A pilot study of a brief and scalable psychosocial intervention for children and adolescents following disasters.

Objectives: Following disaster exposure, a significant proportion of children/adolescents will develop levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) that do not meet diagnostic threshold for PTSD, but which cause ongoing distress. This paper describes the development and pilot testing of a brief, scalable, psychosocial intervention. SOLAR-Kids/Teens has been designed to be delivered by non-mental health professionals ('coaches') to children/adolescents experiencing moderate levels of PTSS following disasters.

Eco-anxiety among regional Australian youth with mental health problems: A qualitative study.

Aim: In Australia, climate-related disasters disproportionately affect rural, regional and remote young people with effects ranging from severe flooding and catastrophic fires to unbearable heat and yet most studies on eco-anxiety are based on reports by urban youth who do not have direct experiences of such impacts. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research on how eco-anxiety impacts those who already experience mental health problems. The present study aims to address this gap by focussing on the lived experiences of regional Australian youth with recent experience of climate-related disasters alongside clinical insights from those involved in their care.

Design, development and randomised controlled trial protocol of a smartphone-delivered version of 'SOLAR' for emergency service workers to manage stress and trauma.

Unlabelled: IntroductionEmergency service workers are routinely exposed to stress and trauma, and there is a need to address mental health symptoms early to prevent chronic impairment and/or psychiatric disorder. Digital health innovations mean that face-to-face psychosocial interventions can now be delivered remotely, which is particularly appealing to populations who have strong preferences for digital delivery, such as emergency service workers. This two phase study aims to first adapt the Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) programme into a smartphone application ('app'), and then evaluate the effectiveness of this new app.

[Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience Program].

Background: After catastrophes, trauma and other highly stressful experiences, a proportion of individuals develop mental illness, while another proportion exhibit persisting subclinical distress that limits psychosocial functioning. Individuals with persisting subclinical distress rarely receive psychosocial support services.

Aim Of The Study: This paper presents the Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) program, a brief intervention developed for people with persistent subclinical distress following catastrophes and other severe stressors.

Piloting a scalable, post-trauma psychosocial intervention in Tuvalu: the Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) program.

Background: The Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) programme is a brief, scalable, psychosocial skill-building programme designed to reduce distress and adjustment difficulties following disaster.

Objectives: We tested the feasibility, acceptability, efficacy and safety of a culturally adapted version of SOLAR in two remote, cyclone-affected communities in the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu.

Method: This pilot adopted a quasi-experimental, control design involving 99 participants.

Efficacy of Psychoactive Drugs for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review of MDMA, Ketamine, LSD and Psilocybin.

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the efficacy of MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A search of four databases for English language, peer-reviewed literature published from inception to 18th October 2019 yielded 2,959 records, 34 of which were screened on full-text. Observational studies and RCTs which tested the efficacy of MDMA, ketamine, LSD, or psilocybin for reducing PTSD symptoms in adults, and reported changes to PTSD diagnosis or symptomatology, were included.

An Open Label Pilot Study of a Brief Psychosocial Intervention for Disaster and Trauma Survivors.

Background: In the aftermath of disaster, a large proportion of people will develop psychosocial difficulties that impair recovery, but for which presentations do not meet threshold criteria for disorder. Although these adjustment problems can cause high distress and impairment, and often have a trajectory towards mental health disorder, few evidence-based interventions are available to facilitate recovery.

Objective: This paper describes the development and pilot testing of an internationally developed, brief, and scalable psychosocial intervention that targets distress and poor adjustment following disaster and trauma.

Adjustment Disorder: Current Developments and Future Directions.

Despite its high prevalence in clinical and consultant liaison psychiatry populations, adjustment disorder research has traditionally been hindered by its lack of clear diagnostic criteria. However, with the greater diagnostic clarity provided in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - fifth edition (DSM-5) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 11th edition (ICD-11), adjustment disorder has been increasingly recognised as an area of research interest. This paper evaluates the commonalities and differences between the ICD-11 and DSM-5 concepts of adjustment disorder and reviews the current state of knowledge regarding its symptom profile, course, assessment, and treatment.

Distressing encounters in the context of climate change: Idioms of distress, determinants, and responses to distress in Tuvalu.

Across the globe there is a critical need for culturally informed and locally valid approaches to mental health assessment and intervention, particularly among disadvantaged and marginalized populations. To be optimally effective, such approaches must be informed by a sound understanding of locally relevant idioms of distress and its determinants, including those caused or exacerbated by global power disparities and structural inequities. Climate change, arising due to anthropogenic sources located predominantly in industrialized nations, is one potential determinant of distress having disproportionate adverse impacts on already marginalized populations.