Intern, Ashley Wilson, presented information from articles linking the association of cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia.
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Friday Facts for October 2024
Friday October 4, 2024
National Depression and Mental Health
Everyone has mental health. Mental health does not mean mental illness.
Forty-six percent of people will meet criteria for a mental health condition at some point in their lives (Mental Health America).
Mental health can be strengthened by protective factors such as social support, physical activity, pets, community engagement, hobbies, creative activities, and abstinence from drugs/alcohol.
Friday October 11, 2024
How can we start to destigmatize mental health? By using inclusive language and being mindful when talking about mental health.
By decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness, inclusive language helps people who struggle with suicidality, depression, and other mental health issues feel understood. (Source: APA (2023). Inclusive language guide (2nd ed.)
Examples of inclusive language for mental health:
Using first personal language: This means putting the person before their diagnosis or condition. Example, instead of âa schizophrenicâ or âan addictâ, say âa person with schizophreniaâ or âa person with substance use disorderâ
Using respectful and accurate terms: Avoid using outdated offensive or inaccurate words when talking about mental health issues. For example, instead of âcrazyâ, âpsychoâ, or âinsaneâ, say âmental health issueâ, âmental illnessâ, or âpsychiatric disorderâ.
Friday October. 18, 2024
Mental Health Screening
What is a mental health screening? A mental health screening is a standard set of questions that a person answers to help a health care provider check for signs of a mental disorder.
What is it used for? It is usually used as the first step to find out if a person has a disorder, is at risks for a disorder, and/or might need further testing to rule out a mental health disorder.
Why would I need one? You may have developed symptoms that are new to you and need some help to find out why. They may also help a mental health professional develop a plan for future treatment or needs.
What can I expect during? You may be asked a lot of questions about yourself, your feelings, mood, sleep and appetite.
Posted in Current Interns, Friday Facts
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September’s Friday Facts
Friday September 13, 2024
Recently there has been a growing interest in patientsâ affective and emotional needs, particularly for those patients who are forced to spend the last phase of their life in residential facilities (Sollami, et al., 2017). Many studies have shown that pet therapy can reduce loneliness and isolation, improve mental and physical health, and provide a sense of purpose. Nursing home residents who participate in pet therapy are shown to have better sleep quality and improved cognitive function as pets can provide companionship, love, and support.
In the geriatric population, interaction with animals reduces behavioral disorders (agitation, aggression), stress and mood disorders, and appears to stimulate cognitive function (Sollami, et al., 2017). Pet therapy is even shown in some studies to benefit long-term memory, as well as improve sensory stimulation. Research has found that the presence of a dog during facilitated social activities, can act as a catalyst for interpersonal relationships (Sollami, et al., 2017). Therefore, pet therapy would be particularly beneficial for a patient who may be more withdrawn, as it supports feelings of belonging and sharing with others.
Friday Sept. 20, 2024
Suicide Awareness
Myth: Talking about suicide will lead to and encourage suicide
Fact: Pre-discharge education and follow-up contact or outreach for psychitiatric patients who were recently discharge from the hospital increases productivity in suicide prevention and scalability (Mann et al., 2021)
Talking about suicide reduces the stigma, allows people to share their experience, and feel comfortable seeking help.
Facilitating connection pre- and post- discharge may contribute positively to suicide prevention and address the prevalence of SI related admissions.
Friday Sept. 27, 2024
Autism and Suicide
Many people do not know that those with autism are at greater rick for co-occurring mental health difficulties (Eave & HO, 2008). The difficulties associated with daily living, including “masking” autistic traits, difficult social interactions, sensory distress, among other challenges, can result in autistic burnout, which his linked to an increased risk of suicide. In fact, according to a metanalysis by Brown et al. (2024), individuals with autism spectrum disorder are up to eight times more likely to die by suicide compared to non-autistic individuals.
Facts About Suicide
- A leading cause of death and serious public health problem with far reaching impact in the U.S.
- Many people contemplate suicide, including neighbors, friends, and family members
- CDC preventative resources include : ensuring good economic supports (i.e. stable housing, improved financial security, etc.)
- Suicide prevention can include creating a positive environment, such as reducing access to legal methods that increase healthy organization policies and culture.
Case Study Presentations
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On August 6th, employees from several hospital disciplines were invited to the 2024 Case Study Presentations from our interns. At the beginning of internship year, each intern is assigned a patient whom has been identified as a challenge for our … Continue reading
2024 Mock Trial Experience
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Again this year, our interns met with Dr. Danielle Smith and her husband, Assistance County Attorney, Jared Smith, to get a taste of what to expect when providing expert testimony in a court of law. Interns are provided background and … Continue reading
April Journical Club – Black Maternal Health and Medical Conditions Predictability by Social Media Posts
Lynn provided us with a two in one presentation this month.
First was a short information presentation for Black Maternal Health Week. Lynn recently became a first time mom and has helped to shed light on maternal health facts that affect black women.
Lynn’s second part of the presentation focuses on how social media posts are being linked to common health issues, such as depression, diabetes, and anxiety.
Predicting Medical Conditions – Lynn Murphy – April 2024
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June Journical Club: ART for PTSD
Journical Club- Shakeira Frye
Article: Kip, K. E., Berumen, J., Zeidan, A. R., Hernandez, D. F., & Finnegan, A. P. (2019). The emergence of accelerated resolution therapy for treatment of postâtraumatic stress disorder: A review and new subgroup analyses. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 19(2), 117-129.
Purpose: This article discussed the effectiveness of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for treating individuals with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), specifically among military personnel and individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article described PTSD as a chronic, disabling psychiatric disorder that is characterized by being exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence that leads to persistent re-experiencing of the details associated with the traumatic event, avoiding stimuli that evoke thoughts or feelings about the event, negative changes in cognitions and mood related to traumatic event. The article emphasized ARTâs potential as a reasonable, shorter alternative to traditional PTSD treatments, especially for military populations with difficult clinical presentations.
What is ART: ART therapy was described as an emerging trauma-focused psychotherapy that is brief relative to other treatments. This article aimed to describe the ART clinical protocol and the theoretical foundations. The protocol consists of four primary steps which included Relaxation and Orientation, Imaginal Exposure, Imagery Rescripting, and Assessment and Closeout. In the Relaxation and Orientation step, the client identifies and states the specific traumatic event they want to address. Next, the therapist directs the patient to focus on their bodily sensations while also performing a set of eye movements. In the Imaginal Exposure step, the client is directed to begin visualizing the traumatic event in their mind from start to finish while also performing eye movements. Again, the therapist asks the client to pay attention to any somatic, emotional, or physiological sensations that they may be experiencing. Those sensations are then processed with a set of eye movements until they are comfortable returning in their mind to the place they left off in the traumatic event. This step is completed when the client can visualize their experience from start to finish two times. The third step, Imagery Rescripting, involves the client being directed to imagine a new and preferred way of visualizing their experience while performing eye movements. The final step, Assessment and Closeout, includes reinforcing techniques which are used to assess if there are any areas of the traumatic event that still causes the client to generate visceral responses.
Study and Results: This study consisted of 291 participants who received at least one session of ART across four studies. The participants were classified based on their TBI status (no TBI, mild TBI, moderate TBI or severe TBI). The participants also had to have symptoms related to PTSD. The results of this study indicated that there were significant reductions in PTSD symptoms among participants. On average, the participants showed a 20.6-point reduction on the PTSD Checklist (PCL) after ART treatment, with 60.8% experiencing a clinically meaningful reduction of symptoms. Among the military personnel with TBI, the response rates to ART were similar regardless of TBI severity.
2023 Mock Trial Seminar
Each year, we meet with Forensic Psychologist (and former WSH intern) Dr. Danielle Smith and her husband, Asst. District Attorney Jarred Smith, Esq., to give our interns a look at how forensic testimony in court proceedings carry out. Jarred does not hold back on grilling our future docs but sometimes “Judge” Vaught throw her weight around as well. It’s a fun, interesting learning experience we are thankful to have offered to us and hope to continue.
Probably the happiest “Judge” ever!
Taylor giving her testimony
Dr. Vaught making sure everyone remembers who the expert is
Mr. Smith, “It’s Dr. Anderson actually”
Posted in Continuing Education, Intern Photos
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Friday Facts: Did You Know…? Facts About Schizophrenia (Originally Published 2/9/2019)
- No one born blind has ever developed Schizophrenia.
- Auditory hallucinations seem to be culturally shaped. In the U.S., AH of voices are often described as harsh and threatening, while those heard by individuals with the same diagnosis in Africa and India report the voices are more benign and playful.
- The Soviet Union created a fake mental disorder called âSluggish Schizophreniaâ in the 1970s. It allowed anyone who criticized the leadership to be arrested.
- Schizophrenia come from the Greek language and roughly translated means âsplit mind.â This does not imply an individual has a split personality, but rather a split from reality.
- Schizophrenia is mentioned in literature dating as far back as the second millennium BC in the Egyptian text called The Book of Hearts.
- Addiction to nicotine is the most common form of substance abuse in people diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
- The cause of Schizophrenia is unknown. It is thought to be a combination of genetics, brain biology (including chemistry and structure) and environment.
- Many individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia experience anosognosia. This means âwithout knowledgeâ and refers to the fact that the person is unable to identify that they have a mental disorder. They often do not realize they have developed symptoms and may deny experiencing the symptoms.
- Auditory hallucinations are more common than visual hallucinations.
- When experiencing active psychosis, individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia are often mistaken as being under the influence of a substance.
Crystal Henson, Psy.D.
WKPIC Instructor
Friday Facts: Double Trouble? A Brief Look at Comorbid Substance Use in Schizophrenia (Originally Published 2/1/2019)
Schizophrenia affects one in every one hundred persons with half of those affected likely to experience co-morbid substance use (as cited in Hunt et al., 2018). This use, in turn, exacerbates the overall symptomologic course of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been associated with an increased frequency of adverse consequences (Hunt et al., 2018).
In comparison to those who are singly diagnosed with schizophrenia alone, persons with co-morbid alcohol and/or illicit drug use are more likely to experience âhospitalization, homelessness, aggression, violence, incarceration, and suicidalityâ (as cited in Hunt et al., 2018, p. 234).
Specifically pertaining to an increased frequency of hospitalizations, Schmidt, Hesse, and Lykke (2011) found that patients who were dually diagnosed with schizophrenia and substance use disorder were psychiatrically hospitalized two times more frequently than individuals who were diagnosed with schizophrenia alone. Likewise, this group of patients were three times more likely to experience an outpatient episode, including emergency room visits. (Schmidt et al., 2011). However, the duration of their treatment was typically briefer (Schmidt et al., 2011).
References
Hunt, G. E., Large, M. M., Cleary, M., Xiong Lai, H. M., & Saunders, J. B. (2018). Prevalence of comorbid substance use in schizophrenia spectrum disorders in community and clinical settings, 1990-2017: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 191, 234-258. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.07.011
Schmidt, L. M., Hesse, M., & Lykke, J. (2011). The impact of substance use disorders on the course of schizophrenia â A 15-year follow up study: Dual diagnosis over 15 years. Schizophrenia Research, 130, 1-3, 228-233. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.04.011
Shirreka Mackay, LPC
Practicum Student, Western State Hospital