scholarly journals Assessing and protecting the mental health of the nation: A study protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Philip Hyland ◽  
Frédérique Vallières
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Self Report ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Quota Sampling

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the public health measures enacted to control its spread may affect the mental health of the general population of Ireland. Funded under the Health Research Board’s COVID-19 Pandemic Rapid Response Funding Call, this protocol outlines the aims of a project to assess and protect the mental health of the population of Ireland during this pandemic. We will determine (i) the prevalence of common mental health disorders at various times during the first year of the pandemic, (ii) changes in the prevalence of mental health disorders during the first year of the pandemic, (iii) if there are distinct groups of people experiencing different mental health responses to the pandemic, and (iv) the factors associated with different mental health reactions. Methods: This quantitative study uses cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Data have been collected from a nationally representative sample of Irish adults at four assessments:  Wave 1 (N = 1,041) occurred during the first week of lockdown in March 2020, Wave 2 in May, Wave 3 in August, and Wave 4 in December. Wave 5 is planned for March 2021. Participants from Wave 1 have been recontacted at each wave to produce a longitudinal dataset. New participants were recruited using quota sampling to ensure the availability of nationally representative samples at each wave. Self-report measures of demographic, economic, psychological, and mental health variables were completed.   Conclusion: This design will allow us to determine whether there has been a change in mental health disorders in the general population during the first year of the pandemic, and if so, what variables are associated with changes in mental health. Results will be used to inform the government’s ongoing response to this crisis, to better protect the mental health of the nation during this and any future public health emergency.

scholarly journals A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship between Previous Military Experience and Mental Health Disorders in Currently Serving Public Safety Personnel in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 330-337
Author(s):  
Dianne L. Groll ◽  
Rosemary Ricciardelli ◽  
R. Nicholas Carleton ◽  
Greg Anderson ◽  
Heidi Cramm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Military Experience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Safety Personnel ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
The Relationship

Objective There is an increased incidence of some mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some members of the military and in some public safety personnel (PSP) such as firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and dispatchers. Upon retirement from the armed forces, many individuals go on to second careers as PSP. Individuals with prior military experience may be at even greater risk than nonveterans for developing mental health disorders. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between prior military service and symptoms of mental health disorders in PSP. Methods This is a cross-sectional, observational study. Data for this study were collected from an anonymous, web-based, self-report survey of PSP in Canada. Invitations to participate were sent to PSP via their professional organizations. Indications of mental disorder(s) and symptom severity were assessed using well-validated self-report screening measures. Results Of the survey respondents who provided this information, 631 (6.8%) had prior armed forces experience; however, not all responses were complete. Ex-military PSP reported significantly more exposure to traumatic events and were approximately 1.5 times more likely to screen positive for indications of PTSD, mood, anxiety, or acute stress disorders and to have contemplated suicide than those without prior armed forces experience. Conclusions In our study, individuals in PSP with prior service experience in the armed forces were more likely to screen positive for indicators of some mental health disorders. Accordingly, mental health practitioners should inquire about previous service in the armed forces when screening, assessing, and treating PSP.

scholarly journals Day-to-day variability in sleep parameters and depression risk: a prospective cohort study of training physicians

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Fang ◽  
Daniel B. Forger ◽  
Elena Frank ◽  
Srijan Sen ◽  
Cathy Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Sleep Time ◽  
Self Report ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wake Time ◽  
Mood Variability ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Sleep Parameters

AbstractWhile 24-h total sleep time (TST) is established as a critical driver of major depression, the relationships between sleep timing and regularity and mental health remain poorly characterized because most studies have relied on either self-report assessments or traditional objective sleep measurements restricted to cross-sectional time frames and small cohorts. To address this gap, we assessed sleep with a wearable device, daily mood with a smartphone application and depression through the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) over the demanding first year of physician training (internship). In 2115 interns, reduced TST (b = −0.11, p < 0.001), later bedtime (b = 0.068, p = 0.015), along with increased variability in TST (b = 0.4, p = 0.0012) and in wake time (b = 0.081, p = 0.005) were associated with more depressive symptoms. Overall, the aggregated impact of sleep variability parameters and of mean sleep parameters on PHQ-9 were similar in magnitude (both r2 = 0.01). Within individuals, increased TST (b = 0.06, p < 0.001), later wake time (b = 0.09, p < 0.001), earlier bedtime (b = − 0.07, p < 0.001), as well as lower day-to-day shifts in TST (b = −0.011, p < 0.001) and in wake time (b = −0.004, p < 0.001) were associated with improved next-day mood. Variability in sleep parameters substantially impacted mood and depression, similar in magnitude to the mean levels of sleep parameters. Interventions that target sleep consistency, along with sleep duration, hold promise to improve mental health.

scholarly journals Cerebral malaria is associated with long-term mental health disorders: a cross sectional survey of a long-term cohort

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Idro ◽  
Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige ◽  
Benjamin Asea ◽  
Keron Ssebyala ◽  
Paul Bangirana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cerebral Malaria ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Disorders

Widowhood and Mental Health: Social Predictors of Mental Health Disorders Among Widows

2021 ◽  
pp. 105413732110541
Author(s):  
Brown C. Taylor ◽  
Jordan Harrold
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mental Health Providers ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Social Predictors ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between three common mental health disorders—anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder—in the first year of spousal bereavement and a myriad of social factors—including the security of health insurance and the presence of children at home—among those who have been widowed. We analyzed a novel survey of 503 widows who had participated in the Modern Widows’ Club Widows Empowerment Event. We then used logistic regression to investigate the relationship between these variables, discovering nuance between them. Our findings further elucidate the need for health and mental health providers to be attuned to the unique psychosocial needs of widows, especially among the first year of widowhood.

Prevention of mental disorder in childhood and other public health issues

2012 ◽  
pp. 1606-1611
Author(s):  
Rhoshel Lenroot
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Neuroimaging Genetics

Enormous progress has been made in recognizing the scope of mental health problems for children around the world, and in developing the theoretical framework needed to address decreasing this burden in a systematic fashion. Technological advances in neuroimaging, genetics, and computational biology are providing the tools to start describing the biological processes underlying the complex course of development, and have renewed appreciation of the role of the environment in determining how a genetic heritage is expressed. However, rapid technological change is also altering the environment of children and their families at an unprecedented rate, and what kinds of challenges to public health these changes may present is not yet fully understood. What is becoming clear is that as technological advances increase the range of available health care treatments, along with the potential cost, the choices for societies between spending limited resources on treatment or prevention will have to become increasingly deliberate. A substantial body of work has demonstrated that prevention in mental health can be effective, but those who would benefit the most from preventive interventions are often not those with the political or economic resources to make them a priority. While the potential interventions to prevent mental health disorders in children are constrained by the knowledge and resources available, what is actually done depends upon the social and political values of individual communities and nations. It is to be hoped that as our understanding of these disorders grows, public policies to prevent the development of mental health disorders in children will become as commonplace a responsibility for modern societies as the provision of clean drinking water.

scholarly journals Self-perceived competencies in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders among general practitioners in Lima, Peru

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Hanae Zafra-Tanaka ◽  
Kevin Pacheco-Barrios ◽  
Fiorella Inga-Berrospi ◽  
Alvaro Taype-Rondan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Pharmacological Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Disorders

Abstract Aim To assess the self-perceived competencies in diagnosing and treating patients with mental health disorders, among recently graduated general practitioners (GPs) from Lima, Peru. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in April 2017 at a General Practitioner’s meeting held for those who were going to perform the social service, by the Peruvian College of Physicians in Lima. Attendees were invited to answer a questionnaire that evaluated their self-perception of competence in diagnosing and treating four different mental health disorders; major depression, anxiety disorder, alcohol dependence, and schizophrenia. Results Out of 434 evaluated GPs, the following percentages were self-perceived as competent in their adequate diagnosis of depression (70.5%), anxiety (73.3%), alcohol dependence (67.6%), and schizophrenia (62.0%). Concerning pharmacological treatment, these percentages were 46.6, 47.5, 39.0 and 37.6%, respectively. Referring to all the studied mental disorders, 41.6% of participants self-perceived competence in providing an adequate diagnosis, 36.1% in providing non-pharmacological treatment, and 20.1% in providing pharmacological treatment. Conclusion The rate of adequate self-perceived competences was higher for diagnosis than for treatment of patients with mental health disorders. These results highlight the importance of designing and implementing interventions to improve medical education so as to develop the skills necessary to confront mental health disorders.

scholarly journals Psychiatry in post-apartheid Namibia: a troubled legacy

2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 310-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Feinstein
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Screening Instrument ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Meaningful Context ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Guggenheim Foundation

I recently spent 6 months in Namibia as a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. The purpose of my visit was twofold: the establishment of a database for trauma-related mental health disorders and the development of a validated, self-report screening instrument for mental illness. In the process, I was able to meet with Namibian colleagues and visit a number of health care centres in the country. This article will focus on my impressions of psychiatry in Namibia that were formed during my visit. A brief summary of Namibian history, in particular the country's relations with neighbouring South Africa, will help place my observations in a more meaningful context.

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