The Impact of Social Media on College Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Review of the Existing Literature
AbstractPurpose of ReviewDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, both social media use and rates of anxiety and depression among college students have increased significantly. This begs the question, what is the relationship between social media use and college student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic?Recent FindingsPrior studies have found mixed results regarding the relationship between social media use and college student mental health. This relationship has become increasingly complex during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that excessive or problematic social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic was correlated with w...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Children ’s Reactions to War, Armed Conflict and Displacement: Resilience in a Social Climate of Support
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe aim of this review was to unravel recent evidence for children ’s reactions to war and armed conflict focusing on resilience factors mitigating adverse psychological and psychiatric consequences.Recent FindingsThree categories of mitigating resilience factors emerged from the literature — personal, family, and community factors. In addition, a unifying model of moderating resilience factors emerged, proposing a higher-tier environmental dimension conceptualized here as social climate of support.SummaryWars and armed conflict affect children both by direct exposure to threats, and by disrupt...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Premenstrual Mood Symptoms in the Perimenopause
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review considers how reproductive aging may impact the trajectory of menstrually related mood disorders (MRMDs) such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder and considers how the treatment of MRMDs might require adjustment as patients approach midlife.Recent FindingsThe early menopause transition is accompanied by important hormonal changes that may exacerbate existing MRMDs. Indeed, recent research confirms that an important subset of women experiences depressive mood in response to perimenopausal elevations in ovarian hormones. In addition, a subset of women with an MRMD may exhibit an increased ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Gonadal Hormone Influences on Sex Differences in Binge Eating Across Development
AbstractPurpose of ReviewBinge eating is a transdiagnostic symptom that disproportionately affects females. Sexually dimorphic gonadal hormones (e.g., estradiol, testosterone) substantially impact eating behavior and may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. We examine recent evidence for the role of gonadal hormones in binge eating risk across development.Recent FindingsBoth organizational (long-lasting impact on the central nervous system (CNS)) and activational (transient influences on the CNS) hormone effects may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. Gonadal hormones also impact within-sex variability...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Beam Me Out: Review of Emergency Department Telepsychiatry and Lessons Learned During COVID-19
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe aim of this review is to critically evaluate recent literature on the use of telepsychiatry in emergency departments (EDTP) and synthesize the evidence on telepsychiatry during public health emergencies. We also report on experiences and success stories from a state-wide EDTP program in South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic.Recent FindingsWe identified 12 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2019 and February 2021 that evaluated EDTP interventions and their impact on patient outcomes. The recent evidence on EDTP shows a significant association between EDTP implementation or us...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Children ’s Psychological Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis paper reviews the literature on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and the reactions of vulnerable children.Recent FindingsResearch reveals increases in clinically significant depression, suicidal ideation and behavior, and some anxiety symptoms. Substance use studies suggest an inadvertent decrease in substance use in some youth though findings are inconsistent across substances and for males and females. Children with pre-existing emotional and behavioral problems are especially vulnerable though some children appear to improve in the context of public health meas...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Obsessive –Compulsive Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis systematic review evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obsessive –compulsive symptoms.Recent FindingsMost studies showed that obsessive –compulsive symptoms worsened during the early stages of the pandemic, particularly for individuals with contamination-related obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), though other symptoms dimensions were found to worsen as well. Many patients and individuals in the general population experienced n ew obsessive–compulsive-like symptoms centered on COVID-19. Self-reported rates of symptom exacerbation and COVID-19-focused symptoms were consiste...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Review of Changes in the Reinforcing Effects of Alcohol in Weight Loss Surgery Patients
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe reinforcing effects of alcohol are well documented, and they have been shown to play a role in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Also well established is the fact that post-weight loss surgery (WLS) patients are at an increased risk for AUDs. In the current manuscript, we review the notion that the reinforcing effects of alcohol may change from before to after WLS and discuss a number of determinants of alcohol reinforcement change in WLS patients.Recent FindingsIt has been increasingly well understood that WLS patients are at an increased risk for AUD, but empirical support for ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Correlates of Quality of Life in Anxiety Disorders: Review of Recent Research
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAnxiety disorders are highly prevalent conditions that have a detrimental impact on quality of life (QOL), particularly when left untreated. In the present review, we summarize recent literature, published within the last 3 years, on QOL in anxiety disorders, with a focus on factors that may play a role in the relationship between anxiety and QOL.Recent FindingsWe organize our findings into four categories: (1) subjective distress, (2) behavioral responses, (3) functional impairment, and (4) clinical factors. Results indicate that greater anxiety symptom severity is linked with poorer QOL, and co...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Impact of Social Media on College Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Review of the Existing Literature
AbstractPurpose of ReviewDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, both social media use and rates of anxiety and depression among college students have increased significantly. This begs the question, what is the relationship between social media use and college student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic?Recent FindingsPrior studies have found mixed results regarding the relationship between social media use and college student mental health. This relationship has become increasingly complex during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that excessive or problematic social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic was correlated with w...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Children ’s Reactions to War, Armed Conflict and Displacement: Resilience in a Social Climate of Support
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe aim of this review was to unravel recent evidence for children ’s reactions to war and armed conflict focusing on resilience factors mitigating adverse psychological and psychiatric consequences.Recent FindingsThree categories of mitigating resilience factors emerged from the literature — personal, family, and community factors. In addition, a unifying model of moderating resilience factors emerged, proposing a higher-tier environmental dimension conceptualized here as social climate of support.SummaryWars and armed conflict affect children both by direct exposure to threats, and by disrupt...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Premenstrual Mood Symptoms in the Perimenopause
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review considers how reproductive aging may impact the trajectory of menstrually related mood disorders (MRMDs) such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder and considers how the treatment of MRMDs might require adjustment as patients approach midlife.Recent FindingsThe early menopause transition is accompanied by important hormonal changes that may exacerbate existing MRMDs. Indeed, recent research confirms that an important subset of women experiences depressive mood in response to perimenopausal elevations in ovarian hormones. In addition, a subset of women with an MRMD may exhibit an increased ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Gonadal Hormone Influences on Sex Differences in Binge Eating Across Development
AbstractPurpose of ReviewBinge eating is a transdiagnostic symptom that disproportionately affects females. Sexually dimorphic gonadal hormones (e.g., estradiol, testosterone) substantially impact eating behavior and may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. We examine recent evidence for the role of gonadal hormones in binge eating risk across development.Recent FindingsBoth organizational (long-lasting impact on the central nervous system (CNS)) and activational (transient influences on the CNS) hormone effects may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. Gonadal hormones also impact within-sex variability...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Beam Me Out: Review of Emergency Department Telepsychiatry and Lessons Learned During COVID-19
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe aim of this review is to critically evaluate recent literature on the use of telepsychiatry in emergency departments (EDTP) and synthesize the evidence on telepsychiatry during public health emergencies. We also report on experiences and success stories from a state-wide EDTP program in South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic.Recent FindingsWe identified 12 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2019 and February 2021 that evaluated EDTP interventions and their impact on patient outcomes. The recent evidence on EDTP shows a significant association between EDTP implementation or us...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Children ’s Psychological Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis paper reviews the literature on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and the reactions of vulnerable children.Recent FindingsResearch reveals increases in clinically significant depression, suicidal ideation and behavior, and some anxiety symptoms. Substance use studies suggest an inadvertent decrease in substance use in some youth though findings are inconsistent across substances and for males and females. Children with pre-existing emotional and behavioral problems are especially vulnerable though some children appear to improve in the context of public health meas...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
