Rapid Triage of Mental Health Risk in Emergency Medical Workers: Findings From Typhoon Haiyan

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Sylwanowicz ◽  
Merritt Schreiber ◽  
Craig Anderson ◽  
Carlos Primero D. Gundran ◽  
Emelie Santamaria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Stepped Care ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Subclinical Depression

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the ability of a novel responder mental health self-triage system to predict post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in emergency medical responders after a disaster.MethodsParticipants in this study responded to Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013. They completed the Psychological Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (PsySTART) responder triage tool, the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) shortly after responding to this disaster. The relationships between these 3 tools were compared to determine the association between different risk exposures while providing disaster medical care and subsequent levels of PTSD or depression.ResultsThe total number of PsySTART responder risk factors was closely related to PCL-5 scores ≥38, the threshold for clinical PTSD. Several of the PsySTART risk factors were predictive of clinical levels of PTSD as measured by the PCL-5 in this sample of deployed emergency medical responders.ConclusionsThe presence of a critical number and type of PsySTART responder self-triage risk factors predicted clinical levels of PTSD and subclinical depression in this sample of emergency medical workers. The ability to identify these disorders early can help categorize an at-risk subset for further timely “stepped care” interventions with the goals of both mitigating the long-term consequences and maximizing the return to resilience. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:19–22)

Abuse, mistreatment and neglect

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-128
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older People ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Institutional Abuse

Between 2% and 10% of all older people are estimated to be victims of abuse. Isolation, frailty, dementia and dependency are all risk factors. Abuse and mistreatment occur in all contexts - family members are often implicated in domestic settings and paid workers in care settings. Whatever its aetiology abuse, in all its guises, has profoundly negative mental health consequences, including depression, anxiety, learned helplessness and post-traumatic stress disorder. These are pronounced in situations where exposure to abuse has been long term. At present all ‘types’ of abuse - domestic abuse, sexual violence, institutional abuse, abuse by a relative -are managed under the institutional umbrella of ‘safeguarding’. This model not only uncouples abuse from its (often) lifecourse roots but tends to foreground age as its defining dimension. Most policy related literature does not refer to frailty, socioeconomic disadvantage, gender, or issues of power. As power lies at the very heart of abuse of older people in all contexts this is a profound oversight. Policy and practice responses struggle to accommodate the complex causes of abuse, structural issues, or the perspective of the older person. They also fail to engage with a discourse of rights and social justice.

scholarly journals Online Mental Health Assessments of COVID-19 Patients in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Hyun Lee ◽  
Dayoung Lee ◽  
Soyoen Hyun ◽  
Ji Sun Hong ◽  
Chang-Hoon Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Patient Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Post Traumatic

Experiences of infectious diseases cause stressful and traumatic life events, hence, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could suffer from various mental health problems requiring psychological support services. This study investigates the severity of mental health problems among confirmed COVID-19 patients. From March to November 2020, we collected the data from 118 COVID-19 patients who voluntarily participated in the National Center for Disaster Trauma's online mental health assessment consisting of self-report scales like Primary Care of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder screen (PC-PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and P4 Suicidality Screener. For control, 116 other disaster-experienced and 386 non-COVID-19-experienced participants were recruited. The COVID-19 patients showed more severe symptoms including post-traumatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms than control groups across all four screening scales (p < 0.001). Regarding high-risk, COVID-19 patients had an increased association with high-risk compared to the comparison groups (PC-PTSD: OR = 24.16, 95% CI = 13.52–43.16 p < 0.001; PHQ-9: OR = 14.45, 95% CI = 8.29–25.19, p < 0.001; GAD-7: OR=20.71, 95% CI = 10.74–39.96, p < 0.001; PHQ-15: OR = 5.65, 95% CI = 3.44–9.25, p < 0.001; P4: OR = 14.67, 95% CI = 8.95–25.07, p < 0.001). This study's results imply that there is a high-risk of overall mental health problems, especially stronger associations of post-traumatic stress symptoms, in COVID-19 patients. These findings help inform practitioners about the psychological responses to COVID-19 experiences and to prepare appropriate interventions and services for the incremental number of confirmed cases.

Psychological well-being and risk perceptions of mothers in Kyiv, Ukraine, 19 years after the Chornobyl disaster

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 637-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Adams ◽  
Lin T. Guey ◽  
Semyon F. Gluzman ◽  
Evelyn J. Bromet
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Epidemiologic Risk

Background: The Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion in April 1986 was one of the worst ecological disasters of the 20th century. As with most disasters, its long-term mental health consequences have not been examined. Aims: This study describes the psychological well-being and risk perceptions of exposed women 19–20 years later and the risk factors associated with mental health. Methods: We assessed Chornobyl-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive episode (MDE) and overall distress among three groups of women in Kyiv, Ukraine ( N = 797): mothers of small children evacuated to Kyiv in 1986 from the contaminated area near the plant (evacuees); mothers of their children’s classmates (neighbourhood controls); and population-based controls from Kyiv. Risk perceptions and epidemiologic correlates were also obtained. Results: Evacuees reported poorer well-being and more negative risk perceptions than controls. Group differences in psychological well-being remained after adjustment for epidemiologic risk factors but became non-significant when Chornobyl risk perceptions were added to the models. Conclusions: The relatively poorer psychological well-being among evacuees is largely explained by their continued concerns about the physical health risks stemming from the accident. We suggest that this is due to the long-term, non-resolvable nature of health fears associated with exposure.

Identification and Referral of Patients at Risk for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Literature Review and Retrospective Analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 904-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Bolduc ◽  
Brice Hwang ◽  
Christopher Hogan ◽  
Varun K. Bhalla ◽  
Elizabeth Nesmith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post Traumatic

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well-established psychological disorder after severe traumatic injury but remains poorly recognized. Recent changes in the “Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Trauma Patient 2014” stress the need for comprehensive screening and referral for PTSD and depression after injury. Our purpose was to review the current PTSD literature and perform a retrospective chart review to evaluate screening at our institution. We hypothesized a lack of documentation and thus referral of these patients to mental health professionals. We performed a literature review of 43 publications of risk factors for PTSD in the civilian adult population followed by a retrospective review. Records were analyzed for basic demographics, risk factors found in the literature, and referrals to mental health providers. Risk factors included amputation, dissociative symptoms, female gender, history of mental health disorder, and peri-traumatic emotionality. Traumatic amputation status and gender were recorded in all patients. History of mental health disorder was present in 11.5 per cent patients, absent in 80.75 per cent, and not recorded in 7.75 per cent with an overall documentation of 91.75 per cent. Dissociative symptoms and peri-traumatic emotionality were recorded in 0.5 per cent and 1.0 per cent of patients, respectively. Only 13 patients of 400 (3.25%) were referred to mental health professionals. Despite extensive evidence and literature supporting risk factors for the development of PTSD, identification and treatment at our level 1 trauma center is lacking. There is a need for consistent screening among trauma centers to identify PTSD risk factors and protocols for risk reduction and referrals for patients at risk.

scholarly journals SUICIDE RELATED RISK FACTORS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Anand Lingeswaran
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Suicidal Death ◽  
Press Report ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Socially Isolated ◽  
New Onset

In India, media and press report frequent suicidal death in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Apart from known sociodemographic, psychological and mental health disorder related risk factors of suicide, a unique, different set of reasons seem to be noted among suicides during this pandemic. Notably, fear of being infected and infecting dear ones, lack of understanding about the disease, fear of isolation, distress from lockdown, boredom from excess time with self, uncertainty of cure, despair of being locked at home and socially isolated, all together compound emergence of preexisting new onset depression, panic, post-traumatic stress, psychoses and substance use. Complicated economic, social, and political instability due lockdown has worsened vulnerability to suicidal behaviours among general population and healthcare workers. Although the long-term evolution of the course of suicide and covid-19 disease is unpredictable, the first few months have identified few unique risk factors and research must work on specific tailored strategies that address these novel risk factors are needed to mitigate suicide now.

Psychiatric and post-traumatic stress disorders among COVID-19 survivors

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 157-160
Author(s):  
Ammar Ahmed ◽  
Naeem Aslam Chughtai, PhD ◽  
Qurat- Ul- Ain
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Traumatic Stress Disorders ◽  
Post Traumatic

Evidences related to neuropsychological impact of COVID-19 and its long-term side effects are beginning to emerge that may take years to catalogue the number of diseases and their treatments. Nonetheless, as neuropsychologists are evaluating COVID-19 survivors, a debate related to the psychiatric and neurocognitive sequels of past outbreaks, along with the recurrent co- occurrence of PTSD and acquired brain injuries, may be enlightening. This paper is highlighting the emergence of mental health issues that can be addressed and treatments can be provided according to the need of time. Technology has also been increasing day by day according to the current needs of public. COVID- 19 crisis has now shifted the focus towards the role of digital health care. For ensuring the best and right use of tele-health and app tools in such crises, it is suggested that there is a need for training of mental health professionals to ensure proper protocols for improved efficacy.

scholarly journals Women's experiences in relation to stillbirth and risk factors for long-term post-traumatic stress symptoms: a retrospective study

BMJ Open ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. e003323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Kathrine Gravensteen ◽  
Linda Björk Helgadóttir ◽  
Eva-Marie Jacobsen ◽  
Ingela Rådestad ◽  
Per Morten Sandset ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document