Understanding Vulnerability to Late-Life Suicide
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe review recent evidence on suicide among older adults, examine risk factors contributing to vulnerability to late-life suicide, and summarize possible interventions.Recent FindingsWe found a steadily increasing rate of late-life suicide in the USA in the past decade. Evidence supporting the integration of depression care managers into primary care for risk reduction is among the strongest to date. Pharmacologic and neuromodulation studies should be considered in geriatric depression complicated by suicidality. Broad societal campaigns about suicide education, as well as active outreach to psychia...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 17, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Digital Hazards for Feeding and Eating: What We Know and What We Don't
We examined available evidence to ascertain any direct influences from online activities on feeding and eating disorders, thereby shedding light on putative mechanisms by which those influences may occur.Recent FindingsMany facets of problematic usage of the Internet correlate cross sectionally with eating disorder and related psychopathology. There is evidence to suggest that significant effects do exist in the direction of specific Internet activities contributing to eating disorder symptoms, viewed dimensionally. Putative mechanisms are discussed. However, a significant number of eating disorder phenotypes and Internet-...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 15, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Virtual Standardized Patients for Mental Health Education
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe training of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals requires education on a range of interpersonal, communication, and psychotherapy techniques. Classroom and workshop training must be augmented by experiential learning with feedback for skill implementation with fidelity. Virtual standardized patients (VSPs) are computerized conversational agents that can support experiential learning through standardized, consequence-free training environments at reduced costs.Recent FindingsResearch on mental health VSPs is rife with feasibility and acceptability pilot studies across various trai...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 15, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Clinical Neuropsychological Evaluation in Older Adults With Major Depressive Disorder
AbstractPurpose of the ReviewOlder adults with major depressive disorder are particularly vulnerable to MDD-associated adverse cognitive effects including slowed processing speed, decreased attention, and executive dysfunction. The purpose of this review is to describe the approach to a clinical neuropsychological evaluation in older adults with MDD. Specifically, this review compares and contrasts neurocognitive screening and clinical neuropsychological evaluation procedures and details the multiple components of the clinical neuropsychological evaluation.Recent FindingsResearch has shown that neurocognitive screening ser...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 13, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
School-Implemented Interventions for Preschool to High School Students with Autism: An Update on Recent Research
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe purpose of this review is to provide an update on the recent research (2016 –2021) that evaluates the effectiveness of school-implemented interventions for students with autism (3–21 years old) from preschool to high school.Recent FindingsOverall, the recent literature demonstrated that there are EBPs that help students with autism acquire a variety of skills across domains (academic, social communication). Though many educators and peers were able to achieve high-fidelity implementation, there remains variable fidelity of intervention use in some studies.SummaryThough there is some evidenc...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 10, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Use of Psychological First Aid in Children Exposed to Mass Trauma
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPsychological first aid (PFA) has been widely disseminated and promoted as an intervention to support short-term coping and long-term functioning after disasters. Despite its popularity, earlier reviews cite a startling lack of empirical outcome studies. The current review explores recent studies of PFA, especially pertaining to its use with children.Recent FindingsInitial studies of PFA show that it is well received by youth, families, and providers as well as being linked to decreases in depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms, improved self-efficacy, increased knowledge about disaster prepa...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 7, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Mental Health Outcomes of Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: a Rapid Review of Recent Research
AbstractPurposeTo examine mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors during global policy shift. Additionally, to consider mental health service delivery and placement type for this group.MethodsA rapid systematic search of research published since 2018 which related to mental health outcomes of unaccompanied refugee minors. Data extracted, risk of bias assessed and outcomes reviewed qualitatively.Research FindingsWe found 181 papers, of which 14 met inclusion criteria. This review found consistently high levels of PTSD and PTSS among URMs in various contexts. Exposure to trauma, being unaccompanied (compared t...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Impact of 9/11 and the War on Terror on Arab and Muslim Children and Families
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThere is a growing body of work that documents the impact of 9/11 and the war on terror on Arab and Muslim children and families. This review is designed to provide a brief overview and suggest new ways to better understand this understudied population.Recent FindingsSeveral studies show anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments at its highest levels since 9/11. There is strong evidence that Arab and Muslim children and families experience some of the highest levels of discrimination, and as a result, they report higher levels of mental health symptoms.SummaryGiven the limited data, we need future studi...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Sexual Violence Risk Assessment With Indigenous Men: Context, Controversies, and Current Findings
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe review the issues, controversies, and main findings from the sexual violence risk assessment literature with Indigenous men. An argument is presented for the incorporation of structured and validated risk assessment measures as part of a comprehensive assessment to inform risk management and the prevention of sexual violence.Recent FindingsExtant research demonstrates that Canadian Indigenous men convicted for sexual offenses tend to score higher on sexual violence risk measures and to have higher rates of sexual and violent recidivism. Established static and dynamic tools, however, have moderat...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Does Treatment for Sexual Offending Work?
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe review and synthesize the literature on the effectiveness of offense-focused treatment for sexual offending. Specifically, we consider whether the extant literature suggests treatment is effective in reducing sexual reoffending and features of effective interventions. We also consider how the design of program evaluations may influence treatment outcomes.Recent FindingsRecent research suggests that offense-focused psychological treatment for sexual offending shows some level of effectiveness in reducing both sexual and general reoffending. Further, there appear to be key program, individual, and...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Disruption of Child Environments and Its Psychological Consequences After the Fukushima Disaster: a Narrative Review Based on the Ecological Systems Model
AbstractPurpose of ReviewA high prevalence of clinically significant mental health problems was found in children affected by the Fukushima disaster in Japan. We reviewed the literature on child mental health to examine how disasters impacted children in Fukushima.Recent FindingsChildren ’s environments, such as family and peer systems, were disrupted by radiation concerns and evacuation. As children struggled with less resources at home and school, they also had to deal with discrimination. Various interventions were implemented, ranging from government financial assistance to se veral mental health services provided by...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Structure, Covariates, and Etiology of Hypersexuality: Implications for Sexual Offending
AbstractPurpose of ReviewA substantial increase in research on the structure, covariates, and etiology of hypersexuality has emerged during the last decade. It is the goal of this review to summarize and integrate this research and to indicate some practical implications for clinical and forensic practice, especially as applied to those who have sexually offended.Recent FindingsStudies from the last half-decade converge on the conclusion that hypersexuality has both problematic and high sexual drive components. Both aspects have consistently been found to be distributed dimensionally and not categorically. Each subdimensio...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Integration of People Convicted of a Sexual Offence Into the Community and Their (Risk) Management
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe are reviewing recent research into the community integration of men convicted of a sexual offence and their (risk) management. This is a high-profile political issue that binds together research in psychology, criminology, politics, health, public health, and policy studies. The review will demonstrate that a multi-disciplinary, life course, EpiCrim-oriented approach is the most effective way of reducing re-offending and promoting desistance in this population.Recent FindingsResearch demonstrates that life course development, especially from psychology and criminology, has an impact on whether p...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - July 1, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Three Dimensional Approaches to Personality Disorders: a Review on Personality Functioning, Personality Structure, and Personality Organization
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe concept of personality functioning (Alternative DSM-5 Model of Personality Disorders) has led to increased interest in dimensional personality disorder diagnosis. While differing markedly from the current categorical classification, it is closely related to the psychodynamic concepts of personality structure and personality organization. In this review, the three dimensional approaches, their underlying models, and common instruments are introduced, and empirical studies on similarities and differences between the concepts and the categorical classification are summarized. Additionally, a case ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - June 28, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Taking Care of Those Who Care: Attending Psychological Needs of Health Workers in a Hospital in Madrid (Spain) During the COVID-19 Pandemic
We described a psychological support plan designed and implemented with the aim of providing mental health care for health professionals. Such programmes should be easily accessible to professionals, preferably in their own work environments. (Source: Current Psychiatry Reports)
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - June 19, 2021 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research