 |
|
Sudden death of a parent may pose mental health risks for children, surviving caregivers
May 06, 2008Children who had a parent who died suddenly have three times the risk of depression than those with two living parents, along with an increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
About 4 percent of children in Western countries experience the death of a parent, according to background information in the article. Parents who have psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders and substance abuse, are more likely to die from suicide, accidents and heart disease. The same psychiatric factors that increase parents' risk of sudden death also predispose their children to similar mental health problems.
Nadine M. Melhem, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues identified 140 families in which one parent died of suicide, accident or sudden natural death. They were compared with 99 control families in which two parents were living and no first-degree relatives had died within the past two years. The offspring, ages 7 to 25, underwent interviews and assessments for psychiatric disorders, as well as a review of their parents' psychiatric history.
Children whose parents had died, along with their surviving caregivers, were at higher risk for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those in control families. This association remained after controlling for psychiatric disorders in the deceased parent. Children and caregivers in families where a parent had died of suicide were no more likely than those in families where a parent died of other causes to develop PTSD or other psychiatric disorders. Children's symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal behavior and complicated grief (severe, lasting unhappiness) were associated with similar symptoms in surviving caregivers.
"Our findings have important clinical and public health implications," the authors conclude. "The best way to attenuate the effect of parental bereavement among offspring is to prevent early death in their parents by improving the detection and treatment of bipolar illness, substance and alcohol abuse and personality disorders, and by addressing the lifestyle correlates of these illnesses that lead to premature death."
When parents die, surviving caregivers should be monitored for depression and PTSD, since their psychiatric health affects that of children. "Given the increased risk of depression and PTSD, bereaved offspring should be monitored and, if needed, referred and treated for their psychiatric disorder," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to examine the course and long-term effect of bereavement on offspring and their surviving caregivers, to test the mechanisms by which parental bereavement exerts these effects and to identify the subset of bereaved families who may require treatment, which can then frame targets for intervention and prevention efforts."
JAMA and Archives Journals
Children whose parents had died, along with their surviving caregivers, were at higher risk for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those in control families. This association remained after controlling for psychiatric disorders in the deceased parent. Children and caregivers in families where a parent had died of suicide were no more likely than those in families where a parent died of other causes to develop PTSD or other psychiatric disorders. Children's symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal behavior and complicated grief (severe, lasting unhappiness) were associated with similar symptoms in surviving caregivers.
"Our findings have important clinical and public health implications," the authors conclude. "The best way to attenuate the effect of parental bereavement among offspring is to prevent early death in their parents by improving the detection and treatment of bipolar illness, substance and alcohol abuse and personality disorders, and by addressing the lifestyle correlates of these illnesses that lead to premature death."
When parents die, surviving caregivers should be monitored for depression and PTSD, since their psychiatric health affects that of children. "Given the increased risk of depression and PTSD, bereaved offspring should be monitored and, if needed, referred and treated for their psychiatric disorder," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to examine the course and long-term effect of bereavement on offspring and their surviving caregivers, to test the mechanisms by which parental bereavement exerts these effects and to identify the subset of bereaved families who may require treatment, which can then frame targets for intervention and prevention efforts."
JAMA and Archives Journals
Psychiatric Disorder Current Events and Psychiatric Disorder News RSSLess than 50 percent of men and women with depression see a doctor for treatment
Less than half of men and women in Ontario who may be suffering from depression see a doctor to treat their potentially debilitating condition, according to a new women's health study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).
Review provides new insights into the causes of anorexia
New imaging technology provides insight into abnormalities in the brain circuitry of patients with anorexia nervosa (commonly known as anorexia) that may contribute to the puzzling symptoms found in people with the eating disorder.
Brown Professor Continues Debate Over Recovered Memory
Two years after two Harvard psychiatrists published a controversial paper on repressed memory, Brown University political scientist Ross Cheit is engaged in an academic dispute over that paper's integrity and its implications. Cheit's paper appears in the current issue of Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.
Individuals with family history of genetic disease at risk of discrimination
People with a family history of genetic disease are often discriminated against by insurance companies and their relatives and friends, according to research published on bmj.com today.
History of hyperactivity off-base, says researcher
A Canadian researcher working in the U.K. says doctors, authors and educators are doing hyperactive children a disservice by claiming that hyperactivity as we understand it today has always existed.
Poor attention in kindergarten predicts lower high school test scores, UC Davis researchers find
As thousands of students nationwide prepare to leave high school, a UC Davis study appearing online today in the June issue of the medical journal Pediatrics shows a clear link between attention problems early in school - as early as kindergarten - and lower high school test scores.
Compassion fatigue: Impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill
Compassion fatigue in nurses, doctors and other front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family.
Psychiatric disorders are common in adults who have had anorexia
The study was initiated in 1985. A total of 51 teenagers with anorexia nervosa were studied, together with an equally large control group of healthy persons. The groups have been investigated and compared several times as the years have passed.
Innappropriate drug prescriptions wasting millions, raising health risks
A recent study in Oregon suggests that drugs designed for treating the most severe mental illnesses are often prescribed at inappropriately low doses and at considerable expense, for use in conditions where their benefit has not been established.
Nearly 5 percent of the US population suffers from persistent depression or anxiety
Though effective treatments are available for individuals suffering from chronic depression and anxiety, very little is known about how often these treatments are used or how prevalent these conditions are among the nation's general population.
More Psychiatric Disorder Current Events and Psychiatric Disorder News Articles
 |
Interview Guide for Evaluating Dsm-IV Psychiatric Disorders and the Mental Status Examination by Mark Zimmerman (Author) Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Pocket-sized quick-reference to the psychiatric interview for residents. Includes components of the full psychiatric evaluation and glossary. Trim size 6 x 4 inches. |
 |
Living Well with Bipolar Disorder: A New Look Starring: Guilford Press Directed By: Monkey See Productions In this engaging video, six individuals of different ages and backgrounds candidly describe the impact bipolar disorder has had on their lives and the strategies they have learned for dealing with it. Produced in consultation with mood disorder experts Dr. Philip Mitchell and Dr. Meg Smith, the program provides an informative, optimistic discussion of the elements of effective clinical management. Viewers see how individuals can get and stay well by combining medication, counseling or psychotherapy, attention to early warning signs of relapse, and sensible lifestyle choices. The video's clear factual presentation, vivid first-hand accounts, and nonstigmatizing tone make it an indispensable resource. |
 |
Quick Reference to the American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders Compendium 2006 powered by Skyscape by Skyscape This reference contains Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) to all of the published APA Practice Guidelines. QRGs are created by abstracting the crucial information from the text of the full guideline, with greatest emphasis placed on retaining the material most directly relevant to the treatment decision making, and are intended for day-to-day work with patients. This compendium contains 13 Quick Reference Guides: Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumtic Stress Disorder Alzheimers Disease and Other Dementias of Late Life Borderline Personality Disorder Bipolar Disorder Delirium Eating Disorders HIV/AIDS Major Depressive Disorder Panic Disorder Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults Schizophrenia Substance Use Disorders Suicide New interactive flowcharts: Now, complex algorithms and... |
|
Dual Diagnosis An Integrated Model for the Treatment of People with Co-occurring Psychiatric and Substance Disorders | |
 |
Natural Medications For Psychiatric Disorders Considering The Alternatives by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Natural Medications for Psychiatric Disorders Considering the Alternatives : Natural Medications for Psychiatric Disorders Considering the Alternatives Pub Date: August 2008 Product Type: Print Author/s: David Mischoulon MD, PhD; Jerrold F Rosenbaum MD Updated for its Second Edition, this book is the only reference to focus exclusively on natural medications in psychiatry. Eminent psychiatrists from the Massachusetts General Hospital and other leading institutions examine current scientific and clinical data on the applications, effectiveness, and safety of natural psychotropics and acupuncture. Quick-reference tabular appendices list indications, contraindications, dosages, combinations, and drug-drug interactions for each remedy.This edition includes brand-new... |
 |
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision) by American Psychiatric Association (Corporate Author) Since the DSM-IV® was published in 1994, we’ve seen many advances in our knowledge of psychiatric illness. This Text Revision incorporates information culled from a comprehensive literature review of research about mental disorders published since DSM-IV® was completed in 1994. Updated information is included about the associated features, culture, age, and gender features, prevalence, course, and familial pattern of mental disorders. The DSM-IV® brings this essential diagnostic tool up-to-date, to promote effective diagnosis, treatment, and quality of care. Now you can get all the essential diagnostic information you rely on from the DSM-IV® along with important updates not found in the 1994 edition. Stay current with important updates to the DSM-IV®: ... |
 |
(severe mental illness) Behavioral Family Therapy for Psychiatric Disorder2nd Edition (ISBN 1572241438) by Kim Mueser, Ph.D. and Shirley Glynn, Ph.D., (12 CE Credits or 12 CME Credits only, book not included) by Red Toad Road Company CE/CME CREDITS ONLY: Please note that you must already have access to the training material (book, etc.) for this CE/CME course to purchase the CE/CME packet (CE/CME credits, test, training objectives rating form) by itself. If you do not already have access, then purchase the training material together with the CE/CME packet by searching for the combination (training material + CE/CME packet) by browsing under the title of the training material in the RTR store.......................... TRAINING OBJECTIVES are to learn the following: Which mental health disorders benefit from BFT, the treatment outcome research for BFT, the underlying biological vulnerability-stress theory, the core treatment strategies in BFT, the communication skills training that is emphasized, the importance of... |
 |
4th edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition by American Psychiatric Association (Author) (APA Textbook For College and University Students) by by American Psychiatric Association Product Description The last 6 years has seen many advances in our knowledge of illnesses. The DSM-IV-TRV spans the bridge between DSM- IVV and DSM-VV to ensur e that the most relevant new information since the DSM- IVV literature review in 1992 was incorporated and to enhance the educational value. Specifically, new information on associated features, including asso ciated laboratory and physical findings, has been added for many of th e disorders. Sections on prevalence, gender/age/culture, course, and familial pattern have also been revised to reflect recent research fin dings. More comprehensive differential diagnoses have been incorporat ed for many of the disorders. |
 |
Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth by David Shannahoff-Khalsa (Author) For several decades, yoga has been a popular mainstream approach to health conscious living, and is used by those with medical disorders. Now, following a bevy of recent research studies, yoga has exploded onto the mental health scene, and clinicians and patients alike are embracing the use of yoga to effectively help combat psychiatric disorders. In Kundalini Yoga Meditation, Shannahoff-Khalsa—researcher, Kundalini yoga teacher for over 30 years, and worldwide authority in the field of alternative therapies for psychiatric disorders—weaves scientific insights, clinical trials, case histories, and disorder-specific techniques to explain how the ancient science of Kundalini yoga can be a useful stand-alone or supplemental treatment for psychiatric... |
 |
Multifamily Groups in the Treatment of Severe Psychiatric Disorders by William R. McFarlane (Author) This volume presents a proven psychoeducational therapy approach for persons with severe mental illness and their families. Pioneering schizophrenia treatment developer William R. McFarlane first lays out the theoretical and empirical foundations of the multifamily model. Chapters coauthored with other leading clinician-researchers then provide detailed "how-to" instructions for forming groups; implementing educational and problem-solving interventions; managing clinical, relationship, and functional issues that may arise; and integrating psychoeducation with other forms of treatment. Also addressed are applications of the model--some described here for the first time--to a variety of disorders other than schizophrenia, including bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |