Mental Disorders Commons^™

Consumers, Clergy, And Clinicians In Collaboration: Ongoing Implementation And Evaluation Of A Mental Wellness Program, Glen Milstein, Dennis Middel, Adriana Espinosa

Publications and Research

As a foundation of most cultures, with roots in persons’ early development, religion can be a source of hope as well as denigration. Some religious institutions have made attempts to help persons with mental health problems, and some mental health professionals have sought to engage religion resources. These programs have rarely been sustained. In 2008, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) developed a program to assess the utility of religion resources within mental health care. In response to positive feedback, MHCD appointed a director of Faith and Spiritual Wellness who facilitates community outreach to faith communities and spiritual integration …

Consequences Of Job Stress For The Psychological Well-Being Of Teachers, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Peter Luehring-Jones

Publications and Research

This chapter examines research on the relationship between job stressors and mental health (depressive symptoms, burnout, and mental disorders such as depression) in teachers. Teachers are exposed daily to job stressors (e.g., student disruptiveness) that have been linked to adverse mental health effects. Epidemiologic research indicates that when compared to members of other groups, teachers experience higher rates of mental disorder, although some studies question that conclusion. Large-scale studies indicate when compared to members of other occupational groups, teachers are at higher risk for exposure to workplace violence, with its adverse mental health consequences. Longitudinal research has linked teaching-related stressors …

Development Of A Measure Of Model Fidelity For Mental Health Crisis Resolution Teams, Brynmor Lloyd-Evans, Gary R. Bond, Torleif Ruud, Ada Ivanecka

Dartmouth Scholarship

Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs) provide short-term intensive home treatment to people experiencing mental health crisis. Trial evidence suggests CRTs can be effective at reducing hospital admissions and increasing satisfaction with acute care. When scaled up to national level however, CRT implementation and outcomes have been variable. We aimed to develop and test a fidelity scale to assess adherence to a model of best practice for CRTs, based on best available evidence.

Improving Mental Health Of Elementary School Children, Alexa Proctor

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Alexa Proctor is an advanced practice student on clinical rotations with the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. In this article, she describes her experience working with Mental Health America (MHA) of Tippecanoe County and third grade children, in addition to her passion to help improve mental health in students of all ages.

Alleged Insanity: Frank Johnson Sr., Racial Injustice, And The Failure Of The Mental Health Care System In South Carolina, Jonathon P. Johnson

Senior Theses

This thesis is about Frank Johnson Sr. and the circumstances that led to his downfall as a farmer and father of six, to his tragic death in the isolation of a racially segregated mental institution 18 miles away from his home. Using his life and incarceration at the South Carolina State Park mental health facility, I argue that racial injustice contributed to his tragic death and the woefully inadequate treatment thousands of African Americans in South Carolina received during Jim Crow. Additionally, I argue that the tragic circumstances around my great grandfather’s institutionalization and death were part of an enduring …

Research Brief: "Unmet Mental Healthcare Need And Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the relationship between veterans' unfulfilled mental healthcare needs and suicidal ideation. In policy and practice, physicians should provide information to veterans about organizations and initiatives for assistance, and veterans' organizations should address socioeconomic needs, mental healthcare needs, and alcohol and substance use among the veteran population; policymakers should provide healthcare services for veterans to ensure that they receive mental healthcare when they need it. Suggestions for future research include reporting techniques besides self-reporting, incorporating veterans into the study who might have mental health concerns but are not clinically diagnosed, and looking at the impact of family …

Implementing Change To Decrease The Emergency Department Visits For Pediatric Clients Referred To Mental Health Services, Diane Sandoval

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this clinical nurse leader (CNL) internship project is to implement an improvement intervention to decrease emergency department visits or psychiatric emergency services visit rates for pediatric clients receiving mental health services through the ambulatory clinic. The goal is to increase client safety by preventing harm to themselves or others and improving quality of care provided through timely nursing telephone triage. The project is taking place in a county run pediatric ambulatory clinic. We will participate in a shared leadership team to make recommendations for improvement at the microsystem level. Team members include the charge nurse, clinic manager, …

All Things New: A Holistic Theology Of Major Depression And Pastoral Care, T. S. Giovanetto

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

M.A. Thesis, Trinity International University, 2015.

Full Text of the Thesis available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

This study approaches the topic of mental illness within the church, integrating biblical theology and clinical psychology to propose a model of pastoral care for the severely depressed. Examining the history of distrust between the church and the social sciences, and criticizing prominent models of pastoral care built upon the chastisement of mentally ill individuals, the thesis proposes a model of care built upon the acceptance and validation of persons facing psychological distress. In this model, ministers teach sufferers to …

Experiences Of Non-Traditional Female College Students With Bipolar Disorder, Taylor Lynn Massie

Online Theses and Dissertations

Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the

Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Substance-Related Emergency Psychiatry Admissions, M. Scott Young, Kathleen A. Moore

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

Background: Individuals commonly present for emergency psychiatry services for reasons related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs. This study assessed the prevalence of these phenomena and explored characteristics distinguishing emergency psychiatry admissions with versus without presenting problems related to substance use. Methods: Data included standardized emergency psychiatry intake interviews from 2,161 consecutive admissions to three hospital-based emergency psychiatry departments in Florida’s Tampa Bay area. Admissions were classified as substanceinvolved if substance use was ascertained to be related to the presenting problem(s). Cases with only substance-related presenting problems were classified as substance-only admissions. Descriptive statistics compared substance-involved admissions to …

Saving Our Heroes: A Longitudinal Study Of Mental Disorders Within The Fire Service, Bailee Pelham

Scripps Senior Theses

Previous research on the mental health of firefighters has shown that they are at a greater risk than the majority of the population to develop various mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, very little research has been done on the repetitive cumulative exposure to trauma that is associated with their career, which may lead to elevated levels of mental disorders that may not be detected in one testing. In this study, a series of assessments will be given to a sample of urban firefighters every year for the entirety of their …

Research Brief: "Suicide Risk Among 1.3 Million Veterans Who Were On Active Duty During The Iraq And Afghanistan Wars", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about a comparison between the post-service suicide risk of recent wartime veterans versus the suicide risk of the general population in the US. In policy and practice, veterans at risk for suicide should seek counseling, counselors should be aware of military service-specific stressors, and family members should support veterans through readjustment periods; the DoD and VA should continue offering medical screening and counseling services to recent veterans and veterans who were deployed. Suggestions for future research include examining the reasons for lower rates of suicide within certain military branches, determining the reasons for an excess suicide rate …

Research Brief: "Coping, Family Social Support, And Psychological Symptoms Among Student Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study is about coping styles among student veterans and what is related to various coping styles. For policy and practice, universities should understand veterans' stigmatization of mental health services and should improve cultural competence; the Department of Veterans Affairs should work with universities to ensure student veteran success. Suggestions for future research include using a larger, more representative sample and looking at the effects of actual versus perceived social support.

Research Brief: "Suicidality Among Military-Connected Adolescents In California Schools", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study examines the prevalence of suicidal ideations among military-connected youth in California, and found that twenty-four percent of military-connected youth reported seriously considering suicide. Given these findings, school personnel and mental health providers should teach coping techniques for anxiety, depression, and stress; they would also benefit from implementing a policy that forbids service members from bringing firearms home during extended leaves and weekends. Future studies should sample military children of all grade levels, including college/university.

Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Unforeseen Consequences Of California's Deinstitutionalization Policy, Jen Rushforth

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Beginning with the passage of the Lanterman-Petris- Short Act in 1969, deinstitutionalization in California has had a devastating effect on the mentally ill. Instead of affording the mentally ill with more rights and protections, the process of shutting down state psychiatric hospitals and impeding psychiatric care for those in need caused a cascade effect leading to an increase of homelessness and incarceration. Over the past four decades, prisons and jails in California have become the de facto state mental hospitals, with severely mentally ill individuals having nearly a four-to-one chance of ending up in jail or prison over a psychiatric …

Life Balance – A Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Promotion Program: Conceptualization, Implementation, Compliance And User Satisfaction In A Field Setting, Lisa Lyssenko, Gerhard Müller, Nikolaus Kleindienst, Christian Schmal, Mathias Berger, Georg Eifert, Alexander Kölle, Siegmar Nesch, Jutta Ommer-Hohl, Michael Wenner, Martin Bohus

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mental health disorders account for a large percentage of the total burden of illness and constitute a major economic challenge in industrialized countries. Several prevention programs targeted at high-risk or sub-clinical populations have been shown to decrease risk, to increase quality of life, and to be cost-efficient. However, there is a paucity of primary preventive programs aimed at the general adult population. “Life Balance” is a program that employs strategies borrowed from well-established psychotherapeutic approaches, and has been made available to the public in one federal German state by a large health care insurance company. The data presented here …

Resilience : An Independent Psychobiological Mental Health Construct (Guest Editorial), Amresh Srivastava

Data and Test Instruments

Survival against trauma is a unique characteristic of all human beings. While a number of factors contribute in building this capacity, resilience appears to be the most important one. Interest in studying resilience arises from number of areas which are of utmost clinical significance such as such as exploring the possibility of at-risk individuals who developing a mental illness]. Resilience is a human capacity to adapt swiftly and successfully to stressful or traumatic events and revert back to a positive state. It is commonly conceptualized as the ability to thrive despite experiencing adversity

Research Brief: "Suicides In The Military: The Post-Modern Combat Veteran And The Hemingway Effect", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about current suicide prevention interventions within the military. In policy and practice, practitioners should monitor the wellness of aging veterans and ensure that a support system exists for their veteran patients, while veterans should participate in social events with other veterans; the VA and DoD should implement programs to ensure that veterans have feelings of belongingness and the VA should monitor veterans' well-being for 2-3 years after service during transitions. Suggestions for future research include examining the communities and veteran service organizations that produce the most useful support for veterans with mental health problems.

Research Brief: "Prevalence Of Childhood Trauma Among U.S. Army Soldiers With Suicidal Behavior", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the link between childhood trauma and servicemember suicide risk within the US Army. In policy and practice, communities should be willing to discuss abuse with servicemembers who experienced childhood trauma, healthcare providers should tell veterans and servicemembers about their treatment options, and family members should assist with the mental health treatment of veterans and servicemembers. Policymakers should create programs that encourage social networks and increase the number of veteran and military support groups. Suggestions for future research include using a different data source for the study, adding a control group, and broadening the sample of veterans …

Research Brief: "Suicide Among Patients In The Veterans Affairs Health System: Rural-Urban Differences In Rates, Risks, And Methods", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the differences between rural and urban veterans in risks and rates for suicide. In policy and practice, communities should implement support programs for rural veterans, and veteran families should educate themselves about the risk factors for suicide and support veterans in their families; policymakers should increase VA outreach programs in rural areas, as well as programs educating rural veterans about the importance of mental health treatment for those at risk for suicide. Suggestions for future research include looking at the impact of social context on suicide rates, determining the relationship between suicide risk for rural veterans …

Research Brief: "Partnering With Communities To Address The Mental Health Needs Of Rural Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research focuses on veterans in rural communities who have less access to mental health providers. The Yellow Ribbon Task Force program promoted and encouraged engagement in mental health care for veterans in rural communities, although future policies should enhance already existing clinical practices to increase standards for care. For further study, researchers should focus on evaluating initial program implementation and pilot testing in a variety of states and rural populations.

United States: Mental Health Issues In An Adolescent Medicine Clinic Patient Population, Abdel Salous, Linah Al-Alem, Hatim A. Omar

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

The correlation between exposure to forms of violence and development of mental disorders in victims is well established. The purpose of this chapter was to identify mental health problems in an adolescent medicine clinic population in Lexington, Kentucky and to investigate potential correlation of mental disorders with psychosocial factors. Data were gathered from the charts of 169 adolescent clinic patients (age 10-22) seen in the clinic for mental health care and analyzed using Excel. Of the patient population, 68% were urban, whereas 32% were rural. In terms of gender, 40% of the patients were male and 60% were female, 80% …

Research Brief: "Psychopathology, Iraq And Afghanistan Service, And Suicide Among Veterans Health Administration Patients", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the connections between being a OIF/OEF veteran who receives care from the VHA and suicide mortality. In policy and practice, mental health screenings for OIF/OEF veterans should be implemented in non-VHA healthcare settings and families of OIF/OEF veterans should encourage veterans to seek treatment if they exhibit signs of a mental health condition. The VHA should implement policies that promote its healthcare to veterans in order to decrease suicide risks among veterans and should also offer more mental health screenings for recently returned veterans. Suggestions for future research include looking at risks for suicide after traumatic …

Research Brief: "Impact Of The Seeking Safety Program On Clinical Outcomes Among Homeless Female Veterans With Psychiatric Disorders", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the effect of the Seeking Safety program's services on improvement in PTSD, psychiatric symptoms, and social support among homeless female veterans. In policy and practice, clinicians should be trained on how to use the program to better serve homeless female veterans, and policymakers should push for clinician training for those who work with homeless veterans. Suggestions for future research include applying this study and the Seeking Safety program to non-VA healthcare systems, assessing substance use within the program, and assessing the long-term effects of the Seeking Safety program.

Research Brief: "Psychiatric Status And Work Performance Of Veterans Of Operations Enduring Freedom And Iraqi Freedom", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study examines the relationship between psychiatric status and work impairment among OEF/OIF veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. In practice, mental health services are a high priority for the Veterans Administration, which is now focused on integrating behavioral health services into primary care so OEF/OIF veterans face fewer obstacles in obtaining and sustaining psychiatric care. In policy, policymakers should integrate veterans’ health programs with systematic assessment functioning, and develop treatment geared towards addressing impaired job performance. Suggestions for future study include focusing on whether workers with depression and other psychiatric conditions participate fully in the labor market and function effectively …

Psychosis In Indigenous Populations Of Cape York And The Torres Strait, Ernest M. Hunter, Bruce D. Gynther, Carrick J. Anderson, Leigh-Ann L. Onnis, Jeffrey R. Nelson, Wayne Hall, Bernhard T. Baune, Aaron R. Groves

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: To describe and characterise treated psychotic disorders in the Indigenous populations of Cape York and the Torres Strait.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of patients with a psychotic disorder identified by treating psychiatrists.

Setting and participants: Indigenous patients aged 􏰀 15 years in Cape York and Torres Strait communities receiving treatment for a psychotic disorder over 3 months in 2010.

Main outcome measures: Prevalence of psychosis diagnoses, intellectual disability, and substance use comorbidities.

Results: 171 patients were included. The prevalence rate in this population was 1.68%, higher for males (2.60%) than females (0.89%), and twice as high in the Aboriginal (2.05%) …

What The Governor’S Panel Learned, Aradhana "Bela" Sood

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Small Individual Loans And Mental Health: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among South African Adults, Lia C. H. Fernald, Rita Hamad, Dean Karlan, Emily J. Ozer, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: In the developing world, access to small, individual loans has been variously hailed as a poverty-alleviation tool – in the context of "microcredit" – but has also been criticized as "usury" and harmful to vulnerable borrowers. Prior studies have assessed effects of access to credit on traditional economic outcomes for poor borrowers, but effects on mental health have been largely ignored.

Methods: Applicants who had previously been rejected (n = 257) for a loan (200% annual percentage rate – APR) from a lender in South Africa were randomly assigned to a "second-look" that encouraged loan officers to approve their …

Behaviorally-Based Disorders: The Historical Social Construction Of Youths' Most Prevalent Psychiatric Diagnoses, Christopher A. Mallett

Social Work Faculty Publications

The article discusses the historical social construction of the most prevalent diagnosis of youth in the U.S. The country's psychiatry controls the definitions of mental health disorders and diagnosis through required practice utilization of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A research is conducted through a social construction theoretical paradigm to identify diagnostic classification systems, nosology changes, and critical time periods.

Big Boys Don't Cry : Understanding Barriers To Seeking Support For Mental Health Problems Among Adolescent Males, Amanda Miraudo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explored the possible barriers encountered by adolescents in developing and achieving positive mental health. Male adolescents in Perth, Western Australia were consulted in an attempt to provide insight into the motivating and inhibiting factors influencing help-seeking as a coping strategy. Barriers to seeking help for mental health problems were investigated through the inductive process of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to obtain a more detailed understanding of help-seeking than previous studies have provided; The study found that the coping responses most frequently enacted by the adolescent males sampled included avoidance, diversion, and private resolution. Help-seeking was far …