Prevalence and Correlates of Likely Anxiety Disorder in Ghana During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From a Cross-Sectional Online Survey.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created stressors to daily living, leading to increased mental health problems. It is important to assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, specifically anxiety.

Objectives: The goal was to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic, clinical, and other correlates of likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among study subjects in Ghana.

Psychological Health and Wellness and the Impact of a Supportive Text Messaging Program (Wellness4MDs) Among Physicians and Medical Learners in Canada: Protocol for a Longitudinal Study.

Background: Burnout, anxiety, and depression continue to affect physicians, postgraduate medical trainees, and medical students globally and in Canada particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The primary goal of this project is to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate a daily supportive SMS text messaging program (Wellness4MDs, Global Psychological e-Health Foundation). The program aims to reduce the prevalence and severity of burnout, anxiety, and depression symptoms among physicians, postgraduate medical trainees, and medical students in Canada.

Comparing Email Versus Text Messaging as Delivery Platforms for Supporting Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) poses significant global health challenges, with available treatments often insufficient in achieving remission for many patients. Digital health technologies, such as SMS text messaging-based cognitive behavioral therapy, offer accessible alternatives but may not reach all individuals. Email communication presents a secure avenue for health communication, yet its effectiveness compared to SMS text messaging in providing mental health support for patients with MDD remains uncertain.

Mobile Apps to Support Mental Health Response in Natural Disasters: Scoping Review.

Background: Disasters are becoming more frequent due to the impact of extreme weather events attributed to climate change, causing loss of lives, property, and psychological trauma. Mental health response to disasters emphasizes prevention and mitigation, and mobile health (mHealth) apps have been used for mental health promotion and treatment. However, little is known about their use in the mental health components of disaster management.

Reducing wait times and avoiding unnecessary use of high-cost mental health services through a Rapid Access and Stabilization Program: protocol for a program evaluation study.

Background: Emergency psychiatric care, unplanned hospital admissions, and inpatient health care are the costliest forms of mental health care. According to Statistics Canada (2018), almost 18% (5.3 million) of Canadians reported needing mental health support.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation With and Without Text4Support for the Treatment of Resistant Depression: Protocol for a Patient-Centered Multicenter Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

Background: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is the inability of a patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) to accomplish or achieve remission after an adequate trial of antidepressant treatments. Several combinations and augmentation treatment strategies for TRD exist, including the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and new therapeutic options are being introduced. Text4Support, a text message-based form of cognitive behavioral therapy that allows patients with MDD to receive daily supportive text messages for correcting or altering negative thought patterns through positive reinforcement, may be a useful augmentation treatment strategy for patients with TRD.

Children's Psychological Reactions to Wildfires: a Review of Recent Literature.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to synthesize currently available literature regarding the impact of wildfire on mental health, specifically the psychological reactions of children to wildfires. The information gathered from this review will help health experts understand and address the mental health needs of children during wildfire disasters and may serve as a base for future studies to evaluate evidence-based public health responses to mitigate adverse outcomes.

Recent Findings: The results identified post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, stress, alcohol/substance misuse, hopelessness, low resilience, reduced quality of life, and self-esteem as the psychological conditions manifesting in children and adolescent post-wildfire disaster.

Apparent Lack of Benefit of Combining Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy for the Treatment of Resistant Depression: Patient-Centered Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is considered one of the major clinical challenges in the field of psychiatry. An estimated 44% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not respond to two consecutive antidepressant therapies, and 33% do not respond to up to four antidepressants. Over 15% of all patients with MDD remain refractory to any treatment intervention.

Augmenting Mental Health Support for Patients Accessing Different Degrees of Formal Psychiatric Care through a Supportive Text Messaging Program: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Patients feel more vulnerable when accessing community mental health programs for the first time or after being discharged from psychiatric inpatient units. Long wait times for follow-up appointments, shortage of mental health professionals, lack of service integration, and scarcity of tailored support can weaken their connection to the health care system. As a result, patients can present low adherence, dissatisfaction with treatment, and recurrent hospitalizations.

Evaluating the Prevalence and Correlates of Major Depressive Disorder Among Residents of Fort McMurray, Canada, One Year After a Devastating Flood.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of depression following the April 2020 flooding in Fort McMurray.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study design. Questionnaires were self-administered through an anonymous, online survey.

Evaluating Community Resilience and Associated Factors One Year after the Catastrophic Fort McMurray Flood.

Background: Resilience after natural disasters is becoming an increasingly key area of research. In April 2020, parts of Fort McMurray were affected by severe floods. The flooding caused the loss of properties, evacuation of some residents, and effects on their mental health.

The Use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulations for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: A Scoping Review.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that involves the application of magnetic pulses on hyperactive or hypoactive cortical brain areas. rTMS is considered a high therapeutic tool in many neuropsychiatric conditions. Despite its wide and continuous usage for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, information about the use of rTMS in bipolar disorders is limited and not well-established in the literature.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Wildfires: A Fifth-Year Postdisaster Evaluation among Residents of Fort McMurray.

Background: Over 90,000 residents had to be evacuated from Fort McMurray (FMM), Alberta, Canada due to the wildfire that engulfed the city in May 2016. Overall, about 2400 homes or 10% of the housing stock in Fort McMurray were destroyed. The fire consumed about 200,000 hectors of forest, reaching into Saskatchewan.

Prevalence and Determinants of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray 12 Months Following the 2020 Flooding.

Background: The flood in Fort McMurray (FMM) which occurred between April 26 and May 2, 2020, is known to have displaced an estimated population of 1,500 people, and destroyed or damaged about 1,230 buildings. In all, it is estimated to have caused about $228 million in losses.

Objective: This study aims to identify the prevalence and determinants of likely Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) in among respondents 12-months after the 2020 flooding.

Text Messages in the Field of Mental Health: Rapid Review of the Reviews.

Background: While mental health problems constitute a worldwide concern contributing to the global rates of morbidity and mortality, conventional mental healthcare services do not meet the current needs. Text messages (TM) represent a live model that incorporates technology into health services, spanning a large number of health conditions and playing different roles that may support the current healthcare system.

Objective: To examine the TM services in the field of mental health, regarding their effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and economic evaluation in different contexts of mental health diagnoses and during critical times, when provided to individuals with mental health symptoms/disorders.

Evaluating the Prevalence and Predictors of Moderate to Severe Depression in Fort McMurray, Canada during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has produced adverse health consequences, including mental health consequences. Studies indicate that residents of Fort McMurray, a community which has experienced trauma from flooding and wildfires in the past, may be more vulnerable to the mental health effects of the pandemic.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of likely Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) among residents of Fort McMurray during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Resistant Depression: A Scoping Review.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with significant disability, and due to its high prevalence, it results in a substantive socio-economic burden at a global level. TRD is the inability to accomplish and/or achieve remission after an adequate trial of antidepressant treatments. Studies comparing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and pharmacotherapy have revealed evidence of the therapeutic efficacy of rTMS in TRD.

Cumulative trauma from multiple natural disasters increases mental health burden on residents of Fort McMurray.

Background: Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumatic events in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Traumatic events often lead to increased mental health burdens in affected communities.

Objective: To assess if the number of traumatic events experienced by residents of Fort McMurray correlates with the prevalence and severity of mental health issues experienced.

Five Years after the Fort McMurray Wildfire: Prevalence and Correlates of Low Resilience.

Background: The Fort McMurray wildfire of 3 May 2016 was one of the most devastating natural disasters in Canadian history. Although resilience plays a crucial role in the daily functioning of individuals by acting as a protective shield that lessens the impact of disasters on their mental well-being, to date little is known about the long-term impact of wildfires on resilience and associated predictors of low resilience.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of resilience among residents of Fort McMurray five years after the wildfires.

The use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a scoping review.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relevant literature available regarding the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a mode of treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); to evaluate the evidence to support the use of rTMS as a treatment option for OCD.

Design/methodology/approach: The authors electronically conducted data search in five research databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psych INFO, SCOPUS and EMBASE) using all identified keywords and index terms across all the databases to identify empirical studies and randomized controlled trials. The authors included articles published with randomized control designs, which aimed at the treatment of OCD with rTMS.

Isolation, Economic Precarity, and Previous Mental Health Issues as Predictors of PTSD Status in Females Living in Fort McMurray During COVID-19.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an instance of collective trauma across the globe; as such, it is unique to our lifetimes. COVID-19 has made clear systemic disparities in terms of access to healthcare and economic precarity. Our objective was to examine the mental health repercussions of COVID-19 on adult females living in Fort McMurray, Canada in light of their unique circumstances and challenges.

One Year after the Flood: Prevalence and Correlates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Residents in Fort McMurray.

Background: The 2020 Fort McMurray (FMM) and area flood caused more than $228 million in insured damage, affected over 1200 structures, and more than 13,000 people were evacuated.

Objective: This study sought to determine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms and the risk predictors among the population of FMM one year after the 2020 flooding.

Methods: An online quantitative cross-sectional survey was distributed to residents of FMM via REDCap between 24 April to 2 June 2021 to collect sociodemographic, clinical, and flood-related information.

COVID-19 Pandemic in a Vulnerable Population: Prevalence and Correlates of Anxiety.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has produced negative mental health outcomes. These effects were more prominent in vulnerable communities that experienced prior similar disasters. The study aimed to examine the likelihood and correlates of anxiety symptoms among Fort McMurray (FMM) residents, during the COVID-19 pandemic.