BRIEFING SUMMARY This briefing summary provides an overview of some of the issues involved with depressive symptoms and clinical depression in people with disabilities, as well as a discussion of prevalence. Definition of Depressive Symptoms and Clinical Depression First, it is important to distinguish between dysthymic disorder (symptoms of chronic, mild depression persisting for at […]
An online focus group was used to investigate perceptions of eight adults with cerebral palsy who used AAC systems about their recreation activities and leisure experiences. Six themes emerged from discussions on benefits of leisure and community recreation: improved physical health, enjoyment, improved mental health, increased independence, enhanced social connections, and education of society. Nine […]
Predictors of psychological distress in family caregivers of persons with psychiatric disabilities. Provencher HL, Perreault M, St-Onge M, Rousseau M. Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Centre de Recherche Universite Laval-Robert Giffard, Quebec, Canada. helene.provencher@fsi.ulaval.ca J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2003 Oct;10(5):592-607. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationships of primary and secondary […]
Caregiving process and caregiver burden: conceptual models to guide research and practice. Raina P, O’Donnell M, Schwellnus H, Rosenbaum P, King G, Brehaut J, Russell D, Swinton M, King S, Wong M, Walter SD, Wood E. McMaster University, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. praina@mcmaster.ca BMC Pediatr. 2004 Jan 14;4:1. BACKGROUND: […]
We used the AAMR’s Adaptive Behavior Scale to ascertain current menstrual status in a population-based sample of 157 women with Down’s syndrome (DS) and 187 women with other intellectual disability, all 40 years of age or older. The age-adjusted likelihood of menopause was twice as high in women with DS syndrome as in women with other […]
Individuals with mental illness are particularly disadvantaged by their use of tobacco, spending as much as 40% of their income on cigarettes. They also have increased mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. The most effective interventions to help psychiatric patients stop smoking are similar to those that are effective in the general population. These include […]
The current study examined mental health clinician attitudes regarding smoking cessation for psychiatric and substance abusing patients. Participants included n = 15 never smokers, n = 12 former smokers, and n = 7 current smokers. There was a trend (p = 0.08) for current smokers as compared to former and never smokers to be less […]
Meaningful work is described as one of the functional indicators of healing and growth beyond the disability and is seen as critical in recovering a personal sense of worth and value. We describe a supported education-supported employment program which focused on teaching computer, recovery and work skills. A program evaluation was implemented on four consecutive […]
OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and correlates of smoking as well as quit attempts and unmet need for smoking cessation services in a national sample of veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS). DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study linking computerized medical record information to mailed survey data from 1999. SETTING: Veterans Health Administration (VHA). PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-four percent (2994/4685) […]
This study tests components of Wong and Solomon’s (2002, Mental Health Services Research, 4(2), 13-28) model of community integration, identifying both the dimensions and predictors of integration. It evaluates community integration among adults with psychiatric disabilities assigned randomly to receive either independent scatter-site apartments with the Housing First approach (experimental) or services as usual (control). […]