One in four individuals are impacted by mental illness. What if we started treating physical illness in the same way as we treat anxiety and depression? Despite the evidence that being diagnosed with a mental illness is outside of a person's control, there is still a lack of empathy and knowledge surrounding illness. One individual commented that, "[Mental illness] is physical, everything is connected to the brain, remember that. If you break a leg, you know how to fix it. If you break a mind, it takes years to even find a place to start." Take a look at this comic! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/mental-illness-physical-i_n_6145156.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000010 |
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PTSD is an expensive injury to treat. 21% of American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, with many more cases likely gone unreported. Soldiers with PTSD cost 3.5 times more to treat than soldiers without PTSD, equating to nearly $1 billion dollars annually. But now a new avenue for combating operational stress injuries and PTSD is finishing a major clinical trial; the Stress Resilience Training System, publicized by the US Navy in early 2013 here. It's an app developed for the iPad that works with a small heart monitor to provide soldiers with education and training supplemented by realtime biofeedback data. It purports to give soldiers the tools necessary to respond adaptively to real-world stress, reducing incidences of PTSD, reducing healthcare costs, smoothing transitions to civilian life, and improving lives. Here is a link to the instructional video that introduces soldiers to their new tools in the fight against PTSD. A short narrative video told from the perspective of an adolescent named Terrence in California who after the loss of multiple caretakers struggles to live with PTSD and depression. Terrence discusses how his illnesses affect both his external perception by others and internal perception of himself, as he continues the road of #recovery.
http://vimeo.com/108859615 Anxiety may Increase Risk of Alzheimer's disease in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment11/15/2014 Upwards of 20% of older adults have mild cognitive impairment, which puts them at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A new study published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has shown that individuals who have anxiety in addition to mild cognitive impairment may be at an even higher risk. "MCI [mild cognitive impairment] patients with mild anxiety had a 33% increased risk of Alzheimer's, moderate anxiety was linked to a 78% Alzheimer's risk, while severe anxiety increased Alzheimer's risk by 135%." To read more about the study findings, check out this great Medical News Today article. In an editorial published in Nature, Dr. David Nutt, a British psychiatrist suggested that scientific research can benefit from taking note what people who are taking recreational drugs say about their side effects. "The drugs that we need to ease the burden of mental illness could be out there — we just need to look," wrote Nutt, who believe that both banned drugs and prescription medicines should be looked at for their psychiatric effects. Psilocybin, an ingredient found in magic mushrooms has shown to have beneficial effects in treating depression. Ketamine, sold as a street drug under the name Special K, is also being studied for its potential in treating depression. If a medication shows promise for treating a mental health condition, it can be studied more rapidly than a whole new drug, Dr. Nutt said. http://www.livescience.com/48730-recreational-drugs-may-hold-clues-new-psychiatric-meds.html
Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 17 year old male who presents to hospital after a suicide attempt in which he ingested 24 diphenhydramine tablets, and was found by his parents acting inappropriately and talking to the walls of the house, as well as to birds and trees. The patient reported that a week earlier he had broken up with his girlfriend and since then has been experiencing depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, anhedonia, trouble concentrating, and psychomotor retardation. The patient also reported a history of gender identity and gender dysphoria struggles. The patient previously had a two year history of depression, and has a history of substance abuse and dependence including cannabis, MDMA, diphenhydramine, robitussin, and hydrocodone. He has had no contact with his biological mother since he was a child, and he has been a victim of bullying at school. The patient is currently treated with psychotropic medications and meets regularly with a psychiatrist. He reports that this is his first suicide attempt. Can you determine the cause of this patient's hallucinations? How would you treat this overdose? "Acting Strange After Trying to Get 'Numb'" by Muhammad Puri, Edward Hall, Matthew Erisman, Yazan Vwich (Current Psychiatry) Scientists have started development of a bionic implant that will be geared towards alleviation the symptoms found in Schizophrenia. This innovation is based off of previously tested conductive organic polymers which have shown success in stimulating muscle and nerve tissue! Read more here:
http://www.iflscience.com/brain/bionic-implant-treat-mental-disorders-development |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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