Assessment and Diagnosis of Mental Illness in EDs Among Individuals Without a Home: Findings from the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey

Introduction: Homeless individuals lack resources for primary healthcare and as a result use the emergency department (ED) as a social safety net. Our primary objective in this study was to identify the differences between features of visits to United States (US) EDs made by patients without a home and patients who live in a private residence presenting with mental health symptoms or no mental health symptoms at triage. Methods: Data for this study come from the 2009-2017 National Health and Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of ED visits in the US. We examined differences in waiting time, length of visit, and triage score among homeless patients, and privately housed and nursing home residents. We used logistic regression to determine the odds of receiving a mental health diagnosis. Residence, age, gender, race, urgency, and whether the person was seen in the ED in the previous 72 hours were controlled. Results: Homeless individuals made up less than 1% of all ED visits during this period. Of these visits, 47.2% resulted in a mental health diagnosis compared to those who live in a private residence. Adjusting for age, race, gender, triage score, and whether the person had been seen in the prior 72 hours, homeless individuals were still six times more likely to receive a mental health diagnosis despite reporting no mental health symptoms compared to individuals who lived in a private residence. Homeless individuals reporting mental health symptoms were two times more likely to receive a mental health diagnosis compared to privately housed and nursing home residents. Conclusions: Homeless individuals are more likely to receive a mental health diagnosis in the ED whether or not they present with mental health symptoms at triage. This study suggests that homelessness as a status impacts how these individuals receive care in the ED. Community coordination is needed to expand treatment options for individuals experiencing emergent mental health symptoms.

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) in children

The survival rate of children who require intensive care for life-threatening diseases or injuries has recently increased significantly. In pediatric intensive care, a decrease in mortality is accompanied by an increase in morbidity. This trend has led to a shift in focus of attention from reducing mortality to optimizing outcomes in critically ill patients. A broader approach and focus on outcome in critically ill survivors has been greatly facilitated by the development of a concept that integrates post-intensive care (PIC) diseases into Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). The concept of PIC syndrome implies the occurrence of disorders in patients after IC in three main areas: mental health, cognitive functions and physical health, and also takes into account the state of the family of surviving patients, in particular, parents, who often have a deterioration in mental health. Diagnosis and treatment of this condition involves the work of a multidisciplinary team, in which it is desirable to include an osteopathic doctor in order to more effectively and timely diagnose and correct reversible functional disorders.

Off-label antipsychotic use patterns among Texas Medicaid adults 2013–2016

Aim: To describe trends in off-label antipsychotic use among Texas Medicaid adults and examine whether demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with off-label use. Methods: Three diagnostic groups (i.e. no diagnosis, on label and off-label) were created based on mental health disorder diagnoses and related antipsychotic prescriptions. Results: During 2013–2016, the prevalence of off-label antipsychotic use decreased from 22.5% to 17.4% and the proportions of no mental health diagnosis remained stable (7.3–9.4%). Patients aged ≥25 years and second-generation antipsychotic users had significantly lower odds of receiving antipsychotics off-label or with no diagnosis. Conclusion: Compared with previous Medicaid database studies, the proportions of off-label antipsychotic use and antipsychotic use with no concurrent psychiatric diagnosis were notably lower.

Monitoring Mad Mothers: Unmasking Violent Institutional Sanism

<div>This qualitative research study explores the experiences, thoughts and feelings of mothers who have been given a mental health diagnosis. Using a narrative inquiry approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two mothers from Toronto. The study uncovers how sanist beliefs intersect with other sites of oppression, and the affect this has on mothers and their Mothering practices. Particular attention is paid to asking what the effects are on women who are assumed to be violent towards their children, due to a mental health diagnosis. It asks what this type of sanism and mental health profiling does to their sense of self, resilience and hope for their families and their futures.</div>

Monitoring Mad Mothers: Unmasking Violent Institutional Sanism

<div>This qualitative research study explores the experiences, thoughts and feelings of mothers who have been given a mental health diagnosis. Using a narrative inquiry approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two mothers from Toronto. The study uncovers how sanist beliefs intersect with other sites of oppression, and the affect this has on mothers and their Mothering practices. Particular attention is paid to asking what the effects are on women who are assumed to be violent towards their children, due to a mental health diagnosis. It asks what this type of sanism and mental health profiling does to their sense of self, resilience and hope for their families and their futures.</div>

Adverse childhood experiences and child mental health: an electronic birth cohort study

Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negatively associated with a range of child health outcomes. In this study, we explored associations between five individual ACEs and child mental health diagnoses or symptoms. ACEs included living with someone who had an alcohol-related problem, common mental health disorder or serious mental illness, or experienced victimisation or death of a household member. Methods We analysed data from a population-level electronic cohort of children in Wales, UK, (N = 191,035) between the years of 1998 and 2012. We used Cox regression with discrete time-varying exposure variables to model time to child mental health diagnosis during the first 15 years of life. Child mental health diagnoses include five categories: (i) externalising symptoms (anti-social behaviour), (ii) internalising symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression), (iii) developmental delay (e.g. learning disability), (iv) other (e.g. eating disorder, personality disorders), and (v) any mental health diagnosis, which was created by combining externalising symptoms, internalising symptoms and other. Our analyses were adjusted for social deprivation and perinatal risk factors. Results There were strong univariable associations between the five individual ACEs, sociodemographic and perinatal factors (e.g. gestational weight at birth) and an increased risk of child mental health diagnoses. After adjusting for sociodemographic and perinatal aspects, there was a remaining conditional increased risk of any child mental health diagnosis, associated with victimisation (conditional hazard ratio (cHR) 1.90, CI 95% 1.34–2.69), and living with an adult with a common mental health diagnosis (cHR 1.63, CI 95% 1.52–1.75). Coefficients of product terms between ACEs and deprivation were not statistically significant. Conclusion The increased risk of child mental health diagnosis associated with victimisation, or exposure to common mental health diagnoses, and alcohol problems in the household supports the need for policy measures and intervention strategies for children and their families.