...Treatment Issue Regarding the Possible Efficacy of Psilocybin on Depression Jennifer Pepper The Chicago School of Professional Psychology MM627 Clinical Psychopathology Tonya Bennett, Ph.D. Summer 2014 - Final Paper Treatment Issue Regarding the Possible Efficacy of Psilocybin on Depression For thousands of years, humans have been using psychedelic plants all over the world for healing purposes. Despite this fact, in 1971, these medicines were classified as schedule I drugs. Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse or drugs that have no recognized medical uses. After 40 years of almost-total prohibition, psychologists, psychiatrists and neuroscientists are reassessing the role of psychedelic drugs. This research paper will focus on the classical serotonergic psychedelic called psilocybin or the so-called ‘magic mushroom’ and it’s clinical potential in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. First, it is important to recognize certain facts about psilocybin that may be unknown due to misperceptions about the plant. Psilocybin is not known to cause damage to the brain or any other organs in the body and is regarded as non-addictive (Nichols, 2004; as cited in Krebs & Johansen, 2013). In fact, studies have found that psilocybin may lead to neurogenesis, or the regrowth of brain cells (Catlow et al., 2013). Psilocybin can cause sustained positive changes in attitudes, mood and behavior, and a recent study suggests it may be helpful...
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...Comparisons of Childhood Depression Measures Depressive disorders are now recognized as a relatively prevalent problem in adolescents as it is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in this age group (Birmaher, et al., 1996). Thus initial detection of depression should be as early as possible in order to mitigate the impact of the disorder in an individual’s life by positively amending the long-term course of depression. Current research of depression in adolescents have introduced various assessment tools in diagnosing the disorder in children and adolescents. However, determining the most appropriate measure of depression involves several considerations rather than merely selecting one as a test that lacks compatibility in its reliability and validity may result to a false positive or false negative diagnosis (Reynolds & Mazza, 1998). This paper aims to draw on three self-report assessments for depression in adolescents, naming the Child Depression Inventory (CDI), Beck’s Depression Inventory 2nd Edition (BDI-II) and Reynold’s Adolescents Depression Scale (RADS) in reviewing, comparing and contrasting their psychometric properties. Conclusion on the most appropriate assessment for depression in adolescents will be drawn. Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) CDI was originally adapted from Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) by altering its format and language, to measure severity of depression in children age 7 and older (Brooks & Kutcher, 2001). CDI...
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...San Marcos Abstract This paper explores the findings from four peer reviewed articles about the effects of Healing Touch (HT)/Therapeutic Touch(TT) has on patients. The studies represented in the articles vary in their study designs; however they all aim to ask the same two questions. 1) Does Therapeutic touch play a role in the healing process and health outcomes in selected patients; and 2) Secondly, Is there a need for TT to be utilized in further treatment modalities? This paper examines two different oncology patient studies, one osteoarthritis pain study and one study focusing on patients who are being treated in a psychiatric facility. The Effects of Healing Touch on Patient’s Health “Healing Touch (HT) is a complimentary non invasive biofield therapy, which has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing pain, distress and fatigue. HT purportedly supports the body’s natural healing process and enhances the function of the immune system (Wong, Ghiasuddin, Kimata, Patelesio, & Siu, 2012, pg.1).” The goal of Therapeutic/Healing Touch is to restore harmony and balance to individuals energy systems, which provides the opportunity to self-heal (Wong et al., 2012, pg.27).This paper explores research conducted on the effects of Healing Touch on patients with cancer, pain as and well as other effects on their mental health and the need to further research into the effects of Healing Touch on multiple health care...
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...Disorder Specific Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Interventions – WHM-M-030 Introduction The purpose of the paper is to discuss the current theory and empirical literature for using a transdiagnostic approach in cognitive behaviour therapy and it’s relevance in current practice. I will discuss the theory and evidence for using a transdiagnostic approach and highlight the main processes. A discussion on the strengths and limitations of the approach will conclude the first part of the paper. The second part will be a review of personal clinical work discussing the transdiagnostic process and its hypothesised effectiveness. To conclude the author will provide a personal reflection. There has been a long widely accepted claim for the effectiveness of CBT with prolific amount of evidence for it’s effectiveness for Depression, Anxiety and Mood disorders (Roth & Fongy, 1995) Models such as cognitive therapy for depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), panic disorder (Clark, 1986,), posttraumatic stress disorder (Clark & Ehlers, 2004); and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Salkovskis, 1989) have led to disorder-specific interventions for treating common mental health problems. The benefits of devising a model on specific disorders is the high degree of research and comparable data involved; from that the therapist will be highly trained in the use of the model to deliver the approach for each disorder (Salkovskis 2002). Disorder specific models are seen to be easily delivered...
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...DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS 2. Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………….…....3. Background of Depression in Adolescence…….…………………………………………….4. Causes ...............................................................................................................................…...5. Symptoms………………………………………………………………………………….…6. Diagnosis….…………………………………………………………………………………. 7. Treatment……………………………………………………………………………………..7. Epidemiology of Depression in Youth……………………………………………………….9. Contextualised issues pertaining to Depression in Adolescence……………………………10. The impact of Culture on Adolescent Depression…………………………………………...10. Abnormal behaviours associated with Adolescent Depression….…………………………..11. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...11. References…………………………………………………………………………………...12. DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS 3. This research paper will address depression in adolescents. Depression is often labelled as ‘the sickness of our time’ due to its prolific nature. Some of the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of depression in adolescents as well as the contextualised issues, cultural implications and other abnormal behaviour associated with the disorder will be discussed. DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS 4. Background of Depression in Adolescence Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, a stage of major growth and development in which significant physiological, cognitive, psychological...
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...The veterans I serve has spent years in a military only to come home to a world who looks down on them because they are no longer normal and find it very hard to adjust to the civilian world due to the imagines stained on their brain from the world. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, about one in ten returning soldiers seen in VA have a problem with alcohol or other drugs (Veteran Affairs 2012). As human service provider I witness this co diagnosis of PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and SUD (Substance Abuse Disorder) daily and it has encouraged me to form a opinion. After some deep thought I would like to look into the efficiency of the treatment prescribed to solders suffering from PTSD and which is more effective. In this paper I will be looking Cognitive behavioral therapy offered when trying to treat PTSD and SUD . On the other hand I will like to look into a variety of medication therapy which includes anxiety medication and drugs known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. On an weekly basis I deal with over 100 veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD and in most cases are dual diagnosed with SUD (Substance Use Disorder). While looking over these veterans charts I notice that many have attended Cognitive behavioral therapy,...
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...High-Risk Family Assessment and Health Promotion Paper Shova Rajbhandari NUR/542 April 23rd, 2012 Tracy Kramer MSN, RNC, FNP High-Risk Family Assessment and Health Promotion Paper For High risk family assessment: Intravenous Drug users (IDUs) family is chosen Common health issues /profile among members or families from this high-risk group: Drug abuse involves the regular taking of a deleterious or noxious quantity of any drug, prescribed or illicit over a period of time (Freidman, 2003). Those people who become severely drug dependent most often need specialized treatment in order to recover. A wide range of treatment is available through private sector and public sector. Recovery treatment centers usually incorporate the family into treatment plan, which makes it more effective in their treatment of the substance abuser. > HIV positive IDU and family members > IDU has a wide range of coinfections, coinfections, comorbidities and injecting related health issues. The common health problems in this IDU family are: • Infection with blood borne viruses, including hepatitis B, C and D (delta) leading to liver diseases • Bacterial infections: tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, • Alcohol dependence and alcohol-related liver disease • Poly substance dependence • Psychiatric comorbidity, including depression. • Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) • Local soft tissue and vascular injuries, including skin abscesses and...
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...of 2003. The expiration of Prozac’s patent would allow other pharmaceutical companies to market their generic version of the drug at a lower price. There are four members of the members of the NAT John Kaiser the marketing director at Eli Lilly, Mark Demitrack a psychiatrist and co-leader of NAT, Brett Schmidli a project development expert and co-leader of NAT, and Jim Lancanster the Prozac expert. The NAT was tasked with discussing and evaluating what drug could be developed to elevate depression in its patients and serve as the predecessor to Prozac. The NAT begin its evaluation by focusing on Eli Lilly’s five assets. The five assets were drug products that could be developed into the predecessor. The NAT decided to conduct research on the five assets to determine, which one could be developed into its next flagship depression drug. Asset 1 is R-fluoxetine, which Eli Lilly entered into a licensing agreement with Sepracor to further develop and market this drug but clinical trial stopped due to patient inability to stomach the drug. Asset 2 is olanzapine-fluoxetine combination (OFC), included Zyprexa and ingredient in Prozac. OFC was approved by FDA to treat bipolar, which is a smaller market compared to major depressive disorder (MDD). Asset 3 is 5HT2 antagonist SSRI drug study was stopped due to its harmful effects found in animals. Asset 4 are business development opportunities, which developed into 13 opportunities but Eli...
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...Maureen Clifford Psychological Measure Volunteer Team Member: _Jody_______ Introduction—should include background information on the Measure and the selected articles as well as an overview of the paper Rubric Information: At least two articles that discuss the use of the selected psychological measure in research are summarized. Rubric Information: The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points. Article Review The results from the first article supported 4 out of the 5 hypothesis set for this study using the CDI (Fránová, Lukavský, & Preiss, 2008). User Fránová, Lukavský, and Preiss (2008) observed, without the use of the best predictors, the association between other CDI factors and scholastic achievements decreased. The results from the second article shared that a single cutoff score could not be produced or use as a solitary method of predicting depressive disorders. According to Timbremont, Braet, and Dreessen (2004), “This cutoff score is adequate in general screening because it is un-desirable to incorrectly diagnose child problems” (p. 155). Each articles use of the Children’s Depression Inventory concluded that the test was reliable in indicating depressive symptoms in children. Both articles used the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) to identify correlations between the inventory and other factors specific to each articles’ study. The first article’s results detected that there is a CDI factor associated with school...
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...have looked at the effects of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and combination therapy to determine which is best for treating depression. Presented in this paper are two studies who researched the differences. Results were similar to previous studies in that each treatment is equally effective at improving depression in individuals (Iftene, Predescu, Stefan, & David, 2015;...
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...What does research indicate about clinical depression? What are the implications for treatment? Shvawn Christensen Psych 435 Athabasca University What does research indicate about clinical depression and what are the implications for treatment? The purpose of this paper is to logically provide a review about the biological and situational aspects of depression and the various forms of treatment. I will define what depression is, evaluate who depression affects and why, then proceed with the description of the most widely used methods of treatment, behavioral therapy and prescribed medication. I What is Depression? When it is referred to as your mood no one is exempt from some imbalance from time to time. This would be considered as normal day to day stress and living. However a diagnosis of depression is arrived at after a person has had or displayed a long struggle with feelings of sadness and hopelessness. As well if these feelings continue to affect and interfere with the person’s daily life. Unipolar and Bipolar are two types of mood disorders that can affect anyone of us. [People only troubled by depression would be diagnosed with “unipolar disorder” as this emotional disorder only affects one end of the mood continuum. However “bipolar disorder” affects both emotional ends of the mood continuum. People with this disorder will experience periods of both depression and mania] (Weiten & McCainn, 2007, p. 591)...
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...What is clinical psychology? Clinical psychology is the “discipline that uses what is known about the principles of human behavior to help people with their numerous troubles and concerns they experience during the course of life in their relationships, emotions, and physical selves” (Plante, 2011). The paper will discuss the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology and how psychology is still changing overtime. Next, the paper will discuss the roles that research and statistics play into clinical psychology. Lastly, the paper will include the differences between clinical psychology and other types of health professions, such as clinical psychology versus social work, clinical psychology versus psychiatry, and clinically psychology versus school psychology. History and Evolving Nature of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology has changed over the last 25 years. For starters the DSM-III was published as well as the APA standards were revised. The American Psychological Society was founded, as well as the APA published the findings from the Presidential Task force for evidence-practice. Two of the main evolved approaches would be the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach as well as the Humanistic Approach. The Cognitive-Behavioral Approach was popular in the 1970s and they were used for depression as well as “treatment focusing on changing thinking, feeling, and expectations became as important as the goal of changing overt behavior” (Plante, 2011). The Humanistic...
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...2015 WGU Thesis statement: Research shows that eating disorders are difficult to treat because of causes such as genetics, psychological and emotional health or society. Annotated Bibliography Brownell, Kelly D; Fairburn, Christopher G (2005). Eating Disorders and Obesesity A Comprehensive Handbook. This article will provide a comprehensive study of eating disorders. Molecular genetics of eating disorders will show examples of how genetics is used to find causes of eating disorders. It will show how researchers in neurobiology have used eating behavior to try to find the different reasons why people have eating disorders. A variety of substances is believed to be involved in the complex process of integrating physiological and behavioral systems. Kelly D Brownell, PhD, is a credible source because of his knowledge. He is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Christopher G Fairburn is credible also because he specialize in research on nature and treatment of eating disorders. He has addressed different aspects of the eating disorder such as diagnostic status, epidemiology, etiology, assessment, course, and treatment. This article will provide comprehensive coverage of the main issues of relevance to the eating disorder for research paper. It will help with procedures used to determine the causes of eating disorders. Eating Disorders-Clinical Trials. Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Eating-disorders/Pages/clinical-trial.aspx This article focuses...
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...Women Kimberly L. Johnson Abstract This paper will examine the DSM disorder of Dependent Personality Disorder in Women. The focus of this paper will be to highlight the differentiation, diagnosis and treatment of this specific pathological personality disorder. According to the DSM, Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) is characterized by a pervasive and excessive need to be cared for by others that usually lead to clingy and fears of separation. In professional counseling it is critical that clinicians understand the root causes of DPD and how this disorder can manifest in women. This disorder can be found in both men and women, but research seems to suggest that women are more likely to suffer from this disorder. Therefore, understanding the pathology of DPD and its diagnosis and treatment will be critical to professionals working with women. This paper will also discuss how clinicians should be cautious when making diagnosis in women who present with DPD and knowing what gender and culture factors that exists. Dependent Personality Disorder in Women Clinical Definition of Dependent Personality Disorder According to the DSM-IV-TR (2000), Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) is characterized by a pervasive and excessive need to be cared for by another person that usually lead to clingy and fears of separation. DPD as outlined in the DSM-IV-TR is considered the formal diagnosis of DPD needed for insurance, research, and communication between mental health professionals...
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...(State of the art Basic concepts of depression Eugene S. Paykel, MD, FRCP, FRCPsych, FMedSci Historical background This paper reviews concepts of depression, including history and classification. The original broad concept of melancholia included all forms of quiet insanity. The term depression began to appear in the nineteenth century, as did the modern concept of affective disorders, with the core disturbance now viewed as one of mood. The 1980s saw the introduction of defined criteria into official diagnostic schemes. The modern separation into unipolar and bipolar disorder was introduced following empirical research by Angst and Perris in the 1960s. The partially overlapping distinctions between psychotic and neurotic depression, and between endogenous and reactive depression, started to generate debate in the 1920s, with considerable multivariate research in the 1960s. The symptom element in endogenous depression currently survives in melancholia or somatic syndrome. Life stress is common in various depressive pictures. Dysthymia, a valuable diagnosis, represents a form of what was regarded earlier as neurotic depression. Other subtypes are also discussed. © 2008, LLS SAS rior to the late 19th century, although detailed systems of classification abounded, the main problem for psychiatric nosology was the establishment of the broad major disorders. Melancholia was recognized as early as the time of Hippocrates, and continued through Galenic medicine and medieval...
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