Publications by authors named "S C Fears"
Article Synopsis
- Chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia by impairing cerebrovascular reactivity and neurovascular coupling.
- This study focused on how a single night of restricted sleep affects cerebral blood flow (CBF) when under stress from carbon dioxide and cognitive tasks.
- Results showed that while resting CBF wasn’t impacted, the brain's response to cognitive challenges was significantly reduced after sleep restriction, highlighting the critical role of sleep in maintaining healthy brain function.
Perinatal depression (PND) affects up to 20% of women and is associated with significant impairment and disability in affected women. In addition, perinatal depression is associated with broader public health and multigenerational consequences. Innovative approaches are needed to reduce the burden of perinatal depression through identification, tracking, and treatment of depressive symptoms during the perinatal period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The global burden of anxiety and depression has created an urgent need for scalable approaches to increase access to evidence-based mental health care. The Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (STAND) system of care was developed to meet this need through the use of internet-connected devices for assessment and provision of treatment. STAND triages to level of care (monitoring only, digital therapy with coaches, digital therapy assisted by clinicians in training, and clinical care) and then continuously monitors symptoms to adapt level of care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates whether pharmacogenomic testing can improve the selection of antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and lead to better treatment outcomes compared to standard care.
- Conducted at 22 Veterans Affairs medical centers, the trial involved 1,944 patients and 676 clinicians, assessing the effectiveness of treatment guided by pharmacogenomic results over 24 weeks.
- Results showed a significant portion of the pharmacogenomic-guided group received prescriptions with fewer drug-gene interactions, suggesting potential advantages in using such testing for choosing antidepressants in MDD treatment.
Background: A national Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health (MH) quality metric tracks engagement in outpatient MH care after discharge from residential and inpatient settings, with recommendations for 2 or more visits 30 days postdischarge.
Local Problem: A gap in transitioning patients from residential to outpatient MH care was identified at this site.
Methods: A transition management process was developed and piloted, including a new MH Discharge Consult and an RN Transition Care Managers team.