RESUMEN
Internalized stigma, also known as self-stigma, is negatively associated with a person's willingness to seek mental health services and follow their treatment plan. This can hinder a person's recovery, exacerbate their mental health illnesses, and reduce their quality of life. A primary directive of the Veteran Affairs Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) program is to help veterans overcome their internalized stigma. This study is the first to evaluate the association between receiving PRRC services over time and veteran reported levels of internalized stigma based on Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness-Brief-10 scores using longitudinal PRRC Forms Data. The analysis was performed using a random-effects ordered logistic regression adjusting for veteran sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Our study cohort consisted of 2,774 veterans who received PRRC services between fiscal years 2018 and 2021 and who had an intake form at the start of the PRRC service and at least one follow-up form. Our study found that veterans had lower odds of having a higher level of internalized stigma at the first follow-up relative to their intake (OR: 0.80; 95% CI [0.70, 0.92]), and these odds continued to decrease with each subsequent follow-up. These results potentially indicate the effectiveness of the PRRC program in reducing levels of internalized stigma among the veterans. Our study also suggests the need for greater clinical attention and resources for subgroups such as older veterans, male veterans, and veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or personality disorders, who reported higher levels of internalized stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
RESUMEN
Histological evidence points to the presence of dopamine (DA) in the cephalic sensory organs of multiple gastropod molluscs, suggesting a possible sensory role for the neurotransmitter. We investigated the sensory function of DA in the nudipleuran Pleurobranchaea californica, in which the central neural correlates of sensation and foraging behavior have been well characterized. Tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity (THli), a signature of the dopamine synthetic pathway, was similar to that found in two other opisthobranchs and two pulmonates previously studied: 1) relatively few (<100) THli neuronal somata were observed in the central ganglia, with those observed found in locations similar to those documented in the other snails but varying in number, and 2) the vast majority of THli somata were located in the peripheral nervous system, were associated with ciliated, putative primary sensory cells, and were highly concentrated in chemotactile sensory organs, giving rise to afferent axons projecting to the central nervous system. We extended these findings by observing that applying a selective D2/D3 receptor antagonist to the chemo- and mechanosensory oral veil-tentacle complex of behaving animals significantly delayed feeding behavior in response to an appetitive stimulus. A D1 blocker had no effect. Recordings of the two major cephalic sensory nerves, the tentacle and large oral veil nerves, in a deganglionated head preparation revealed a decrease of stimulus-evoked activity in the former nerve following application of the same D2/D3 antagonist. Broadly, our results implicate DA in sensation and engender speculation regarding the foraging-based decisions the neurotransmitter may serve in the nervous system of Pleurobranchaea and, by extension, other gastropods.