Supporting Recovery in the Deaf Community: Creating Continuum of Behavioral Health Care in Central Massachusetts

Across the U.S., there is a paucity of mental health and substance abuse services for Deaf individuals. Without the availability of communication accommodations and specialized clinical expertise, Deaf individuals seeking behavioral health services contend with access limitations, misdiagnoses, and superficial treatments. Moreover, while the assessment and treatment of co-occurring disorders and the infusion of trauma-informed care are key components of effective treatment in the mainstream literature, the investigation and application of these initiatives to the Deaf population has not yet occurred. The proposed poster will outline the current state of specialized behavioral health services for Deaf individuals in Central Massachusetts, identify gaps in the continuum of behavioral health care for this population, and offer recommendations for future behavioral health programming. Currently, Central Massachusetts is home to two specialized programs for Deaf individuals seeking behavioral health services, the Center for Living and Working’s Deaf Independent Living Services and the DMH Inpatient Deaf Services at Worcester State Recovery Center and Hospital. Unfortunately, even with these programs, it is challenging to find appropriate outpatient placement and services that meet the range of psychiatric, intellectual, linguistic, and cultural needs of Deaf individuals. Connections between inpatient units and specialized outpatient services for the Deaf need to be developed or enhanced to increase continuity of care and reduce rehospitalization of Deaf individuals. At the current time, specialized outpatient psychotherapy and psychiatry services for Deaf individuals are not available in this region. Lack of funding for AA/NA interpreters and the recent closure of a Deaf-accessible substance abuse treatment agency highlight the need for the development of programs that provide accessible substance abuse treatment. Culturally-affirmative, linguistically-accessible, trauma-informed outpatient behavioral health services that are tailored to the Deaf population are vital to promoting the wellness and recovery of the Deaf community

Investigation of biochemical composition of adrenal gland tumors by means of FTIR

The application of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy for the analysis of biomolecular composition of adrenal gland tumors is described. Samples were taken intraoperatively from three types of adrenal lesions: adrenal adenoma (ACA), adrenal cortical hyperplasia (ACH), both derived from adrenal cortical cells, and pheochromocytoma (Ph) derived from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. The specimens were cryo-sectioned and freeze-dried. Since the investigated lesions originated from different cell types, it was predictable that they might differ in biomolecular composition. The experimental results were used to determine which absorption bands differentiate the analyzed samples the most. The main difference was observed in the lipid functional groups. The experimental results indicated that the level of lipids was higher in both the adenoma and the hyperplasia samples compared to pheochromocytomas. In contrast, the level of proteins was higher in the pheochromocytomas. Furthermore, differences within the range of nucleic acids and carbohydrates were observed in the studied adrenal gland tumor types

Storied Answers to Questions about Interethnic Marriage in Multiethnic Qinghai Province, PR of China

The article discusses the use of stories as answers to direct questions. The author encountered this pattern while conducting fieldwork tracing identity contexts among young Chinese Muslims of the Hui ethnicity in the city of Xining, a cultural crossroads in Qinghai Province in northwest China, between 2016 and 2018. Regardless of a respondent’s ethnicity and gender, respondents shared the same pattern of sharing stories from the lives of unnamed friends and relatives. This pattern appeared predominantly when asking about interethnic relations and personal views on interethnic marriage and can thus be understood as a high-context cultural strategy for politely and indirectly expressing personal attitudes. The article analyzes this pattern in terms of Chinese culture and the national image of harmonious coexistence in a multiethnic society

Development of the Meaning of Menopause Scale

The goal of this investigation was to develop a new self-report measure, the Meaning of Menopause Scale (MMS), to use as an assessment tool with women who are experiencing the menopausal transition. The investigation consisted of two studies: (a) exploratory focus groups, and (b) development and psychometric evaluation of the MMS. Focus groups conducted with 24 women from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds revealed that the meaning of menopause may be interpreted in terms of physical, emotional, and functional changes. These results were incorporated to construct a 27-item MMS that was completed by 201 women between the ages of 40 and 60. Test-retest data were collected from 115 participants after an approximate one-month period, and from 30 participants after an approximate one-week period. Moreover, 125 participants completed two validity measures: the Menopause Attitude Scale by Bowles (1986) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule by Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1988). Fifteen MMS items were eliminated on the basis of initial item and factor analyses. Maximum-likelihood factor analysis with Promax rotation was conducted with the remaining 12 items, which led to identification of two factors that were correlated at.29 and accounted for 90% of the variance. These factors were labeled the Gain and Loss subscales. The Gain subscale inquires about personal growth, health improvements, and relational and sexual gains, and the Loss subscale inquires about physical changes, and psychological and somatic symptoms. Both subscales were found to be internally consistent and showed evidence of validity. Moreover, responses on the Gain subscale were greater among women who were postmenopausal, older, and had sought out information about menopause. These results indicate that the MMS promises to be a useful tool to assess women\u27s interpretations of menopause

Innovative Interventions for Treating Tobacco Addiction Among Persons With Co-occurring Mental Illness and Addiction: New Approaches to Improve Outcomes

Introduction to the Special Issue on: Innovative Interventions for Treating Tobacco Addiction Among Persons With Co-occurring Mental Illness and Addiction: New Approaches to Improve Outcomes

Aging-Related Cellular, Structural and Functional Changes in the Lymph Nodes: A Significant Component of Immunosenescence? An Overview

Aging affects all tissues and organs. Aging of the immune system results in the severe disruption of its functions, leading to an increased susceptibility to infections, an increase in autoimmune disorders and cancer incidence, and a decreased response to vaccines. Lymph nodes are precisely organized structures of the peripheral lymphoid organs and are the key sites coordinating innate and long-term adaptive immune responses to external antigens and vaccines. They are also involved in immune tolerance. The aging of lymph nodes results in decreased cell transport to and within the nodes, a disturbance in the structure and organization of nodal zones, incorrect location of individual immune cell types and impaired intercellular interactions, as well as changes in the production of adequate amounts of chemokines and cytokines necessary for immune cell proliferation, survival and function, impaired naïve T- and B-cell homeostasis, and a diminished long-term humoral response. Understanding the causes of these stromal and lymphoid microenvironment changes in the lymph nodes that cause the aging-related dysfunction of the immune system can help to improve long-term immune responses and the effectiveness of vaccines in the elderly

Using a Multidisciplinary Approach for Pregnant Women With Nicotine Dependence and Co-occurring Disorders

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of complications during pregnancy, including low birth weight and prematurity. While smoking prevalence among pregnant women has been declining, pregnant women with co-occurring disorders struggle with smoking cessation not only because they are managing their psychiatric and substance-related conditions but also because they are at greater risk for a number of psychosocial stressors, such as poverty, domestic violence, and limited support. In addition, obstetric, substance abuse, and psychiatric treatment for pregnant women is often fragmented and uncoordinated, resulting in poor health outcomes for mother and baby. The goal of this clinical forum is to demonstrate the potential for multidisciplinary treatment providers and community members to work together toward successfully meeting the complex needs of pregnant women with co-occurring disorders. Following the case presentation, we outline the ways in which patients and their obstetric, psychiatric, and substance abuse treatment providers can work together as a team, often incorporating members of the broader community. In this context, we provide brief overviews of effective pharmacotherapy approaches, psychosocial interventions, as well as community-based interventions for tobacco cessation among pregnant women with co-occurring disorders. In addition, we outline an organizational change model to systematically address tobacco use in clinical settings that serve these patients. We demonstrate that even small efforts to coordinate care can have large payoffs in terms of outcomes for mothers and their babies

Perceived Barriers to and Facilitators of Engagement in Reverse Integrated Care

Introduction: Individuals with chronic mental illness and addiction have poorer health outcomes than the general population, largely because of preventable medical conditions. Early onset and heightened incidence of chronic disease—such as type two diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypertension—might limit behavioral health consumers’ quality life years and ultimately lead to early mortality. These health risks are exacerbated by coinciding poor health correlates such as low socioeconomic status, disrupted cycles of care, and substance use. Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) initiatives address these compounding health disparities by improving access to quality primary care and wellness services inside of behavioral health centers. As opposed to traditional integrated care models in which behavioral health services are co-located in medical settings, reverse integration targets consumers with serious and persistent mental illness who are more likely to frequent behavioral health care settings. Recently, this model of reverse integrated care delivery has been on the rise because of its unique capacity to meet the complex needs of behavioral health consumers... The current study employs semi-structured individual interviews to assess behavioral health consumers’ perceived barriers to and engagement in PBHCI services at an urban community mental health center