Publications - Trauma and Resiliency

Black Kids In California More Likely To Be Hospitalized For Police-Related Injuries, by Deepa Shivaram, NPR, Sep 9 2021.

“A new study out of California shows that Black boys and girls are hospitalized from police violence at a rate far higher than their white peers.  The researchers from the University of California, Berkeley looked into injuries of children and teens caused by law enforcement between 2005-2017. They used data from emergency department visits and inpatients hospitalizations in the state of California.  Black boys ages 15-19 had the highest rate of hospitalization due to police violence, but the widest racial gap existed in the 10-14 age group. Black boys and girls ages 10-14 are injured at 5.3 and 6.7 times, respectively, the rate for white boys and girls, the study says.  "These findings suggest that the protections of childhood are not afforded to all children and contribute to evidence on policing as a pathway through which structural racism operates in young people's lives," said Kriszta Farkas, one of the researchers. ”

Children's Day: Disparities among children of color, by Kristen Rogers, CNN, Nov 20 2020.

“The concept of institutional racism is the systematic distribution of “resources, power and opportunity in our society to the benefit of people who are White and the exclusion of people of color,” according to Solid Ground, a social justice organization in Washington state. Institutional racism has been blamed for the higher likelihood of poverty, food insecurity, poor overall health, environmental injustice and incarceration among Native Americans in the United States and among Black, Latinx and Asian people in both the US and the United Kingdom. ”

Stress disorders tied to risk for life-threatening infections, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Oct 31 2019.

“People who have stress disorders like PTSD may be more vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections, especially if they are diagnosed at younger ages or dealing with other psychiatric issues, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 144,919 people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorders common after a major life change like a death or move, and other stress-related conditions. They also looked at data for 184,612 siblings of these subjects who didn’t have a stress disorder, along with more than 1.4 million unrelated individuals without these disorders. After an average follow-up of eight years, the annual incidence of life-threatening infections – including infections of the nervous system or heart - was 2.9 in every 1,000 people with stress disorders, compared with 1.7 in every 1,000 siblings and 1.3 in every 1,000 unrelated individuals. ”

Pre-deployment insomnia linked to increased risk of PTSD for soldiers, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Dec 20 2018.

“Soldiers who have insomnia before deployment may be more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or experience suicidal thoughts than service members who don’t struggle to sleep before they deploy, a U.S. study suggests. For the study, researchers surveyed U.S. Army soldiers one to two months before they deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, right after they returned from deployment, and again three months and nine months later. Soldiers who experienced insomnia in the 30 days prior to deployment were more than three times more likely to experience PTSD and more than twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts after their return than peers who didn’t have sleep difficulties at the start of the study. ”

Even with insurance, getting mental health treatment is a struggle in Mass., study says, by Liz Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, Dec 11 2018.

“Massachusetts residents who need health care are colliding with a hard reality: Having medical insurance doesn’t guarantee you can get treatment, particularly for psychiatric problems. More than half of adults who sought mental health or addiction treatment in recent months had difficulty getting that care, according to a survey of 2,201 residents by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation in Boston...The obstacle wasn’t a lack of insurance; the vast majority of patients were insured. Rather, the problem was that providers either did not accept their insurance or their practices were closed to new patients. ”

Meditation may help ease veterans' PTSD symptoms, by Lisa Rapaport , Reuters, Nov 27 2018.

“Some veterans may experience a sharper decline in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with meditation-based therapy than with other forms of treatment, a recent study suggests. ”

Migrant Kids Survive Hardship To Reunite With Parents. Then What?, by RHITU CHATTERJEE, NPR, Nov 17 2018.

“US Customs and Border Protection reports that, between 2010 and 2017, officers with the agency intercepted roughly 300,000 unaccompanied children. Many had at least one parent or a relative already living in the United States — these young people came to be reunited with family.  But, that reunification is rarely as easy or joyful as the children or their parents expect, at least initially, say researchers and therapists who work with these families. Years of separation, a history of grief and trauma, and the stresses of suddenly having to adapt to a new culture often get in the way.  And the cost of unhappiness at home can be high for such youth. They may be be at a higher risk of depression, anxiety and substance-abuse, says Rachel Osborn, a licensed social worker at Mary's Center, a health clinic in Washington, D.C. And an unhappy family life can make it even less likely that those who are struggling in school will complete their education. ”

Concussions tied to doubled risk of suicide, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Nov 13 2018.

“Survivors of traumatic brain injuries may be more than twice as likely to die by suicide as individuals without a history of injuries like concussions or skull fractures, a research review suggests...The current analysis focused on concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries and found these events associated with an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and attempted suicides in addition to suicide deaths. While the exact reason for this connection isn’t clear, it’s possible that concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries lead to lasting changes in regions of the brain associated with regulating mood and decision making, the study authors note.   ”

States may now broaden mental health treatment under Medicaid, by Michael Nedelman, CNN, Nov 13 2018.

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may now allow for states to pursue Medicaid reimbursements for short-term inpatient treatment in mental health facilities despite a decades-old exclusion, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday. In a letter to state Medicaid directors, CMS detailed a new Medicaid waiver opportunity through which states may bypass longstanding reimbursement restrictions on inpatient psychiatric treatment, which apply to mental health facilities with more than 16 beds. Azar said the original policy has posed a "significant barrier" to people getting the treatments they need. ”

Study: Lingering illnesses can trouble women for years after assault, workplace harassment, by Laura Geggel, Washington Post, Oct 6 2018.

“Women can experience lingering health problems years after workplace sexual harassment or sexual assault, a new study finds. These health problems can include high blood pressure, poor-quality sleep, anxiety and symptoms of depression, the researchers found after doing medical exams of about 300 women. 'There is a clear correlation between the experience of sexual harassment or sexual assault for a woman and adverse effects on her life, be they physical or mental health consequences,' said Maureen Sayres Van Niel, a women’s psychiatrist practicing in Cambridge, Mass., and president of the American Psychiatric Association Women’s Caucus. She was not involved with the study. ”

Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities, by Tara Haelle, NPR, Sep 17 2018.

“When researchers first discovered a link in the late 1990s between childhood adversity and chronic health problems later in life, the real revelation was how common those experiences were across all socioeconomic groups...People with low-income and educational attainment, people of color and people who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual had significantly higher chance of having experienced adversity in childhood. The study finds three out of five adults across the U.S. had at least one adverse experience in their childhood, such as divorce, a parent's death, physical or emotional abuse, or a family member's incarceration or substance abuse problem. A quarter of adults have at least three such experiences in childhood, which – according to other research — increases their risk for most common chronic diseases, from heart disease and cancer to depression and substance abuse...Those identifying as black or Latino and those with less than a high school education or an annual income below $15,000 were more likely to have more ACEs. But a relatively new finding was that multiracial and gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals carried the greatest burden. ”

A traumatic brain injury may increase the risk of suicide, study says, by Amy Ellis Nutt, Washington Post, Aug 14 2018.

“Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disabilityin young adults in the developed world. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24. Though the reasons for any particular suicide are often inscrutable, research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that at least a fraction of the blame could be placed on traumatic brain injuries....'Individuals with mild TBI, with concussion, had an elevated suicide risk by 81 percent,' said Trine Madsen of the Danish Research Institute of Suicide Prevention, one of the authors of the study. 'But individuals with severe TBI had a higher suicide risk that was more than double [the risk of someone with no TBI].' ”

Psychedelic Drugs Show Promise for Treating Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Aug 10 2018.

“New findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that psychedelic drugs may be effective at treating a variety of psychological disorders, including depression, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and could one day be prescribed to patients...'Combined with psychotherapy, some psychedelic drugs like MDMA, psilocybin and ayahuasca may improve symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder,' said Cristina L. Magalhaes, PhD, of Alliant International University Los Angeles, and co-chair of a symposium on psychedelics and psychotherapy. ”

Service Dog Registries To Streamline Travel For Veterans With 'Invisible Injuries', by Adelina Lancianese, NPR, Jul 28 2018.

“Many veterans and active-duty service members use psychiatric service dogs to help alleviate the everyday challenges of PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury and Military Sexual Trauma — conditions that service dog advocates call "invisible injuries." Now, the service dog community is eyeing a dog certification system to streamline travel and leisure for veterans who, like Crowell, are frustrated with the arduous process and stigmas attached to taking trips. ”

App, Brief Intervention May be Lifesaver for Suicidal Teens, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 20 2018.

“The first few weeks after a hospital discharge are the most critical for teens who were admitted for suicidal thoughts. A new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, reveals that participating in an intervention program followed by the use of a personalized app, called BRITE, can significantly reduce suicide attempts in teens after they return home...'This approach merits further study,' Kennard said. 'Focusing on stress tolerance and giving access to positive emotion could be a lifesaving difference for so many patients.' ”