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Environmental Adversity (environmental + adversity)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	66%

Selected Abstracts

An overview of recent findings of the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Network (Part I)

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 5 2003
Robert M Post
Aim and Methods: Selected recent findings of the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Network are briefly reviewed and their clinical implications discussed. Results: Daily prospective ratings on the NIMH-LCM indicate a high degree of residual depressive morbidity (three times that of hypomania or mania) despite active psychopharmacological treatment with a variety of modalities including mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines, as well as antipsychotics as necessary. The rates of switching into brief to full hypomania or mania during the use of antidepressants is described, and new data suggesting the potential utility of continuing antidepressants in the small group of patients showing an initial acute and persistent response is noted. Bipolar patients with a history of major environmental adversities in childhood have a more severe course of illness and an increased incidence of suicide attempts compared with those without. Preliminary open data suggest useful antidepressant effects of the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine, while a double-blind randomized controlled study failed to show efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids (6 g of eicosapentaenoic acid compared with placebo for 4 months) in the treatment of either acute depression or rapid cycling. The high prevalence of overweight and increased incidence of antithyroid antibodies in patients with bipolar illness is highlighted. Conclusions: Together, these findings suggest a very high degree of comorbidity and treatment resistance in outpatients with bipolar illness treated in academic settings and the need to develop not only new treatment approaches, but also much earlier illness recognition, diagnosis, and intervention in an attempt to reverse or prevent this illness burden. [source]

Meeting risk with resilience: high daily life reward experience preserves mental health

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2010
N. Geschwind
Geschwind N, Peeters F, Jacobs N, Delespaul P, Derom C, Thiery E, van Os J, Wichers M. Meeting risk with resilience: high daily life reward experience preserves mental health. Objective:, To examine prospectively whether high reward experience (the ability to generate positive affect boosts from pleasurable daily events) protects against affective symptoms and whether environmental or genetic risk factors moderate protective effects. Method:, At baseline, 498 female twins participated in an experience sampling study measuring reward experience in daily life. They also completed questionnaires on childhood adversity and recent stressful life events (SLE). Affective symptoms were measured at baseline and at four follow-ups using SCL-90 anxiety and depression subscales. Co-twin affective symptoms were used as indicators of genetic risk. Results:, Baseline reward experience did not predict follow-up affective symptoms, regardless of level of genetic risk. However, high reward experience was associated with reduced future affective symptoms after previous exposure to childhood adversity or recent SLE. Conclusion:, High daily life reward experience increases resilience after environmental adversity; modification of reward experience may constitute a novel area of therapeutic intervention. [source]

Research Review: The neurobiology and genetics of maltreatment and adversity

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 10 2010
Eamon McCrory
The neurobiological mechanisms by which childhood maltreatment heightens vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. It is likely that a complex interaction between environmental experiences (including poor caregiving) and an individual's genetic make-up influence neurobiological development across infancy and childhood, which in turn sets the stage for a child's psychological and emotional development. This review provides a concise synopsis of those studies investigating the neurobiological and genetic factors associated with childhood maltreatment and adversity. We first provide an overview of the neuroendocrine findings, drawing from animal and human studies. These studies indicate an association between early adversity and atypical development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress response, which can predispose to psychiatric vulnerability in adulthood. We then review the neuroimaging findings of structural and functional brain differences in children and adults who have experienced childhood maltreatment. These studies offer evidence of several structural differences associated with early stress, most notably in the corpus callosum in children and the hippocampus in adults; functional studies have reported atypical activation of several brain regions, including decreased activity of the prefrontal cortex. Next we consider studies that suggest that the effect of environmental adversity may be conditional on an individual's genotype. We also briefly consider the possible role that epigenetic mechanisms might play in mediating the impact of early adversity. Finally we consider several ways in which the neurobiological and genetic research may be relevant to clinical practice and intervention. [source]

Practitioner Review: Early adversity and developmental disorders

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 5 2005
Eric Taylor
Background:, Knowledge of genetic influences, on developmental disorders such as autism spectrum, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities, has increased the opportunities for understanding the influences of the early environment. Methods:, This paper provides a selective, narrative review for clinicians of the effects of factors such as exposure to toxins and stresses in utero and in postnatal life; brain injuries and perinatal compromise; neglect, malnutrition and selective food deficiencies. It also considers what is known about the mechanisms through which early adversities operate. Results:, Gaps in the research are identified and suggestions made about clinical investigations. Several types of environmental adversity have associations with later disorders that suggest a causal role. The effects are often on a broad range of psychological processes, and are not always quickly reversible. Several adversities often coexist, calling for skilled judgement about priorities in treatment. Conclusions:, Individuals vary considerably in their exposure to adversity and their vulnerability to its effects, and genetic inheritance can influence both. [source]

Mental health impact for adolescents living with prolonged drought

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2010
John G. Dean
Abstract Background:,A 2004 study showed adolescents living in rural Australia were aware of the impact of drought on self, family and community, but did not report levels of emotional distress higher than adolescents of similar age and gender in the Australian community. It was proposed that the rural lifestyle had helped adolescents build resilience for managing this environmental adversity. Objective:,To re sample adolescents from the same rural area and determine if this resilience remained after ongoing drought three years later. Design:,A mixed methods approach using focus groups and a self-report questionnaire. Setting:,Government Central Schools within the Riverina region of New South Wales. Participants:,Male and female adolescents (n = 111) aged 11,17 years completed the self-report questionnaires, while some adolescents (n = 61) within this group also participated in focus groups. Main outcome measure:,The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and a Drought and Community Survey for Children comprised the self-report survey. Results:,Adolescents reported significantly higher levels of emotional distress than those in the previous study (t (191) = 2.80, P < 0.01) and 12% of adolescents scored in the clinical caseness range. Thematic analysis showed consistency with the previous study as well as new themes of grief, loss and the impacts of global climate change. Conclusions:,Results indicate a reporting of lesser well-being than was reported by a comparable group of young people four years earlier. A preventative intervention with a focus on family and community is recommended to address the mental health of adolescents enduring a chronic environmental adversity such as drought. [source]