The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire

Positive effects from sports are achieved primarily through physical activity, but secondary effects bring health benefits such as psychosocial and personal development and less alcohol consumption. Negative effects, such as the risk of failure, injuries, eating disorders, and burnout, are also apparent. Because physical activity is increasingly conducted in an organized manner, sport’s role in society has become increasingly important over the years, not only for the individual but also for public health. In this paper, we intend to describe sport’s physiological and psychosocial health benefits, stemming both from physical activity and from sport participation per se. This narrative review summarizes research and presents health-related data from Swedish authorities. It is discussed that our daily lives are becoming less physically active, while organized exercise and training increases. Average energy intake is increasing, creating an energy surplus, and thus, we are seeing an increasing number of people who are overweight, which is a strong contributor to health problems. Physical activity and exercise have significant positive effects in preventing or alleviating mental illness, including depressive symptoms and anxiety- or stress-related disease. In conclusion, sports can be evolving, if personal capacities, social situation, and biological and psychological maturation are taken into account. Evidence suggests a dose–response relationship such that being active, even to a modest level, is superior to being inactive or sedentary. Recommendations for healthy sports are summarized.

Physical Activity and Sports-Real Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden

Gender, mental health and ageing.

Major depression shortens life while the effectiveness of frontline treatments remains modest. Exercise has been shown to be effective both in reducing mortality and in treating symptoms of major depression, but it is still underutilized in clinical practice, possibly due to prevalent misperceptions. For instance, a common misperception is that exercise is beneficial for depression mostly because of its positive effects on the body ("from the neck down"), whereas its effectiveness in treating core features of depression ("from the neck up") is underappreciated. Other long-held misperceptions are that patients suffering from depression will not engage in exercise even if physicians prescribe it, and that only vigorous exercise is effective. Lastly, a false assumption is that exercise may be more harmful than beneficial in old age, and therefore should only be recommended to younger patients. This narrative review summarizes relevant literature to address the aforementioned misperceptions and to provide practical recommendations for prescribing exercise to individuals with major depression.

Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes

https://repub.eur.nl/pub/118030/REPUB_118030_SAM.pdf

Urban-Rural Differences in Older Adult Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

Is depression among older adults symptomatically different than younger adults? Is it more common or chronic or difficult to treat? Is depression in late life more likely to be attributed to psychological problems? Twenty-years ago, Dan Blazer, a pioneer known for his groundbreaking work on depression in older adulthood, conducted an important review of the existing literature to refute five commonly held beliefs about depression in late life. Now, two decades later, we call upon selected articles that are representative of our current knowledge to provide an update and identify research priorities. The research consensus spanning the past 20 years suggests that when compared with their younger counterparts, depression in older adults is not more common and is not more often caused by psychological factors. Although some studies have suggested that depression in late life may be symptomatically different and characterized by a more somatic presentation, there is insufficient empirical evidence to conclude that depression presents differently across adulthood. Overall, older adults respond to psychological interventions as well as younger adults, although evidence suggests that antidepressants are less efficacious in late life. Finally, compared with middle-aged adults, depression in older adults is associated with a more chronic course (i.e., higher rate of relapse), which is likely moderated by medical comorbidity. This special article summarizes our current understanding of the nature and treatment of late-life depression and highlights areas of inquiry in need of further study.

Depression Among Older Adults: A 20-Year Update on Five Common Myths and Misconceptions.

A recent meta-analysis identified a prospective association between depression and cardiovascular disease; however, there was no association for studies with long-term follow-up periods. The litera...

Depressive symptoms prospectively predict cardiovascular disease among older adults: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study:

Dairy food intake, diet patterns, and health: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with a multitude of physical, psychological, and psychosocial issues including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While the presence of posttraumatic symptoms has been reported in the general population, little is known about the prevalence of PTSD in patients who experienced a traumatic COVID-19 infection or sequelae. There are currently no documented reports on the treatment of PTSD in patients with COVID-19-related index traumas. The present case study details the use of cognitive processing therapy for PTSD in a patient with multiple COVID-19 infections and post-COVID-19 syndrome. The patient successfully completed treatment and reported a clinically significant change in PTSD symptoms, providing preliminary support for this evidence-based treatment protocol among patients with COVID-19-related index traumas. This case study highlights the need for PTSD symptom screening among patients with COVID-19 and referral to evidence-based psychological interventions. Recommendations for providers who regularly interface with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and provide trauma-focused treatments are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder due to COVID-19-related traumas: A case study.

The specialty of clinical health psychology is focused on the intersection of, and interplay between, physical and behavioral health. Many clinical health psychologists are employed in medical settings and embedded within healthcare teams. While the value of clinical health psychologists in healthcare has been well documented, literature synthesizing the contributions of clinical health psychologists in optimizing outcomes in team-based healthcare is limited. In this article, we provide an overview of the history of the field of clinical health psychology, as well as current established training requirements and competencies, and models of professional practice within the medical setting. We clarify the unique contributions of clinical health psychologists as members of healthcare teams, highlighting areas of expertise in assessment, treatment, consultation, education, and advocacy. Specifically, we describe the ways in which clinical health psychologists partnering with medical providers to address psychological and behavioral factors in health and illness can optimize patient functioning, outcomes, and quality of life; improve healthcare policy; and streamline healthcare costs, above and beyond a traditional medical model. The REDACTED practice in the Department of REDACTED and REDACTED Postdoctoral Fellowship program is presented as an example to illustrate the ways in which clinical health psychologists integrate within healthcare teams and specialty areas to improve patients’ health, functioning, and quality of life. Overall, this paper explicitly outlines the value of the specialty within the healthcare setting. 

Olivia E. Bogucki

Papers

Depression Among Older Adults: A 20-Year Update on Five Common Myths and Misconceptions.

Depressive symptoms prospectively predict cardiovascular disease among older adults: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study:

Dairy food intake, diet patterns, and health: Findings from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study.

Cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder due to COVID-19-related traumas: A case study.

Clinical health psychology in healthcare: Psychology's contributions to the medical team