Mental Disorders Commons^™

Memantine: Can It Be Used To Treat Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder?, Austin Brown, Katherine Liu, Pul Lee, Rachel Muhlenkamp, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social, behavior and communicative skills. The current therapy for ASD only targets the associated symptoms such as aggression, self-harming acts or temper tantrums but not the core symptoms of social dysfunction. The pathology of ASD is not fully understood. Interestingly, imaging studies in ASD patients have reported abnormal high levels of glutamate in certain brain regions that play an important role in social interaction and communication. Thus, it has been hypothesized that medications attenuating glutamate transmission may be used as treatment for some of the core symptoms of …

Role Of The Pharmacist In Improving Treatment For Children With Concurrent Gastrointestinal And Autism Spectrum Disorders, Whitney R. Henry, Kaitlin A. Sanders, Jenna L. Schaffner, Leslie M. Hart, Whitney N. Detillion, Anne F. Gentry

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Over the last several years, a noteworthy association between gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been documented, although no large population-based studies exist. GI disorders in ASD children may stem from the underlying behavioral, communication, sensory or neurological issues intrinsic to the autistic disorder itself; therefore, the incorporation of alternative therapies, including behavioral modification, may be compelling treatment additions to the GI care traditionally recommended in children. To improve GI symptoms and quality of life in ASD children, a multidisciplinary approach is optimal, with pharmacists playing an active role in determining appropriate pharmacotherapy. Although there is a …

Improving Access To Mental Health Care With Nurse Practitioners, Jessica Whelan

Dissertations

Problem: Over 40% of those with mental illness are untreated since the supply of psychiatrists does not meet the demand. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) may be an adjunct in providing those services. The purpose of this quality assurance study was to evaluate outcomes of care between a PMHNP and a psychiatrist (medical doctor [MD]).

Methods: An observational, descriptive design with a retrospective medical record review of adult patients over a six-month period in a suburban, Midwestern, privately owned psychiatric practice.

Results: A total of 787 individual patients encountered at least one visit (N=787) although 3,679 …

Social Isolation Among Families Caring For Children With Disabilities, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

In this issue introduction, the editor-in-chief of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews comments on the social isolation experienced by families that include children with significant disabilities.

Treatment Of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children And Adolescents: Benefits And Challenges, Kaila Bollinger, Albert Bui, Adam Smith, Kelsey Fink, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder affecting approximately 11 percent of the country's children and adolescents, between the ages four to seventeen years. Stimulant medications such as methylphenidate and amphetamines are the first-line of treatment for ADHD. The increasing use of these stimulant medications has resulted in increased media attention and raised questions about their efficacy and safety. This review focuses on the history of stimulant use in ADHD, the disease's pathophysiology, the long-term benefits of pharmacotherapy, and the possible subsequent adverse effects associated with prolonged stimulant use in children and adolescents suffering from ADHD. Furthermore, we will …

Somatic Symptom And Related Disorders: A Case Of Illness Anxiety Disorder In A Young Relatively Treatment Naive African American Male, Linda Zhang, Richard P. Leggett, Harrison Ross Galicki, William B. Dehart

Psychiatry

Somatic symptom and related disorders (including illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder) is a diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) replacing somatoform and related disorders in the DSM-4 Text Revision. This classification eliminated the requirement that somatic symptoms must be nonorganic in nature, in an effort to reliably detect more cases of significant health anxiety than previously with DSM-4 criteria. Illness anxiety disorder is a primary anxiety disorder characterized by persistent preoccupation or excessive concern about having or developing an undiagnosed disease despite medical evaluation and reassurance. It is considered a …

An Animal-Assisted Intervention Study In The Nursing Home: Lessons Learned, Lonneke G. J. A. Schuurmans, Inge Noback, Jos M. G. A. Schols, Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

AAI studies in the nursing home pose a specific set of challenges. In this article the practical and ethical issues encountered during a Dutch psychogeriatric nursing home AAI study are addressed with the aim of sharing our experiences for future researchers as well as AAI practitioners in general.

In our study we compared three groups of clients with dementia who participated in group sessions of either visiting dog teams, visiting FurReal Friend robot animals, or visiting students (control group) and monitored the effect on social interaction and neuropsychiatric symptoms through video analysis and questionnaires. We encountered the following four categories …

Anxiety Induced Pulmonary Edema: A Rare Occurrence, Anum Akhlaq Md, Neda Shahoori, Alexandra Mary Kelada, Aftab Ahmad

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Face Morphing Task To Assess Self Other Differentiation, Esen Karan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Self-Other Differentiation (SOD) refers to a developmental process of acquiring a consolidated, integrated, and individuated sense of self. SOD develops at a) perceptual (e.g., facial perception) and b) representational (e.g., traits, mental states, and beliefs) levels. Impairments in representational SOD (R-SOD) are associated with many forms of psychopathology, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Few studies to date have examined the perceptual aspects of SOD (P-SOD), which are hypothesized to develop from infancy onwards in tandem and in interaction with R-SOD. Given that the human face is one of the key characteristics that humans use to …

Feasibility Pilot Outcomes Of A Mammography Decision Support And Navigation Intervention For Women With Serious Mental Illness Living In Supportive Housing Settings., Lara Weinstein, Marianna Lanoue, Katelyn Hurley, Colleen Payton, Randa Sifri, Ronald Myers

Department of Family & Community Medicine Faculty Papers

Objective: People with serious mental illness (SMI) experience significant disparities in morbidity and mortality from preventable and treatable medical conditions. Women with SMI have low mammography screening rates. SMI, poverty, and poor access to care can have a significant effect on a woman’s opportunity to learn about and discuss breast cancer screening with health care providers. This study examines the feasibility pilot outcomes of mammography decision support and patient navigation intervention (DSNI) for women with SMI living in supportive housing settings. The primary research question was: Does the DSNI increase knowledge, promote favorable attitudes, and decrease decisional conflict relating to …

A Letter To My Departed Niece, * Anonymous *

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The following piece was written in the weeks following the death of the author’s niece. It is an attempt to explore how we as a society handle health crises differently for medical versus mental health diagnoses.

Expressive Mindfulness: A Trauma-Sensitive Expressive Arts Therapy Group Method, Meghan Daly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Mindfulness and expressive arts therapy are both supportive of directing attention in a manner that promotes integration and function of a person. In this paper, a trauma-sensitive method was created for use in a day treatment setting for adults with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). This method utilized expressive movement, visual art making with three different materials, and creative writing to encourage mindful, non-judgmental acceptance of the present moment; a sense of relaxation; and an overall increase in quality of life. During development of the method arts-based research informed the choice of materials, music, and structure of the group. …

Education Mitigates The Relationship Of Stress And Mental Disorders Among Rural Indian Women, Nisha Fahey, Apurv Soni, Jeroan J. Allison, Jagdish Vankar, Anusha Prabhakaran, Tiffany A. Moore Simas, Nancy Byatt, Ajay Phatak, Eileen O'Keefe, Somashekhar Nimbalkar

Apurv Soni

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders (CMD) are a constellation of mental health conditions that include depression, anxiety, and other related nonpsychotic affective disorders. Qualitative explanatory models of mental health among reproductive-aged women in India reveal that distress is strongly associated with CMD. The relationship of perceived stress and CMD might be attenuated or exacerbated based on an individual's sociodemographic characteristics.

OBJECTIVES: To screen for Common Mental Disorders (CMD) among reproductive-aged women from rural western India and explore how the relationship between perceived stress and CMD screening status varies by sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 700 women from rural Gujarat, India. …

Affective Disturbance In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Jason Greenhagen, Emily Matusz, Sheina Emrani, David Libon, Sherry Pomerantz

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an identifiable, prodromal stage of cognitive impairment and has been further defined into subtypes: amnestic, language, executive functioning, and multi domain/mixed MCI (Jak et al. 2009 ). The purpose of this study is to (1) examine the differences in depression, anxiety, and apathy between MCI subtypes; and (2) assess the relationship between the neurocognitive domains (executive functioning, language, and memory and affective symptoms. We hypothesize that apathy will be greater in dysexecutive/mixed MCI (dys/mixed MCI) and be more highly correlated to neurocognitive deficits compared to depression or anxiety. This is a retrospective study of 113 …

The Influence Of Stressful Life Events On The Development Of Type 2 Diabetes, Joshua Minks

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between distress and the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the presence of established risk factors. Distress secondary to mental health disparities, stressful life events, and work conditions has been shown to promote insulin resistance and the development of T2DM.

Subjects (N=79) diagnosed with T2DM within the previous six months were recruited from SSM Health Centers and VA Medical Centers in the greater St. Louis area. They completed the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, and a demographic survey and analyses were conducted to determine differences between the veteran …

The Influence Of Unpredictable, Fragmented Parental Signals On The Developing Brain, Laura M. Glynn, Tallie Z. Baram

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Mental illnesses originate early in life, governed by environmental and genetic factors. Because parents are a dominant source of signals to the developing child, parental signals - beginning with maternal signals in utero - are primary contributors to children’s mental health. Existing literature on maternal signals has focused almost exclusively on their quality and valence (e.g. maternal depression, sensitivity). Here we identify a novel dimension of maternal signals: their patterns and especially their predictability/unpredictability, as an important determinant of children’s neurodevelopment. We find that unpredictable maternal mood and behavior presage risk for child and adolescent psychopathology. In experimental models, fragmented/unpredictable …

Depression Among Epileptic Patients And Its Association With Drug Therapy In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Getenet Dessie, Henok Mulugeta, Cheru Tesema Leshargie, Fasil Wagnew, Sahai Burrowes

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa and the established relationship between depression and epilepsy, the extent of comorbid epilepsy and depression in the region is still poorly understood. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to address this gap in the literature by determining the pooled prevalence of depression among epileptic patients in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS: A systematic desk review and electronic web-based search of PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the World Health Organization's Hinari portal (which includes the SCOPUS, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online databases) conducted from December 2, 2017 …