Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of The Atypical Dopamine Uptake Inhibitor Ce-158 On Extracellular Dopamine In The Nucleus Accumbens, Julia Neri

Honors Scholar Theses

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is characterized by symptoms such as cognitive dysfunctions, inflammatory changes, and motivational symptoms such as amotivation, fatigue, and anergia. While depressed people are commonly treated by traditional antidepressants such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), previous studies have reported that SSRI medications do not treat fatigue and anergia symptoms well, and in some cases, can even worsen those symptoms. Subjects treated with dopamine (DA) uptake inhibitors, on the other hand, have been less likely to report symptoms of anergia and fatigue compared to those treated with SSRIs. Common DA uptake inhibitors such as methylphenidate and amphetamines, however, …

Preferences In Information Processing, Marginalized Identity, And Non-Monogamy: Understanding Factors In Suicide-Related Behavior Among Members Of The Alternative Sexuality Community, Robert J. Cramer, Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Andrea R. Kaniuka, Corrine N. Wilsey, Annelise Mennicke, Susan Wright, Erika Montanaro, Jessamyn Bowling, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

Suicide-related behavior (SRB) is a mental health disparity experienced by the alternative sexuality community. We assessed mental health, relationship orientation, marginalized identities (i.e., sexual orientation minority, gender minority, racial minority, ethnic minority, and lower education), and preferences in information processing (PIP) as factors differentiating lifetime SRB groups. An online cross-sectional survey study was conducted in 2018. Members of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF; n = 334) took part. Bivariate analyses identified the following SRB risk factors: female and transgender/gender non-binary identity, sexual orientation minority identity, lower education, suicide attempt/death exposure, Need for Affect (NFA) Avoidance, depression, and anxiety. …

Motivating Clients To Exercise: Improving Adherence To Exercise-Based Treatment Through Psychoeducation, Reed Andrew Vierra

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Exercise has been consistently shown to have a positive effect on both physical and mental health, with past studies indicating exercise as an adjunctive treatment for diagnoses such as Major Depressive Disorder. However, despite the knowledge of exercise’s benefits, 80% of Americans do not regularly meet recommended levels of exercise in a week. Past studies have been hampered by high drop-out rates, as participants have difficulty sustaining a new exercise regimen over time. This study focused on understanding the motivational processes which sustained experienced exercisers. With the information gleaned from experienced exercisers in addition to past research on human motivation, …

The Gut-Brain Axis: Treating Depression Through Microbiome Alterations, Alexandra Bachman-Williams

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

The purpose of this research and literature review is to explore the possible role that gut microbiome alterations have in the treatment of neurobehavioral diseases; specifically, anxiety and depression. This literature review searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Clinical Key. A variety of key terms were used during the search. Due to the field of research being relatively new and limited, studies from the last ten years and animal models were included in the study. Studies were excluded due to poor design or if the studies did not include anxiety or depression in the research. The research shows that there are the …

Treatment Option Decision Making For Low-Grade Prostate Cancer, Janene Caldwell Witherite

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer, behind skin cancer, among men, in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019.). PCa is defined as low-grade or low risk if the neoplasm grows slowly or not at all. According to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, (2020), to make the conclusion that a PCa is low-grade, several tests are performed including a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, a Gleason score, and a TNM score, which refers to tumor size, lymph node involvement, and metastasis outside the prostate. Low-grade PCa is further defined …

Analysis Of Tech-Based And Telemental Health Approaches Within The Adolescent And Young Adult Populations Of Rural America, Audrey Smeenk

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Background: The incidences of depression and anxiety among adolescent and young adult populations are intensifying, and resources remain limited for the management of these diseases within rural America. Objective: The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate evidence-based practices regarding telemedicine and tech-based mental health interventions. Evaluation of different interventions will demonstrate the ability of access, efficacy, and patient adherence with the hope of decreasing the incidence of disease and increase the availability of resources to rural areas. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was completed by assessing journal articles and scientific databases from the last fifteen years using a …

Peer Acceptance In The Lunchroom And Children’S Internalizing Symptoms, Jake Steggerda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence to suggest that the context of the school lunchrooms provides children with rich opportunities for enhancing or hampering the quality of their relationships (Craig, Gregus, Elledge, Pastrana, & Cavell, 2016; Steggerda et al., in preparation). Although past research has linked children’s peer acceptance to their level of internalizing symptoms, few studies have examined peer acceptance within the lunchroom context. This study extends that work by examining associations between lunchroom peer acceptance (assessed via self- and peer-reports) and children’s internalizing symptoms. Participants were 676 fourth-grade students (50.7% female; 42.7% Hispanic/Latino, 30.3% White, 10% Pacific Islander, and 17% other) …

The Current Mental Health Status Of Professional Asl/English Interpreters In The United States As It Pertains To Disorders: Specifically Focusing On Anxiety, Depression, Stress-Related Disorders, Personalities, And Work-Related Influencers, Nicole Denu Thorn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, variable-centered, correlational research design is to assess the mental health status of professional ASL/English interpreters currently working in the field. Specifically, this study looked at levels of anxiety, depression, and secondary stress within this population. It was postulated that many factors impact the mental health of professional interpreters; therefore, internal factors such as personality as well as external factors such as job demands were assessed. The findings of the research may prove helpful in developing future interpreter education as well as mental health care for current interpreters. A brief history of the profession is given …

Greenfield High School Internship, Annette Mercado

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Greenfield High School is located in South Monterey County. The community served is primarily Latino and they are below poverty level. The majority of the residents that reside in this community are field workers. The macro-level problem that this capstone addresses is that too many high school-age students are experiencing depression and anxiety. Greenfield High School has experienced budget cuts, which make it difficult to address all students' needs. The project, named Greenfield High School Internship is designed to help students achieve their community hours needed to complete graduation requirements and gain a mentor in the process. Greenfield High School …

Mental Health Awareness In Arroyo Seco Academy, Elia Pizano

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Arroyo Seco Academy is an elementary school located in Greenfield (CA) serving students from k through 6th grade. The capstone project and its implementation took place at Arroyo Seco’s counseling department. The community that is served by the counseling department is children who experience social and behavioral issues. There School has seen an increase of mental health illness in Monterey County that affects children directly and indirectly. The project; named Mental Health Awareness in Arroyo Seco Academy, consisted of an educational intervention that focused on 6 th grade students. The intervention focused on the importance of mental health and touched …

Exploring The Relationships Of Social Media Usage And Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression In Adolescents, Morgan Culpepper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social media is a popular form of communication and entertainment among youth. Inconsistencies are present in the literature on the potential effects it can have on mental health. Depression and anxiety disorders are common among all age groups in the US, and this study aimed to determine the relationship social media has on symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS) and the GAD-7 were used to measure symptoms of anxiety, as well as the CES-D scale to evaluate depressive symptoms in adolescents. The number of social networking sites and number of hours spent on social …

Depressive Symptoms As A Moderator Of Diurnal Trends In Reward Seeking, Erick Albert William Rogers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Anhedonia, a cardinal symptom of a major depressive episode, is the decreased motivation to seek rewards. Individuals with depressive symptoms tend to report reduced positive affect, a distal measure of reward motivation, and engage in less reward-motivated behavior (i.e., reward seeking). However, diurnal rhythms may also influence reward-seeking. Both self-reported positive affect and behavioral measures of reward-seeking increase from the morning to the afternoon and then decreased in the evening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether reward-seeking varied across time of day and whether anhedonia moderated variation. Overall, reward-seeking did not vary across time of day. …

Stress And Coping In Food-Insecure African Americans In Clark County, Nevada, Johanna Andrews

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

African Americans have the highest rates of food insecurity than any other racial/ethnic group in the nation as a result of poverty, low household income, unemployment, food injustice, food mirages, and racial segregation. This consistent uncertainty in food access demonstrably results in poor mental health outcomes for food-insecure African Americans. Thus, the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping provides a theoretical framework to investigate how African Americans cope with food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate processes of coping with food insecurity and determine their impact on emotional well-being for African Americans in Clark County, Nevada. A …

Assessment Of Depression Among Older Adults Staying In Old Home Care In Klang, Malaysia, Muhammad Qamar, Nurul Zahirah, Sohail Ahmad

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Mental disorders such as depression are widespread, often underdiagnosed, and usually inappropriately treated. The early recognition of factors that may promote depression with the help of depression screening aid can help to plan better care for the patient. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the depression prevalence among the older adults staying in old home care, to explore any association and differences of depression across various socio-demographic variables, and to study the predictors of depression among study subjects. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 141 elderly by using the validated tool. The study instrument was divided …

Promoting Resilience In Self-Management (Prism): Adverse Childhood Experiences And Impacts On Emotion Regulation, Kasey Ann Macedo

Honors Scholar Theses

PRISM (Promoting Resilience in Self-Management) is a mindfulness-based intervention that aims to strengthen emotion regulation skills among individuals by employing cognitive behavioral therapy components. The purpose of the current study is to identify the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression, as well as to examine the changes in emotion regulation strategies of participants by comparing pre and post test data. The participants were voluntarily recruited from the Cornerstone Foundation, a homeless shelter, food pantry, and community center in Vernon, CT. The 13 participants completed PRISM through four weeks of two-hour workshop sessions in a small-group format. Results indicate …

Exploring The Use Of Mental Health Services And Programs At A Historically Black College: A Case Study, Stacey D. Wilson

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Research shows students’ use of counseling programs and services to address the mental health needs of their student body on HBCU campuses are underdocumented. This qualitative descriptive single case study was developed to provide substantiated conclusions on this use that can be added to the current literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate participants’ perceptions on the use of these services, and the strategies used to influence the use of these services, on one HBCU campus. This study was guided by two research questions: (a) What are the perceptions of the counseling center staff, faculty, and students of …

Animal-Assisted Therapy And Quality Of Life In Patients With Dementia, Karissa D. Thomson

Student Capstone Papers

The aim of this quantitative study was to examine the effects animal-assisted therapy (AAT) had on people diagnosed with dementia living in a nursing home. The study aimed to examine the effects AAT had on depression, blood pressure, social interaction, and how these factors impact quality of life (QOL). The study was conducted once a week for one hour on Thursdays for 6 weeks. 7 participants were included in the study and further broken down into two groups based upon their level of cognition as measured by the Mini-Mental Status Examination. Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and the World Health Organization …

Desire Satisfaction Theories And The Problem Of Depression, Andrew Spaid

Department of Philosophy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation argues that the desire satisfaction theory, arguably the dominant theory of well-being at present, fails to explain why depression is bad for a person. People with clinical depression desire almost nothing, but the few desires they do have are almost all satisfied. So it appears the theory must say these people are relatively well-off. A number of possible responses on behalf of the theory are considered, and I argue that each response either fails outright, or requires modifications to the desire satisfaction theory which make the theory unattractive for other reasons.

Advisors: Joseph Mendola and John Brunero

Influences Of Salvinorin A And Sex Differences On Depressive- And Anxiety-Like Behaviors In A Chronic Mild Stress Paradigm, Sarah Mitchell

Theses

Kappa opioid receptors are colocalized with dopamine receptors and are frequently associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and drug use and abuse. KOR antagonism has widely been considered anti-depressive and anxiolytic in animal models while agonism is pro-depressive and anxiogenic. However, recent findings suggest that SalvA, a natural kappa agonist derived from a plant in the mint family, can reduce depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in rats. The current study investigated the effects of chronic mild stress on behavior, attenuation by SalvA, and sex differences. 52 Long-Evans rats, 26 males and 26 females, were exposed to six weeks of CMS. Animals received …

The Use Of Antidepressants In Patients With Heart Failure, Norah Alsumih, Rahaf Alqahtani, Faisal Almutairi, Rakan Faraj, Turki Alsubeai, Ahmed Alghanim, Shmylan Alharbi, Hind Almodaimegh

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease affecting patients’ quality of life (QoL) and may cause depression. Recent studies reported that the prevalence of depression in patients with HF is 21.5%. Antidepressants, mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are usually prescribed for HF patients diagnosed with depression. Some evidence supports antidepressant’s role in improving symptoms by enhancing the psychological aspect of their QoL. Depression screening and treatment are important in the multidisciplinary management; however, their survival benefits are inconsistent. In our study, we aim to investigate the prevalence of depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with HF as …

An Evaluation Of An Intervention Designed To Assist Undergraduate Students To Increase Physical Activity Levels, Timothy Byrd

DNP and Student Works

Incidence of stress, anxiety and depression have risen dramatically among the young adult population. Identifying methods of preventing and treating these problems could reduce the disease burden and improve quality of life. Research indicates that self-efficacy is positively related to physical activity (PA) levels and both are inversely related to stress, anxiety, and depression and can be utilized to treat these symptoms. Purpose: To design an intervention to improve self-efficacy that will assist college students complaining of stress, anxiety and depression, and not meeting national recommendations for PA, to increase their level of PA in order to reduce psychological symptoms.

Multimodal Mental Health Analysis In Social Media, Amir Hossein Yazdavar, Mohammad Saeid Mahdavinejad, Goonmeet Bajaj, William Romine, Amit P. Sheth, Amir Hassan Monadjemi, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, John M. Meddar, Annie Myers, Jyotishman Pathak, Pascal Hitzler

Publications

Depression is a major public health concern in the U.S. and globally. While successful early identification and treatment can lead to many positive health and behavioral outcomes, depression, remains undiagnosed, untreated or undertreated due to several reasons, including denial of the illness as well as cultural and social stigma. With the ubiquity of social media platforms, millions of people are now sharing their online persona by expressing their thoughts, moods, emotions, and even their daily struggles with mental health on social media. Unlike traditional observational cohort studies conducted through questionnaires and self-reported surveys, we explore the reliable detection of depressive …

"Do N'T Stop Believin'"In A Pair Of Socks: How The Sopranos Shapes Our Understanding Of Mental Illness, Adam Richard Brockman

Theses and Dissertations

This study rhetorically analyzed the final season of The Sopranos for its argument about

the nature of psychological depression in several contexts and forms. Consisting of nine

episodes, the final season of the series features pivotal moments in which characters confront the

sources of their depression and respond to them in a variety of ways. The study used both an

intertextual analysis and Burkean frames to provide insight into how the final season argues one

might overcome various forms of depression. It specifically considered depression related to

one’s family experiences, their existential concerns regarding death and spirituality, and their

indulgence …

Neural Activity During Self-Referential Processing In Children At Risk For Depression., Pan Liu, Matthew R J Vandermeer, Marc F Joanisse, Deanna M Barch, David J A Dozois, Elizabeth P Hayden

Psychology Publications

BACKGROUND: According to cognitive theories of depression, more negative and less positive self-schemas are thought to play a causal role in the disorder. Existing evidence speaks to the neural substrates of self-referential processes in both healthy and depressed individuals, but little is known about how the brain relates to self-referential processing in the context of depression risk in children. We therefore studied the neural substrates of self-referential processing in never-depressed preadolescent children at high and low risk for depression based on maternal depression history.

METHODS: A total of 87 never-depressed 10-12-year-old children (29 with maternal depression) completed a self-referential encoding …

Metaphors Of Mental Illness: How Emily Dickinson And Vincent Van Gogh Understood And Expressed Their Personal Battles With Depression, Samantha Moss

English Senior Capstone

Both the poet Emily Dickinson and the artist Vincent van Gogh wrestled with mental illness in their adult lives. There are indications that both suffered from major depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. Both lived in a time when there was no real understanding of mental illness and there was no language through which people could interpret and explain their pain. Dickinson used her poetry to create metaphors, metaphors centered around death and winter. Van Gogh created nature metaphors – and some centered around dying like Dickinson’s – in his paintings and in letters to his brother. These metaphors …

Exploring How Media Portrayals Of Mental Health Affect Public Perceptions Through Devised Theatre, Lauren Lash

Honors Projects

A performance piece and this corresponding paper serve as my honors project, which has two main foci: devised theatre and how the media affects perceptions of mental health. This packet is a documentation of the rehearsal process and sources that influenced the piece and a link to the piece itself. Documenting the rehearsal process included a list of songs, rehearsal plans, rehearsal schedules, and my reflections on the process. Helpful sources included a photo release form, which allowed me to include a recording in this packet, and my annotated bibliography included sources about devising, portraying mental health in theatre, and …

Media Use And Depression In College Students, Vanessa Woosley

UCARE: Research Products

College offers new experiences but with that new obstacles as well. Research also shows that there has been a growing need for mental health services on college campuses. 96.5% of American households have a television and 98% of college students are on the internet which is higher than non-students. In this paper, I looked at whether or not there was a direct relationship between media consumption (old and new) and depressive symptoms (distress and general health). In addition, I examined possible mediating variables of self-esteem, life satisfaction and stress. Correlation testing and ordinary least-squares regression with multiple models were used. …

The Influence Of Minority Stress On Level Of Depression Among Thai Lgbt Adults, Priyoth Kittiteerasack, Alana Steffen, Alicia Matthews

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

In the US, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals report higher rates of depression compared with heterosexual and cisgender persons. To date, little is known about the mental health of LGBT adults in Thailand. Here, we examined rates and correlates of depression among a volunteer sample of Thai LGBTs. Data were collected as part of a larger cross-sectional survey study. Standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity, stress, coping style, and minority stressors were completed. Of the 411 participants, 40.3% met the criteria for depression. In multivariate analyses, the combined influences of sociodemographic factors, general stress, coping strategies, …

Validating The Collegiate Optimism Orientation Test And Exploring Its Correlation To Gpa And Mental Health Among College Students, Emilia Bingham

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Collegiate Optimism Orientation Test (COOT) was designed to provide a more specific and accurate understanding of an individual’s optimism in a collegiate setting. The current study investigates the reliability and validity of the COOT in order to demonstrate its usefulness as a measure of optimism in college students and examines the relationship between optimism and both mental health and GPA. Participants were gathered using online survey websites, one of which was specific for students at Brigham Young University specifically and the other of which was open to any college student in the United States. Participants took a survey consisting …

What’S In A Name? How The Language Of Mental Health Diagnoses Affects The Ability To Heal, Elizabeth Marston, Samuel Marion

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

When a person receives a mental health diagnosis, they are often started down a path of receiving help, but also of receiving stigma. This presentation will discuss how language around a diagnosis can affect a child’s sense of self as well as either help or hurt a student’s ability to manage and heal.