Five Essential Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term Mass Trauma Intervention: Empirical Evidence.

Given the devastation caused by disasters and mass violence, it is critical that intervention policy be based on the most updated research findings. However, to date, no evidence-based consensus has been reached supporting a clear set of recommendations for intervention during the immediate and the mid-term post mass trauma phases. Because it is unlikely that there will be evidence in the near or mid-term future from clinical trials that cover the diversity of disaster and mass violence circumstances, we assembled a worldwide panel of experts on the study and treatment of those exposed to disaster and mass violence to extrapolate from related fields of research, and to gain consensus on intervention principles. We identified five empirically supported intervention principles that should be used to guide and inform intervention and prevention efforts at the early to mid-term stages. These are promoting: 1) a sense of safety, 2) calming, 3) a sense of self- and community efficacy, 4) connectedness, and 5) hope.

Lessons Learned from 50 Years of Violence Prevention Activities in the African American Community.

PURPOSE: This article covers violence prevention (homicide and suicide) activities in the African American community for nearly 50 years. METHOD: Drawing on lived experience the works of early and recent efforts by African American physicians, the author illustrates we know a great deal about violence prevention in the African American community. RESULTS: There remains challenges of implementation and political will. Further, most physicians, like the public, are confused about the realities of homicide and suicide because of the two different presentations both are given in the media and scientific literature. CONCLUSIONS: Responses to homicide and suicides should be based on science not distorted media reports. There are violence prevention principles that, if widely implemented, could stem the tide of violence.

Substance Use and Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Young Men Working at a Rural Roadside Market in Malawi.

Using an ecological model, we describe substance use and sexual risk behaviors of young male laborers at a roadside market in Malawi. Data included observations and interviews with 18 key market leaders and 15 laborers (ages 18-25 years). Alcohol, marijuana, and commercial sex workers (CSWs) were widely available. We identified three patterns of substance use: 6 young men currently used, 6 formerly used, and 3 never used. Substance use was linked to risky sex, including sex with CSWs. The market supported risky behaviors through availability of resources; supportive norms, including beliefs that substance use enhanced strength; and lack of restraints. Community-level poverty, cultural support for alcohol, interpersonal family/peer influences, early substance use, and school dropout also contributed to risky behaviors. Parental guidance was protective but not often reported. Local programs addressing substance use and risky sex simultaneously and better national substance use policies and mental health services are needed.

Rethinking funding priorities in mental health research.

Mental health research funding priorities in high-income countries must balance longer-term investment in identifying neurobiological mechanisms of disease with shorter-term funding of novel prevention and treatment strategies to alleviate the current burden of mental illness. Prioritising one area of science over others risks reduced returns on the entire scientific portfolio.

Prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders among low-income African Americans at a clinic on Chicago's south side.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the point prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders among predominantly low-income, African-American psychiatric patients at Jackson Park Hospital's Family Medicine Clinic on Chicago's South Side. METHODS: Using active case ascertainment methodology, the authors assessed the records of 611 psychiatric patients visiting the clinic between May 23, 2013, and January 14, 2014, to identify those with DSM-5 neurodevelopmental disorders. RESULTS: A total of 297 patients (49%) met criteria for a neurodevelopmental disorder during childhood. Moreover, 237 (39%) had clinical profiles consistent with neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, and 53 (9%) had other neurodevelopmental disorders. The authors disagreed on the specific type of neurodevelopmental disorder of seven (1% of 611) of the 297 patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders was found among low-income predominantly African-American psychiatric patients on Chicago's South Side. If replicated, these findings should bring about substantial changes in medical practice with African-American patients.

Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues - Part I.

PURPOSE: This article highlights issues of misdiagnosis in an African-American, adult clinical population by doing point prevalence, record review study within a comprehensive community mental health center. METHOD: Psychiatric evaluations of 330 patients were reviewed and clinically identifiable variables of: a) childhood Intellectual Disability (ID), special education, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), or Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD); b) head injury causing Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) or Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE); c) a history of chronic substance abuse prior to the development of psychiatric symptoms; or d) childhood trauma causing Anxiety, Depression, and Panic Disorders were tabulated. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty patients, who were free of the four variables, had a single psychiatric diagnosis and 18 had multiple co-morbid diagnoses. More than 25% (92/330) of the patients had the four variables in their histories. Four of the 92 patients had more than one variable in their history. Of the remaining 88 cases, 42 had psychiatric issues beginning in childhood (28 had history of ID, 4 had history of learning disabilities, 3 had history of ADHD, 7 had histories of Autism/PDD); 9 had histories of OBS or TLE; 20 had histories of substance abuse; and 18 had histories of extensive childhood trauma). CONCLUSIONS: Careful attention to common issues in African-Americans can inform the psychiatric diagnostic process pointing to prevention or treatment considerations that would benefit the African-American community at large.

Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues - Part II.

PURPOSE: The second "Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues" article focuses on traumatic life experiences that meet a proposed criteria for Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD).l METHOD: Psychiatric evaluations of 330 patients were reviewed and clinically identifiable variables of: a) childhood mental retardation (MR), special education, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), or Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD); b) head injury causing Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) or Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE); c) a history of chronic substance abuse prior to the development of psychiatric symptoms; or d) childhood trauma causing Anxiety, Depression, and Panic Disorders were tabulated. RESULTS: In Part I,2-Reference Part I we learn that the above four variables did not influence two-thirds of the African-American patient's psychiatric diagnoses; however, excluding patients with multiple diagnoses, 26.7% of the patient's diagnoses were shaped by these variables. Of these, 20% (18 of 88 patients), or 5.5% of the total 330 patients, had diagnoses that were strongly influenced by childhood traumatic experiences. Accordingly, we present two case histories that explicate the psychopathology seen in African-Americans traumatized as children. CONCLUSIONS: This study helps to stress and confirm the importance of how understanding childhood traumatic experiences shape adult African-American psychopathology and the potential for misdiagnosis - an important factor for prevention and appropriate treatment of African-American patients with psychiatric issues.

The Significance of Strategic Community Engagement in Recruiting African American Youth & Families for Clinical Research.

We present baseline data and describe the utility of a community engaged, culturally relevant approach to recruiting African American youth and families for phase I of The AAKOMA Project. The AAKOMA Project is a two phase treatment development study to improve mental health service use among depressed African American youth. We completed capacity building activities using a community engaged framework and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods. Replicating the (Alvarez et al. in West J Nurs Res 28:541-560, 2006) model of systematic community out-reach enhanced our ability to effectively recruit partners and evaluate outreach efforts as demonstrated by our Recruitment Success Factor (RSF-i.e. 'an adjusted ratio of eligible participant yield to contacts made'). Using the chi-square goodness-of-fit statistic; we compared the RSFs of the various modes of participant study entry to determine which was most effective. Our target enrollment was 56 persons. We recruited 130 and enrolled 57. Our baseline data is drawn from a gender balanced and socioeconomically diverse sample who participated in youth focus groups and individual interviews and adult focus groups. We identified 3 study participant referral modes (self-referral, provider referral and participant-to-participant referral) with multiple sources per mode and an overall RSF of 0.41. Study findings support the effectiveness of assiduous and systematic community interaction, reflective review of recruitment efforts and the importance of disseminating information on strategic recruitment processes for engaging diverse populations in clinical research.

University of Illinois at Chicago's interdisciplinary center for research on violence: changing systems to prevent violence in Chicago and beyond.

This article describes an interdisciplinary center at the University of Illinois at Chicago focused on collaborative research on violence. Our center is unique in its emphasis on developing infrastructure and distinctive processes for overcoming obstacles to interdisciplinary research; the involvement of outside policy makers, advocates, and service providers in jointly discussing and developing research proposals; the breadth of commitments from leading violence researchers and administrators across five colleges; and the innovativeness of proposed research projects that support interdisciplinary activity and show promise for funding. The center has developed an infrastructure to address violence-related issues in both research and teaching. This article discusses the challenges of implementation and boundary spanning in a university context and makes recommendations for sustainability.

Risk factors and preventive interventions for Alzheimer disease: state of the science.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have investigated risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD). However, at a recent National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference, an independent panel found insufficient evidence to support the association of any modifiable factor with risk of cognitive decline or AD. OBJECTIVE: To present key findings for selected factors and AD risk that led the panel to their conclusion. DATA SOURCES: An evidence report was commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It included English-language publications in MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1984 through October 27, 2009. Expert presentations and public discussions were considered. STUDY SELECTION: Study inclusion criteria for the evidence report were participants aged 50 years and older from general populations in developed countries; minimum sample sizes of 300 for cohort studies and 50 for randomized controlled trials; at least 2 years between exposure and outcome assessment; and use of well-accepted diagnostic criteria for AD. DATA EXTRACTION: Included studies were evaluated for eligibility and data were abstracted. Quality of overall evidence for each factor was summarized as low, moderate, or high. DATA SYNTHESIS: Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia in midlife, and current tobacco use were associated with increased risk of AD, and Mediterranean-type diet, folic acid intake, low or moderate alcohol intake, cognitive activities, and physical activity were associated with decreased risk. The quality of evidence was low for all of these associations. CONCLUSION: Currently, insufficient evidence exists to draw firm conclusions on the association of any modifiable factors with risk of AD.

Personality disorder types proposed for DSM-5.

The Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group has proposed five specific personality disorder (PD) types for DSM-5, to be rated on a dimension of fit: antisocial/psychopathic, avoidant, borderline, obsessive-compulsive, and schizotypal. Each type is identified by core impairments in personality functioning, pathological personality traits, and common symptomatic behaviors. The other DSM-IV-TR PDs and the large residual category of personality disorder not otherwise specified (PDNOS) will be represented solely by the core impairments combined with specification by individuals' unique sets of personality traits. This proposal has three main features: (1) a reduction in the number of specified types from 10 to 5; (2) description of the types in a narrative format that combines typical deficits in self and interpersonal functioning and particular configurations of traits and behaviors; and (3) a dimensional rating of the degree to which a patient matches each type. An explanation of these modifications in approach to diagnosing PD types and their justifications--including excessive co-morbidity among DSM-IV-TR PDs, limited validity for some existing types, lack of specificity in the definition of PD, instability of current PD criteria sets, and arbitrary diagnostic thresholds--are the subjects of this review.

"Mama just won't accept this": adult perspectives on engaging depressed African American teens in clinical research and treatment.

This manuscript focuses on qualitative data collected for AAKOMA Project, a 2-phase treatment engagement intervention trial for depressed African American adolescents and families. Data are presented from our phase I study of adult perspectives on African American adolescent depression, depression treatment, and research engagement. The research team conducted four focus groups (N = 24) and generated major themes from the data including ideas regarding the manifestations of depression in African American youth and psychosocial barriers to participation in depression research and treatment. Findings indicate that success in recruiting and retaining African American youth in depression research and treatment may include using innovative means to overcome the culturally embedded attributions of depression to non-biological causes, beliefs about the cultural insensitivity of treatments and challenges in the logistics of obtaining care. Adults report that encouraging youth and familial involvement in treatments and research should include targeted, community-partnered activities involving diverse staff in leadership roles and including community members as equal partners.

Prevention of mental disorders, substance abuse, and problem behaviors: a developmental perspective.

Robust scientific evidence shows that mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders can be prevented before they begin. This article highlights and expands points from a 2009 Institute of Medicine report to provide a concise summary of the literature on preventing mental illness. Because prevention requires intervention before the onset of illness, effective preventive approaches are often interdisciplinary and developmental. Evidence-based preventive strategies are discussed for the different phases of a young person's life. Specific recommendations to focus on parenting, child development, and the prevention of depression are made for a target audience of practicing psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Further systemic recommendations are to prioritize prevention and to coordinate and facilitate research on preventive practices in order to reduce suffering, create healthier families, and save money.