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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly affected emergency department (ED) visits and urgent psychiatric consultation (UPC) seeking behavior in EDs. Our study explored the changes in UPCs during and after the pandemic peak. Methods: This retrospective observational study evaluated UPCs in the ED of a referral medical center in Taiwan, where treated both physical and psychiatric complaints. We defined the COVID-19 pandemic peak period as calendar week 4–18, 2020. The corresponding baseline as calendar week 4–18, 2019, and the slack period as week 4–18, 2021. The total number of UPCs, patient demographic data such as sex and age of the patients seen, the referral system (whether police or emergency medical service [EMS] or other sources), and the chief complaint (self-harm or violence) were recorded. Results: Compared with the baseline period, a significant decline in UPCs was observed in the pandemic peak period, and a rebound was observed in the slack period, with the median [IQR] Q1, Q3 values of 22 [18, 26], 12 [10, 17]), and 16 [15, 23], respectively. We observed significantly few men (34.9% vs 45.2%) and less violence (10.2% vs 17.6%) in the peak period compared with in the baseline period, but no significant difference was found compared with the slack period. Throughout the pandemic, younger patients (41.8 ± 17.4 in 2019, 39.2 ± 18.5 [p = 0.121] in 2020, and 35.6 ± 17.2 [p < 0.001] in 2021), higher proportions of police/EMS referral (38.7% in 2019, 41.9% [p = 0.473] in 2020, and 51.9% [p = 0.001] in 2021) and self-harm–related complaints (57% in 2019, 62.4% [p = 0.233] in 2020, and 64.9% [p = 0.049] in 2021) was noted among UPC seekers during the pandemic. However, the proportion of violence-related UPCs (17.6% in 2019, 10.2% [p = 0.023] in 2020, and 12.3% [p = 0.072] in 2021) declined. Conclusions: This study found that UPCs changed throughout the pandemic. This result raises the concern that mental health needs are masked during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche at Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, was triggered by heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Heavy rainfall began on the day of August 6, and continued to the morning of August 9 when the slope failure and landslide occurred. In this post-event investigation, physical, mechanical, and hydraulic properties of the rocks/soils at this large landslide site are evaluated. The in situ hydraulic conductivity of the soils at the source area was found to be too low (k=1.48×10−6 m/s) for rainfall to vertically infiltrate to the deep sliding surface, which was found to have a maximum depth of 85.6m. The post-failure simulations using discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) suggest that the geometry of the sliding surface governs the failure behavior, and two continuous progressing failures likely occurred at the beginning of the Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche. Slope deformation was observed by the local residents before the Hsien-du-shan rock avalanche occurred as a geomorphologic precursor. In addition, water accumulation along the sliding surface governs the behavior of the sliding surface. Therefore, in the future, an early warning system of a rock avalanche can be developed by simultaneously applying high-resolution airborne LiDAR to detect slope deformation and using geo-electric measurements to image the infiltration of surface water to the sliding surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Given the rising prevalence of depression among older adults and the associated increase in caregiving responsibilities, understanding factors influencing caregiver burden is crucial. Previous research has not extensively explored the impact of caregivers' attributional styles, that is, how individuals interpret the causes of life events, on their care burden., Aim: This study examined the relationship between caregivers' attributional styles and their care burden for older patients with depression., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled older adults aged ≥ 65 years diagnosed with depression and their caregivers. Depression was diagnosed according to the DSM-V criteria for Major Depressive Disorder or Persistent Depressive Disorder. Caregivers completed the Chinese Depression Caregiver Burden Scale (CDCBS) to assess care burden, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) to evaluate patient symptom severity, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for measuring caregivers' depression, and the Chinese Depression Patient Caregiver Attribution Style Scale (CDPCAS) to assess attributional styles. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to identify the factors independently associated with the caregiver's subjectively assessed care burden., Results: The sample included 146 caregivers of geriatric patients with depression. Most depression patients were women (74.7%) with a mean age of 74.3 years, whereas the mean age of caregivers was 57.7 years. Hierarchical regression analysis identified that caregivers' gender (β = - 0.14, p = .044), educational level (β = 0.19, p = .008), caregivers' own depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (β = 0.41, p < .001), and attributional styles, particularly manipulation (β = 0.29, p < .001) and illness/stress attributional style (β = 0.23, p = .002) as independent factors associated with care burden. Patient symptom severity assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale was not significantly correlated with care burden after controlling for attributional styles., Conclusions: Certain attributional styles, particularly the manipulation and illness/stress attributional styles, significantly increased self-reported care burden. These findings highlight the need for educational resources to change the attribution style, along with support systems and accessible mental health services for caregivers to potentially ease the care burden., (© 2024. The Author(s).)