OBJECTIVES: Chronic medical and mental illness and disability increase vulnerability to disasters. National efforts have focused on preparing people with disabilities, and studies find them to be increasingly prepared, but less is known about people with chronic mental and medical illnesses. We examined the relation between health status (mental health, perceived general health, and disability) […]
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OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of exercise in a national sample of veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the association of exercise with quality of life, including physical health, mental health, and participation restriction. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study linking computerized medical records to mailed survey data from 1999. SETTING: Veterans Health Administration. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans with […]
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This article reviews the research on the treatment of cigarette smoking in individuals who have comorbid mental illnesses or non-nicotinic addictions. The prevalence of smoking in mentally ill and substance-abusing populations is presented, as well as reasons for this high prevalence. The historical role of cigarettes and tobacco in mental illness and addiction is reviewed […]
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The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) convened a meeting in September 2005 to review tobacco use and dependence and smoking cessation among those with mental disorders, especially individuals with anxiety disorders, depression, or schizophrenia. Smoking rates are exceptionally high among these individuals and contribute to the high rates of medical morbidity and mortality in […]
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Prenatal and childhood environmental exposures are an underrecognized primary cause of intellectual and other developmental disabilities. In addition, individuals with established disabilities are vulnerable to further harm from subsequent environmental exposures. In individuals with communicative impairment or limited ability to independently escape from hazards, these subsequent exposures, too, may occur undetected or untreated. This article […]
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Participatory art projects for people with mental health needs typically claim outcomes such as improvements in confidence, self-esteem, social participation and mental health. However, such claims have rarely been subjected to robust outcome research. This paper reports outcomes from a survey of 44 female and 18 male new art project participants attending 22 art projects […]
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In this paper we explore how aspects of the social world may be linked to mental health and psychiatric morbidity and propose that conditions should be created which allow individuals and communities greater opportunities for self-care and self-management. Specifically the focus is on social connections, disability and homelessness and work stress. There is a clear […]
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This study describes a survey of Ohio community mental health center psychiatrists’ perceptions and practices regarding smoking cessation activities using the 5A’s method of smoking cessation. Of the 150 psychiatrists surveyed, 80 (53%) were returned. The majority of psychiatrists reported asking their patients about cigarette smoking status as well as giving advice to quit. However, […]
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BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a high prevalence of smoking, heavy cigarette consumption and low cessation rates. PURPOSE: This manuscript describes the design of a randomized, multisite effectiveness trial to test whether integrating smoking cessation treatment into mental health care (integrated care) improves prolonged abstinence rates among veterans with PTSD, compared with […]
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Chronic diseases of environmental origin are a significant and increasing public health problem among the children of New York State, yet few resources exist to address this growing burden. To assess New York State pediatricians self-perceived competency in dealing with common environmental exposures and diseases of environmental origin in children, we assessed their attitudes and […]
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