GREETINGS PARTNERS
NIMH Director Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
While the news headlines are no longer dominated by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the California wildfires, the distress and other impacts caused by these events will be felt for some time. In their wake, people want to know what they can do to have a meaningful impact on the mental health of communities affected by these disasters. We can draw on evidence from NIMH-supported research after past disasters to deploy assistance when and where it can help most.
|
Natural disasters can be particularly disruptive for individuals with serious mental illness, especially if they are cut off from regular sources of care and support. Reconnecting these individuals to care as soon as possible is critical. For others experiencing disaster-related distress, meeting immediate needs (e.g., safety, medical care, food, water, shelter) and re-establishing routines helps with mental health recovery. Minimizing additional stressors such as multiple relocations and prolonged separation from family can also help with recovery. Children can have difficulty making sense of what has happened, having lost their homes and normal routines. NIMH has brochures that provide information about how to help children cope and heal during these challenging times.
Not everyone impacted by a disaster will develop a mental disorder; however, some will. Further research will help us identify who will recover without treatment and who will have lasting symptoms that require intervention. NIMH is supporting a multi-center study called Aurora that will begin to answer those questions. Researchers are following 5,000 people after they experience a traumatic event to gain a more precise picture of the factors that play a role in the subsequent development of mental disorders. In the short-term, this study aims to deliver tools for clinicians to make informed decisions about risk and follow-up care soon after trauma. Findings from Aurora and other studies underway may shed light on the underlying causes of impairment and identify new targets for interventions, with the goal of improving care for individuals at high risk for developing mental disorders following trauma.
The mental health advocacy and education community is vital to spreading the word about what has been learned, to help those who are suffering now, and to enable communities to best prepare for future events. I look forward to sharing progress on Aurora and other NIMH-funded trauma research, and to working with you to disseminate the results to help minimize the mental health impact of future disaster events.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Outreach Partners are disseminating NIMH materials and research throughout their states.
 |
|
NAMI Arkansas distributed NIMH publications while performing depression screenings at a community health fair.
|
The MHA of Southeast Florida distributed NIMH publications at the 2017 Crisis Intervention Team International Conference.
|
During National Women’s Health Week, Idaho State University's Institute of Rural Health shared NIMH’s webpage about women and mental health on Twitter.
The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health tweeted the NIMH science news about using brain imaging to track the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder treatment.
NAMI Ohio promoted NIMH resources for children and adolescents as part of its back to school outreach activities.
The University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health highlighted NIMH publications about coping with traumatic events in its e-newsletter.
Wisconsin Family Ties posted the NIMH science news about emergency room follow-up for individuals at risk for suicide on Facebook.
Back to Top
Outreach Partners are adapting NIMH information for materials they create for their community education efforts.
The Painted Brain, a community partner of Special Service for Groups (SSG) – the Southern California Outreach Partner – is sharing illustrated adaptations of NIMH publications like Men and Depression, at presentations to high school students.
NAMI North Carolina used descriptions about mental illnesses from NIMH materials in a training developed for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Partners are bringing information from the Program’s Annual Meeting back to their communities and inviting the NIMH grantees who presented to share the research at their own events.
MHA California's recent e-newsletter highlighted information about the breakout session on building resilience among Native communities that appeared in the 2017 meeting issue of Outreach Connection.
After hearing his presentation about trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) at the 2016 Annual Meeting, the Institute for Psychological Research at the University of Puerto Rico sought guidance from NIMH grantee Anthony Mannarino, Ph.D., from the Drexel University College of Medicine to train providers to deliver the treatment to children and adolescents at a public housing project in San Juan.
Back to Top
Outreach Partners are using NIMH materials and research in their efforts to address mental health disparities.
Arizona State University’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy distributed NIMH materials at its supportive services clinic, which is embedded within a low-income housing facility.
During a mental health training to rural community health aides, NAMI Arkansas provided "care packages" containing NIMH brochures, including Postpartum Depression Facts, for their community home visits.
As part of outreach to the Latino community, Mental Health Colorado CEO Andrew Romanoff conducted community conversations with the Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy Research Organization and the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce. NIMH brochures on depression, anxiety, and older adults and depression were distributed at these outreach events.
|
MHA Illinois provided NIMH materials for a presentation about depression and anxiety at a community event organized by the Muslim Pharmacists Association.
MHA of Middle Tennessee distributed the Spanish-language versions of NIMH’s depression and bipolar disorder brochures at its Encuentro Latino meeting, which brings together health care and social service providers who serve Nashville’s Spanish-speaking community.
Back to Top
Outreach Partners are informing their communities about NIMH-funded clinical trials that are actively recruiting participants.
The Federation of Families of South Carolina (FFSC) posted information about the NIMH IRP teen depression research study on its website.
NAMI Vermont promoted the NIMH IRP depression medication and brain imaging study on Facebook.
Partners are educating their communities about the importance of research and the research process.
In a presentation to Los Angeles Bipolar and Depression Support Alliance members, SSG highlighted the importance of clinical research and described research protections.
|
At its recent conference, NAMI Maryland invited social workers from the NIMH IRP Human Subjects Protection Unit to present a workshop on the history and the current state of research protections for human subjects.
The North Dakota Brain Injury Network, a program of the University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health, shared information about NIMH clinical trials and other research, including the NIMH Clinical Research Trials and You fact sheet, during its annual Mind Matters conference on brain injury.
FFSC shared information at a Head Start Center about volunteer participation in clinical trials. In addition to distributing NIMH materials on clinical trials, FFSC conducted an online demonstration of how to search for studies on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Back to Top
Partners are providing opportunities for NIMH scientists and grantees to take their research to the community.
At the NAMI MD annual conference, NIMH IRP researcher Bashkim Kadriu, M.D., shared research being conducted by the NIMH Experimental and Pathophysiology Branch to develop the next generation of antidepressants for severe and treatment-resistant depression.
The NAMI NYS annual educational conference featured a presentation by NIMH IRP researcher Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., (pictured left) who presented about an NIMH community-based family study of affective spectrum disorders. In addition, NIMH grantee Kirsten Brennand, Ph.D., from the Ichahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, presented her research using induced pluripotent stem cells to better understand the genetic and cellular underpinnings of schizophrenia.
|
NAMI South Dakota’s annual conference featured NIMH IRP researcher Elizabeth Ballard, Ph.D., who reviewed research advances in treating individuals at risk for suicide, and described NIMH research seeking to understand the neurobiology of suicide.
NAMI Utah provided an update about new NIMH research, initiatives, and resources at its annual state conference.
Back to Top
|
