Trending on TikTok: The Ever-Expanding/Increasingly Elastic Definition of Psychiatric Diagnoses Meets Social Media

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services · 2025-04-01

Effects of COVID-19 on School Nurse Mental Health Intervention Practices

The Journal of School Nursing · 2023-05-09 · 5 citations

Mental health issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19; therefore we examined how the school nurses' role in addressing mental health changed during the pandemic. We administered a nationwide survey in 2021, guided by the Framework for the 21st Century School Nurse, and analyzed self-reported changes in mental health interventions by school nurses. Most mental health practice changes after the start of the pandemic occurred in the care coordination (52.8%) and community/public health (45.8%) principles. An overall decrease in students visiting the school nurse's office (39.4%) was seen, yet the frequency of students visiting with mental health concerns had increased (49.7%). Open-ended responses indicated that school nurse roles changed due to COVID-19 protocols, including decreased access to students and changes in mental health resources. These insights into the role of school nurses in addressing student mental health during public health disasters have important implications for future disaster preparedness efforts.

Screening for Bipolar I Disorder and the Rapid Mood Screener

The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders · 2023-04-24 · 4 citations

Effective screening for bipolar I disorder can lead to enhanced assessment, improved diagnosis, and better patient outcomes. The Rapid Mood Screener (RMS), a new bipolar I disorder screening tool, was evaluated in a nationwide survey of health care providers (HCPs). Eligible HCPs were asked to describe their opinions/current use of screening tools, assess the RMS, and evaluate the RMS versus the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). Results were stratified by primary care and psychiatric specialty. Findings were reported using descriptive statistics; statistical significance was reported at the 95% confidence level. < .05); 76% reported that they would screen new patients with depressive symptoms, and 68% indicated they would rescreen patients with a depression diagnosis. Most HCPs (84%) said the RMS would have a positive impact on their practice, with 46% saying they would screen more patients for bipolar disorder. In our survey, the RMS was favorably evaluated by HCPs. A large percentage of respondents preferred the RMS over the MDQ and indicated that it would likely have a positive impact on clinicians' screening behavior.

Buprenorphine and Opioid Use Disorder Training: Graduate Nursing Curricula Recommendations

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services · 2023-12-14 · 2 citations

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a public health emergency, with a shortage of providers trained to prescribe buprenorphine for OUD treatment. We conducted a systematic review to examine advanced practice RN (APRN) and medical school programs that included OUD content or Drug Addiction Treatment Act waiver training and evaluate the outcomes of those curricular modifications. APRN and medical school programs that provided OUD content or waiver training saw improvements in students' knowledge and self-efficacy for managing buprenorphine treatment and reduced stigma toward individuals with OUD. Students' perceptions of training were largely positive, and the programs' results indicated improved practice outcomes related to the use of buprenorphine. Further inclusion of OUD content and training in APRN curricula will increase the number of capable buprenorphine prescribers, which will increase access to buprenorphine for individuals with OUD. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62 (7), 17–24.]

Dismantling Systems of Racism and Discrimination: <i>JPN</i> 's Pledge and Policy Action Statement

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services · 2022-06-01

A 30-Day Adjunct Wellness Intervention for the Management of Extra-Articular Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Formative Study

Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine · 2022-01-01 · 1 citations

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) continually fall short of treatment targets using standard drug therapies alone. There is growing evidence that emphasizing physical and mental wellness is equally crucial for improving functioning among people with RA. The purpose of this formative study is to examine the feasibility of offering the wellness-based intervention (“KickStart30”) in patients with RA. Thirteen individuals with RA on targeted immune modulators (a biologic or JAK inhibitor) enrolled in the KickStart30 program. Participants completed self-report measures of RA-specific disability (eg, pain) and other functional areas (eg, mood) in a pre- versus post- intervention design. Paired samples t- tests (and Related-Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests for non-normal distributions) detected statistically significant results for 10 of 12 measures, including reductions in pain ( M = 4.54 to M = 3.54; p = .025; BPI ), functional disability ( M = 0.94 to M = 0.73, p = .032 ; HAQ-II ), cognitive and physical dysfunction ( M = 25.46 to M = 13.54, p &lt; .001; CPFQ ), depressive symptoms ( M = 9.31 to M = 5.54, p = .003; PHQ-9 ), anxiety ( M = 5.69 to M = 3.23, p = .005; GAD-7 ), insomnia ( M = 11.62 to M = 17.32, p = .007; Note: higher scores on the SCI indicate less insomnia), stress-related eating ( M = 75.46 to M = 84.54, p = .021; Note: higher scores on the EADES indicate less stress-related eating), along with significant increases in mindfulness ( M = 62.54 to M = 67.85, p = .040; MAAS ), mental wellness ( M = 4.46 to M = 5.69; HERO ), and well-being ( M d = 8.00 to M d = 5.00, p = .004; WHO-5 ). All significant measures had medium to large effect sizes (Cohen's d ). The study gives preliminary support for the possibility that the adjunct intervention may have an effect.

A survey of personnel and services offered in 32 outpatient US clozapine clinics

BMC Psychiatry · 2021-11-19 · 7 citations

BACKGROUND: Clozapine clinics can facilitate greater access to clozapine, but there is a paucity of data on their structure in the US. METHODS: A 23-item survey was administered to participants recruited from the SMI Adviser Clozapine Center of Excellence listserv to understand characteristics of clozapine clinics. RESULTS: Clozapine clinics (N = 32) had a median caseload of 45 (IQR = 21-88) patients and utilized a median of 5 (IQR = 4-6) interdisciplinary roles. The most common roles included psychiatrists (100%), pharmacists (65.6%), nurses (65.6%), psychiatric nurse practitioners (53.1%), and case managers (53.1%). The majority of clinics outreached to patients who were overdue for labs (78.1%) and had access to on-site phlebotomy (62.5%). Less than half had on call services (46.9%). CONCLUSIONS: In this first systematic description of clozapine clinics in the US, there was variation in the size, staffing, and services offered. These findings may serve as a window into configurations of clozapine teams.

Correlates of mental health problems among students in Texas alternative high schools and school‐level efforts to address mental health

Research in Nursing & Health · 2021-11-25 · 3 citations

Students in alternative high schools (AHSs) are an understudied population who experience disproportionate levels of risk factors that contribute to mental health problems. Using logistic regression, we explored associations between mental health problems and risk and protective factors among students in Texas AHSs (n = 515; mean age 17.1 years; 51% female, 78% youth of color, 64% eligible for free/reduced lunch). Principals (n = 14) and lead health educators (n = 14) reported on school-level efforts to address mental health. Students reported, on average, 1.55 of 4 mental health problems in the past year. Logistic regression indicated that greater number of adverse childhood experiences, lower self-esteem, female gender, and sleep disruption (getting <8 h of sleep per night) were common contributors to symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and PTSD with models showing medium-to-large effects (AUC: 0.73-0.81). We assessed school-level efforts to address mental health using descriptive statistics. At the school level, most (>50%) principals reported having policies and services to support student mental health, with the exception of having mental health/social services staff represented on school health councils (36%) and having Gay-Straight Alliances (21%). Most lead health educators (86%) reported educating AHS students about mental health, and many (57%) reported receiving professional development in mental health. Future research with a larger number of schools is needed to analyze whether school policies are statistically associated with student-level mental health outcomes. Such multi-level research can inform policies and practices for AHS student mental health.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among South Asian American College Students

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services · 2021-12-21 · 22 citations

Despite the increasing size of the South Asian population in the United States, research on the mental health care wants and needs of this population is limited. The current study aimed to provide a better understanding of South Asian American college students' attitudes and behaviors with respect to professional help for psychological and mental health. Participants included 14 college students at a large central Texas university, aged at least 18 years and fluent in English, who identified ethnically as South Asian. Qualitative interviews held with participants included demographic questions. Five themes emerged from the interviews: Family Dynamics , Environment , University Resources , Access to Help , and Cultural Dynamics . High levels of mental illness, low levels of help-seeking, and unique identity interactions demonstrated a prevailing need for mental health support in South Asian American college students. Accessible mental health care in university settings can be a step toward providing appropriate mental health care for South Asian students most in need. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60 (7), 32–38.]

Supporting the Mental Health Workforce During and After COVID-19

Psychiatric Services · 2021 · 16 citations

• Political Science
• Nursing
• Public relations

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed structural changes in the public mental health sector, including a shift to telehealth and telesupervision, financial strain for community mental health organizations and clinicians, and risk of burnout among clinicians and staff. This Open Forum considers how technical assistance organizations have supported community mental health providers in adapting to these changes. Moving forward, knowledge gained through this work can help to build the body of practice-based evidence to inform future technical assistance activities in a postpandemic world.