Agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease can present safety issues for older adults, potentially leading to dangerous or harmful behaviors and escalating emotional distress. The burden of persistent or severe agitation on caregivers is one of the primary reasons for hospitalization or institutionalization of persons living with dementia. Treating agitation with sedatives or...
Purpose: Adolescence is a critical period for identity formation and social development, and social media can shape appearance perceptions and social acceptance. Social appearance anxiety may be associated with greater vulnerability to social media addiction, whereas mindful awareness may be linked to lower levels of this risk. The current study tested mindful awareness as a mediator between...
Effects of Individually Delivered Mindfulness-Based Psychotraining on Internalized Stigma and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors of Individuals With Schizophrenia.
The current study was conducted to determine the effects of a 6-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program provided to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study had an experimental design based on a pre-/posttest model with experimental (n = 40) and control (n = 40) groups. Parents of children with ASD who attend education and rehabilitation centers were...
The current meta-analysis sought to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based training (MBT) in alleviating stress and burnout among nurses, providing critical insights for their support and management in clinical environments. A literature review was conducted from April 15 to June 20, 2024, across various databases. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that...
Poly-victimization is often reported by formerly incarcerated women and leads to physical and mental health problems that interfere with daily functioning, sustained employment, and housing stability. Although reentry programs exist, few focus on the physical and emotional impact of multiple traumas. Passport to Freedom (P2F), a woman-centered, trauma-informed reentry program, was developed to...
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is widely prevalent in the United States and there are high levels of comorbidity between OUD and mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapy, in addition to medication-assisted therapy, are considered important components of long-term OUD treatment. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) is a breathing-based mind-body...
Kava is a neuroactive medicinal herb that can induce pharmacological effects when ingested. As an herbal remedy, kava exhibits sedative, anesthetic, euphoriant, and entheogenic effects. Kava is used as a relaxant, pain reliever, and remedy for anxiety and insomnia. In the United States, kava is marketed as a safe dietary supplement. Kava's popularity is on the rise due to heightened awareness...
Dextromethorphan (DXM) has been re-purposed several times over the past 7 decades: first as a cough suppressant, then as a compounded formulation with quinidine for treatment of pseudobulbar affect, and most recently as a compounded formulation with bupro-pion for treatment of major depressive disorder. The current article describes the history and purported mechanisms of action of DXM for each...
Approximately 30% of people treated for a major depressive episode will not achieve remission after two or more treatment trials of first-line antidepressants and are considered to have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Because the odds of remission decrease with every subsequent medication trial, it is important for clinicians to understand the characteristics and risk factors for TRD,...
The increasing public acceptance of cannabis and the proliferation of cannabis products in the marketplace has coincided with more patients using the drug as a substitute for psychiatric medications or as an adjunctive treatment modality for psychiatric conditions, despite limited evidence of efficacy. With a goal of furthering harm-reduction efforts in psychiatric nursing, the current article...
The current pre- and posttest intervention study is designed for individuals with chronic symptoms and stress associated with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). The researchers' intent was to evaluate whether an 8-week mindfulness-based group therapy compared to health promotion active control group therapy reduces chronic stress, TBI symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Significant...
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a disabling and demoralizing phenomenon for patients and clinicians. For many years, treatment for depression has relied on the monoamine theory, with medications limited in efficacy and requiring prolonged use before any therapeutic effects are evident. The current article reviews novel approaches to pharmacological treatment of TRD, including...
Sleep terrors, one of the non-rapid eye movement parasomnias, are interesting nighttime phenomena that can be distressing for parents. For most children, this behavior is temporary and does not cause significant problems. However, some psychiatric conditions may have a higher prevalence of parasomnias, including sleep terrors. Although sleep terrors may be a benign and common event in children,...
Antidepressant, atypical antipsychotic, and hallucinogen drugs mediate their actions in part by interactions with the serotonin-2A (5HT2A) receptor. Serotonergic hallucinogen drugs, such as psilocybin, bind most potently as agonists at the 5HT2A receptor, producing profound changes in perception, mood, and cognition. Some of these drugs have been or are currently being investigated in small...
New research is providing health care professionals with evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation as an intervention for older adults. Recent studies have provided evidence that meditation results in observable changes in brain structure related to memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress. Health care professionals should consider mindfulness training as a helpful intervention...
Ketamine (Ketalar®) is an anesthetic agent derived from the hallucinogenic drug phencyclidine (PCP). It is a high-affinity antagonist at N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and also binds to opioid mu and sigma receptors. Ketamine is being intensively investigated as an antidepressant therapy. To date, five short-term controlled studies and other open-label studies in patients with unipolar or...
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive herb and an increasingly popular recreational drug used by young people in our country and abroad. Much of its increased popularity stems from its easy accessibility and affordability; its effects produce an intense and potent "high" and concomitant disorientation and hallucinations. The risks associated with Salvia are poorly defined due to a lack of...
After years of declining use in the United States, youth consumption of ecstasy has increased significantly. Although ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is known to be a drug with detrimental effects, users view the drug as a safe and attractive social lubricant. To update and clarify misperceptions, this article reviews current evidence regarding ecstasy's side effects and risks and...
Despite evidence that individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders experience significant and persistent symptoms of anxiety, there are few reports of the use of empirically supported treatments for anxiety in this population. This article describes how we have tried to adapt mindfulness interventions to help individuals with schizophrenia who experience significant anxiety symptoms....
1. The suicide rate for adults over 65 years of age is the highest rate for suicide in any age group, and the rate is projected to increase. 2. To address a clinical concern, such as suicide, clinicians and researchers must identify factors that are specific to each population at high risk. This study chose to examine self-transcendence, which is thought to be specific to older adults' success...
1. The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) can help individuals to resolve grief that stems from personal loss and death, and encourage activities that will assist highly motivated individuals to achieve self-transcendence. 2. Self-transcendence is the ability to extend one's self beyond personal concerns and reach out to others without losing one's sense of self. The process of self-transcendence...