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Why Are Religious Delusions And Hallucinations So Prominent In Patients With Serious Mental Health Diagnoses, Especially Schizophrenia?

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

In patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, often delusions exist that either exalt the status of the patient (eg, the patient is God's representative on earth) or denigrate the patient (eg, God is sending messages to the patient specifying his/her sinfulness and need to be punished). Are there sociological or neurological explanations for the high prevalence of religious delusions and hallucinations?

Popular Answers

The schizoid constellation comprises a number of typical symptoms, present in greater or lesser amounts, further mitigated through numerous indiosyncratic aspects of each case, the time of onset, the number of years, and of course the individual triggers. The easiest way to answer that question - employing Occams razor for the least-words-being-the-best - would go to the essense of the communication with God business. Think of what would happen igf the pipeline from experience to memory suddenly developed leaks - the continuity of your memory...

Sexual Orientation and Its Relation to Mental Disorders and Suicide Attempts: Findings From a Nationally Representative Sample

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

Abstract

To compare the rates of all Axis I and II mental disorders and suicide attempts in sexual orientation minorities with rates in heterosexuals using a nationally representative sample. Data used were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 2 (n = 34 653, response rate = 70.2%). Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine differences in rates of mental disorders and suicide attempts by sexual orientation. All analyses were stratified by sex. Compared with their heterosexual counterparts, lesbians and bisexual women demonstrated a 3-fold increased likelihood of substance use disorders, and gay and bisexual men showed twice the rate of anxiety disorders and schizophrenia and (or) psychotic illness, even after accounting for mental disorder comorbidity. Suicide attempts were independently associated with bisexuality, with odds 3 times higher than in heterosexuals. Findings from our study emphasize the fact that sexual orientation...

Discussing the Criminal and Criminal Anthropology at Victorian Broadmoor

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

July 10, 2015

‘It really is astounding the vogue that this puerile nonsense has obtained’: Discussing the Criminal and Criminal Anthropology at Victorian Broadmoor

The publication of Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso’s The Criminal (1876) established criminal anthropology as an independent science. Lombroso believed that there existed a criminal type: a man or a woman with a specific anatomical configuration.[i] Criminal anthropology had a limited following in Britain. In his The Criminal, Henry Havelock Ellis criticised Lombroso for his style, impetuosity, and lack of critical analysis, but believed that it would be ‘idle to attempt to deny [the] importance of a ‘morbid element’ in criminality’.[ii] He wrote of the size and shape of criminals’ heads, of their cranial abnormalities, prominent jaws and cheekbones, of their receding chins, and of their teeth, nose, ears and beards.[iii] Prison chaplain W. D. Morrison asked:...

Parent and Child Contributions to Diagnosis of Mental Disorder: Are Both Informants Always Necessary?

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

Abstract

To examine the unique cases contributed by parent and child informants to diagnostic classification, with the goal of identifying those diagnoses for which either or both informants are needed. The authors examined survey data from the Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) Study, a 4-community epidemiology survey of 9- to 17-year-old children and their parents. Parent-child dyads (1,285 pairs) were independently interviewed by lay persons with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children; a subset of these pairs (n = 247) were also interviewed by clinicians. Agreement between parents and children was examined with respect to levels of impairment, need for/use of services, and clinicians' diagnoses. Parents and children rarely agreed on the presence of diagnostic conditions, regardless of diagnostic type. Nonetheless, most child-only- and parent-only-identified diagnoses were similarly related to impairment and clinical validation, with...

One Psychologist’s Fight To Destigmatize Mental Illness

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

We live in a world where going to a therapist often feels more shameful than going to see your dentist or internist. Many people still feel embarrassed and ashamed about needing help for their anxiety or depression, while they would not have those feelings if treating a cancerous growth or heart disease.

Although this stigma is slowly changing, our society still holds many misconceptions about what it means to have a mental illness. And these misconceptions or a lack of accurate information can interfere with people getting the help they need. Individuals who suffer from mental illness are not lazy, deranged, weak, or whining for attention. In fact, they are no more likely to have negative personality traits than people who don’t suffer from this type of disease. Mental health disorders are relatively common in the United States and according to some statistics 25% of the...

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Syncope

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

In the evaluation of patients with syncope, the critical first step is a detailed medical history. A diagnostic strategy based on initial evaluation is warranted. The importance of the initial evaluation goes well beyond its capability to make a diagnosis as it determines the most appropriate subsequent diagnostic pathways and risk evaluation.

THE DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGY BASED ON THE INITIAL EVALUATION

According to the Guidelines on Syncope of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)1,2the “initial evaluation” of a patient presenting with syncope consists of taking a careful history, and a physical examination, including orthostatic blood pressure measurements and standard electrocardiogram (ECG).

Three key questions should be addressed during the initial evaluation:

• Is loss of consciousness attributable to syncope or not? Differentiating true syncope from “non‐syncopal” conditions associated with real or apparent transient loss of consciousness is generally the first diagnostic challenge and influences the subsequent diagnostic strategy....

Mental Health Disorders And Sexually Transmitted Diseases In A Privately Insured Population.

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To consider whether patients who use mental health services in privately insured settings are also more likely to have received sexually transmitted disease (STD) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses and whether this relationship extends to patients with milder mental health disorders.

METHODS:

Using frequency tables stratified by age and sex, a logistic regression model, and difference of means tests, we examined the relationship between mental health claims and STDs in a sample of 289 604 privately insured people across the United States.

RESULTS:

Patients with mental health claims were more than twice as likely as other patients to have an STD claim in the same year after controlling for confounding factors (odds ratio, 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 2.11-2.58). This relationship held for severe and milder mental health diagnoses, for male and female patients, and in each age category from 15 to 44 years...

State Laws Affecting the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities

February 20, 2019October 21, 2017 by admin

In California

The Legislature shall provide for the disqualification of electors while mentally incompetent CAL. CONST. art. 2, § 4.

A person shall be deemed mentally incompetent, and therefore disqualified from voting, if, during the course of any of the proceedings set forth below, the court finds that the person is not capable of completing an affidavit of voter registration in accordance with Section 2150 and a conservator is appointed or the person has pled not guilty by reason of insanity. CAL. ELEC. CODE § 2208(a). If the proceeding under the Welfare and Institutions Code is heard by a jury, the jury shall unanimously find that the person is not capable of completing an affidavit of voter registration before the person shall be disqualified from votin...

The Impact Of Mental Illness On The Risk Of Employment Termination.

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mental illness can adversely impact labor market outcomes in a variety of ways, through education attainment, employment possibilities, and income. However, little is known about the impact of mental illness on an individual's ability to maintain employment.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: This paper examines the impact of mental health on the risk of employment termination. We also distinguish between voluntary and involuntary employment termination.

METHODS: Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we used survival analysis techniques to examine the impact of a mental illness diagnosis on the risk of employment termination and propensity score matching techniques to construct similar comparison groups. Initially, we used Cox proportional-hazards models where the event of interest was termination of employment. We then used a competing risk framework to differentiate between voluntary and involuntary employment termination. We also stratified our analysis b...

RESULTS:

Interference and Inhibition in Cognition and Behavior: Unifying Themes for Educational Psychology

November 17, 2018October 21, 2017 by admin

Abstract

In this article, we review modern work on interference and inhibition in cognition and behavior. We begin by briefly reviewing the historical and conceptual roots of this new body of work. Next we discuss five new theoretical frameworks that use the concepts of interference and inhibition to explain cognitive and behavioral phenomena. In the section that follows, we review evidence of individual and developmental differences in inhibition and susceptibility to interference in “at-risk” students. We then consider the implications of this new body of work for research on educational psychology by discussing six selected areas of research: intelligence, strategies, reading comprehension, logical and mathematical reasoning, self-regulated learning, and retention. In the next section, we explore four critical issues that pose significant challenges to research in inhibition and interference. Finally, we discuss the relevance of this work to educational practice by focusing on its implications for the curriculum and instruction....

Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Hysteria is undoubtedly the first mental disorder attributable to women, accurately described in the second millennium BC, and until Freud considered an exclusively female disease. Over 4000 years of history, this disease was considered from two perspectives: scientific and demonological. It was cured with herbs, sex or sexual abstinence, punished and purified with fire for its association with sorcery and finally, clinically studied as a disease and treated with innovative therapies. However, even at the end of 19th century, scientific innovation had still not reached some places, where the only known therapies were those proposed by Galen. During the 20th century several studies postulated the decline of hysteria amongst occidental patients (both women and men) and the escalating of this disorder in non-Western countries. The concept of hysterical neurosis is deleted with the 1980 DSM-III. The evolution of these diseases...

Mental Health in Schools and Public Health

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

Health policy and practice call for health and mental health parity and for a greater focus on universal interventions to promote, prevent, and intervene as early after problem onset as is feasible. Those in the public health field are uniquely positioned to help promote the mental health of young people and to reshape how the nation thinks about and addresses mental health. And schools are essential partners for doing the work.

Young People's Mental Health is a Major Public Health Concern

The figures usually indicated for diagnosable mental disorders suggest that between 12% and 22% of all youngsters under age 18 are in need of services for mental, emotional, or behavioral problems.1 The picture worsens when one expands the focus beyond the limited perspective on diagnosable mental disorders to encompass the number of young people experiencing psychosocial problems and those who are at risk...

Effective Services for Parolees with Mental Illnesses

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

Abstract

This article is divided into four major sections. The first describes the factors that have resulted in persons with serious mental illnesses' (PSMIs') becoming a growing segment of the correctional population. The second explores the changing face of parole supervision and the implications of those changes for the care of PSMIs on parole. Section three discusses the prevalence of mental illnesses among adult prisoners and probationers and draws inferences from those data to the parolee population. Section three also explores mental health care for prison inmates and special programs for PSMIs on probation and parole. The article concludes with several suggestions for improving parole practices to meet the needs of PSMIs...

Responding to Subpoenas for Mental Health Records in California

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

In any case where the Plaintiff seeks compensation for mental distress or anguish, Defendants may find themselves needing to subpoena mental health records to probe into pre-existing mental health issues and the extent of the Plaintiff's current complaints. These records are subject to safeguards above and beyond the average medical record. Medical providers may find themselves in a conundrum since they must be protective of the patient's mental health records to comply with state and federal laws, but they are also legally required to comply with the subpoena in a timely manner. Two California laws provide the framework for responding to a subpoena requesting mental health records:

1) The Lanterman-Petris -Short ("LPS") Act or California Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 5328 et. seq.; and 2) The California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act ("CMIA") or Civil Code Section 56 et. seq.

Below is information about each law to take into consideration when responding to a subpoena.

Lanterman-Petris-Short Act...

Securing Stable Housing

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

For someone with a mental health condition, the basic necessity of a stable home can be hard to come by. The lack of safe and affordable housing is one of the most powerful barriers to recovery. When this basic need isn’t met, people cycle in and out of homelessness, jails, shelters and hospitals. Having a safe, appropriate place to live can provide stability to allow you to achieve your goals.

You may run into housing issues after being discharged from an inpatient care unit or jail and find that you have no home to return to. Even if you haven’t been hospitalized, finding an affordable home can be difficult. Many people with a serious mental illness live on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which averages just 18% of the median income and can make finding an affordable home near impossible.

Finding stable, safe and affordable housing can help you on your journey to recovery...

Law & Psychiatry: Murder, Inheritance, and Mental Illness

November 17, 2018October 20, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Should a murderer be allowed to inherit the victim's estate? The question dates from biblical times, but most jurisdictions today have statutes in place that bar inheritance by convicted murderers. However, a special problem arises when the killer has a severe mental illness and has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Should such people, who have not been convicted of a crime, be permitted to collect their inheritance? Jurisdictions vary in their responses, with the rules reflecting a mix of practical and moral considerations influenced by different perspectives about what determines the behavior of persons with mental illness. (Psychiatric Services 62:707–709, 2011)

Have you killed, and also taken possession?” the biblical prophet Elijah asked Ahab, King of Samaria, who with his wife, Jezebel, was being accused of having done precisely that (1). Embodied in Elijah's question is the moral intuition that wrongdoers should not profit from their...