body of evidence which spans globally. A weakness on the other hand might be noticed in the fact that some articles were drawn from unreliable sources such as Google and Yahoo searches and not from academic databases.

The article concluded by suggesting that elderly individuals who are faced with depression are at a much higher risk for developing chronic co-morbid conditions such as arthritis, visual impairment, cognitive impairment, and ADL.

Holahan, CJ., Pahl, SA., Cronkite, RC., Holahan, CK, North, RJ, Moos, RH. (2010). Depression and Vulnerability to incident physical illness across 10 years. Journal of Affective Disorders, 123(1-3), 222-229

Main aim of this article is to examine the role of depression in onset of physical illness in individuals. The scope of this study like its predecessors in the area was not limited to any specific physical illness but included the topic of physical illness in general. Authors of this article have based this study on the argument that establishing a firm relationship between depression and a wide spectrum of physical illness is necessary and central to improving quality of life of depressed individuals and reducing burden of illness on the society.

Text of this study relates completely and directly to the chosen topic of determining major co-morbidities that people diagnosed with a mental illness are at a higher risk of. The text expands on a wide spectrum of physical illness and specifies a range of physical co-morbidities that might generally be acquired by depressed patients. A few specific physical co-morbidities which are widely discussed to exist along with depression have also been referred to in the literature. The article seeks to address medical practitioners and primary care givers who would be able to utilise this study in order to improve quality of life of depressed individuals.

The study was conducted by following 388 clinically depressed patients over a period of 10 years. Data consisting of health behaviour, medical conditions as diagnosed by physicians and socio-demographic factors were recorded in a self reported questionnaire at baseline, 1, 4 and 10 years during the period of follow up. Tables were immensely helpful as they clearly demonstrated the relationship between depression and probability of acquiring physical co-morbidities.  

A major strength of the article is that it draws from a wide variety of research on the topic and has a broad scope. A major limitation on the other hand consists of the fact that patients might report several physical conditions as a result of their depression as opposed to their actual presence.

The article concluded by suggesting that there is a strong co-relation between depression and existence of chronic physical illness. This article aids our understanding of the topic as it broadens awareness of the fact that depression is not merely a mental illness but affects physical wellness as well.

Scott, D., Burke, K., Williams, S., Happell, B., Canoy, D., Ronan, K. (2012). Increased prevalence of chronic physical health disorders in Australians with diagnosed mental illness. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 36(5), 483-486

Main aim of this article is to compare the prevalence of chronic physical health disorders in Australians faced with mental illness and general population. Scope of this study seeks to include a wide variety of physical health disorders such as abnormal weight gain, pain in joints and metabolic syndrome. Authors in this article mainly argue that various mental health conditions and treatments that patients are required to undertake tend to adversely affect physical health causing metabolic dysfunctions and weight gain.

Like others, this article directly addresses the research topic. An experimental approach has been adopted to explain common co-morbidities that exist with mental health disorders. The article intends to address health professionals and tends to alert them towards the coexistence of chronic physical co-morbidities in individuals faced with mental health conditions.

An online participant survey was conducted with a total of 1716 Australian individuals. 58% of these participants were females. Self reported body mass index and chronic physical conditions were utilised as outcome measures of the study. Tables presented in the article aided understanding as they served to provide clarity. They listed participant demographics along with the nature of their physical and mental conditions.

A major strength of the article is that it provides experimental evidence to the existence of chronic physical co-morbidities along with mental health conditions. A major weakness however might be seen from the fact that self reported physical conditions might be a result of participant perception.

The article concluded by suggesting that Australian adults faced with mental conditions are at a much higher risk of developing chronic physical conditions as compared to their counterparts without any mental illness. The article aids our understanding of the topic as it serves to provide further clarity and evidence to the fact that co-morbidities exist with mental illness.

Sowden, GL., Huffman, JC. (2009). The impact of mental illness on cardiac outcomes: A review for the cardiologist. International Journal of Cardiology, 132(1), 30-37

Main aim of this article is to determine the impact of mental health on cardiac outputs of individuals. Scope of this study included examination of mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and schizophrenia along with their pathophysiological progression, treatment and impact on cardiac outputs. Authors in the article mainly argue that mental health conditions as identified above are significant cardiac risk factors and patients identified with these conditions face a significantly higher risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality as compared to their counterparts in the general population.

The article bears a direct correlation with the research topic as cardiac conditions have often been determined to co-morbidly exist with mental health conditions. The manner in which mental health conditions impact and increase the risk of cardiac malfunctioning has also been highlighted in the article. The article has been designed to address cardiologists who would be able to follow pathophysiological progression of these conditions along with treatments offered and their relationship with cardiac outputs. This would enable them to offer better care to their patients.

This study was conducted with the help of extensive research in Medline and PsycInfo and locating relevant articles. Owing to lack of practical experimental base of the article, there are no tables, figures or any other special aids which might aid understanding.

A major strength of this article is that serves to spread awareness about the link between cardiac outputs and mental health of an individual. A major limitation of the article might be seen in that it does not serve to outline any intervention which might be helpful in improving cardiac outputs in mental health patients.

The article concluded by suggesting that mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are high risk factors for cardiac mortality and morbidity. This article aids our understanding of the topic as it introduces us to another domain of co-morbidities that exists with mental illness.

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