Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of complex developmental disabilities which can cause behavior, social, and communication deficits. Anti-psychotic medications are often prescribed when symptoms such as aggression, irritability, hyperactivity, tantrums, and self-injurious behavior occur. Objective: To determine if anti-psychotic medications improve the behavior, social, and communication symptoms associated with ASD in children and adolescents. Search Strategy: Electronic literature searches were performed to find relevant studies and utilized the (1) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2) Hispanic American Periodicals Index, (3) Medline, (4) PAIS International, (5) ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, (6) PsycInfo, (7) PubMed, (8) Springer LINK, (9) Taylor and Francis Journals, and (10) Sage Premier. Selection Criteria: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental design (QED) studies of any dose of an anti-psychotic medication compared to a placebo or other prescription drug, in participants with autism spectrum disorder. Data Collection and Analysis: All studies which met the full-text level criteria were reviewed by a third party to validate the decision of inclusion. Meta-analyses in this review implemented both random and fixed-effects models. Main Results: Ten RCTs were included. Six studies evaluated a drug versus a placebo and four studies investigated the effects of two separate anti-psychotic medications or the efficacy of an additive medication to a drug and placebo group. Author's Conclusions: Limited evidence suggests the effectiveness of anti-psychotic medications in treating the behavior, social, and associated with autism; however, further research is needed to determine the implications of long-term use.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / A panel of speakers from several hospital services including; psychiatry, nursing and social service, who speak on the work of the psychiatric hospital has just completed its tenth year of community education in and around Greater Boston, under the auspices of the Massachusetts MentalHealth Center. The purpose of this study is now to seek some index of its effectiveness, to consider how the findings may serve as a gP.ide to practice for the panel itself and for other programs in the mental health education field, and to recommend areas for further study.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / RATIONALE: Mental illness is regarded as the nation's major health problem. There is an overwhelming need for professional nurses to assume major therapeutic responsibilities in the treatment of the mentally ill and to conduct research in clinical practice concurrently with therapeutic work from which content and theory can evolve. The implications of inquiry at this point are relevant to the improvement of practice and research in teacher education. [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-01

<p>As in many other aspects of society, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a stress test on the entire healthcare system. Hospitals faced complex challenges, including making adaptations to each unit's specific characteristics and needs. Inpatient psychiatric units differ substantially from other hospital units, creating unique problems and considerations to safely manage patients, families, and healthcare staff during a pandemic. As research is done to improve our infrastructure for future pandemics, facilities with psychiatric units have unique design considerations. This thesis aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workflow of a psychiatric unit and its possible implications on future design requirements. Specifically, looking at transitions, i.e., what areas remained unchanged, what changes were made but have not persisted, and those that persisted, and what needs to be improved to better function in the next pandemic. The methodology used in this study included an examination of current design requirements and specifications and the workflow in a facility of this type. To maintain the facility's and staff's privacy, the specific unit is identified as Unit-A. A construction firm provided access to drawings, and engineers were interviewed to elucidate specific design/performance requirements. The methodology also included interviews of nurses and administrative staff actively engaged within Unit-A throughout the pandemic. A workflow was established based on the information collected before and during the pandemic. An analysis of the interviews and the workflow revealed: (i) the highest demands were placed on the direct-care staff, and (ii) policies implemented by the hospital without special consideration for the psychiatric unit caused unintended strain on the workflow. These significant findings suggest that each hospital should have a unique pandemic plan to accommodate their respective units. Obtaining more input from those directly impacted will improve the resiliency of the workflow. These findings also suggest that design specifications need to more effectively incorporate the needs of the professional staff, such as including a larger number of spaces for the healthcare staff in the hospital compared to current standards </p>

The goal of this thesis was to examine the relationship between personality types (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism) and anxiety levels among college students during the height of the pandemic. Specifically, this study examined whether factors contributed to anxiety and whether differences in anxiety scores differed by personality trait. It was hypothesized that individuals who scored high in both extraversion and neuroticism would report an increase in anxiety during the height of COVID-19 pandemic. Neuroticism is linked to emotional responses to a negative event (e.g., such as COVID), which may play a role on anxiety levels. The level of extraversion that an individual displays may predict social preferences, and in turn, their reaction to the situations that create isolation such as the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 163 students at the University of Central Florida, who completed a survey that measured anxiety levels before and after the start of the pandemic in addition to personality types. Results showed that an individual's level of extraversion correlated with an increase in anxiety levels [F(2,116) = 4.720, p = 0.011, np2=.075], but level of neuroticism level [F(2,117) = 0.878, p = 0.433)] did not. These findings have implication for other isolation situations, in which a person's personality traits could help to predict how their mental health may be affected by a future pandemic or social isolation.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Since deinstitutionalization of state hospitals began almost 50 years ago, there has been an increase in the population with mental illness seen in the prison system. A combination of factors were looked at when studying causes behind incarceration, including active symptoms of mental illness, socioeconomic status, social support systems, history of trauma, history of drug abuse, police education on mental illness, and public perspective on mental illness. This study is a literature review focusing on people with mental illness in the prison system, with particular attention to women. It is costly to house inmates for any extended period of time. Specialized housing, needed for people requiring greater supervision, including those with mental illness, is particularly expansive. These funds were intended to go into community programs supporting those with mental illness after release from the institutions of the past. Without this support, many people with mental illness wind up homeless and turning to substance abuse, which leads to opportunities for incarceration. While further research is needed, there is evidence of promise shown in the combined efforts of increased case management and social support systems along with increased education of law enforcement officers on the symptoms and handling of cases of people with serious mental illness.

The primary purpose of this integrative review of the literature is to describe healthcare provider’s recognition of anosognosia in individuals with comorbid mental health disorders, as a differentiating diagnosis needing preeminent early intervention. The secondary purpose is to examine how anosognosia influences outcomes in the population of individuals with severe mental illness. It is expected that early recognition by clinicians and implementation of additional interventions to address anosognosia as the most influential comorbidity of schizophrenia, will decrease exacerbations and improve treatment and patient outcomes. A literature review exploring clinician’s acknowledgement of anosognosia was performed using various databases. Search terms included: Anosognosia, Lack of Insight, Denial of Illness, and Schizophrenia. The data was conformed into tables and synthesized the relationships to identify consistent findings as well as gaps in the current literature. Initial review of the articles retrieved 73 articles relevant to the topic and 18 articles that met inclusion criteria. The studies suggest that mental health conditions with anosognosia have increased rates of adverse outcomes. Anosognosia is a difficult disorder to identify. While many studies have explored the biological basis of anosognosia, the studies performed on safety with mental illness fail to acknowledge anosognosia as a co-morbid condition. Evaluation and clinical guidelines remain inconsistent with research to support the need for recognition of this co-morbidity.

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