Substance abuse doesn't discriminate based on age and many physicians don't receive adequate training with regard to inquiring about alcohol and drug use in older adults. "Events that arise in later life often require coping skills older adults may not possess. Some retirees are lonely and depressed, and turn to alcohol or drugs to quell their anxieties. Others may drink to deal with late-life losses of spouses, friends, careers and purpose. In retirement there can be depression, divorce, death of a spouse, moving from a big residence into a small residence,” said Steven Wollman, a substance abuse counselor in New York. For anyone who’s an addict, boredom’s the No. 1 trigger." To read more about the experience of addiction and substance abuse later in life, check out this New York Times article by Abby Ellin . Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 33 year old female, who was previously admitted to hospital and diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, and now presents due to violent behaviour, paranoia and fear for her own safety. The patient also presents with other delusions and disorganized thinking, and seems to have a Jamaican accent, although she claims to have been born and raised in a southern state in the US. Collateral from the family indicates that the patient does not normally have a foreign accent, and that they first noticed that she began to "talk funny" around the same time she developed psychiatric symptoms after she was married and became pregnant. What could be the potential causes of this patient's new foreign accent? How should she be treated? "The Mysterious Foreign Accent" by Panchajanya Paul, Barry Beckman, David Bellian, & Thomas Osinowo (Current Psychiatry) "The Always-On Stalker" is an incredibly detailed documentation, published in the Coast this past week, of the experience that two young women had seeking police and medical aid for sexual assault and domestic abuse that was transpiring online and in person. The bottom line is that following the end of an abusive relationship for one of the women, both women had private photos of themselves released without their permission. In addition, someone tried to impersonate one young woman by posting a kijiji ad with all of her information, including her address, encouraging a man to break into her house to fulfill a fantasy that the impersonator claimed she had. The impacts of these actions (and more, which are described in the article) were catastrophic resulting in depression and anxiety and triggering PTSD. This article strongly suggests that we need mental health education in all areas of public service—specifically law enforcement, and that recognition and punishment of cyber harassment has a long way to go. A pilot study of a new smartphone app developed by researchers as Dartmouth College to help students track their stress levels and overall mental health shows promising initial results. In alignment with the modern effort to integrate technological advances with forefront research, this new app called StudentLife app, utilized consistent recording of parameters such as student location, conversations, mobility, sleep patterns, as well as information from periodic questionnaires on mood and stress to correlate mental health with academic performance. Forty eight Dartmouth students had their information recorded continuously over a ten week period, and evaluation of early results show the apps potential ability to predict episodes of mental distress and academic performance. The lead author of the study, Dr. Campbell, hopes that over time this app may be incorporated as an intervention tool for early assistance of students exhibiting mental health risks or declining academic trends.
Link to the article can be found here:http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119524/dartmouth-studentlife-app-predicts-depression-college-students Dementia affects approximately 15% of Canadians over the age of 65 and it is estimated that 1.4 million Canadians will be living with dementia by 2031 (Alzheimer Society of Canada). In order to help healthcare workers empathize with and support individuals with dementia, virtual dementia tours are being created in an attempt to simulate the experience of living with dementia. "It’s impossible to know exactly what it feels like to have dementia, but the tour brings people closer to what it is like than any other system in existence. We want to get this technology out to as many organizations and health professionals as possible. We want to see the service provided to all those working in care homes with elderly people suffering from the illness to experience to allow them to understand how it feels."
To read more about peoples' experiences in taking part in the Virtual Dementia Tour, check out this article from the Daily Mail. New study by Swedish scientists show that exercise protects the brain from depression. In mouse studies at the Karolinska Institutet, neuroscientists showed exercise induced changes in skeletal muscles that helps rid the body of kynurenin, a stress-induced amino acid associated with mental illness. This study showed that exercise increased the level of an enzyme called KAT, which converts kynurenine into kynurenic acid, which cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, KAT can detox the brain of stress-related neurochemicals. This study opens up the possibility of developing new pharmacological principles in the treatment of mental illness. Read more about the article here: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/30/exercise-protects-brain-from-depression-swedish-study-finds/ Read the article published in CELL here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867414010496# Put your knowledge and skills to the test with the case of a 20 year old female, who has had depression for a number of years, and now presents with worsening depressive symptoms, as well as anxiety and suicidal ideation and plans. The patient also describes a new onset of #manic symptoms that last for 3-5 days, and as such she's given a new diagnosis of bipolar I disorder with rapid cycling, most recent episode mixed. It is also important to note that this young patient also has a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta, which has caused brittle and fragile bones and has led to 62 fractures and 16 surgeries. How would you treat her mental health condition, while still protecting her bones? "Depressed, Suicidal, and Brittle In Her Bones" by Tahir Rahman, Emily F. Cole, & Deepika D. Parmar (Current Psychiatry) Not only is poverty, in addition to other stressors, a contributor to mental health problems, but often those living in low income neighbourhoods also tend to have less access to healthcare. With 70% of adult mental illness beginning in childhood, a program in Hamilton, ON that helps children and youth face anxiety may be the key to helping children cope with mental health issues when they arise. Find out more by checking out the article "Kids, Poverty and Mental Health: Anxiety a growing problem" by Denise Davy (CBC News) |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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