Mental Disorders Commons^™

Who Should Pay The Bill For The Mental Health Crisis In Africa?, Cyprian Mostert, Olivera Nesic Taylor,, Chinedu Momoh, Murad M. Khan Dr., Thomas Thesen, Edna Bosire, Dominic Trepel, Karen Blackmon, Manasi Kumar, Zul Merali

Brain and Mind Institute

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Reserve, Cortisol, And Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers: A Memory Clinic Study, Manasa Yerramalla, Alexander Darin-Mattsson, Chinedu Momoh, Jasper Holleman, Ingemar Kåreholt, Malin Aspö, Göran Hagman, Miia Kivipelto, Alina Solomon, Anna Marseglia

Brain and Mind Institute

INTRODUCTION Cognitive reserve might mitigate the risk of Alzheimer's dementia among memory clinic patients. No study has examined the potential modifying role of stress on this relation.

METHODS We examined cross-sectional associations of the cognitive reserve index (CRI; education, occupational complexity, physical and leisure activities, and social health) with cognitive performance and AD-related biomarkers among 113 memory clinic patients. The longitudinal association between CRI and cognition over a 3-year follow-up was assessed. We examined whether associations were influenced by perceived stress and five measures of diurnal salivary cortisol.

RESULTS Higher CRI scores were associated with better cognition. Adjusting for cortisol …

Accuracy Of Phq-9 Against Psychiatric Diagnosis For Depression Among People Living With Hiv: A Multicounty Cross-Sectional Study, Marcel Yotebieng, Natalia Zotova, Charlotte Bernard, Suzanne Goodrich, Rogers Awoh, Dana Watnick, Dominique Nsonde, Elodie Moungang, Julie Noumedem, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the 9-item Patient Health questionnaire (PHQ-9) against psychiatrist diagnosis in PLWH.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected between January 2018 and July 2022 across five sites in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo. Participants were ≥18 years and receiving HIV care at the participating site. PHQ-9 was administered by study staff followed by a psychiatrist’s evaluation within 3 days.

Results: Overall, 778 participants with complete data were included: 297 (38.2%) in Cameroon, 132 (17.0%) in Congo, 148 (19.0%) in Cote d’Ivoire, …

Impact Of Prenatal Maternal Depression On Gestational Length Post Hoc Analysis Of A Randomized Clinical Trial, Elysia Poggi Davis, Catherine H. Demers, Lillybelle Deer, Robert Gallop, M. Camille Hoffman, Nancy Grote, Benjamin L. Hankin

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Background Shortened gestation is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality with lifelong consequences for health. There is a need for public health initiatives on increasing gestational age at birth. Prenatal maternal depression is a pervasive health problem robustly linked via correlational and epidemiological studies to shortened gestational length. This proof-of-concept study tests the impact of reducing prenatal maternal depression on gestational length with analysis of a randomized clinical trial (RCT).

Methods Participants included 226 pregnant individuals enrolled into an RCT and assigned to receive either interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) or enhanced usual care (EUC). Recruitment began in July 2017 …

Accessible Real-Time Eye-Gaze Tracking For Neurocognitive Health Assessments, A Multimodal Web-Based Approach, Daniel C. Tisdale

Master's Theses

We introduce a novel integration of real-time, predictive eye-gaze tracking models into a multimodal dialogue system tailored for remote health assessments. This system is designed to be highly accessible requiring only a conventional webcam for video input along with minimal cursor interaction and utilizes engaging gaze-based tasks that can be performed directly in a web browser. We have crafted dynamic subsystems that capture high-quality data efficiently and maintain quality through instances of user attrition and incomplete calls. Additionally, these subsystems are designed with the foresight to allow for future re-analysis using improved predictive models, as well as enable the creation …

Family Fragments: Pressure And Proximity In First-Episode Psychosis, Cassandra B. Seltman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores the value of assuming a position that decenters the identified patient in families with a member with schizophrenia. Instead, a systemic view of the family is taken, as subject to pressures from without and within, and utilizing observable processes for the management and discharge of tension. It attempts the difficult balance of thinking dynamically without sacrificing scientific rigor, considering the social without discounting the biological, and exploring the functionality of the family without collapsing into blame, reductive cause-and-effect thinking, and the search to prioritize one true origin.

When treating family members as discrete units around an identified …

Implementing An Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale At An Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Amanda Ghamsari

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Movement disorders caused from psychotropic medications affect an estimated 500,000 people in the United States. These disorders bring an added cost for treatment to the patient, cause emotional distress, and may hinder daily life. Overall health and additional medication costs were increased for these patients by $25,879 per patient per year compared to patients without a movement disorder.

Purpose of Project: To address the issue, the team of mental health providers at an outpatient clinic assess their mental health patients at start of care and at follow up visits utilizing the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. With the goal of …

Increasing Patient Access To Mental Health Providers: Improving Depression And Anxiety Outcomes For African American Women Aged 18 Years Old And Older, Twanna Davis-Arnold, Farnaz Trasandes

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Increasing patient access to mental health providers: Improving depression and anxiety outcomes for African American women aged 18 years old and older.

Background: Depression and anxiety are growing health problems in the United States. In 2020/2021, there was a 36.4% to 41.5% increase in reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Evidence has shown that African American women experience disproportionate increased risks and disparities in obtaining mental health care.

Purpose of Project: To improve access to African American or culturally competent mental health providers for adult African American women. Improving access to mental health care will lead to earlier diagnosis …

Resonant Perceptions: Exploring Autistic Aesthetics Through Embodied Cognition, James Hutson, Piper Hutson

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This study investigates the nuanced realm of aesthetic preferences among individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) compared to neurotypical individuals, addressing a significant gap in understanding the diverse perceptual experiences within the neurodiverse community. The impetus for this study stems from the growing recognition of neurodiversity and the need to appreciate how individuals with ASC uniquely experience and interpret their environment, particularly in the context of aesthetics. Employing a dual-method approach, the research integrates data from comprehensive surveys and in-depth interviews to construct a comparative analysis of aesthetic preferences and experiences. Participants encompassed a broad demographic spectrum, ensuring a diverse …

Colorful Conversations: Enhancing Communication In Nonspeaking Toddlers Through Art Therapy, Joy Wu

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this study was to learn how art therapy helps non-speaking children ages two years old build up their communication with others. Although there are not many early publications on the benefit of art therapy to children ages two, the existing research suggests that art therapy can aid those children in speaking based on the experience of art making. During the art creation process, engaging with art materials and their potential power can enable the expression and conveyance of emotions as art serves as containment. Therefore, art therapy can assist nonspeaking toddlers to begin communicating verbally. This writer …

Regulation Through Rhythm: A Literature Review On Dance/Movement Therapy Approaches To Facilitating Nervous System Regulation, Elizabeth Barbera

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

The mental health field has started to pay attention to how trauma plays into a person’s overall mental and physical well-being. Because of this more research has shown the connection between mind and body. Yet the clinical implications and literature on theories of how to treat trauma and trauma related disorders do not always connect. This review of literature seeks to analyze the literature on Porges’, Polyvagal Theory and Amighi’s, Kestenberg Movement Profiles. An investigation of the current literature makes a connection between the phylogenetic order of both the nervous system and developmental movement. Considerations of how trauma, in …

Utilizing Flow Arts Movement As An Expressive Arts Therapy Tool To Treat Trauma: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Shannon Mcgrail

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This expressive arts-based autoethnography research explores the effectiveness of using flow arts movement as a tool of expressive arts therapy to treat symptoms of trauma for individuals who experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. While research on the use of flow arts movement to treat mental illness is in its early stage, much can be drawn from the literature on expressive arts therapy and dance/movement therapy research with a range of populations addressing trauma. Through exploration of trauma through neuroscience, mind, body, and integrated mindfulness through flow, this work aims to bring an understanding of using intermodal expressive arts …

Bad Therapy: Conceptualizing The Teaching Of “Thinking Like A Lawyer” As Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Chelsea Baldwin

St. Mary's Law Journal

Law students and lawyers experience mental illness and substance abuse at higher rates than the general population and other learned professions. This is bad for an individual’s wellbeing as well as their clients and society because mental illness and substance abuse increases stress which in turn decreases effective decision-making and judgment, and in worst case scenarios leads to attrition as individuals choose death by suicide which has cascading social and economic impacts. This Article identifies practices in legal education that likely combine in a causal mechanism, although not a sole cause, to the higher rates of mental illness and substance …

Congenital Heart Defects And Autism: Associated Risk Factors, Amanda R. Strasser, Amanda N. Manderfeld, Paul C. Glasier, Elizabeth J. Willen

Research Days

Background: Children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) have higher odds of developing social difficulties and/or an Autism Spectrum Disorder (AuSD) than the general population. Most research to date has utilized a parent-reported diagnosis and/or parent-reported questionnaire data. The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence of AuSD diagnosis and associated risk factors in a patient sample from a medium-size children’s hospital.

Working Hypotheses: The prevalence of AuSD and associated risk factors is greater in the CHD population.

Methods: Our population includes a clinically referred sample of children (i.e., medical history of CHD and neurodevelopmental risk) under 18 who …

Trends In Substance Use And Mental Health Among Adolescents In Georgia, 2002-2022, Saumya S. Palipudi, Bangaru Talli Palipudi, Murty Komanduri

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

Background: While substance use and absence of mental health disorders among youth in the United States (US) have declined over the past two decades, post COVID-19 pandemic, these conditions have increased significantly with notable disparities, and witnessed a crisis in public health. In 2022, 24.7% or 6.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the US had either Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) or Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and 3.7 percent had both in the prior year². Increased stress, lack of peer connections, parental abuse, and poor mental health conditions were attributed to this increase in substance use^{3-7 …}

A Beginner's Guide To Gerontological Counseling: A Summary Of Considerations For Counselors Providing Psychotherapy To Older Adults In Rural Settings, Kelly D. Higgins

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The elderly population continues to rapidly increase in the United States, leading to a significant need for mental health care among older adults. While older adults experience significant role changes, increased potential for physical and cognitive limitations, and heightened social isolation, all of which contribute to an increased psychiatric need, very few counselors are specially trained to provide adequate geriatric treatment. This is especially true in rural populations, where accessibility limitations are often more significant and mental health professionals are few and far between. This project provides a brief review of the literature regarding these various considerations, challenges, and areas …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

An Actuarial Prediction Of Adhd Using Neuropsychological Data, Kimberlyn Williams

Poster Presentations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric diagnosis in children and a frequent psychiatric diagnosis in adults. ADHD is a clinical diagnosis based on self-reported symptoms which makes accurate diagnosis challenging. Actuarial prediction has been demonstrated to be more accurate than clinical judgment. The current study explored an actuarial approach to predicting ADHD based on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. This project utilized test data from Meyers Neuropsychological Battery (MNB) to develop a logistic regression model to accurately predict diagnosed ADHD cases (n=65) from normal functioning cases (n=79) with a history of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI). Binary …

Implementation Of A Validated Suicide Screening Tool In A University Student Health Center, Tessa Welniak, Bailey Coslor, Cathrin Carithers

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Purpose. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adults in the United States and Nebraska. Death by suicide impacts millions of adults every year in the United States but warning signs are often missed during visits with primary care providers. The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) Student Health Center (SHC), like many other primary care clinics, did not routinely screen patients for suicide risk. According to the Joint Commission, all patients over 12 years of age should be screened for suicide using a validated screening tool if the visit is for any behavioral health concern. The project’s …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A School-Based Cognitive Behavioral Youth Depression Prevention Program In Improving Life Satisfaction, Roshani Patel, Steven M. Brunwasser, Alissa Hochman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, known as the global burden of disease. Incident cases from 1990 to 2017 have increased by 49.86%. Additionally, rates have been seen to dramatically rise in adolescents aged 18-25 (17%) compared to rates in individuals aged 10-14 (1.1%). This makes it beneficial to have prevention programs for middle school aged children. The Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) is a youth depression prevention program focused on cultivating healthy thinking styles and behavioral coping skills. In our study, we used archival data from a randomized control trial of PRP to evaluate whether the program led …