scholarly journals His Brain Has Just Gone Haywire: the Development of Children and Young People's Concepts of Mental Illness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Benjamin Peter Sedley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Abnormal Behaviour ◽  
External Event ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Secondary Category

<p>This thesis examines children and young people's ideas about mental illness. Frequently, previous research in this area has suffered from methodological flaws or a limited theoretical framework. Qualitative methodology was utilised in this thesis in order to both gather the range of ideas that children have about mental illness, and to propose a theoretical model to explain the development of these ideas. In the first study, 63 children (comprising 4 age groups: 6 - 7, 9 - 10, 12 - 13, and 16 - 18 years old) participated in focus group discussions. Groups were presented with 3 illustrated vignettes, each depicting a story about an adult with a mental health problem (schizophrenia, agoraphobia, or depression). A thematic analysis was used to examine the ideas that children expressed in these discussions. Analysis found that children have a wide range of ways of explaining the characters' behaviours. Children and young people's ideas were grouped into 5 main categories: 'medical explanationsà ¢ , 'psychiatric explanations', 'abnormal behaviour explanations', 'psychological explanations', and 'event explanations'. Following this, a second study was conducted to focus on children's ideas about causes and treatments for mental illness. 36 children (ages 9 - 10, 12 - 13, and 16 - 18) were interviewed individually. Participants were presented the same 3 vignettes and asked to create a story that explains why each character has their problem and how their problem is resolved. Grounded theory methods were used to analyse the stories, with 6 primary categories and 1 secondary category (' psychological explanations') emerging. All stories included a cause from one of the 6 primary categories, and sometimes that primary category also led to a thinking problem (from the secondary category). Resolutions to the stories either came from the same primary category as the suggested cause, or alternatively, treatment came from one of the treatments included in the secondary category ('think or act differently', 'counselling', or 'support from others'). The primary categories were 'event' (problem was due to an external event happening, and resolution comes from an external event occurring); 'physiological' (the problem is seen as a medical problem, and treatment came from doctors); 'neurological / psychiatric' (characters have problems with their brains or a diagnostic label, resolutions include psychiatric medication, hospitalisation, and negative outcomes); 'drug' problems; 'spiritual' (discussion related to ghosts or religion); and 'responsibility' (the character had done something wrong, and must fix it to resolve their problem). Further analysis then compared the data from both studies with previous theoretical literature. It is argued that as children grow older they develop a concept of mental illness, which they can then use when discussing vignettes or understanding abnormal behaviour. This domain-specific development occurs throughout late childhood and adolescence as children incorporate information they have learned from families, schools, and media, and build on pre-existing domains (in particular, naive psychology and naive biology). Evidence from the current study is used to support this proposed model, and implications for future research, school curriculum, and helping children with mentally ill relatives are discussed.</p>

scholarly journals His Brain Has Just Gone Haywire: the Development of Children and Young People's Concepts of Mental Illness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Benjamin Peter Sedley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Abnormal Behaviour ◽  
External Event ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
Secondary Category

<p>This thesis examines children and young people's ideas about mental illness. Frequently, previous research in this area has suffered from methodological flaws or a limited theoretical framework. Qualitative methodology was utilised in this thesis in order to both gather the range of ideas that children have about mental illness, and to propose a theoretical model to explain the development of these ideas. In the first study, 63 children (comprising 4 age groups: 6 - 7, 9 - 10, 12 - 13, and 16 - 18 years old) participated in focus group discussions. Groups were presented with 3 illustrated vignettes, each depicting a story about an adult with a mental health problem (schizophrenia, agoraphobia, or depression). A thematic analysis was used to examine the ideas that children expressed in these discussions. Analysis found that children have a wide range of ways of explaining the characters' behaviours. Children and young people's ideas were grouped into 5 main categories: 'medical explanationsà ¢ , 'psychiatric explanations', 'abnormal behaviour explanations', 'psychological explanations', and 'event explanations'. Following this, a second study was conducted to focus on children's ideas about causes and treatments for mental illness. 36 children (ages 9 - 10, 12 - 13, and 16 - 18) were interviewed individually. Participants were presented the same 3 vignettes and asked to create a story that explains why each character has their problem and how their problem is resolved. Grounded theory methods were used to analyse the stories, with 6 primary categories and 1 secondary category (' psychological explanations') emerging. All stories included a cause from one of the 6 primary categories, and sometimes that primary category also led to a thinking problem (from the secondary category). Resolutions to the stories either came from the same primary category as the suggested cause, or alternatively, treatment came from one of the treatments included in the secondary category ('think or act differently', 'counselling', or 'support from others'). The primary categories were 'event' (problem was due to an external event happening, and resolution comes from an external event occurring); 'physiological' (the problem is seen as a medical problem, and treatment came from doctors); 'neurological / psychiatric' (characters have problems with their brains or a diagnostic label, resolutions include psychiatric medication, hospitalisation, and negative outcomes); 'drug' problems; 'spiritual' (discussion related to ghosts or religion); and 'responsibility' (the character had done something wrong, and must fix it to resolve their problem). Further analysis then compared the data from both studies with previous theoretical literature. It is argued that as children grow older they develop a concept of mental illness, which they can then use when discussing vignettes or understanding abnormal behaviour. This domain-specific development occurs throughout late childhood and adolescence as children incorporate information they have learned from families, schools, and media, and build on pre-existing domains (in particular, naive psychology and naive biology). Evidence from the current study is used to support this proposed model, and implications for future research, school curriculum, and helping children with mentally ill relatives are discussed.</p>

scholarly journals Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Marx ◽  
Genevieve Moseley ◽  
Michael Berk ◽  
Felice Jacka
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural

Mental illness, including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, accounts for a significant proportion of global disability and poses a substantial social, economic and heath burden. Treatment is presently dominated by pharmacotherapy, such as antidepressants, and psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy; however, such treatments avert less than half of the disease burden, suggesting that additional strategies are needed to prevent and treat mental disorders. There are now consistent mechanistic, observational and interventional data to suggest diet quality may be a modifiable risk factor for mental illness. This review provides an overview of the nutritional psychiatry field. It includes a discussion of the neurobiological mechanisms likely modulated by diet, the use of dietary and nutraceutical interventions in mental disorders, and recommendations for further research. Potential biological pathways related to mental disorders include inflammation, oxidative stress, the gut microbiome, epigenetic modifications and neuroplasticity. Consistent epidemiological evidence, particularly for depression, suggests an association between measures of diet quality and mental health, across multiple populations and age groups; these do not appear to be explained by other demographic, lifestyle factors or reverse causality. Our recently published intervention trial provides preliminary clinical evidence that dietary interventions in clinically diagnosed populations are feasible and can provide significant clinical benefit. Furthermore, nutraceuticals including n-3 fatty acids, folate, S-adenosylmethionine, N-acetyl cysteine and probiotics, among others, are promising avenues for future research. Continued research is now required to investigate the efficacy of intervention studies in large cohorts and within clinically relevant populations, particularly in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety disorders.

scholarly journals Clinicopathological significance of psychotic experiences in non-psychotic young people: evidence from four population-based studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 201 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Kelleher ◽  
H. Keeley ◽  
P. Corcoran ◽  
F. Lynch ◽  
C. Fitzpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychotic Disorder ◽  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Clinicopathological Significance

BackgroundEpidemiological research has shown that hallucinations and delusions, the classic symptoms of psychosis, are far more prevalent in the population than actual psychotic disorder. These symptoms are especially prevalent in childhood and adolescence. Longitudinal research has demonstrated that psychotic symptoms in adolescence increase the risk of psychotic disorder in adulthood. There has been a lack of research, however, on the immediate clinicopathological significance of psychotic symptoms in adolescence.AimsTo investigate the relationship between psychotic symptoms and non-psychotic psychopathology in community samples of adolescents in terms of prevalence, co-occurring disorders, comorbid (multiple) psychopathology and variation across early v. middle adolescence.MethodData from four population studies were used: two early adolescence studies (ages 11–13 years) and two mid-adolescence studies (ages 13–16 years). Studies 1 and 2 involved school-based surveys of 2243 children aged 11–16 years for psychotic symptoms and for emotional and behavioural symptoms of psychopathology. Studies 3 and 4 involved in-depth diagnostic interview assessments of psychotic symptoms and lifetime psychiatric disorders in community samples of 423 children aged 11–15 years.ResultsYounger adolescents had a higher prevalence (21–23%) of psychotic symptoms than older adolescents (7%). In both age groups the majority of adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms had at least one diagnosable non-psychotic psychiatric disorder, although associations with psychopathology increased with age: nearly 80% of the mid-adolescence sample who reported psychotic symptoms had at least one diagnosis, compared with 57% of the early adolescence sample. Adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms were at particularly high risk of having multiple co-occurring diagnoses.ConclusionsPsychotic symptoms are important risk markers for a wide range of non-psychotic psychopathological disorders, in particular for severe psychopathology characterised by multiple co-occurring diagnoses. These symptoms should be carefully assessed in all patients.

scholarly journals Reference Data for Fat Mass and Fat-Free Mass Measured by Bioelectrical Impedance in Croatian Youth

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8501
Author(s):  
Mario Kasović ◽  
Lovro Štefan ◽  
Boris Neljak ◽  
Vilko Petrić ◽  
Damir Knjaz
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Fat Mass ◽  
Reference Data ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Fat Free Mass ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Wide Range

Fat mass and fat-free mass have become useful clinical indices in determining healthy growth and physical development during critical periods of childhood and adolescence; however, despite a wide range of nutritional surveillance its study is limited by a lack of reference data. The purpose of this study was to establish sex-specific and age-specific standards for fat mass and fat-free mass in a large sample of Croatian children and adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, we collected data from 12,678 participants aged 11 to 18 years old (mean age ± standard deviation (SD): 14.17 ± 2.25 years; height 164.56 ± 11.31 cm; weight: 57.45 ± 13.73 kg; body mass index: 21.24 ± 3.67 kg/m2; 53% girls). Fat mass and fat-free mass were measured three times by bioelectrical impedance. The Lambda, Mu and Sigma methods were used to create percentile charts for fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI; fat mass and fat-free mass divided by height2). Sex and age differences were calculated using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc comparisons. Boys had lower FMI (from 2.66 to 3.89) and higher FFMI values (from 16.90 to 17.80) in all age groups, compared to girls (for FMI from 2.79 to 5.17 and for FFMI from 14.50 to 14.90, p < 0.001). In boys, FMI slightly declined until the age of 14, after which an increase from the age of 15 to 18 was observed. In girls, FMI gradually increased from the age of 11 to 18 (p < 0.001). In general, FFMI increased by age in boys [F(7,5440) = 52.674, p < 0.001], while girls had more stable FFMI across all age groups [F(7,7222) = 2.728, p = 0.057]. The newly established sex-specific and age-specific reference data could be used for national surveillance and to screen for children and adolescents with high FMI and low FFMI.

scholarly journals Assessment and management of patients detained under Section 136 in Northwick Park Hospital emergency department

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S353-S354
Author(s):  
Laurence Telesia ◽  
Lauren Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Abnormal Behaviour ◽  
Duration Of Stay ◽  
Northwick Park Hospital ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Mean

AimsTo evaluate the role of the Emergency Medicine team (EM) within a London Emergency Department (ED) in assessing and managing patients detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, 1983 (S136).BackgroundS136 allows detention and transfer of people to ED and psychiatric hospitals for further assessment. EDs are optimised for the investigation and management of the medically unwell, but attending ED may also delay access to psychiatric services if required. Minimal research has been performed to investigate the relative benefits of transferring people under S136 to ED versus psychiatric hospitals.MethodElectronic notes were searched to identify those attending under S136 between 01/04/2017 and 31/03/2018. Scanned medical notes were reviewed and data extracted regarding patient demographics, length of ED stay, reason for S136 use, investigations and interventions undertaken by EM.ResultThis identified 95 attendances by 87 patients. The mean age was 35 years (range 15-75) and 59% of attenders were male. The mean duration of stay was 7 hours 34 minutes (range 6 minutes - 25 hours 50 minutes).Reasons for S136 use were abnormal behaviour (32), expressed suicidal ideation (29), overdose (15), self-harm (13), overdose plus self-harm (4), being found wandering (1) and was unclear for 1 presentation.In 39 attendances no investigations beyond history and examination were performed by EM. Only 6 patients had investigations that were not bloods, electrocardiogram or urinalysis. These included X-radiograph trunk (4), computed tomography (CT) head (3), X-radiograph limb (3), CT cervical spine (1), Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (1).No interventions were given by EM in 55 attendances. Twenty-nine different medications were prescribed and 18 patients were prescribed intravenous fluids. Three had wounds dressed, 3 glued, 3 sutured and 1 stapled.ConclusionThere were difficulties categorising the reason for S136 use, as clear documentation was often unavailable, but the vast majority of patients were detained due to abnormal behaviour, expressed suicidal ideation and self-harm.Few attending ED under S136 received investigations or interventions that could not be offered within a psychiatric hospital. There was a wide range in duration of stay within ED, however 65% of attendances were longer than the standard 4 hour target.Future research may assess the relative benefits of ED versus psychiatric hospitals in assessing those detained. This could aid services in meeting both the physical and psychiatric needs of patients whilst making efficient use of available resources.

Comparing Anxiety Forms in Elementary and High School Students During Examination Stress and Normal School Periods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey-Ann Journault ◽  
Sandrine Charbonneau ◽  
Claudia Sauvageau ◽  
Charlotte Longpré ◽  
Charles-Édouard Giguère ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
School Students ◽  
Normal School ◽  
Wide Range

Background and Objective: State anxiety, trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and test anxiety are four related but distinct normative anxiety forms that may co-occur amongst youth. The main objective of this study was to assess whether these anxiety forms vary as a function of age and/or presence of stressful school periods. Design and Methods: In total, 1404 Canadian students in Grades 5,6 and 10,11 (58% girls) from 13 private and public schools were assessed on these four anxiety forms using validated questionnaires at two time points: during a stressful examination period and a normal school curriculum period. Results: High school students scored higher on state, trait and test anxiety compared to elementary school students, while the two age groups did not differ on anxiety sensitivity scores. Anxiety scores did not vary as a function of examination periods. Conclusions: Regardless of their age, students appear prone to experience anxiety in a wide range of situations that go beyond examination periods. Students experience anxiety sensitivity early on and levels remain similar during childhood and adolescence, whereas other anxiety forms become more pronounced during high school. These results contribute to a better understanding of normative anxiety in youth. Recommendations for preventive interventions are discussed.

scholarly journals Review: The development of coping across childhood and adolescence: An integrative review and critique of research

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie J. Zimmer-Gembeck ◽  
Ellen A. Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Developmental Patterns ◽  
Support Seeking ◽  
Age Trends ◽  
Instrumental Action ◽  
Behavioural Strategies

Despite consensus that development shapes every aspect of coping, studies of age differences in coping have proven difficult to integrate, primarily because they examine largely unselected age groups, and utilize overlapping coping categories. A developmental framework was used to organize 58 studies of coping involving over 250 age comparisons or correlations with age. The framework was based on (1) conceptualizations of coping as regulation to suggest ages at which coping should show developmental shifts (Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2009), and (2) notions of hierarchical families to clarify which coping categories should be distinguished at each age (Skinner, Edge, Altman, & Sherwood, 2003). Developmental patterns in coping (e.g., problem-solving, distraction, support-seeking, escape) were scrutinized with a focus on common age shifts. Two kinds of age trends were discerned, one reflecting increases in coping capacities, as seen in support-seeking (from reliance on adults to more self-reliance), problem-solving (from instrumental action to planful problem-solving), and distraction (adding cognitive to behavioural strategies); and one reflecting improvements in the deployment of different coping strategies according to which ones are most effective in dealing with specific kinds of stressors. Results were used to formulate guidelines for future research on the development of coping.

scholarly journals Investigating Associations Between Screen Time and Symptomatology in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness: Longitudinal Observational Study

10.2196/23144 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. e23144
Author(s):  
Philip Henson ◽  
Elena Rodriguez-Villa ◽  
John Torous
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Curve Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Wide Range

Background Increasing screen time exposure from digital devices like smartphones has shown a variety of mixed associations with cognition, behavior, and well-being in adults and children but little is known about its associations with symptomatology in individuals with serious mental illness. Objective To determine the range of associations between screen time and symptoms of individuals with mental illness, we utilized a method called specification curve analysis. Methods In this observational study, we recruited smartphone-owning adults (≥18 years old) with schizophrenia and healthy controls. We installed 2 research-source smartphone apps, mindLAMP and Beiwe, to collect survey results, cognitive test results, and screen time metrics over a period of 3 months. Surveys were scheduled for twice a week, but participants were instructed to take the surveys naturally as much or as little as they wanted. Screen time was collected continuously in the background. A total of 140 participants was recruited from the outpatient clinic population as well as through general public advertising. Age-matched, smartphone-owning healthy controls were also part of the recruitment pool. A specification curve analysis was a priori designed to explore the relationship between every combination of independent variable and dependent variable in order to demonstrate to what degree screen time relates to symptoms in individuals with serious mental illness. Results The sample consisted of 88 participants (54 with schizophrenia and 34 healthy controls) who completed both the initial and follow-up visits, completed at least one self-reported survey, and had a minimum passive data cutoff of 5 consecutive days. While we found an association between smartphone screen time metrics and cognition (adjusted R2=0.107, P<.001), specification curve analysis revealed a wide range of heterogenous associations with screen time from very negative to very positive. The effects differed based on diagnostic group, age bracket, type of regression model used, and the specific independent and dependent variables selected for analysis. Conclusions The associations between screen time and mental health in patients with schizophrenia are heterogenous when examined with methods that reduce analytical bias. The heterogeneity in associations suggests that complex and personalized potential effects must be understood in the greater context of an individual. This analysis of longitudinally collected screen time data shows potential for future research that could benefit from high resolution metrics on smartphone use.

scholarly journals Investigating Associations Between Screen Time and Symptomatology in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness: Longitudinal Observational Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Henson ◽  
Elena Rodriguez-Villa ◽  
John Torous
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Curve Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Wide Range

BACKGROUND Increasing screen time exposure from digital devices like smartphones has shown a variety of mixed associations with cognition, behavior, and well-being in adults and children but little is known about its associations with symptomatology in individuals with serious mental illness. OBJECTIVE To determine the range of associations between screen time and symptoms of individuals with mental illness, we utilized a method called specification curve analysis. METHODS In this observational study, we recruited smartphone-owning adults (≥18 years old) with schizophrenia and healthy controls. We installed 2 research-source smartphone apps, mindLAMP and Beiwe, to collect survey results, cognitive test results, and screen time metrics over a period of 3 months. Surveys were scheduled for twice a week, but participants were instructed to take the surveys naturally as much or as little as they wanted. Screen time was collected continuously in the background. A total of 140 participants was recruited from the outpatient clinic population as well as through general public advertising. Age-matched, smartphone-owning healthy controls were also part of the recruitment pool. A specification curve analysis was a priori designed to explore the relationship between every combination of independent variable and dependent variable in order to demonstrate to what degree screen time relates to symptoms in individuals with serious mental illness. RESULTS The sample consisted of 88 participants (54 with schizophrenia and 34 healthy controls) who completed both the initial and follow-up visits, completed at least one self-reported survey, and had a minimum passive data cutoff of 5 consecutive days. While we found an association between smartphone screen time metrics and cognition (adjusted R<sup>2</sup>=0.107, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), specification curve analysis revealed a wide range of heterogenous associations with screen time from very negative to very positive. The effects differed based on diagnostic group, age bracket, type of regression model used, and the specific independent and dependent variables selected for analysis. CONCLUSIONS The associations between screen time and mental health in patients with schizophrenia are heterogenous when examined with methods that reduce analytical bias. The heterogeneity in associations suggests that complex and personalized potential effects must be understood in the greater context of an individual. This analysis of longitudinally collected screen time data shows potential for future research that could benefit from high resolution metrics on smartphone use.

scholarly journals Heritability of Sleep and Its Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie J. S. Lewis ◽  
Alice M. Gregory
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Heritability Estimates

Abstract Purpose of Review This review summarizes recent literature on the heritability of sleep and sleep disorders in childhood and adolescence. We also identify gaps in the literature and priorities for future research. Recent Findings Findings indicate that age, measurement method, reporter, and timing of sleep measurements can influence heritability estimates. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified differences in the heritability of sleep problems when ancestral differences are considered, but sample sizes are small compared to adult GWAS. Most studies focus on sleep variables in the full range rather than on disorder. Studies using objective measures of sleep typically comprised small samples. Summary Current evidence demonstrates a wide range of heritability estimates across sleep phenotypes in childhood and adolescence, but research in larger samples, particularly using objective sleep measures and GWAS, is needed. Further understanding of environmental mechanisms and the interaction between genes and environment is key for future research.

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