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Mental Health Ethics

Primary mental healthcare for adults with mild intellectual disabilities: Patients' perspectives
Pouls KP, Mastebroek M, Ligthart SJ, Assendelft WJ, Leusink GL and Koks-Leensen MC
People with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) experience more mental health (MH) problems than the general population but often do not receive appropriate primary MH care. Primary MH care is essential in integrative MH care and, therefore, demands high quality. To improve primary MH care for this patient group, account must be taken of the experiences of people with MID. So far, their perspectives have been largely absent from primary MH care research.
Loneliness in the Digital World: protocol for a co-produced ecological momentary assessment study in adolescents
Xiao Z, Robertson S, Long E, Flaig R, Kirby L, Romaniuk L, Murray A and Whalley H
Loneliness has been identified as an important public health issue, peaking during adolescence. Previous research has suggested that social interaction is a key factor in loneliness, and positive social interaction can act as a protective factor against loneliness. However, it is unclear whether there are differing impacts of in-person and online social interaction on adolescents' loneliness and mental health. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) designs are ideally suited for better understanding these associations.
Place-based strengths and vulnerabilities for mental wellness among rural minority older adults: an intervention development study protocol
Jaramillo ET
Severe inequities in depression and its diagnosis and treatment among rural-dwelling, racial-minority and ethnic-minority older adults compared with their urban white counterparts result in cognitive impairment, comorbidities and increased mortality, presenting a growing public health concern as the United States (US) population ages. These inequities are often attributable to social and environmental factors, including economic insecurity, histories of trauma, gaps in transportation and safety-net services, and disparities in access to policy-making processes rooted in colonialism. This constellation of factors renders racial-minority and ethnic-minority older adults 'structurally vulnerable' to mental ill health. Fewer data exist on protective factors associated with social and environmental contexts, such as social support, community attachment and a meaningful sense of place. Scholarship on the social determinants of health widely recognises the importance of such place-based factors. However, little research has examined how they shape disparities in depression and treatment specifically, limiting the development of practical approaches addressing these factors and their effects on mental well-being for rural minority populations.
Long COVID cognitive sequelae 6 months postinfection and beyond: a scoping review protocol
Monteiro S, Dessenne C and Perquin M
The novel and expanding field of long COVID research has undergone diverse methodological approaches in recent years. This protocol lays out the methodological approach, which aims at identifying nuances in current research. It underscores the necessity for a more precise understanding of prolonged cognitive sequelae and their relation to initial disease severity. The findings will add valuable insights for the development of targeted rehabilitation, healthcare interventions and thereby aid patients, clinicians, policymakers and researchers. Our upcoming research is introduced here.
Psychiatry as a vocation: Moral injury, COVID-19, and the phenomenology of clinical practice
Broome MR, Rodrigues J, Ritunnano R and Humpston C
In this article, we focus on a particular kind of emotional impact of the pandemic, namely the phenomenology of the experience of moral injury in healthcare professionals. Drawing on Weber's reflections in his lecture and data from the Experiences of Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey we analyse responses from healthcare professionals which show the experiences of burnout, sense of frustration and impotence, and how these affect clinicians' emotional state. We argue that this may relate to the ethical conflicts they experience when they are forced to make clinical decisions where there are no optimal outcomes, and how in turn that impacts on their own emotional state. We then further examine the notion of 'burnout' and the phenomenology of 'moral injury'. Our argument is that these experiences of moral injury across a range of clinicians during the pandemic may be more prevalent and long-standing in psychiatry and mental health than in other areas of healthcare, where ethically difficult decisions and resource constraints are common outside times of crisis. Hence, in these clinical arenas, moral injury and the phenomenology of emotional changes may be independent of the pandemic. The insights gained during the pandemic may provide wider insights into the challenges of developing services and training the workforce to provide appropriate mental health care.
Ethical issues in the application of genome-wide association studies to US military recruitment and personnel assignments
Hurst DJ and Padilla LA
Genome-wide association studies seek to associate an organism's genotypes with phenotypes. The goal of such research is to identify specific genetic variants that may be used to predict an individual's risk for a specific physical or mental disease. Recently, it has been recommended that policymakers in the USA should employ genomic surveillance so that it can be used for initial military personnel selection and personnel assignments. However, such a proposal highlights the necessity of subjecting such recommendations to rigorous ethical analysis, including concerns regarding recruitment, transparency and the return of genetic results.
Hard to reach? Methodological challenges researching vulnerable, gang-involved, young people
Barker R, Bonell C and Melendez-Torres GJ
Research with young people (YP) is ethically challenging and bound in a complex maze of issues relating to power, voice and representation. Such sensitivities mean that the challenges raised in researching marginalised YP are often hard to navigate. This paper reports on research carried out with YP to explore links between mental health, school exclusion and involvement in criminal gangs. It aims to provide a practical guide to negotiating some of the methodological and ethical challenges experienced.
Evidence about art-based interventions for Indigenous people: a scoping review protocol
Motta-Ochoa R, Patenaude D, Barbe-Welzel MA, Incio-Serra N, Audeoud ER, Gómez-Rendón A and Flores-Aranda J
Indigenous people experience a unique set of health inequalities and social determinants that can negatively affect their physical health, mental health and wellness. This critical state of affairs is compounded by the limited availability of culturally appropriate care services and treatments for the different groups. In response, increasing numbers of studies are turning their focus to art-based interventions and how these might benefit Indigenous lives. The proposed scoping review aims to map this growing field of research.
Nursing students' personality (Temperament and Character), burnout symptoms, and health and well-being
Garcia D, Kazemitabar M, Björk E, Daniele TMDC, Mihailovic M, Cloninger KM, Frota MA and Cloninger CR
About 9 million nurses will be needed by 2030. To face these unprecedented times, governments/institutions focus on educating as many nursing students as possible. This strategy is clouded by burnout and lack of both health and well-being among students and by the fact that personality is one of the major determinants of these health outcomes. Nevertheless, recent findings show that personality is a complex adaptive system (i,e., nonlinear) and that combinations of people's temperament and character traits (i.e., joint personality networks) might provide further information to understand its development, academic burnout, and lack of health and well-being.
The association between socioeconomic status perception and mental health among Chinese older adults: the mediating roles of social trust and justice
Ran X, Zhang X, Gong W and Chen G
Mental health is a matter of quality of life among older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between the socioeconomic status (SES) perception and mental health of older adults using data from 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS).
Exploring a Preliminary Set of Indicators to Measure Adolescent Health: Results From a 12-Country Feasibility Study
Kågesten AE, Marsh AD, Storey S, Abduvahobov P, Adebayo E, Amezquita Velásquez AI, Azzopardi PS, Ba MG, Bose K, Camara MK, Cardona M, da Cruz J, Dastgiri S, Fagan L, Ferguson BJ, Giyava CR, Karna P, Keogh SC, Melkumova M, Moller AB, Newby H, Swai E, Tchandana M, Uzma Q, Yoffo GJ, Zainal Abidin Z, Zbelo M and Guthold R
To explore data availability, perceived relevance, acceptability and feasibility of implementing 52 draft indicators for adolescent health measurement in different countries globally.
Resilience and coping: a qualitative analysis of cognitive and behavioral factors in adults with osteogenesis Imperfecta
Cho HE, Shepherd WS, Colombo GM, Wiese AD, Rork WC, Kostick KM, Nguyen D, , Murali CN, Robinson ME, Schneider SC, Qian JH, Lee B, Sutton VR and Storch EA
The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate resilience among adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI).
Meniscal Transplant surgery or Optimised Rehabilitation full randomised trial (MeTeOR2): a study protocol
Arnold S, Spalding T, Parsons H, Beard D, Bradley H, Crisford P, Ellard DR, Ferreira M, Getgood A, Guck J, Haque A, Khan I, Mason J, Milroy B, Myers P, Parker D, Price AJ, Smith A, Smith NA, Smith T, Stewart K, Underwood M, Verdonk P and Metcalfe A
Pain and disability after meniscectomy can be a substantial lifelong problem. There are few treatment options, especially for young people. Non-surgical management (rehabilitation) is an option but increasingly surgeons are performing meniscal allograft transplants (MATs) for these individuals. However, this is still an uncommon procedure, and availability and usage of MAT vary widely both in the UK and internationally. It is not known which treatment option is the most effective and cost-effective.
Sharing Culture and Management of Sex Work Information on Mobile Phones by Female Sex Workers in Nepal: Implications for mHealth Practice and Research
Ranjit YS, Basnyat I, Joshi O, Khoshnood K and Fisher CB
Female sex workers (FSWs) in Nepal continue to be disproportionately at risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV. Due to stigma related to sex work and HIV, FSWs keep their sex work information hidden, which poses a barrier to seeking health services. Emerging research indicates a high uptake of mobile phones among FSWs in Nepal. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions can provide health information and linkage to care. However, largely missing from the literature is FSWs' experience of managing the information about their involvement in sex work in a culture where sharing personal information and belongings is a part of the social norm, and maintaining privacy could have negative social repercussions. The current study aims to understand how FSWs perceive and manage privacy when they share their mobile phones. Using the Communication Privacy Management theory, we explore FSWs' perception of the threat to their privacy posed by mobile phones. We conducted 30 in-depth interviews among FSWs in Kathmandu, Nepal. Results showed that all participants owned mobile phones, and sharing devices was common. Mobile phones pose a considerable challenge in keeping sex work information private, and FSWs use various communication strategies to circumvent privacy threats. The findings highlight the mental and emotional burden FSWs face trying to conceal their private information in a sharing culture. The study discusses the importance of theorizing privacy in the cultural context of the Global South and the practical implications for developing mHealth interventions for this population.
Dignity in Medicine: Definition, Assessment and Therapy
Grassi L, Nanni MG, Riba M and Folesani F
Over the last 20 years, dignity and dignity-conserving care have become the center of investigation, in many areas of medicine, including palliative care, oncology, neurology, geriatrics, and psychiatry. We summarized peer-reviewed literature and examined the definition, conceptualization of dignity, potential problems, and suggested interventions.
Group-format, peer-facilitated mental health promotion interventions for students in higher education settings: a scoping review protocol
Brooke-Sumner C, Machisa MT, Sikweyiya Y and Mahlangu P
Young people in higher education face various stressors that can make them vulnerable to mental ill-health. Mental health promotion in this group therefore has important potential benefits. Peer-facilitated and group-format interventions may be feasible and sustainable. The scoping review outlined in this protocol aims to map the literature on group-format, peer-facilitated, in-person interventions for mental health promotion for higher education students attending courses on campuses in high and low/middle-income countries.
European Autism GEnomics Registry (EAGER): protocol for a multicentre cohort study and registry
Bloomfield M, Lautarescu A, Heraty S, Douglas S, Violland P, Plas R, Ghosh A, Van den Bosch K, Eaton E, Absoud M, Battini R, Blázquez Hinojosa A, Bolshakova N, Bölte S, Bonanni P, Borg J, Calderoni S, Calvo Escalona R, Castelo-Branco M, Castro-Fornieles J, Caro P, Cliquet F, Danieli A, Delorme R, Elia M, Hempel M, Leblond CS, Madeira N, McAlonan G, Milone R, Molloy CJ, Mouga S, Montiel V, Pina Rodrigues A, Schaaf CP, Serrano M, Tammimies K, Tye C, Vigevano F, Oliveira G, Mazzone B, O'Neill C, Pender J, Romero V, Tillmann J, Oakley B, Murphy DGM, Gallagher L, Bourgeron T, Chatham C and Charman T
Autism is a common neurodevelopmental condition with a complex genetic aetiology that includes contributions from monogenic and polygenic factors. Many autistic people have unmet healthcare needs that could be served by genomics-informed research and clinical trials. The primary aim of the European Autism GEnomics Registry (EAGER) is to establish a registry of participants with a diagnosis of autism or an associated rare genetic condition who have undergone whole-genome sequencing. The registry can facilitate recruitment for future clinical trials and research studies, based on genetic, clinical and phenotypic profiles, as well as participant preferences. The secondary aim of EAGER is to investigate the association between mental and physical health characteristics and participants' genetic profiles.
Group arts therapies for patients with schizophrenia: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis
Zhang A, Luo X, Lin R, He C, Wang J and Huang G
Schizophrenia, a chronic mental problem, significantly impacts cognition, emotion and social functioning. Conventional pharmacotherapy faces challenges including numerous side effects, low adherence to medication and substantial costs. In this context, group arts therapies (GATs) emerge as a promising complementary approach for symptom alleviation in schizophrenia patients. Nonetheless, the effectiveness and safety of GATs are yet to be firmly established. This study aims to systematically assess the therapeutic impact of all group-based artistic interventions as complementary treatments for schizophrenia, focusing on their potential benefits.
Medical students' professionalism attributes, knowledge, practices, and attitudes toward COVID-19 and attitudes toward care provision during pandemic amidst the COVID-19 outbreak according to their demographics and mental health
Choi EK and Yeo S
This study examines various aspects related to medical professionalism in medical students during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, focusing on their medical professionalism attributes, KPA (knowledge, practices, and attitudes) toward COVID-19 and attitudes toward provision of care in pandemic. We assessed whether these aspects related to medical professionalism were varied by their demographics and mental health level.
The Artificial Third: A Broad View of the Effects of Introducing Generative Artificial Intelligence on Psychotherapy
Haber Y, Levkovich I, Hadar-Shoval D and Elyoseph Z
This paper explores a significant shift in the field of mental health in general and psychotherapy in particular following generative artificial intelligence's new capabilities in processing and generating humanlike language. Following Freud, this lingo-technological development is conceptualized as the "fourth narcissistic blow" that science inflicts on humanity. We argue that this narcissistic blow has a potentially dramatic influence on perceptions of human society, interrelationships, and the self. We should, accordingly, expect dramatic changes in perceptions of the therapeutic act following the emergence of what we term the artificial third in the field of psychotherapy. The introduction of an artificial third marks a critical juncture, prompting us to ask the following important core questions that address two basic elements of critical thinking, namely, transparency and autonomy: (1) What is this new artificial presence in therapy relationships? (2) How does it reshape our perception of ourselves and our interpersonal dynamics? and (3) What remains of the irreplaceable human elements at the core of therapy? Given the ethical implications that arise from these questions, this paper proposes that the artificial third can be a valuable asset when applied with insight and ethical consideration, enhancing but not replacing the human touch in therapy.
Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021.
Prioritization of ethical concerns regarding HIV molecular epidemiology by public health practitioners and researchers
Schuster ALR, Bollinger J, Geller G, Little SJ, Mehta SR, Sanchez T, Sugarman J and Bridges JFP
HIV molecular epidemiology (HIV ME) can support the early detection of emerging clusters of new HIV infections by combining HIV sequence data routinely obtained during the clinical treatment of people living with HIV with behavioral, geographic, and sociodemographic information. While information about emerging clusters promises to facilitate HIV prevention and treatment efforts, the use of this data also raises several ethical concerns. We sought to assess how those working on the frontlines of HIV ME, specifically public health practitioners (PHPs) and researchers, prioritized these issues.
The blind spots of psychiatric reform in Greece
Stylianidis S
According to international experience, the conditions for the successful outcome of a psychiatric reform are the following: (a) Existence of political will (supporting a national plan with assessment, monitoring, and corrective intervention procedures for structural dysfunctions, etc.). (b) Strong mental health leadership (executive expertise and skills that advance the public health agenda). (c) Challenging the dominance of the biomedical model in therapeutic practice through the promotion of holistic care practices, evidence-based innovative actions, collaborative care, the promotion of recovery culture, and the and the use of innovative digital tools. (d) Ensuring necessary resources over time, so that resources from the transition of the asylum model to a model of sectorial community mental health services "follow" the patient. (e) Strengthening the participation of service recipients and their families in decision-making processes and evaluation of care quality. (f) Practices based on ethical principles (value-based practice) and not only on the always necessary documentation (evidence-based practice).1- 4 Convergent evidence from the "ex post" evaluation of the implementation of the national plan Psychargos 2000-20095 and from the recent rapid assessment of the psychiatric reform by the Ministry of Health and the WHO Athens office (SWOT analysis)6 indicates "serious fragmentation of services, an uncoordinated system that often results in inappropriate service provision, a lack of epidemiological studies and studies concerning the local needs of specific populations, uneven development of services between different regions of the country, a large number of specialized professionals with significant deficits in community psychiatry expertise, a lack of personnel in supportive roles, significant gaps in specialized services (for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, eating disorders, old and new addictions, and community forensic psychiatry services)". We would also like to highlight lack of coordination and collaboration among different mental health service systems (public primary and secondary service providers, NGOs, municipal services, mental health services of the armed forces, private sector), complete absence of systematic evaluation and monitoring (lack of quality of care indicators, clinical outcomes, epidemiological profile of each service), lack of quality assurance mechanisms and clinical management systems, insufficient number of beds mainly for acute cases, unclear protocols for discharge issuance and ensuring continuity of care, deficient budget for Mental Health in relation to the overall healthcare expenditure (currently 3.3%), and finally, one of the highest rates of involuntary hospitalizations in Europe, which is linked to serious issues concerning the protection of the rights of service users. After the pandemic and the emergence of the silent but expected mental health pandemic, WHO, EU, and the Greek Ministry of Health emphasized the need to adopt a public mental health agenda with an emphasis on community psychiatry in order to address both the old structural dysfunctions and inadequacies of psychiatric reform (regulation 815/1984, Leros I-Leros II plan, Psychargos A & B, incomplete implementation of laws 2071/1992 & 2716/1999, incomplete deinstitutionalization of the remaining psychiatric hospitals). However, it is time to reflect that it is not possible to talk today about the need to update and implement a new national plan to upgrade mental health in the country without answering basic questions, both old and new, about the wider context of its implementation. The transformation of the deficient psychiatric care in the country cannot be completed without the urgent restructuring of the National Health System7 and the reform of the Greek welfare state itself, which is also characterized by irrationality, inequalities, bureaucratic inefficiency, and fragmentation.8 As we should have learned from the bankruptcy and the prolonged economic, social, and cultural crisis in our country, reforms usually pay off in the long term, while the time horizon of the applied policies is narrow and usually reaching the next election. The fact is that in any reform effort, including psychiatry, the political system does not demonstrate the ability to promote transparency, evaluation, stable rules of regulation, reference to a universally applicable legal and institutional framework, the limitation of clientelism and guild resistances. From this point of view, it is necessary to give meaning in the context of Greek psychiatric reform to the professional burnout of the National Health System workers, the lack of motivation and vision, the intrusion into the NGO space by new entities without any connection to the culture of psychiatry reform, the guild resistances of all relevant specialties, the selective use of psychotherapeutic techniques, as trends of discrediting the relief of social and psychological suffering in the field of public mental health. There is an urgent need to understand new pathologies (narcissistic disorders, new forms of addiction, eating disorders, "pathology of emptiness", adolescent delinquency and suicide, psychosomatic manifestations due to high stress, pathology of fluid social ties, deficient socialization of young people "outside of their algorithms") through a solid and coherent analysis of the toxic postmodernity culture. In addition to the social determinants of mental health,9 it is necessary in clinical work to also assess the psychological factors, such as uncertainty, conflict, loss of control, and incomplete information, that burden human health.10 In order to reduce the gap between declarations and real life, there is an urgent need to overcome the blind spots of psychiatric reform in the country by establishing internal and external evaluation processes, training young professionals in holistic care and community networking and communication skills, retraining leaders for organizational change, and strengthening the participation of service users in the context of deepening democracy in mental health. As mental health professionals, the object of our work in the community should be the reconstruction of meaning and the fragile or non-existent social bond in subjects who have been cut off from any possible production of meaning and participation in their history. Why should our therapeutic responses be stereotypically repetitive in the face of these complex, radical changes in the meta-context and the new demands of our patients? After all, as the philosopher Ernst Bloch puts it, utopia is "that which does not exist yet.".
Protocol for the Development and Analysis of the Oxford and Reading Cognitive Comorbidity, Frailty and Ageing Research Database-Electronic Patient Records (ORCHARD-EPR)
Boucher E, Jell A, Singh S, Davies J, Smith T, Pill A, Varnai K, Woods K, Walliker D, McColl A, Shepperd S and Pendlebury S
Hospital electronic patient records (EPRs) offer the opportunity to exploit large-scale routinely acquired data at relatively low cost and without selection. EPRs provide considerably richer data, and in real-time, than retrospective administrative data sets in which clinical complexity is often poorly captured. With population ageing, a wide range of hospital specialties now manage older people with multimorbidity, frailty and associated poor outcomes. We, therefore, set-up the Oxford and Reading Cognitive Comorbidity, Frailty and Ageing Research Database-Electronic Patient Records (ORCHARD-EPR) to facilitate clinically meaningful research in older hospital patients, including algorithm development, and to aid medical decision-making, implementation of guidelines, and inform policy.
Families in transition (FIT) study protocol: feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a group-based parent training in parents of youth in psychiatric residential treatment
Herbell K, Breitenstein SM, Tan A, Melnyk BM, Thai AT and Berger S
Although adolescents make treatment gains in psychiatric residential treatment (RT), they experience significant difficulty adapting to the community and often do not sustain treatment gains long term. Their parents are often not provided with the necessary support or behaviour management skillset to bridge the gap between RT and home. Parent training, a gold standard behaviour management strategy, may be beneficial for parents of these youth and web-based parent training programmes may engage this difficult-to-reach population. This study focuses on a hybrid parent training programme that combines Parenting Wisely (PW), a web-based parent training with facilitated discussion groups (Parenting Wisely for Residential Treatment (PW)). This study aims to: (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of PW, (2) evaluate whether PW engages target mechanisms (parental self-efficacy, parenting behaviours, social support, family function) and (3) determine the effects of PW on adolescent outcomes (internalising and externalising behaviours, placement restrictiveness).
Machine learning for mental health diagnosis: tackling contributory injustice and epistemic oppression
Pozzi G and De Proost M
Restore and Rebuild (R&R): a protocol for a phase 2, randomised control trial to compare R&R as a treatment for moral injury-related mental health difficulties in UK military veterans to treatment as usual
Williamson V, Murphy D, Bonson A, Biscoe N, Leightley D, Aldridge V and Greenberg N
Exposure to potentially morally injurious events is increasingly recognised as a concern across a range of occupational groups, including UK military veterans. Moral injury-related mental health difficulties can be challenging for clinicians to treat and there is currently no validated treatment available for UK veterans. We developed Restore and Rebuild (R&R) as a treatment for UK veterans struggling with moral injury-related mental health difficulties. This trial aims to examine whether it is feasible to conduct a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of R&R treatment compared with a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control group.
Coproduction of accessible digital mental health supports in partnership with young people from marginalised backgrounds: a scoping review protocol
Kealy C, Potts C, Mulvenna MD, Donohoe G, O'Neill S and Barry MM
Despite the evidence supporting the value of digital supports for enhancing youth mental health services, there is a lack of guidance on how best to engage with young people in coproduction processes during the design and evaluation of these technologies. User input is crucial in digital mental health, especially for disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised young people as they are often excluded from coproduction. A scoping review of international literature written in English will explore the coproduction processes with marginalised young people in digital mental health supports, from mental health promotion to targeted interventions. The review is guided by the research question: what are the most appropriate coproduction processes for engaging young people, especially marginalised young people, in the different stages of designing and evaluating digital mental health supports? The review aims to map and summarise the evidence, inform the overall research project and address the knowledge gaps.
Clinical dimensions of people with co-occurring obsessive-compulsive and related disorders and multiple sclerosis: a scoping review protocol
Freedman DE, Sawicka KM, Oh J, Main E, Campbell KA and Feinstein A
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disease with a significant burden of neuropsychiatric sequelae. These symptoms, including depression and anxiety, are predictors of morbidity and mortality in people with MS. Despite a high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in MS, potentially shared pathophysiological mechanisms and overlap in possible treatments, no review has specifically examined the clinical dimensions of people with obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD) and MS. In this scoping review, we aim to map the available knowledge on the clinical dimensions of people with co-occurring OCRD and MS. Understanding the characteristics of this population in greater detail will inform more patient-centred care and create a framework for future studies.
The neoliberal leaning of the neuroscience discourse when it deals with mental health and learning disorders
Brun C, Boraud T and Gonon F
Neuroscience attracted increasing attention in mass media during the last decades. Indeed, neuroscience advances raise high expectations in society concerning major societal issues such as mental health and learning difficulties. Unfortunately, according to leading experts, neuroscience advances have not yet benefited patients, students and socially deprived families. Yet, neuroscience findings are widely overstated and misrepresented in the media. Academic studies, briefly described here, showed that most data misrepresentations were already present in the neuroscience literature before spreading in mass media. This triumphalist neuroscience discourse reinforces a neuro-essentialist conception of mental disorders and of learning difficulties. By emphasizing brain plasticity, this discourse fuels the neoliberal ethics that overvalue autonomy, rationality, flexibility and individual responsibility. According to this unrealistic rhetoric, neuroscience-based techniques will soon bring inexpensive private solutions to enduring social problems. When considering the social consequences of this rhetoric, neuroscientists should refrain from overstating the interpretation of their observations in their scientific publications and in their exchanges with journalists.
Effectiveness of a peer-supported crisis intervention to reduce the proportion of compulsory admissions in acute psychiatric crisis interventions in an outreach and outpatient setting: study protocol for an exploratory cluster randomised trial combined with qualitative methods
Oeltjen LK, Schulz M, Heuer I, Knigge G, Nixdorf R, Briel D, Hamer P, Brannath W, Utschakowski J, Mahlke C and Gerhardus A
Compulsory admissions are associated with feelings of fear, humiliation and powerlessness. The number of compulsory admissions in Germany and other high-income countries has increased in recent years. Peer support has been shown to increase the self-efficacy of individuals with mental health conditions in acute crises and to reduce the use of coercive measures in clinical settings. The objective of this study is to reduce the number of compulsory admissions by involving peer support workers (PSWs) in acute mental health crises in outreach and outpatient settings.
Pathways linking workplace violence and suicidal ideation/non-suicidal self-injury among nurse staff: the mediating role of loneliness and depressive symptoms
Ding C, Duan Z, Luo W, Li L, Li G, Li X, Xie L and Yang R
Nurses face disproportionately high rates of suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The role of workplace violence, loneliness, and depressive symptoms in exacerbating these issues is poorly understood. This study aims to explore these relationships to inform interventions for improving nurses' mental health.
Depressed mood as a transdiagnostic target relevant to anxiety and/or psychosis: a scoping review protocol
Dambi J, Mavindidze E, Nyamayaro P, Beji-Chauke R, Tunduwani TD, Shava BK, Mavhu W, Abas M, Chibanda D and Nhunzvi C
Depressed mood is a psychological state characterised by sadness or loss of interest in activities. Depressed mood is a highly prevalent symptom across major mental disorders. However, there is limited understanding of the burden and management of comorbid depressed mood across major mental disorders. Therefore, this scoping review aims to summarise knowledge on depressed mood among persons with anxiety and/or psychosis. The specific aims are to describe the epidemiology and risk factors of depressed mood as a transdiagnostic target among persons with anxiety and/or psychosis, to identify commonly used outcome measures for depressed mood and to outline initial evidence of psychometric robustness and to identify and summarise the effectiveness of commonly applied depressed mood modification interventions. Our hope is that the proposed review will provide insights into the burden of depressed mood in persons with anxiety and psychosis and help to identify evidence gaps and recommendations for future research.
Nursing and Playwriting Students Collaborative: Elevating Reflective Practice
Lim F, Topol D and Cram C
Reflection is essential in the formation and ethical comportment of nurses. The COVID-19 pandemic brought extraordinary challenges to nursing practice and education of nurses. A pilot collaboration between a college of nursing and a department of dramatic writing at a research-intensive urban university aimed to promote the esthetic pattern of knowing through the dramatic presentation of the experiences of nursing students and frontline nurses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The playwrights wrote two short plays based on interviews with two nursing students and three experienced nurses. The project sought to enhance narrative competence and empathy development of nurses and playwrights, and to promote reflection-on-action.
"It's really important work…and celebrating that, I think, is really important" - co-produced qualitative research into future of mental health nurse education
Pearson M, Long L, Baker C, Doran D and Pringle A
The education of mental health nurses has long remained a contentious topic in the UK and internationally. This research seeks to gather the perspectives of those directly affected by mental health nurse education. To investigate what knowledge, skills and values current mental health nursing students, graduate mental health nurses and people with lived experience of accessing mental health services believe should be paramount within pre-registration education. Data was gathered through focus groups involving a mix of pre- and post-qualified mental health nurses and people with lived experience of accessing mental health services. Data was collected through audio recordings, which were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. The analysis generated four themes of: (i) Values and ethics-based education, (ii) Self-awareness, (iii) Understanding and therapeutically being with others and (iv) Specialism versus Genericism. The findings speak to the special nature of mental health nursing and the need for students to develop specialist mental health knowledge and skills, alongside self-knowledge. The findings provide a unique insight into the aspects of pre-registration nursing felt to be most valuable by the three participant groups in this study. The findings reiterate the importance nurse education celebrating the specialism of mental health nursing and adds to the growing weight of literature for increased specialism with future education standard reviews.
Use of social network analysis in health research: a scoping review protocol
Grewal E, Godley J, Wheeler J and Tang KL
Social networks can affect health beliefs, behaviours and outcomes through various mechanisms, including social support, social influence and information diffusion. Social network analysis (SNA), an approach which emerged from the relational perspective in social theory, has been increasingly used in health research. This paper outlines the protocol for a scoping review of literature that uses social network analytical tools to examine the effects of social connections on individual non-communicable disease and health outcomes.
Benefit-sharing with human participants in health research in South Africa: A call for clarity
Kamau C, Prinsen L and Thaldar D
This study critically examines the concept of benefit-sharing in the context of health research involving human participants in South Africa, identifying a significant gap in the precision and application of terminology. It introduces a new terminological framework designed to provide clarity and facilitate standardisation in both national and international discourse on benefit-sharing. The analysis extends to the complex legal landscape in South Africa, highlighting the nuances of mandated, permitted, and prohibited practices of benefit-sharing across various statutes. This reveals substantial implications for ethics committees, researchers, and participants, emphasising the need for a legal and ethical recalibration. Furthermore, the manuscript critiques South Africa's main ethics instruments for their inadequate guidance on benefit-sharing and proposes recommendations for enhancing the Department of Health's ethics guidelines. By advocating for a coherent, legally informed approach to ethical decision-making, the study underscores the need for integrating the proposed framework and legal insights into ethics guidelines. This comprehensive strategy aims not only to advance ethical practices within South Africa but also to contribute significantly to the global discourse on benefit-sharing in health research.
Understanding patterns of fatigue in health and disease: protocol for an ecological momentary assessment study using digital technologies
Adam R, Lotankar Y, Sas C, Powell D, Martinez V, Green S, Cooper J, Bradbury K, Sive J and Hill DL
Fatigue is prevalent across a wide range of medical conditions and can be debilitating and distressing. It is likely that fatigue is experienced differently according to the underlying aetiology, but this is poorly understood. Digital health technologies present a promising approach to give new insights into fatigue.The aim of this study is to use digital health technologies, real-time self-reports and qualitative interview data to investigate how fatigue is experienced over time in participants with myeloma, long COVID, heart failure and in controls without problematic fatigue. Objectives are to understand which sensed parameters add value to the characterisation of fatigue and to determine whether study processes are feasible, acceptable and scalable.
Structured medication reviews for adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy in primary care: a systematic review protocol
Lammila-Escalera E, Greenfield G, Aldakhil R, Zaman H, Neves AL, Majeed A and Wj Hayhoe B
Polypharmacy is common among individuals with multimorbidity, often leading to inappropriate medication use and is associated with an increased risk of frailty, hospitalisation and mortality. Structured medication reviews (SMRs) have emerged as a promising method for optimising medication use. However, research examining their efficacy is limited. This review aims to evaluate the impact of SMRs on improving outcomes for adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy in primary care settings. Additionally, this review seeks to identify prevailing patterns and trends in the mode of delivery of SMRs.
Negotiating cultural sensitivity in medical AI
Lee JY
Physicians' emotion awareness and emotion regulation training during medical education: a systematic scoping review protocol
Lange AA, Bonvin R, Guttormsen S and Zambrano Ramos SC
The objective of this systematic scoping review is to identify what approaches have been implemented in medical education programmes to teach medical students the skills to identify and manage emotions that may be elicited in them during physician-patient interactions and in the clinical environment. Emotions of all involved in the clinical encounter are central to the process of clinical care. However, a gap remains addressing and teaching medical students about recognising and dealing with their own emotions.
An agricultural livelihood intervention is associated with reduced HIV stigma among people living with HIV
Weiser SD, Sheira LA, Weke E, Zakaras JM, Wekesa P, Frongillo EA, Burger RL, Mocello AR, Thirumurthy H, Dworkin SL, Tsai AC, Kahn JG, Butler L, Bukusi EA and Cohen CR
HIV stigma undermines antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence and viral suppression. Livelihood interventions may target drivers of negative attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) by improving their health and strengthening their economic contributions. We examined the effects of a multisectoral agricultural livelihood intervention on HIV stigma among PLHIV in western Kenya.
Determining capacity of people with dementia to take part in research: an electronic survey study of researcher confidence, competence and training needs
Griffiths S, Shepherd V and Volkmer A
Researchers are required to determine whether a person has capacity to consent to a research study before they are able to participate. The Mental Capacity Act and accompanying Code of Practice for England and Wales provide some guidance on this process, but researchers have identified that it can be difficult to determine capacity to consent when a person has complex cognitive or communication needs. This study aimed to understand the experiences and opinions of researchers who recruit people with dementia to research projects, to inform the future development of training resources.
Same job, same working conditions? A cross-sectional study to examine the similarities and differences of the working situation in ambulatory and residential youth welfare workers
Kersten M, Vincent-Höper S, Wirth T, Gregersen S and Nienhaus A
Employees in social work exhibit high rates of sick leave due to mental health issues. Additionally, work-related demands in youth welfare have increased in recent years. Particularly in light of the escalating shortage of skilled professionals in this field, this trend becomes especially critical. The aim of this study is to systematically examine health-relevant working conditions, coping strategies, and health indicators in youth welfare. A special focus is placed on a differentiated analysis of job-related characteristics in the context of outpatient and residential youth welfare.
A healthcare approach to mental integrity
Wajnerman-Paz A, Aboitiz F, Álamos F and Ramos Vergara P
The current human rights framework can shield people from many of the risks associated with neurotechnological applications. However, it has been argued that we need either to articulate new rights or reconceptualise existing ones in order to prevent some of these risks. In this paper, we would like to address the recent discussion about whether current reconceptualisations of the right to mental integrity identify an ethical dimension that is not covered by existing moral and/or legal rights. The main challenge of these proposals is that they make mental integrity indistinguishable from autonomy. They define mental integrity in terms of the control we can have over our mental states, which seems to be part of the authenticity condition for autonomous action. Based on a fairly comprehensive notion of mental health (ie, a notion that is not limited to the mere absence of illness), we propose an alternative view according to which mental integrity can be characterised both as a positive right to (medical and non-medical) interventions that restore and sustain mental and neural function, and promote its development and a negative right protecting people from interventions that threaten or undermine these functions or their development. We will argue that this notion is dissociated from cognitive control and therefore can be adequately distinguished from autonomy.
Health-care workforce implications of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision
Brindis CD, Laitner MH, Clayton EW, Scrimshaw SC, Grosz BJ, Simpson LA, Rosenbaum S, Brierley CL, Simon MA, Roubideaux Y, Calonge BN, Johnson PA, DeStefano L, Bear A, Arora KS and Dzau VJ
The Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision, which revoked the constitutional right to abortion in the USA, has impacted the national medical workforce. Impacts vary across states, but providers in states with restrictive abortion laws now must contend with evolving legal and ethical challenges that have the potential to affect workforce safety, mental health, education, and training opportunities, in addition to having serious impacts on patient health and far-reaching societal consequences. Moreover, Dobbs has consequences on almost every facet of the medical workforce, including on physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others who work within the health-care system. Comprehensive research is urgently needed to understand the wide-ranging implications of Dobbs on the medical workforce, including legal, ethical, clinical, and psychological dimensions, to inform evidence-based policies and standards of care in abortion-restrictive settings. Lessons from the USA might also have global relevance for countries facing similar restrictions on reproductive care.
Navigating cultural diversity: harnessing AI for mental health diagnosis despite value-laden judgements
Razali HYH and Yusof ANM
What Is the Aim of PEDIATRIC "Gender-Affirming" Care?
Gorin M
The original "Dutch Protocol"-the treatment model comprised of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery-was intended to improve the mental and physical health of pediatric patients experiencing distress over their sexed bodies. Consequently, both researchers and clinicians have couched eligibility for treatment and measures of treatment efficacy in terms of the interventions' effects on outcomes such as gender dysphoria, depression, anxiety, and suicide. However, recent systematic reviews have concluded that the scientific evidence supporting these interventions is uncertain, leading to significant international differences in what treatments are offered to youth. Against this backdrop, a different argumentative approach has emerged in support of gender-affirming care. This approach appeals not to reductions in patient morbidity or mortality but to patient autonomy, where medical intervention is pursued as a means to the satisfaction of a patient's "embodiment goals." In this article, I raise objections to autonomy-based justifications for pediatric gender-affirming care, concluding that these arguments misunderstand the place of autonomy in clinical decision-making and, consequently, put patients at risk of medical harm.
Safety and Efficacy of AlphaWave L-Theanine Supplementation for 28 Days in Healthy Adults with Moderate Stress: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Moulin M, Crowley DC, Xiong L, Guthrie N and Lewis ED
Prolonged periods of stress may lead to negative health consequences. AlphaWave L-Theanine was safe and efficacious during an acute stress challenge. However, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials investigating the longer term effects of L-theanine supplementation on stress are warranted.
Effectiveness of combining prevention psychological interventions with interventions that address the social determinants of mental health in low and middle-income countries: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis
Prina E, Bano B, Singh R, Albanese E, Trujillo D, Dedios Sanguineti MC, Sorsdahl K, Luitel NP, Garman EC, Purgato M, Barbui C, Jordans MJD and Lund C
Common mental health conditions (CMHCs), including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are highly prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Preventive strategies combining psychological interventions with interventions addressing the social determinants of mental health may represent a key strategy for effectively preventing CMHCs. However, no systematic reviews have evaluated the effectiveness of these combined intervention strategies for preventing CMHCs.
Post-Roe v Wade psychiatry: legal, clinical, and ethical challenges in psychiatry under abortion bans
Kraguljac NV, Bruns DP, Appelbaum PS, Botello E, King VL, Remiszewski N, Widge AS, Alpert JE, Carpenter LL, Grzenda A, Krystal JH, McDonald WM and Nemeroff CB
In recent history, the world has witnessed a trend towards liberalization of abortion laws driven by an increasing understanding of the negative personal and public health consequences of criminalizing abortion. By contrast, several countries have recently implemented restrictive reproductive laws, joining the 112 countries where access to abortion care is banned completely or with narrow exceptions. On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned its landmark decisions in Roe v Wade that established abortion until the point of viability of the fetus as a constitutional right. After Roe v Wade having been overturned, it is projected that many women in the USA will be prevented from accessing safe abortion care. Importantly, abortion bans not only impose constraints on patient autonomy, they also restrict physicians' ability to practice evidence-based medicine, which will negatively impact psychiatric care. It is therefore crucial for the practicing psychiatrist to be familiar with this new legal landscape. In this Personal View, we aim to provide a topical overview to help clinicians gain a clear understanding of legal, clinical, and ethical responsibilities, focusing on the USA. We also discuss the reality that psychiatrists might be called upon to determine medical necessity for an abortion on psychiatric grounds, which is new for most US psychiatrists. We predict that psychiatrists will be confronted with very difficult situations in which lawful and ethical conduct might be incongruent, and that abortion bans will result in greater numbers of patients needing psychiatric care from a system that is ill-prepared for additional demands.
Process evaluation of a Structured E-parenting Support (STEPS) in the OPTIMA randomised controlled trial: a protocol
Hedstrom E, Kostyrka-Allchorne K, French B, Glazebrook C, Hall CL, Kovshoff H, Lean N and Sonuga-Barke E
(STEPS) is a digital application (app) designed to help parents manage behaviour of their children who are referred to mental health services and are waiting for an assessment or treatment. STEPS is currently being evaluated in the Online Parent Training for the Initial Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder randomised controlled trial. Alongside the examination of STEPS' clinical and cost-effectiveness, we are conducting a process evaluation to better understand the contextual factors that may influence study outcomes. The purpose of this protocol is to describe the aims, objectives and methodology of the process evaluation prior to it taking place to add to the fidelity and rigour of the trial process and outcomes. Our goal is to adapt STEPS to optimise its benefits in future applications.
Using Wearable Digital Devices to Screen Children for Mental Health Conditions: Ethical Promises and Challenges
O'Leary A, Lahey T, Lovato J, Loftness B, Douglas A, Skelton J, Cohen JG, Copeland WE, McGinnis RS and McGinnis EW
In response to a burgeoning pediatric mental health epidemic, recent guidelines have instructed pediatricians to regularly screen their patients for mental health disorders with consistency and standardization. Yet, gold-standard screening surveys to evaluate mental health problems in children typically rely solely on reports given by caregivers, who tend to unintentionally under-report, and in some cases over-report, child symptomology. Digital phenotype screening tools (DPSTs), currently being developed in research settings, may help overcome reporting bias by providing objective measures of physiology and behavior to supplement child mental health screening. Prior to their implementation in pediatric practice, however, the ethical dimensions of DPSTs should be explored. Herein, we consider some promises and challenges of DPSTs under three broad categories: accuracy and bias, privacy, and accessibility and implementation. We find that DPSTs have demonstrated accuracy, may eliminate concerns regarding under- and over-reporting, and may be more accessible than gold-standard surveys. However, we also find that if DPSTs are not responsibly developed and deployed, they may be biased, raise privacy concerns, and be cost-prohibitive. To counteract these potential shortcomings, we identify ways to support the responsible and ethical development of DPSTs for clinical practice to improve mental health screening in children.
Cancer Prevention Among Firefighters: Examining Lifestyle, Screening Behavior, and Beliefs
Glasgow TE, Burch JB, Arcan C and Fuemmeler BF
Firefighters are at increased risk of developing cancer due to occupational exposures, but they may also face increased risk due to their lifestyle, such as the quality of their diet and physical activity. Cancer beliefs and screening behavior could also influence their cancer risk. The current study aimed to identify individual differences associated with lifestyle behaviors, cancer screening, and cancer beliefs among firefighters; to describe the strategies firefighters use to adapt to their work schedule; and to describe topics firefighters believe are the most important to address in their workplace.
How prehospital emergency personnel manage ethical challenges: the importance of confidence, trust, and safety
Bruun H, Milling L, Wittrock D, Mikkelsen S and Huniche L
Ethical challenges constitute an inseparable part of daily decision-making processes in all areas of healthcare. Ethical challenges are associated with moral distress that can lead to burnout. Clinical ethics support has proven useful to address and manage such challenges. This paper explores how prehospital emergency personnel manage ethical challenges. The study is part of a larger action research project to develop and test an approach to clinical ethics support that is sensitive to the context of emergency medicine.
The effect of physical fitness on psychological health: evidence from Chinese university students
Ma S, Xu Y, Xu S and Guo Z
Despite frequent discussions on the link between physical and mental health, the specific impact of physical fitness on mental well-being is yet to be fully established.
Neurorights in question: rethinking the concept of mental integrity
Blumenthal-Barby J and Ubel P
The idea of a 'right to mental integrity', sometimes referred to as a 'right against mental interference,' is a relatively new concept in bioethics, making its way into debates about neurotechnological advances and the establishment of 'neurorights.' In this paper, we interrogate the idea of a right to mental integrity. First, we argue that some experts define the right to mental integrity so broadly that rights violations become ubiquitous, thereby trivialising some of the very harms the concept is meant to address. Second, rights-based framing results in an overemphasis on the normative importance of consent, implying that neurointerventions are permissible in cases where people consent to have their mental states influenced or read off, a confidence in consent that we argue is misguided. Third, the concept often collapses the ethics of brain inputs and brain outputs, potentially resulting in a loss of important conceptual nuance. Finally, we argue that the concept of a right to mental integrity is superfluous-what is wrong with most violations of mental integrity can be explained by existing concepts such as autonomy, manipulation, privacy, bodily rights, surveillance, harm and exploitation of vulnerabilities. We conclude that bioethicists and policy-makers ought to either make use of these concepts rather than arguing for the existence of a new right, or they need to avoid making rights violations ubiquitous by settling on a narrower and more rigorous definition of the right.
2023 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on Precision Emergency Medicine: Development of a policy-relevant, patient-centered research agenda
Strehlow M, Gisondi MA, Caretta-Weyer H, Ankel F, Brackett A, Brar P, Chan TM, Garabedian A, Gunn B, Isaacs E, von Isenburg M, Jarman A, Kuehl D, Limkakeng AT, Lydston M, McGregor A, Pierce A, Raven MC, Salhi RA, Stave C, Tan J, Taylor RA, Wong HN, Yiadom MYAB, Zachrison KS and Vogel J
Precision medicine is data-driven health care tailored to individual patients based on their unique attributes, including biologic profiles, disease expressions, local environments, and socioeconomic conditions. Emergency medicine (EM) has been peripheral to the precision medicine discourse, lacking both a unified definition of precision medicine and a clear research agenda. We convened a national consensus conference to build a shared mental model and develop a research agenda for precision EM.
Study protocol: group-based psychoeducation for relatives of patients with bipolar disorder-a large scale real-world randomized controlled parallel group trial, the R-bipolar RCT
Stokholm JR, Vinberg M, Faurholt-Jepsen M and Kessing LV
Relatives of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) often experience emotional burden with stress and depressive symptoms that again increase the likelihood of destabilization and relapses in the patient. The effects of group-based psychoeducation have not been investigated in large-scale real-world settings. We are currently conducting a large-scale real-world randomized controlled parallel group trial (RCT) to test whether group-based psychoeducation for 200 relatives to patients with BD improves mood instability and other critical outcomes in relatives and the corresponding patients with BD.
Ethical perspectives regarding Euthanasia, including in the context of adult psychiatry: a qualitative interview study among healthcare workers in Belgium
Verhofstadt M, Moureau L, Pardon K and Liégeois A
Previous research has explored euthanasia's ethical dimensions, primarily focusing on general practice and, to a lesser extent, psychiatry, mainly from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses. However, a gap exists in understanding the comprehensive value-based perspectives of other professionals involved in both somatic and psychiatric euthanasia. This paper aims to analyze the interplay among legal, medical, and ethical factors to clarify how foundational values shape the ethical discourse surrounding euthanasia in both somatic and psychiatric contexts. It seeks to explore these dynamics among all healthcare professionals and volunteers in Belgium.
Antipsychotic Medication Continuation vs Taper and Discontinuation in Patients With Schizophrenia and Other Nonaffective Psychotic Disorders
Andrade C
Schizophrenia is a major mental illness that is managed with long-term antipsychotic medication as a standard of care. Antipsychotic medications, however, are associated with many subjective and objective adverse effects. These adverse effects have driven the study of risk-mitigation strategies such as targeted intermittent therapy and dose reduction and drug discontinuation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of these strategies have been synthesized in meta-analysis; both strategies have been associated with no functional benefits and with an increased risk of relapse. The RCTs, however, have been criticized because, in many, patients were abruptly switched to the target dose or too rapidly tapered, thereby predisposing the RCT to failure of the intervention. Two important RCTs examined gradual individualized dose reduction and discontinuation. One, conducted in first-episode psychosis patients who were free from positive symptoms for 6 months, found that, at 18-month follow-up, dose reduction was associated with a higher risk of relapse (number needed to harm [NNH] = 5) and with no functional benefits. However, after return to routine clinical care, at a 7-year follow-up, the dose reduction group had better functional outcomes and similar clinical outcomes relative to the maintenance treatment group. The other RCT, conducted in patients with relapsing psychosis, found that, at a 2-year follow-up, dose reduction was associated with a higher risk of relapse (NNH = 5) and with no improvements in social, cognitive, quality of life, satisfaction, and other domains. Many large nationwide observational studies have found that antipsychotic discontinuation by patients with first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia is associated with increased relapse, rehospitalization, suicide mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. There is also the ethical matter that attempts to identify the few who may benefit from antipsychotic dose reduction and discontinuation may compromise the health and stability of the many who require long-term maintenance treatment.
Palliative psychiatry: research, clinical, and educational priorities
Levitt S, Cooper RB, Gupta M, Kirby J, Panko L, Rosenbaum D, Stajduhar K, Trachsel M, Vinoraj D, Westermair AL, Woods A and Buchman DZ
Palliative psychiatry has been proposed as a new clinical construct within mental health care and aims to improve quality of life (QoL) for individuals experiencing severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). To date, explorations of palliative psychiatry have been largely theoretical, and more work is needed to develop its approaches into tangible clinical practice.
Scoping review of end-of-life care for persons with anorexia nervosa
Westermair AL, Weber S, Westmoreland P, Mehler PS, Elsner F and Trachsel M
End-of-life (EOL) care is the part of palliative care intended for persons nearing death. In anorexia nervosa (AN), providing EOL care instead of coercing life-sustaining measures is controversial. The existing literature has not been synthesized yet. To clearly delineate differing views and identify open questions as well as areas of possible consensus, we conducted the first-ever synthesis of the existing literature.
Family centeredness of care: a cross-sectional study in intensive care units part of the European society of intensive care medicine
Azoulay É, Kentish-Barnes N, Boulanger C, Mistraletti G, van Mol M, Heras-La Calle G, Estenssoro E, van Heerden PV, Delgado MM, Perner A, Arabi YM, Myatra SN, Laake JH, De Waele JJ, Darmon M and Cecconi M
To identify key components and variations in family-centered care practices.
Combination of Curcuminoid with Acupressure for Inflammation and Pain in Elderly People with Osteoarthritis Genu: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Mahanani S, Kertia N and Madyaningrum E
Curcuminoids and acupressure have beneficial effects in reducing pain and inflammation in patients with Osteoarthritis. However, only a few clinical trials are investigating biomarkers to prove this objectively.
Health and well-being needs of Indigenous adolescents: a protocol for a scoping review of qualitative studies
Sise A, Azzopardi P, Brown A, Tewhaiti-Smith J, Westhead S, Kurji J, McDonough D, Reilly R, Bingham B, Brown N, Cassidy-Matthews C, Clark TC, Elliott S, Finlay SM, Hansen KL, Harwood M, Knapp JMF, Kvernmo S, Lee C, Watts RL, Nadeau M, Pearson O, Reading J, Saewyc E, Seljenes A, Stoor JPA, Aubrey P and Crengle S
Improving the health of Indigenous adolescents is central to addressing the health inequities faced by Indigenous peoples. To achieve this, it is critical to understand what is needed from the perspectives of Indigenous adolescents themselves. There have been many qualitative studies that capture the perspectives of Indigenous young people, but synthesis of these has been limited to date.
Protocol for process evaluation of ARTEMIS cluster randomised controlled trial: an intervention for management of depression and suicide among adolescents living in slums in India
Mukherjee A, Yatirajula SK, Kallakuri S, Paslawar S, Lempp H, Raman U, Kumar A, Essue BM, Sagar R, Singh R, Peiris D, Norton R, Thornicroft G and Maulik PK
There are around 250 million adolescents (10-19 years) in India. The prevalence of mental health-related morbidity among adolescents in India is approximately 7.3%. Vulnerable subpopulations among adolescents such as those living in slum communities are particularly at risk due to poor living conditions, financial difficulty and limited access to support services. Adolescents' Resilience and Treatment nEeds for Mental Health in Indian Slums (ARTEMIS) is a cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention that intends to improve the mental health of adolescents living in slum communities in India. The aim of this paper is to describe the process evaluation protocol for ARTEMIS trial. The process evaluation will help to explain the intervention outcomes and understand how and why the intervention worked or did not work. It will identify contextual factors, intervention barriers and facilitators and the adaptations required for optimising implementation.
Pregnancy experiences of transgender and gender-expansive individuals: A systematic scoping review from a critical midwifery perspective
Thomas EG, Goodarzi B, Frese H, Schoonmade LJ and Muntinga ME
Evidence suggests that transgender and gender-expansive people are more likely to have suboptimal pregnancy outcomes compared with cisgender people. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the role of midwifery in these inequities by analyzing the pregnancy experiences of transgender and gender-expansive people from a critical midwifery perspective.
A telemonitoring intervention design for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: protocol for a feasibility study
Laursen SH, Giese IE, Udsen FW, Hejlesen OK, Barington PF, Ohrt M, Vestergaard P and Hangaard S
Maintaining optimal glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is difficult. Telemedicine has the potential to support people with poorly regulated T2D in the achievement of glycemic control, especially if the telemedicine solution includes a telemonitoring component. However, the ideal telemonitoring design for people with T2D remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this feasibility study is to evaluate the feasibility of two telemonitoring designs for people with non-insulin-dependent T2D with a goal of identifying the optimal telemonitoring intervention for a planned future large-scale randomized controlled trial.
Respect for bioethical principles and human rights in prisons: a systematic review on the state of the art
Esposito M, Szocik K, Capasso E, Chisari M, Sessa F and Salerno M
Respect for human rights and bioethical principles in prisons is a crucial aspect of society and is proportional to the well-being of the general population. To date, these ethical principles have been lacking in prisons and prisoners are victims of abuse with strong repercussions on their physical and mental health.
Exploring Social Interactions in the Context of Justice System Involvement: Perspectives of Patients and Psychiatric Nurses
Paradis-Gagné E, Cader M, Holmes D, Bernheim E and Filion J
Psychiatric nurses who work with people who are involved with the justice system experience ethical and moral tension arising from their dual role (care and control). This is known to significantly affect the development of a therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients. (a) better understand how justice system involvement affects people living with mental disorders and the nurses who work with them; (b) explore the influence of judiciarization on social interactions between these actors. Grounded theory (GT) was used as the qualitative methodology for this research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants. The study was carried out in three different units of a psychiatric institution: Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, and Brief Intervention Unit. A sample of 10 patients and 9 psychiatric nurses was recruited ( = 19). Theoretical sampling was used to recruit participants. We followed the iterative steps of qualitative GT analysis (open coding, axial coding, constant comparison, and modelization). Three main themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (a) Experience of Justice System Involvement, (b) Crisis, (c) Relational Aspects and Importance of the Approach. These results will inform nurses and healthcare providers about the impacts of justice system involvement on people living with mental illness and how clinical practices can be better adapted to this population with complex health needs.
Epistemic appropriation and the ethics of engaging with trans community knowledge in the context of mental healthcare research
Myerscough F, Schneider-Reuter L and Faissner M
Mental healthcare research increasingly focuses the needs of trans people and, in doing so, acknowledges knowledge and epistemic resources developed in trans communities. In this article, we aim to raise awareness of an ethical issue described by Emmalon Davis that may arise in the context of engaging with community knowledge and epistemic resources: the risk of epistemic appropriation. It is composed of two harms (1) a detachment of epistemic resources developed in the originating community and (2) a misdirection of these epistemic resources for epistemic goals of a dominant community. In this article, we map and discuss the ethical concerns in using knowledge originating in trans communities in terms of epistemic appropriation in the context of mental healthcare research. We first argue that misgendering, failing to reference non-academic sources and a lack of attribution in community authorship are forms of epistemic detachment. Second, we problematize cases of epistemic misdirection of trans epistemic resources, focusing on the examples of detransition and transition regret. We discuss harms related to epistemic appropriation in relationship to risks to safety. The article aims to raise awareness about the risk of epistemic appropriation both in researchers engaging with trans knowledge as well as in mental healthcare workers who seek information on trans.
Psychedelic therapy in depression and substance use disorders
Korkmaz ND, Cikrikcili U, Akan M and Yucesan E
Psychoactive substances obtained from botanicals have been applied for a wide variety of purposes in the rituals of different cultures for thousands of years. Classical psychedelics from N,N'-dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, mescaline and various lysergamides cause specific alterations in perception, emotion and cognition by acting through serotonin 5-HT receptor activation. Lysergic acid diethylamide, the first famous breakthrough in the field, was discovered by chance by Albert Hoffman in the Zurich Sandoz laboratory in 1943, and studies on its psychoactive effects began to take place in the literature. Studies in this area were blocked after the legislation controlling the use and research of psychedelic drugs came into force in 1967, but since the 1990s, it has started to be a matter of scientific curiosity again by various research groups. In particular, with the crucial reports of psychotherapy-assisted psilocybin applications for life-threatening cancer-related anxiety and depression, a new avenues have been opened in the treatment of psychiatric diseases such as treatment-resistant depression and substance addictions. An increasing number of studies show that psychedelics have a very promising potential in the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases where the desired efficiency cannot be achieved with conventional treatment methods. In this context, we discuss psychedelic therapy, encompassing its historical development, therapeutic applications and potential treatment effects-especially in depression, trauma disorders and substance use disorders-within the framework of ethical considerations.
DIGIPREDICT: physiological, behavioural and environmental predictors of asthma attacks-a prospective observational study using digital markers and artificial intelligence-study protocol
Chan AHY, Te Ao B, Baggott C, Cavadino A, Eikholt AA, Harwood M, Hikaka J, Gibbs D, Hudson M, Mirza F, Naeem MA, Semprini R, Chang CL, Tsang KCH, Shah SA, Jeremiah A, Abeysinghe BN, Roy R, Wall C, Wood L, Dalziel S, Pinnock H, van Boven JFM, Roop P and Harrison J
Asthma attacks are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality but are preventable in most if detected and treated promptly. However, the changes that occur physiologically and behaviourally in the days and weeks preceding an attack are not always recognised, highlighting a potential role for technology. The aim of this study 'DIGIPREDICT' is to identify early digital markers of asthma attacks using sensors embedded in smart devices including watches and inhalers, and leverage health and environmental datasets and artificial intelligence, to develop a risk prediction model to provide an early, personalised warning of asthma attacks.
Machine learning-based model to predict delirium in patients with advanced cancer treated with palliative care: a multicenter, patient-based registry cohort
Kim YJ, Lee H, Woo HG, Lee SW, Hong M, Jung EH, Yoo SH, Lee J, Yon DK and Kang B
This study aimed to present a new approach to predict to delirium admitted to the acute palliative care unit. To achieve this, this study employed machine learning model to predict delirium in patients in palliative care and identified the significant features that influenced the model. A multicenter, patient-based registry cohort study in South Korea between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Delirium was identified by reviewing the medical records based on the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. The study dataset included 165 patients with delirium among 2314 patients with advanced cancer admitted to the acute palliative care unit. Seven machine learning models, including extreme gradient boosting, adaptive boosting, gradient boosting, light gradient boosting, logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest, were evaluated to predict delirium in patients with advanced cancer admitted to the acute palliative care unit. An ensemble approach was adopted to determine the optimal model. For k-fold cross-validation, the combination of extreme gradient boosting and random forest provided the best performance, achieving the following accuracy metrics: 68.83% sensitivity, 70.85% specificity, 69.84% balanced accuracy, and 74.55% area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The performance of the isolated testing dataset was also validated, and the machine learning model was successfully deployed on a public website ( http://ai-wm.khu.ac.kr/Delirium/ ) to provide public access to delirium prediction results in patients with advanced cancer. Furthermore, using feature importance analysis, sex was determined to be the top contributor in predicting delirium, followed by a history of delirium, chemotherapy, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and living with family. Based on a large-scale, multicenter, patient-based registry cohort, a machine learning prediction model for delirium in patients with advanced cancer was developed in South Korea. We believe that this model will assist healthcare providers in treating patients with delirium and advanced cancer.
Prevalence, predictors, and consequences of workplace violence among female healthcare workers in tertiary care hospitals: A cross-sectional study in Pakistan
Muhammad QUA, Ibrahim M, Fazal F, Eiman H, Shezal A and Lehrasab S
To determine the prevalence, predictors and perpetrators of violence, and its impact on the mental health of female healthcare workers.
Protocol of a randomised controlled multicentre trial investigating the effectiveness and safety of a wilderness programme on the mental and physical well-being of adolescents and young adults affected by cancer: the WAYA-2 study
Jong MC, Fernee CR, Stenling A, Lown EA, Berntsen S, Victorson DE and Jong M
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) affected by cancer are an understudied group. Effective interventions are needed to support coping with the late effects of cancer, its treatment and to promote quality of life. Nature-based interventions may be promising in support of the self-management and health of AYAs affected by cancer. However, randomised controlled studies (RCTs) on the effectiveness of such interventions are lacking. We performed a first pilot RCT (n=42) that showed that it is feasible and safe to conduct such a study. Here, we propose a full-scale RCT to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a wilderness programme on the mental and physical health of AYAs affected by cancer.
Consequences of medical negligence and litigations on health care providers - A narrative review
Madan R, Das N, Patley R, Nagpal N, Malik Y and Math SB
Medical professionals face high stress due to the type of work they do and the prolonged working hours. Frequent burnout results due to the challenging nature of their work. Added to the stress of work, malpractice lawsuits add to their burden. In India, most doctors work in compromised settings with poor infrastructure and manpower but are expected to follow the best practices. In court, they are judged with the Bolam and Bolitho tests being essential considerations. Several tragic incidents have been reported, including depression, anger issues, and even suicide deaths of healthcare professionals (HCPs) after accusations of negligence and subsequent inquiry. Such incidents demonstrate the multitude of challenges an HCP faces in day-to-day practice. It is crucial to find ways to tackle these problems and enhance the capacity of HCP to handle such demanding circumstances. Malpractice litigation can significantly impact the mental health of HCPs. It is common to experience emotional turmoil when faced with a lawsuit. Second victim syndrome (SVS) is a term used to describe a set of symptoms experienced by HCPs who make an error leading to injury to a patient. However, it also happens if he is traumatized by the consequences of violence during healthcare services or a lawsuit or defamation article in newspaper/social media. Following a litigation crisis in their career, many HCPs go through various stages of grief, including shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. At times, death by suicide of the HCPs is well known. SVS is known to profoundly affect the personal, family, economic, professional (defensive practice), and social life of HCPs. HCPs should accept the allegations of negligence as an occupational hazard and prepare for the eventual litigation at least once in a lifetime by knowing about the medical laws, HCP's rights, becoming aware of the emotional turmoil of the lawsuit, preparing to cope with the lawsuit, and seeking help from colleagues and indemnity insurance. Frequent training of the HCPs is strongly recommended to know about the changing laws and also to undergo periodic professional competence enhancement to reduce the incidents of errors amounting to medical negligence. Medical and hospital administration should debrief after any incident and conduct internal investigations to identify systemic flaws and prevent future recurrence, resolve issues within their control at their level, and manage media (mainstream and social media) appropriately. If established, a reporting system with online and offline services will ease the internal administrative investigation process and take appropriate, timely actions. During the crisis, HCPs should have adequate and appropriate insurance or indemnity coverage and mental health support systems.
The Influence of Personality Traits on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review Based on the NEO-FFI Scale
Neda-Stepan O, Giurgi-Oncu C, Sălcudean A, Bernad E, Bernad BC and Enătescu VR
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant global health concern with profound implications for mothers, families, and societies. This systematic review aims to synthesize current research findings to understand better how personality traits, as assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), contribute to the development and progression of PPD. Conducted in January 2024, this review searched major databases like PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus up to December 2023, focusing on the NEO-FFI's role in evaluating PPD. Following PRISMA guidelines, studies were selected based on strict criteria, including the exclusive use of NEO-FFI for personality assessment and a focus on postpartum women. A total of seven studies were included after a rigorous two-step screening process, and their data were qualitatively synthesized. The review covered a total of 4172 participants, with a prevalence of clinically significant postpartum depression symptoms ranging from 10.6% to 51.7%. Notably, Neuroticism emerged as a significant predictor of PPD, with odds ratios ranging from 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96-1.20) in some studies to as high as 1.87 (95% CI: 1.53-2.27) in others. In contrast, traits like Extraversion and Conscientiousness generally showed protective effects, with lower scores associated with reduced PPD risk. For instance, Extraversion scores correlated negatively with PPD risk (Beta = -0.171) in one study. However, the impact of other traits such as Openness and Agreeableness on PPD risk was less clear, with some studies indicating negligible effects. The review highlights Neuroticism as a consistent and significant predictor of PPD risk, with varying impacts from other personality traits. The findings suggest potential pathways for targeted interventions in maternal mental health care, emphasizing the need for comprehensive personality evaluations in prenatal and postnatal settings.
Prevalence, Pattern and Effect of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Abeokuta, South West Nigeria
Ahmed AK, Azees AS, Fasiku MM, Jimoh OS, Imhonopi GB, Temitayo-Oboh AO, Salam RA, El-Imam IA, Ojo OY and Ehiem EC
The world over, women are victims of violence in close and intimate relationships where they are expected to be safe and protected. Intimate partner violence (IPV) significantly impacts the physical and mental well-being of those affected. This study assessed the prevalence, pattern and effects of IPV amongst women in Abeokuta South Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State, South West Nigeria.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students' navigation of their nursing programmes and experiences of resilience. A qualitative study
Henshall C, Davey Z, Merriman C, Strumidlo L, Serrant L, Brett J, Watson E, Appleton JV, Malone M and
High-quality pre-registration student nurse training and development is integral to developing a sustainable and competent global nursing workforce. Internationally, student nurse recruitment rates have increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, attrition rates for student nurses are high. During the pandemic, many student nurses considered leaving the programme due to academic concerns, feeling overwhelmed, and doubting their clinical skills. Little was known about the extent to which nursing education prior to COVID-19 had prepared students for their role in managing the healthcare crisis or the impact on their resilience. Thus, this study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the resilience levels of student nurses across the United Kingdom.
Internationally recruited nurses and their initial integration into the healthcare workforce: A mixed methods study
Pressley C, Newton D, Garside J, Stephenson J and Mejia-Olivares J
Nursing deficits are growing, and healthcare providers in developed countries must address the challenges of ethically building a sustainable workforce without a continued excessive reliance on overseas recruitment. To secure this, a focus on long-term retention of international recruits is paramount.
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Mental Healthcare: Current Trends and Future Directions - A Narrative Review for a Comprehensive Insight
Alhuwaydi AM
Mental health is an essential component of the health and well-being of a person and community, and it is critical for the individual, society, and socio-economic development of any country. Mental healthcare is currently in the health sector transformation era, with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) reshaping the screening, diagnosis, and treatment modalities of psychiatric illnesses. The present narrative review is aimed at discussing the current landscape and the role of AI in mental healthcare, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Furthermore, this review attempted to highlight the key challenges, limitations, and prospects of AI in providing mental healthcare based on existing works of literature. The literature search for this narrative review was obtained from PubMed, Saudi Digital Library (SDL), Google Scholar, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, and we included only English-language articles published in the last five years. Keywords used in combination with Boolean operators ("AND" and "OR") were the following: "Artificial intelligence", "Machine learning", Deep learning", "Early diagnosis", "Treatment", "interventions", "ethical consideration", and "mental Healthcare". Our literature review revealed that, equipped with predictive analytics capabilities, AI can improve treatment planning by predicting an individual's response to various interventions. Predictive analytics, which uses historical data to formulate preventative interventions, aligns with the move toward individualized and preventive mental healthcare. In the screening and diagnostic domains, a subset of AI, such as machine learning and deep learning, has been proven to analyze various mental health data sets and predict the patterns associated with various mental health problems. However, limited studies have evaluated the collaboration between healthcare professionals and AI in delivering mental healthcare, as these sensitive problems require empathy, human connections, and holistic, personalized, and multidisciplinary approaches. Ethical issues, cybersecurity, a lack of data analytics diversity, cultural sensitivity, and language barriers remain concerns for implementing this futuristic approach in mental healthcare. Considering these sensitive problems require empathy, human connections, and holistic, personalized, and multidisciplinary approaches, it is imperative to explore these aspects. Therefore, future comparative trials with larger sample sizes and data sets are warranted to evaluate different AI models used in mental healthcare across regions to fill the existing knowledge gaps.
Spiritual well-being and associated factor among adult cancer patients in Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Oncology Center, Hawassa, Ethiopia
Kebede FA, Tafesse BH, Moga F, Haile A and Zerihun E
Spiritual well-being has been shown to boost resistance to mental health crises in cancer patients during the diagnosis and treatment process, but there is a paucity of studies about spirituality in cancer patients, which may make it difficult for healthcare clinicians to assess spirituality and provide spiritual care.
The effect of Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga method on air force pilots' operational performance
Santos S, Melo F, Fernandes O and Parraca JA
In today's military landscape, optimizing performance and bolstering physical health and mental resilience are critical objectives. Introducing a 12-week Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Supta Method (AVYSM) to the training protocol of military trained Airforce pilots, we aim to assesses the feasibility and impact of the method.
Beyond monetary value: how reward type drives cheating in a gender-judgment task
Chen GZ, Zhao FF, Li HM, Wu YW and Yan WJ
Investigating the effects of monetary incentives on dishonest behavior provides valuable insights into human integrity and ethical decision-making processes. This study is conducted through the lens of self-concept maintenance theory.
Women living with infertility in Iran: A qualitative content analysis of perception of dignity
Mohammadi F, Javanmardifard S and Bijani M
Globally, infertility is known as a major problem which can ruin a couple's relationship. In recent years, many studies have addressed the causes of infertility, the outcomes of treatments for infertility, and the effects of infertility on couples' mental health; however, the concept of dignity of women living with infertility has never been examined in depth.
Diversion to Treatment when Treatment is Scarce: Bioethical Implications of the U.S. Resource Gap for Criminal Diversion Programs
Aritürk D, Easter MM, Swanson JW and Swartz MS
Despite significant scholarship, research, and funding dedicated to implementing criminal diversion programs over the past two decades, persons with serious mental illness and substance use disorders remain substantially overrepresented in United States jails and prisons. Why are so many U.S. adults with behavioral health problems incarcerated instead of receiving treatment and other support to recover in the community? In this paper, we explore this persistent problem within the context of "relentless unmet need" in U.S. behavioral health (Alegría et al., 2021).
Greenspaces and Health: Scoping Review of studies in Europe
Banwell N, Michel S and Senn N
Access to greenspaces and contact with nature can promote physical activity and have positive effects on physical and mental health. This scoping literature review aims to examine current evidence linking greenspaces and (a) behaviour change, (b) health outcomes and (c) co-benefits.
Power, policy, and transgender identities: A case study of gatekeeping by mental health professionals in accessing gender affirming surgeries in India
Raghuram H
Transgender individuals seeking gender-affirming surgeries (GAS) are often denied or delayed by mental health professionals (MHPs). Studies on the gatekeeping of GAS have been mainly conducted in the Global North and primarily focus on the perspectives of health professionals. This case study from India incorporates health professional, community, advocate, and activist perspectives to contribute new evidence about MHP gatekeeping in GAS. The study aims to examine the role of power and gender in MHP gatekeeping of GAS in India.
The pharmaceutical company-healthcare relationship: much ado about something
Kurpad SS
The relationship between the pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare profession, especially doctors, has always been fraught with conflicts of interest (COI). The publication of the influential The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), by the American Psychiatric Society (APA) raised concerns that the financial relationships between pharma and members responsible for DSM could result in bias. This resulted in calls for stricter enforcement of controls on financial conflict of interest (FCOI) [1, 2], which could influence the formulation of diagnostic criteria (resulting in more people being "diagnosable as mentally ill"), creating a larger pool of "patients" who "need" pharmaceutical drugs. Knowingly or unknowingly, they would end up serving the pharmaceutical companies' agenda to sell more drugs and drive up profits [2] .
VR-assisted aggression treatment in forensic psychiatry: a qualitative study in patients with severe mental disorders
González Moraga FR, Enebrink P, Perrin S, Sygel K, Veling W and Wallinius M
Improvements in virtual reality (VR) have made it possible to create realistic, virtual settings for behavioral assessment and skills training that cannot otherwise be accessed in a safe way in forensic psychiatric settings. VR interventions are under development but little is known how forensic psychiatric patients with severe mental disorders experience VR-assisted assessments or treatments.
A Whole-Person Approach to Harm Reduction for Women
Brown S
Women are the fastest-growing population of people who use drugs in the US. As a group, they are more likely than men to experience stigma, poverty, and negative mental health outcomes. This article discusses the unique needs of women drug users in the US and provides suggestions on how to leverage national attention - and federal funding - to make harm reduction services in the US more gender sensitive, and, as a result, more effective in reducing harm for women who use drugs in this country.
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias in Muslim Women: Recommendations for Culturally Sensitive Care
Irfan B, Ankouni G, Reader J, Seraji-Bozorgzad N, Giordani B, Bakulski K, Bhaumik A, Hampstead BM and Rahman-Filipiak A
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) present significant challenges including cognitive and functional loss, behavioral disruption, emotional distress, and significant financial burden. These stressors are amplified in minority groups, who experience higher rates of ADRD but less frequent and later diagnosis. There is therefore a critical need to identify tangible approaches to culturally informed dementia assessment and care for patients from diverse communities. Muslim patients and particularly Muslim women are among the populations most understudied in the ADRD space. Muslim patients may hold unique religious, spiritual, and cultural beliefs and practices that can impact care-seeking for dementia symptoms, diagnostic accuracy, and treatment uptake. This paper outlines culturally informed approaches to assessing and treating Muslim women and families at each stage of ADRD care, though many recommendations extend to the broader Muslim community and others of diverse racial-ethnic backgrounds. We provide concrete suggestions for building rapport within and leveraging common family structures, respecting principles of modesty and privacy for all women including those who observe hijab or niqab, and communicating dementia diagnosis and care in the context of spiritual and ethical beliefs. While not intended as a comprehensive and prescriptive guide, this review provides important points of consideration and discussion with patients of Muslim backgrounds.
The role of arts therapies in mitigating Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders: a systematic review
Luo X, Zhang A, Li H, Li Y, Ying F, Wang X, Yang Q, Zhang Z and Huang G
Arts therapies offer effective non-pharmacological intervention for Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders (SIMDs), encompassing both passive and active modalities. This review assesses their effectiveness and ethical considerations, focusing on music therapy, meditation, and Tai Chi.
Mental health prevention and treatment programs for infants experiencing homelessness: A systematic review
Hare MM, Landis TD, Hernandez M and Graziano PA
Experiencing homelessness in infancy has been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Parental well-being and the parent-infant relationship can also be negatively impacted by experiencing homelessness. While numerous parent-based infant mental health programs have been identified by a recent review, the goal of this study was to further determine the extent to which these existing programs were developed and/or examined with at-risk populations such as families experiencing homelessness. Out of 60 programs identified by Hare et al., in press, only three had been implemented specifically in shelter settings with infants 0-12 months (Parent-Infant Psychotherapy, New Beginnings, and My Baby's First Teacher). Additionally, when examining programs that began in later infancy (after 12 months), only 2 programs were implemented in shelter settings (Incredible Years and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy). Implications for research, policy, and clinicians regarding implementation of evidence-based prevention/treatment programs for parents and their infants experiencing homelessness are discussed.
Increasing perceived health and mental health literacy among separated refugee Ukrainian families with urgent needs occasioned by invasion-a group intervention study with participatory methodology in Sweden
Ekblad S, Gramatik O and Suprun Y
With the increasing numbers of refugees from Ukraine affected by the ongoing war, there is a high risk of trauma-related stress due to low local health and mental health literacy care. Perceived good health is a human right. Earlier studies show that intervention for refugees can reduce and prevent post-migration stress and anxiety. The present explorative study aimed to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a short, trauma-focused group intervention (in Swedish "hälsoskola") for Ukrainian-speaking refugees (EU's mass refugee directive). This intervention was part of an ESF project aiming to get the subjects closer to the labor market in Västernorrland County, Sweden.
Impact of smartphone on mental health among medical undergraduates: A cross-sectional study
Prafull K, Rao A, Doijad V, Patil P, Daulatabad VS and John NA
Smartphones have become an indispensable part of almost everyone's life. India has now become the leading and second-largest Smartphone market in the world. It has been noted that the purpose of Smartphone usage has exceptionally changed over the past few years, especially among students, professionals, and the common man. Smartphones have now become essential and the need of the hour, and medical students are no exception. Smartphones can make "smart students smarter"! There are now 10,275 unique applications labeled under the "Medical" and "Healthcare and Fitness" categories. The common medical applications used are MedCalc, Drug Infusion, Flashcards, Encyclopedia, Merck Manual, Medscape, PubMed, Epocrates, MedlinePlus, Lab test applications, Medical Dictionary, Eponyms etc. Despite the advantages and needs of smartphones, they have proven to be a source of potential hazard to human health, not only physical but also mental, social, and emotional well-being. There is consistent evidence for co-morbidity (such as obesity, heart diseases, neck and back pain, etc.) between excessive smartphone use and other psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive and compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) similar to internet addiction. The significant association of this addiction with poorer sleep quality and higher perceived stress has been a cause for concern. Hence, further investigation to explore the association between smartphone addiction and mental health, this study was undertaken.
Mapping the evolution of neurofeedback research: a bibliometric analysis of trends and future directions
Wider W, Mutang JA, Chua BS, Pang NTP, Jiang L, Fauzi MA and Udang LN
This study conducts a bibliometric analysis on neurofeedback research to assess its current state and potential future developments.
A Personal Historical Perspective on Psychiatry in Japan During the Last 4 Decades
Suzuki T
After graduating from University of Tsukuba in 1982, I joined the Department of Psychiatry at the same university. Due to the anti-psychiatry social movement and reports of incidents involving violence against in-hospital patients at psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric associations in Japan faced questions related to ethical awareness, making it a challenging environment for conducting clinical research. For this reason, the first half of my journey─my 20 years at the University of Tsukuba─was spent conducting basic research on animal models of schizophrenia. With respect to the onset of schizophrenia, I studied dopamine and related neuropeptides in the brain, as well as abnormalities in neurotransmission in the excitatory and inhibitory amino acid neurotransmission systems. In April 2002, I was appointed as a Department Chair at Juntendo University Koshigaya Hospital. I was responsible for overseeing many medical staff, including the clinical education of practicum students and resident physicians, as well as the training of psychiatric specialists. I was also involved in the management and operation of medical services provided at the mental health clinic that had 350 outpatients per day and saw the admission and discharge of 500 patients annually. Meanwhile, I became actively involved in activities related to perinatal mental health. In 2018, I was appointed as the Director of the Japanese Society of Perinatal Mental Health and worked diligently to improve medical care related to perinatal mental health in Japan through the development of perinatal mental health guidelines.
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Psychiatry AI RAISR 4D System Psychiatry + Mental Health