The intergenerational transmission of stress: psychosocial and biological mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmine M. Pariante
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Hormonal Changes ◽  
College Hospital ◽  
Outreach Work ◽  
The Many ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
In Pregnancy

I met Channi for the first time when I was a senior house officer (trainee) in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital, and I worked under his supervision for 6 months, in 1998. At that time, Channi was the only Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the Maudsley, covering the Liaison Services at King’s College Hospital, the outreach work, and the Mother and Baby Unit. And, of course, he was leading the academic section. It is perhaps the best tribute to his memory that it takes now three consultants and two academics to do the work that he was then doing all by himself! I was already interested in neuroendocrinology, and Channi was fascinated by the possibility that hormones might have a role in the mental health problems of the perinatal period. At that time, the notion that hormonal changes in pregnancy could have long-lasting effects on the offspring was still at its infancy, and I remember fondly the many discussions on this topic with Channi, sitting at his famous old desk. Channi was a pioneer in this field: he was the first to emphasize the dramatic impact of depression in pregnancy on the wellbeing of mothers and children. I am honoured to be able to continue this line of research today. The intergenerational transmission of stress has powerful clinical and social consequences, consolidating social adversity and psychopathology in future generations. The 2007 Policy Briefing by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, ‘Preventing child maltreatment in Europe: a public health approach’ (WHO 2007), recognizes that ‘there is an association between maltreatment in childhood and the risk of later . . . becoming a perpetrator of violence or other antisocial behaviour as a teenager or adult’. The report also highlights that the costs are both overt (for example, medical care for victims, treatment of offenders, and legal costs for social care) and less obvious (for example, criminal justice and prosecution costs, specialist education, and mental health provision). In Europe, only the United Kingdom has calculated the total economic burden, estimated to be ￡735 million in 1996 (WHO 2007).

The scale of the problem

Psychiatry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Price ◽  
John Geddes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Organization

One in four individuals suffer from a psychiatric disorder at some point in their life, with 15– 20 per cent fitting cri­teria for a mental disorder at any given time. The latter corresponds to around 450 million people worldwide, placing mental disorders as one of the leading causes of global morbidity. Mental health problems represent five of the ten leading causes of disability worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in mid 2016 that ‘the global cost of mental illness is £651 billion per year’, stating that the equivalent of 50 million working years was being lost annually due to mental disorders. The financial global impact is clearly vast, but on a smaller scale, the social and psychological impacts of having a mental dis­order on yourself or your family are greater still. It is often difficult for the general public and clin­icians outside psychiatry to think of mental health dis­orders as ‘diseases’ because it is harder to pinpoint a specific pathological cause for them. When confronted with this view, it is helpful to consider that most of medicine was actually founded on this basis. For ex­ample, although medicine has been a profession for the past 2500 years, it was only in the late 1980s that Helicobacter pylori was linked to gastric/ duodenal ul­cers and gastric carcinoma, or more recently still that the BRCA genes were found to be a cause of breast cancer. Still much of clinical medicine treats a patient’s symptoms rather than objective abnormalities. The WHO has given the following definition of mental health:… Mental health is defined as a state of well- being in which every individual realizes his or her own po­tential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.… This is a helpful definition, because it clearly defines a mental disorder as a condition that disrupts this state in any way, and sets clear goals of treatment for the clinician. It identifies the fact that a disruption of an individual’s mental health impacts negatively not only upon their enjoyment and ability to cope with life, but also upon that of the wider community.

scholarly journals Functional Status of Maternal Thyroid Gland in Eclampsia

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
M Hafizur Rahman ◽  
Mahbub Ara Chowdhury ◽  
Shahin Mahmuda
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Hormonal Changes ◽  
Free Triiodothyronine ◽  
College Hospital ◽  
Medical College ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Maternal Thyroid ◽  
Complicated Pregnancy ◽  
In Pregnancy

Marked changes in maternal thyroid activity occur in pregnancy. During pregnancy bodily hormonal changes and metabolic demands result in complex alteration in the bio-chemical parameters of thyroid activities. Besides these, thyroid enlargement, increased thyroid capability for iodine uptake and increase in basal metabolic rate are evidential though these findings are not usually associated with symptoms of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy. Serum concentration of thyroid hormone thyroxine and triiodothyronine in complicated pregnancy like eclamptic toxemia is another field of controversy. To evaluate the changes in thyroid function in normal pregnancy and eclamptic toxemia, a study was undertaken in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. We collected serum specimens from non pregnant but married women, normal 3rd trimester pregnant women and patients with eclampsia at 3rd trimester of pregnancy and measured serum concentrations of total and free thyroxine (TT4 & FT4) and total and free triiodothyronine (TT3 & FT3 ) by using RIA. Among the study subjects, 10 women were married but non pregnant, 12 women were in their 3rd trimester of normal pregnancy and 32 patients of eclamptic toxemia with 3rd trimester of pregnancy. In normal pregnancy, FT4 and FT3 levels remained normal while TT4 and TT3 levels were elevated. In patients with toxemia of pregnancy, the mean serum TT3 concentration was significantly lower than that of normal pregnancy and the serum FT3 concentrations were below the normal pregnancy range. The mean serum TT4 and FT4 concentrations in patients with eclampsia were however, significantly higher than those in normal pregnant women. TAJ 2018; 31(1): 9-14

Psychiatric morbidity in December 2015 flood-affected population in Tamil Nadu, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailaja Bandla ◽  
NR Nappinnai ◽  
Srinivasagopalan Gopalasamy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Health Organization

Background: Floods are the most common type of natural disaster, which have a negative impact on mental health. Following floods, survivors are vulnerable to develop PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Aim: The aim is to study the psychiatric morbidity in the persons affected by floods during December 2015. Materials and methods: This study was carried out in Chennai and Cuddalore. In total, 223 persons who were directly exposed to floods were assessed. PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version, Beck’s Depression Inventory, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and World Health Organization–Five Well-Being Scale (WHO-5) were used in the study. Chi-square test was used to compare the means. Results: Overall, psychiatric morbidity was found to be 45.29%; 60 (26.9%) persons had symptoms of PTSD. Anxiety was found in 48 (27.4%) and depression was found in 101 (45.29%) persons; and 11 (4.9%) persons have reported an increase in substance abuse. Conclusion: Following disaster like floods, there is a need for better preparedness in terms of basic necessities and medical and psychological assistance, particularly emphasizing the needs of older persons in order to prevent the development of psychiatric problems.

Remarkable lives: Jen Waring in conversation with Jerome Carson

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-159
Author(s):  
Jen Waring ◽  
Jerome Carson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Many ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Jen Waring. Design/methodology/approach – Jen provides a short biographical description of her life. She is then interviewed by Jerome. Findings – Jen talks about her long battle with mental health problems and what has sustained her over this time. She talks about the crucial importance of support from both loved ones and professionals, as well as medication. Research limitations/implications – Single case studies are of course just one person’s story. Given Jen is an academic biologist, she not only has a unique way of looking at mental illness, she can see the potential of developing approaches in the biological understanding for people experiencing mental distress. Practical implications – Jen’s account shows the need for long-term support for more severe mental health problems. There are no quick fixes! It also highlights the need for interventions at biological, psychological and social levels. Social implications – People need “somewhere to live, someone to love and something meaningful to do” (Rachel Perkins). Many sufferers do not have all three. Services may only be able to provide two of these. Originality/value – Accounts of mental illness recovery by academics can often provide the authors with amazing insights into the world of the mentally distressed. They can also serve as an inspiration to the many students who experience mental distress.

scholarly journals How do we engage global communities in the de-stigmatisation of mental illness?

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-187
Author(s):  
Paul Illingworth
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Good Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged that high-income countries often address discrimination against people with mental health problems, but that low/middle income countries often have significant gaps in their approach to this subject—in how they measure the problem, and in strategies, policies and programmes to prevent it. Localised actions have occurred. These include the Hong Kong government's 2017 international conference on overcoming the stigma of mental illness, and the 2018 London Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit. Furthermore, the UK's Medical Research Council has funded Professor Graham Thornicroft (an expert in mental health discrimination and stigma) to undertake a global study. These and other approaches are welcome and bring improvements; however, they often rely on traditional westernised, ‘global north’ views/approaches. Given the rapid global demographic changes/dynamics and the lack of evidence demonstrating progress towards positive mental health globally, it is time to consider alternative and transformative approaches that encompasses diverse cultures and societies and aligns to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically UN SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing). This article describes the need for the change and suggests how positive change can be achieved through transnational inclusive mental health de-stigmatising education.

scholarly journals Innovative Ways to Promote Children’s Mental Health: Developing Accessible and Sustainable School Mental Health Services in Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 565-567
Author(s):  
Nazish Imran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Young Population ◽  
The Third ◽  
Health Organization

According to World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 10-15% of children and adolescents worldwide suffer from mental health problems.(1) The WHO also highlights that “Lack of attention to mental health of children & adolescents may lead to mental disorders with lifelong consequences, undermines compliance with health regimens and reduces the capacity of societies to be safe and productive”. (2) More than half of all mental disorders have an onset in childhood and adolescence with suicide being the third leading cause of death among adolescents. (1), (3) Child & adolescent mental health thus needs to be considered & emphasized as an integral component of overall health & growth of young population. Youth with positive mental health have positive self-efficacy beliefs, are productive and able to tackle developmental challenges adequately.

An Overview of the Prospective ICD-10 Classification of Mental Disorders

1989 ◽  
Vol 154 (S4) ◽  
pp. 21-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
World Health ◽  
Official Statement ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Many ◽  
Health Organization

This paper gives a brief outline of the present state of development of the psychiatric chapter of the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). It is written from the point of view of one of the many consultants to the Division of Mental Health, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, and thus is not an authoritative or official statement on behalf of WHO. The responsibility for decisions about ICD-10 Chapter V (F) rests with Dr Norman Sartorius, Director of the Division of Mental Health, though many psychiatrists in many countries have contributed to ICD-10 Chapter V (F), and will continue to do so, since much work is still to be done before the final form is officially agreed and published in about 1990. Before he left WHO, Geneva in September, 1986, Dr Assen Jablensky also carried a great deal of responsibility for the arrangements necessary for the production of the drafts of ICD-10 Chapter V (F) that are now being developed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document