Dr. Jeff's and Dr. Tanya's Blog

Does Marital Stress Harm Women’s Brains?

Mental health professionals have long debated about the relationship between marital stress and the mental health of women. An article published in Medical News Today March 5, 2009, “Marital Strain Harms Women More Than Men,” examines this issue. The article reports on a study presented at the American Psychosomatic Society's 2009 annual meeting in Chicago. The researchers studied, “…276 couples who had been married for an average of 20 years and were aged between 40 and 70 years….The participants filled in several questionnaires…covering positive aspects of marriage quality (eg mutual support, emotional warmth, friendliness, confiding in each other), negative aspects of marriage quality (eg arguments, hostility, disagreements) and symptoms of depression (not necessarily full blown clinical depression)… The participants also underwent physical exams where blood pressure, waist measurement, good cholesterol, fasting glucose and blood fats were measured.” The results of the study were concerning. “….Women who reported more marital strain had more metabolic syndrome symptoms, and that association can be explained by the fact they also reported more depressive symptoms." There are several important implications of this study. First, adult married women who are experiencing significant marital stress should consult a qualified mental health professional to determine their current and future risk of medical disorders. Second, mental health professionals who treat adult married women who report marital stress should routinely screen for medical problems in these patients. Third, spouses of adult married women who are experiencing marital stress should educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health professional to understand they can help their spouse reduce marital stress. Fourth, public health professionals should educate the public about the link between marital stress and medical disorders. The researchers conclude, “….improving aspects of intimate relationships might help [a woman’s] emotional and physical well-being".

The Bottom Line: The results of this study strongly suggest marital stress can harm a woman’s health.     

Reference: Original article

Great Informational Websites Created by Dr. Speller and Dr. Korkosz:

• Stress and the Human Brain
• Early Life Stress and the Immune System
• The Facts About Major Depressive Disorder
• The Parent's Guide to Understanding Adolescent Depression

Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
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Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Are Adult Women Who Have Been Sexually Abused as Children at Greater Risk for Suicidal Thinking?

Mental health professionals have long wondered about the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult mental health. An article published in Medical News Today June 9, 2009, “'Strong Link' Between Childhood Sexual Abuse And Suicide Attempts In Women,” examines this issue. The article reports on the results of a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Liverpool. The researchers studied, “…..data from the 2000 National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.” The results of the study were concerning. “…sexual abuse was three times more common in women than men - some 1.6 per cent of men report sexual abuse, compared to 5.2 per cent of women….Women attempt to kill themselves more often than men (3.5 per cent of women compared to 5.1 per cent of women) and the number of suicide attempts attributable to sexual abuse was stronger in women than men….sexual abuse in childhood made women far more likely than men to attempt suicide…women react to trauma more strongly than men, perhaps accounting for the strong link between sexual abuse and suicide.” There are a number of important implications of this study. First, adult women with childhood sexual abuse histories should consult a qualified mental health professional to determine their current and future risk of suicidal thinking. Second, mental health professionals who treat adult women with childhood sexual abuse histories should routinely screen for suicidal thinking in these patients. Third, spouses of adult women with childhood abuse histories should educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health professional to understand the current and future risk of suicide in these women. Fourth, public health professionals should educate the public about the link between childhood sexual abuse and the risk of suicide in adult women. The researchers state, “….[Women] who have been sexually abused have low self esteem, ironically blame themselves for the abuse, and all their levels of confidence about all sorts of things are reduced…Lowering your self esteem like that is associated with all sorts of mood symptoms and these are the bed out of which arises suicidal ideation. A proportion of those will then go on to attempt suicide and of those some will be successful." The researchers conclude, “…psychiatrists [must] deal with the issue of sexual abuse in a more forceful way…finding out whether a patient had been sexually abused opened up the possibility of treatment, as there were specific ways a psychiatrist could intervene and help….The patient may have post-traumatic stress disorder and you can treat that; they may have low self esteem and you can address that too and you might make life better for that person and they will be less inclined to think of suicide."

The Bottom Line: The results of this study strongly suggest that childhood sexual abuse increases the risk of suicide in adult women.     

Reference: Original article

Two Great Youtube Videos on Childhood Abuse and Neglect

Great Informational Websites Created by Dr. Speller and Dr. Korkosz:

• Stress and the Human Brain
• Early Life Stress and the Immune System
• The Facts About Major Depressive Disorder
• The Parent's Guide to Understanding Adolescent Depression

Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog type in the keywords into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For more books with related content, type in the keywords into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Do Men Who Become Fathers Take Their Own Mental Health More Seriously?

Mental health professionals have long wondered about the relationship between fatherhood and mental health. An article published in Medical News Today June 19, 2009, “Fatherhood Influences Men In Mental Health Decisions,” examines this issue. The article reports on an “…national online survey conducted within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of The American Psychiatric Association between June 12-16, 2009 among 2,274 adults age 18+, 1040 of whom were male; 235 of those males were fathers or legal guardians.” The results were interesting. “…the survey indicated that fathers are more likely to take their mental health seriously for the sake of their children. Over 90 percent of men surveyed said their role as a father or legal guardian would have an impact on their decision to seek help if they were feeling depressed…Survey respondents were more likely to say they would encourage their fathers to seek help for depression if they are parents themselves. More than 90 percent of parents or guardians who still have contact with their fathers said they would be likely to encourage their own fathers to seek help for depression if they felt it was interfering with his work or relationships.”

The Bottom Line: The results of this survey suggest that men when they become father take their own mental health more seriously.     

Reference: Original article

Great Informational Websites Created by Dr. Speller and Dr. Korkosz:

• Stress and the Human Brain
• Early Life Stress and the Immune System
• The Facts About Major Depressive Disorder
• The Parent's Guide to Understanding Adolescent Depression

Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General and Psychiatric Disorders: Depression, Youtube

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog type in the keywords into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For more books with related content, type in the keywords into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

Can Web-based Programs Encourage Safer Sex Behaviors among Men?

A single-session, online, multimedia intervention effectively reduced risky sexual behaviors among young men who have sex with men, a group at high risk for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. Such low-cost programs may help reverse the steady rise in HIV diagnoses among this population. The study was published online ahead of print on June 5, 2009, in the journal, AIDS and Behavior.

Background

Based on the Information-Motivational-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model for reducing HIV risk,
Kelly M. Carpenter, Ph.D., of Talaria, Inc., and colleagues developed a multimedia, online intervention that aimed to:

• Increase knowledge of risk factors
• Provide skills training for safer sex behaviors
• Increase motivation for behavior change.

The researchers recruited 112 men who have sex with men, ages 18–39. Participants were HIV negative or did not know their status and had engaged in unprotected sex within the preceding three months. All participants completed a 25-minute baseline assessment and then were randomly assigned to the experimental intervention or a control group program. Both the intervention and control program required 1.5–2 hours to complete, though participants had up to a week to finish. Participants were asked to return to the study Web site three months later to complete a 20-minute follow-up questionnaire.

The intervention presented a variety of interactive exercises, multimedia clips, quizzes, and other materials that provided information about safer sex practices and tested participants’ knowledge of HIV risk factors. Those in the control group completed an online stress reduction program that described the effects of stress on the body and health reasons for reducing stress, in addition to leading participants in relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing and guided imagery. The control program did not include any sexual risk reduction information.

Results of the Study

Participants in both groups reported fewer risky behaviors compared with their baseline assessments. Those who received the intervention reported fewer instances of unprotected sex with partners who were HIV+ or of unknown status.

However, the researchers noted that few minorities participated in the study, a group that may be at highest risk for HIV infection and most in need of preventive interventions. Also, since the entire study was conducted online, the effects of only partially completing the intervention or completing only the baseline assessment are unknown.

Significance

The findings show that Internet-based interventions can affect HIV risk behavior. According to the researchers, delivering such programs online may eventually make it possible to provide effective interventions to underserved populations, such as rural or minority communities, at a lower cost than in-person interventions. Internet-based delivery also allows high-risk individuals to access the intervention privately, at their convenience, and possibly at important “teaching opportunities,” such as when they are actively seeking new partners online. Another possible advantage over face-to-face intervention programs is the individual’s ability to leave an online intervention and return when he feels more motivated, suggested the researchers.

Regarding the sexual risk reduction seen in the control group, the researchers suggested that just completing the baseline assessment may have drawn participants’ attention to their own unsafe behaviors and provided enough motivation for them to change.

What’s Next

More research is needed to determine the best length for online interventions. Longer, more detailed interventions may have greater effects on behavior, but more people may are likely to start and finish shorter ones. Future studies should also focus on enrolling more minority participants, include measures of safer sex skills other than condom use, (for example, talking to one’s partner(s) about HIV status), and gather more information on the effectiveness of individual intervention components.

Reference

Carpenter KM, Stoner SA, Mikko AN, Dhanak LP, Parsons JT. Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Sexual Risk in Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav. 2009 Jun 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PubMed PMID: 19499321

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

Great Informational Websites Created by Dr. Speller and Dr. Korkosz:

• Stress and the Human Brain
• Early Life Stress and the Immune System
• The Facts About Major Depressive Disorder
• The Parent's Guide to Understanding Adolescent Depression

Sources: National Institute of Mental Health, Also see blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General

Additional Resources:

• For related articles on the Web, click on: “Sphere: Related Content” located at the bottom of this blog post.
• For related books or blog posts with related content in Dr. Jeff’s and Dr. Tanya’s Blog type in the keywords into “Google Search” located in the sidebar.
• For more books with related content, type in the keywords into “Amazon Search” on the Amazon banner located in the side bar.
• To get the definition of any term in the blog, double chick on the term

Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com

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Dr. Jeffrey Speller

Dr. Tanya Korkosz

Psychopharmacology Associates of New England

www.psychopharmassociates.com