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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Mental Illness Driven Amphetamine Overdose, Kierstin Siaca Apr 2017

Mental Illness Driven Amphetamine Overdose, Kierstin Siaca

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Eating Disorders In Prison Populations, Samantha Donovan Apr 2016

Eating Disorders In Prison Populations, Samantha Donovan

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Heightened Levels Of Stress And Contributing Factors In Caregivers Of Special Needs Children, Heather Velon Apr 2015

Heightened Levels Of Stress And Contributing Factors In Caregivers Of Special Needs Children, Heather Velon

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Characterization Of The Stress Response In The Perimenopausal Woman: Interrelationships Among Physiological And Emotional Measures, Andrea P. Ramirez Apr 2015

Characterization Of The Stress Response In The Perimenopausal Woman: Interrelationships Among Physiological And Emotional Measures, Andrea P. Ramirez

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


The Role Of Calcium Signaling Genes In Schizophrenia Development, Nisha Bhatia Apr 2015

The Role Of Calcium Signaling Genes In Schizophrenia Development, Nisha Bhatia

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Comparing Social Interactions Of Left Brain And Right Brain Stroke Patients, Tara E. Felix Mar 2013

Comparing Social Interactions Of Left Brain And Right Brain Stroke Patients, Tara E. Felix

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.


A Culture Of Stigma: Black Women And Mental Health, Alexandria Okeke Jan 2013

A Culture Of Stigma: Black Women And Mental Health, Alexandria Okeke

Undergraduate Research Awards

For Black women, the issue of stereotype has been a factor affecting use of medical care and support, especially for mental illness. Black women with mental illness may not be treating their mental issues, but instead masking them. Historical medical experimentation, distrust of medical institutions, the trope of the “strong Black woman,” which operate uniquely to Black communities, stresses the need for culturally inclusive mental healthcare. This research also has implications for mental health initiatives and public policy imperatives in other communities of color. This project explores the history of medical experimentation on African Americans, the resulting distrust of medical …


Taking The Perspective That A Depressive State Reflects Inflammation: Implications For The Use Of Antidepressants, Jill Littrell Aug 2012

Taking The Perspective That A Depressive State Reflects Inflammation: Implications For The Use Of Antidepressants, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

This paper reviews both the evidence that supports the characterization of depression as an inflammatory disorder and the different biochemical mechanisms that have been postulated for the connection between inflammation and depression. This association offers credible explanation for the short term efficacy of antidepressants, which have short term anti-inflammatory effects. Evidence for those anti-inflammatory effects is discussed. Evidence of the contrary long-term effects of antidepressants, which increase rather than decrease inflammation, is also reviewed. It is argued that this increase in inflammation would predict an increase in chronicity among depressed patients that have been treated with antidepressants drugs, which has …


Is There Evidence For The Bipolar Spectrum And The Safety Of Pharmaceutical Interventions?, Jill Littrell Jan 2012

Is There Evidence For The Bipolar Spectrum And The Safety Of Pharmaceutical Interventions?, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

Social workers constitute a high proportion of mental health professionals and a high percentage of social workers provide mental health care. Thus, psychiatric diagnoses and pharmaceutical interventions are relevant for many social workers. This paper reviews the rise in the diagnoses of Bipolar spectrum disorders for both children and adults. It considers the safety of antipsychotic medications, a mainstay of treatment for children and adults, which, in addition to other well-documented negative side effects, have recently been shown to decrease brain volume by a significant percent. These issues are particularly relevant for children in the foster care system.


The Controversy Over Antidepressant Drugs In An Era Of Evidence-Based Practice, Jill Littrell, Jeffrey Lacasse Jan 2012

The Controversy Over Antidepressant Drugs In An Era Of Evidence-Based Practice, Jill Littrell, Jeffrey Lacasse

SW Publications

Questions regarding the efficacy of antidepressant drugs have been a recent focus of attention in the national news both in print and in the television media. Many clients will have questions regarding what they can believe and how they can address mood problems. Social workers constitute a greater percentage of the mental health work force than any other profession. Thus, social workers will probably be asked by clients about these issues. This article presents information on the efficacy of antidepressants for both the short and long term. It covers adverse effects and withdrawal symptoms. Clients' self-determination should be honored. However, …


Can A Diagnosis Be Epidemic, With Therapeutic Efforts The Catastrophe?, Jill Littrell Jan 2012

Can A Diagnosis Be Epidemic, With Therapeutic Efforts The Catastrophe?, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

The diagnosis of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (BSD) given for office visits has risen 40 fold for children and has risen dramatically for adults as well. Some of the growth may have been fueled by re-categorization of individuals who would previously have received diagnoses of major depression along with the widening of diagnostic criteria for BSD. Concomitant with the rise in BSD diagnoses, the number of adults and children receiving atypical antipsychotics has increased dramatically. Recent evidence finds that atypical antipsychotics cause considerable reduction in brain volume. It is thus imperative to ensure that those with diagnoses comprising BSD—Bipolar I, Bipolar …


Children In Foster Care And Excessive Medications, Jill L. Littrell Jan 2012

Children In Foster Care And Excessive Medications, Jill L. Littrell

SW Publications

Children in foster care system are more likely to receive diagnoses of major mental illness and to be medicated with powerful medications such as antipsychotic drugs. Reasons for the increased risk of the actual mental illnesses and for the diagnoses of illness among children in foster care are reviewed. The reliabilities of various diagnoses are considered. The legitimacy of the rationale for early medications to prevent later disability is discussed. The very real hazards of medicating with antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, stimulants, mood stabilizers and antidepressants are reviewed. A discussion of advocacy efforts occurring around the United States on behalf of medicated …


Wearing Memory Thin: The Effects Of High Fat Diet On Neuroinflammation And Memory, Ashley E.N. Watson, Emily C. Bruggeman, Marise B. Parent Jan 2012

Wearing Memory Thin: The Effects Of High Fat Diet On Neuroinflammation And Memory, Ashley E.N. Watson, Emily C. Bruggeman, Marise B. Parent

DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.


Social Support, Gender, And Treatment-Seeking Behavior For Substance Abuse: Does Social Support Influence Treatment Attendance Among Substance Abusing Women And Men?, Robyn Borgman, Joanna Akin Jan 2012

Social Support, Gender, And Treatment-Seeking Behavior For Substance Abuse: Does Social Support Influence Treatment Attendance Among Substance Abusing Women And Men?, Robyn Borgman, Joanna Akin

DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal

Women are less likely than men to seek treatment for substance abuse (alcohol and illicit drugs). In 2005, women comprised about 32% of all substance abusers seeking treatment (SAMHSA, 2005). One study found that 23% of men and 15.1% of women with alcohol abuse or dependence had ever received treatment, suggesting that a smaller proportion of substance abusing women receive treatment than substance abusing men (Greenfield et al., 2006). Reduced treatment-seeking among women may be due to an interaction of both external and internal barriers. External barriers are defined as socio-cultural or structural factors discouraging treatment attendance and internal barriers …


Quality Of Relationships And Alcohol Dependence In Young Adults, Darlene Belen, Allie Ramsay Jan 2012

Quality Of Relationships And Alcohol Dependence In Young Adults, Darlene Belen, Allie Ramsay

DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal

Alcohol dependence and abuse in young adults is a growing problem, especially on college campuses. Relationships between young adults and their family members and peers appear to be factors that influence alcohol use. Previous research on alcohol use and relationships has primarily focused on relationship satisfaction or parent involvement, and few studies have investigated the quality of sibling and friend relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine how different dimensions of relationships (i.e., support, depth, and conflict) and relationship type (i.e., parent, sibling, significant other, and same-sex friend) are related to alcohol dependence in young adults. College students …


Perspectives Emerging From Neuroscience On Why People Become Addicted And What To Do About It, Jill Littrell Jan 2010

Perspectives Emerging From Neuroscience On Why People Become Addicted And What To Do About It, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

This paper reviews the new ideas emerging from neuroscience regarding the question of why some people are compelled to use drugs. During the process of drug exposure, the brain’s motivational system is changed in ways that co-opts the individual’s motivational system. Changes in the brain’s motivational structures along with changes in the brain’s self-regulatory structures compel an individual to drug use. Ways to reverse those changes in an addicted brain have been identified, as have ways to enhance self-regulatory control. The information from neuroscience offers a new perspective on “loss of control” as well as offering implications for treatment.


The Mind-Body Connection: Not Just A Theory Anymore, Jill Littrell Jan 2008

The Mind-Body Connection: Not Just A Theory Anymore, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

The field of psychoneuroimmunology has witnessed an explosion of empirical findings during the last two decades. Research has documented the mechanisms through which stressful emotions alter white blood cell function. Stress diminishes white blood cell response to viral infected cells and to cancer cells. Moreover, vaccination is less effective in those who are stressed and wounds heal less readily in those who are stressed. While stress decreases the activity of some white blood cells, stress does not compromise the function of all types of white blood cells. Indeed, some types of autoimmune disease, which involve particular subsets of white blood …


Book Review: “Mental Illness In The Family: Issues And Trends”, Jill Littrell Jan 1999

Book Review: “Mental Illness In The Family: Issues And Trends”, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

No abstract provided.


The Swedish Studies Of The Adopted Children Of Alcoholics, Jill Littrell Jan 1988

The Swedish Studies Of The Adopted Children Of Alcoholics, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

The authors of the widely cited studies analyzing the Swedish adoption records of the children of alcoholics have advanced the notion that there are three distinct paths for the inheritance of alcoholism. One path results in moderate alcoholism in men and a form of somatization but no alcoholism in women. A second path results in severe and mild alcoholism in men and alcoholism in women. The third path results in a particular variety of alcohol abuse in men and a particular variety of somatization in women. This article analyzes the authors' claims. It is argued that the data were improperly …