Latest news with #psychosocial
Medscape
18-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Obesity May Bring Intimacy Concerns: How to Help Patients
Research has shown that obesity can be an underlying cause of both psychosocial and physical functioning and can be a consequence of disorders, comorbidities, and negative social attitudes that influence self-image, according to a new study published in Sexuality & Culture. The study analyzed the 'relationship between sexual satisfaction and a variable describing preferences, expectations,' and needs of people with or without obesity. The results demonstrated a more complex connection between 'satisfaction, preferences, expectations, and needs' in people with vs without obesity. If you are treating patients with obesity and they share feelings of self-doubt and concern regarding their personal relationships and intimacy, as a primary care doctor you can use these conversations as teachable opportunities. To begin with, you can validate their concerns, and you can reassure your patients they can remain close with their partner. During your discussions, it can also be helpful to discuss a healthier lifestyle. Here is how to share guidance with your patients. Take a Nonjudgmental Approach A candid and honest discussion with your patients with obesity is the way to build trust because their concerns can be personal. As you listen, assure them that intimacy remains attainable, and keep the discussions nonjudgmental. After trust is established between you and your patient, you can then offer guidance to interact with their partner if you believe they are seeking such guidance. If your patients express intimacy concerns, providing self-expression language to share with their partner could help. Mark Loafman, MD 'It sounds so cliché, but it will help to use 'I' language and the 'share back' approach,' said Mark Loafman, MD, a family physician with Cook County Health in Chicago. Advise your patients to start by sharing 'I' statements that describe their inner struggles such as self-image/doubt, judgment from others, etc. and then suggest they ask their partner to share back what they heard them say, he stated. This is a process known as reflective listening. Another way to enhance connections is to take some protected time without distractions, Loafman said. 'Make sure you are both clear on and agree to stick with the process,' he said. Suggest Counseling for Further Support Although your guidance in providing communication skills and strategies to build connections for your patients is a helpful strategy, if you determine it's necessary, consider suggesting therapy. Brintha Vasagar, MD 'Counseling can be helpful in reframing self-talk, drawing healthy boundaries, and formalizing individual health goals,' said Brintha Vasagar, MD, a family physician and chief medical officer of Progressive Community Health Centers in Milwaukee. 'It's so important to guide patients in making decisions about their health based on how they feel and help them put less emphasis on what they may believe other people in their life think.' Also, she noted that counseling can bridge partners in other ways. 'Couples counseling can be helpful in better understanding the complexities of relationship and finding a healthy path forward,' Vasagar said. In addition, patients need to continue to work with their partner on the entire relationship. 'Patients often feel they need to change to meet expectations of a partner or family member. While we have many ways of addressing obesity, I caution patients that physical changes may not improve relationship concerns.' Using the Opportunity to Pivot to Health Improvements Loafman cited that family doctors routinely address and treat depression and related mood disorders, so patients should never shy away from bringing these topics up. 'However, we do struggle when discussing obesity and lifestyle in medical encounters in large part due to of all the associated societal judgment and shame, further hampered by the time constraints associated with office visits,' he cited. To that point, his discussions with patients regarding their feelings and concerns about self-image and their health could be a springboard to a healthier mindset. 'Evidence shows that patients are more likely to engage in lifestyle and behavior changes when their family doctor is candid about the associated health concerns and risks,' Loafman continued. 'So on the one hand we don't want to miss an opportunity to facilitate a healthy change, while on the other hand we are all well-aware of how easily those conversations can cause harm.' For all these reasons, it's best to follow the lead of your patient. 'It really helps when the patient starts the conversation expressing interest in addressing either weight itself or the associated negative impact it is having on mood and well-being,' he summarized. In fact, a study cited by the National Library of Medicine noted how primary health professionals can be resources for patients to encourage and facilitate patient self-management for healthy-life objectives. Once patients are on board with healthier life practices, they can be instrumental in success. 'The practice of tracking and the knowledge that the data tracked may provide can bring awareness and support health behaviors, thus helping in improving quality of life,' the authors wrote. The research outlines how self-management may improve patient engagement in their own care by taking on an active role in their disease management by better understanding their health conditions, coping with treatment, and communicating with providers. Be sure to encourage patients toward self-monitoring because it can be a valuable tool for patient success.
Medscape
01-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: The Psychosocial Burden of Psoriasis
The relationship between psoriasis and psychosocial symptoms tends to be a cyclical one. Psychological stressors can exacerbate the disease through overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, the cutaneous inflammatory response can cause body disfigurement, stigmatization, and ultimately anxiety and depression. What do you know about the psychosocial burden of psoriasis? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. As patients with psoriasis experience a relapsing course, over time they often face a lower quality of life owing to their symptoms, social stigmas, and impacted self-esteem. For example, a review that evaluated the psychological comorbidities associated with this condition reported that patients with psoriasis who have visible psoriatic lesions face a significant negative impact on their quality of life. Further, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) scores can be influenced by both lesion location and severity; increased Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores have been linked to higher DLQI scores as well, which indicates that "as disease severity worsens, so does the overall impact on quality of life." Patients can experience any form of psychological and social distress as a result, not just anxiety. Although depression in psoriasis is common, the psychosocial impact of the disease has not been mainly linked with fear of developing psoriatic arthritis. Learn more about the prognosis of psoriasis. In patients with psoriasis, female sex has been identified as a risk factor for depression in this population. A systematic review exploring the burden of depression in psoriasis reported a higher overall prevalence of depression in females over males. This is consistent with other recent data; however, male patients with psoriasis still seem to have an increased prevalence of depression compared with males without psoriasis. Ultimately, current data point to the fact that the prevalence of depression is higher among all patients with psoriasis, but female patients with skin disease appear to be at greater risk than their male counterparts. Younger age is more frequently associated with depression, though older individuals with psoriasis can still be affected. Learn more about the prognosis of psoriasis. Pruritus is one of the main symptoms of plaque psoriasis. Although it varies in intensity, this symptom should not be disregarded owing to its significant impact on mental health. Anxiety and depression are linked to plaque psoriasis; these psychological comorbidities can increase the frequency and severity of pruritus, which results in an increased tendency to scratch; conversely, the increased pruritus and scratching also worsens anxiety and depression. It is estimated that 40% of patients with plaque psoriasis experience nail involvement. Further, nail involvement has been linked to "significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression." Though any severity of skin pain can be linked to psychosocial burden in patients with chronic dermatological disorders such as plaque psoriasis, data have shown that patient-reported skin pain is usually of "moderate intensity" when HRQOL is negatively affected. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of plaque psoriasis. Psychosocial interventions have been shown to improve DLQI scores in patients with psoriasis. Specifically, the addition of mindfulness therapy to treatment as usual for psoriasis has been found to improve DLQI the most compared with other studied interventions (treatment as usual alone, psoriasis and lifestyle education, and online-based management). Cognitive-behavioral therapy in conjunction with pharmacological therapy has also been shown to improve psychosocial and disease-related symptoms. This result is most likely owing to stress as an identified trigger for psoriasis flares and decreased DLQI scores, with mindfulness therapy aiming to reduce stress and therefore flares. This is consistent with another recent review finding improvement in both disease severity and DLQI scores with various forms of mindfulness intervention. However, cognitive-behavioral therapy and treatment as usual were most effective for the other outcome measures, including anxiety, depression, and treatment adherence; mindfulness therapy was the least effective intervention for adherence. Education regarding psoriasis and lifestyle management that can help with symptoms was shown to improve HRQOL. Learn more about the treatment of psoriasis. Biologic therapy has been shown to effectively treat depression symptoms in the setting of psoriasis. Other therapeutic approaches that are effective for depression symptoms in psoriasis were conventional systemic therapy and phototherapy. Taken together, evidence supports the theory that improved skin disease is associated with improved psychiatric disease. Patients with psoriasis have a higher prevalence of hypertension. Beta-blockers in this setting can worsen psoriasis, which can negatively affect depression symptoms. Overall, evidence of a link between depression symptoms and beta-blocker use is mixed. Some psychotropic medications can cause flares in skin disease, including lithium, fluoxetine, and bupropion; these agents should therefore be prescribed with caution in this population. Similarly, the link between depression symptoms and psychotropic medication use is inconsistent. Though certain phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors can improve psoriasis symptoms and can improve quality of life, data indicate that they can worsen depression symptoms. Learn more about the treatment of psoriasis. Editor's Note: This article was created using several editorial tools, including generative AI models, as part of the process. Human review and editing of this content were performed prior to publication.
Medscape
25-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Mindfulness and Tai Chi Improve Mood in Cancer Survivors
TOPLINE: Both Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) significantly improved mood in survivors of cancer, whether participants selected their preferred program or were randomly assigned to either type of program. MBCR had greater benefits in reducing tension and anger, while TCQ was particularly effective in reducing depression and boosting vigor. METHODOLOGY: Prior studies have shown that MBCR and TCQ can reduce distress and psychosocial symptoms in patients with cancer, but comparisons have largely been with usual care rather than active control individuals. Researchers conducted a pragmatic, preference-based, multisite randomized controlled design trial to compare these mind-body therapies. A total of 587 distressed survivors of cancer (average age, 60.7 years; 75% women), irrespective of the stage and type of cancer, were enrolled. Participants with a preference for either MBCR or TCQ received their preferred intervention (n = 376) and were then randomly assigned to either the immediate or waitlisted group in a 2:1 ratio. Those without a preference were randomly assigned (1:1) to either intervention (n = 211) and then to the immediate or waitlist group in a 2:1 ratio. Participants received MBCR as a standard 9-week program of weekly in-person group meetings of 1 hour 45 minutes, along with a 6-hour weekend retreat on a Saturday between weeks 6 and 7. TCQ was offered as an 11-week program consisting of a 1.5-hour weekly group meeting and a 4-hour weekend retreat. The primary outcome was change in total mood disturbance, measured by the Profile of Mood States, which included tension-anxiety, depression, anger-hostility, and vigor-activity subscales. TAKEAWAY: In the random assignment group, total mood disturbance scores decreased significantly in both the immediate MBCR (19.9 at baseline to 12.5 after treatment) and immediate TCQ (17.7 at baseline to 12.0 after treatment) groups compared with that in the waitlist control group (P for interaction = .03 and.07, respectively). In the preference group, although total mood disturbance scores decreased in both the immediate MBCR and TCQ groups, the interaction effect relative to the waitlist control group was not significant (P = .57 and P = .09, respectively). Participants who received MBCR showed greatest improvements in tension, anger, and vigor scores, whereas those who received TCQ showed greatest improvements in anger, depression, and vigor scores. A combined analysis of the immediate vs waitlist groups showed substantial reductions in total mood disturbance scores with MBCR (estimate, -4.15; P = .10) and significant reductions in the scores with TCQ (estimate, -5.13; P = .01). IN PRACTICE: 'Both MBCR and TCQ proved beneficial for improving overall mood in a broad swath of people living with cancer of different types and stages after treatment completion who were experiencing significant distress,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study, led by Linda E. Carlson, PhD, University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was published online in Journal of Clinical Oncology. LIMITATIONS: Potential baseline imbalances existed between participants who chose MBCR vs TCQ or who chose to be randomly assigned. The study design required participants to have sufficient mobility, time, and energy to travel to program venues, which may have excluded some eligible candidates. Additionally, some discrepancies in dropout rates were observed across groups, although these did not violate missing at random data analytic assumptions. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by grants from the Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation and Enbridge Research Chair for Psychosocial Oncology. Three authors reported having ties with various sources. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Paralysed footy star Alex McKinnon takes a huge leap forward in his new career
Alex McKinnon has unveiled a huge step in his new career. A little over three months ago it was revealed on Instagram that the former Newcastle Knights star, who suffered a horror injury during a match in 2014, which left him paralysed from the waist down, was starting a role with healthcare company, Alike Health. The 33-year-old joined the specialist healthcare firm as its Head of Growth and Partnerships having previously worked with the organisation as a Lived Experience Consultant. It was revealed on Tuesday that his role is now changing within the company, with the former footy player now offering Psychosocial Recovery coaching. 'With a background in Psychological Science, professional sport, and a lived experience of resilience and change, Alex brings genuine understanding and practical support to those navigating psychosocial disability,' Alike wrote on Instagram. The organisation added they were 'thrilled' to announce the move. Under his new role as a Psychosocial Recovery Coach, McKinnon will provide support to those suffering from psychosocial disabilities with Alike announcing the news on Instagram Under his new role as a Psychosocial Recovery Coach, McKinnon will provide support to those suffering from psychosocial disabilities. The role aims to help individuals regain their independence and get back to doing things they enjoy. It came after McKinnon announced earlier this year that he was set to commence a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the University of Newcastle. He had previously obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. McKinnon, a father-of-three had faced an uncertain future 11 years ago after he was told it was unlikely he would walk again. McKinnon had fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a horror tackle on the footy pitch, during a game against Melbourne Storm. He would later split from his wife Teigan Power in 2022, but has found love again with new partner Lily Mallone, a Fox Sports analyst. The pair are understood to have begun dating while the 33-year-old was studying at university. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alike Specialist Medical & Healthcare Hub (@alikehealth) McKinnon (centre) graduated last year with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Newcastle It was during his studies that he met new partner, Malone (left), with McKinnon going on to enrole in an MBA at Newcastle It comes 11 years after the former Newcastle star was left paralysed during a horror tackle while playing against Melbourne Storm 'Going to university has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life,' McKinnon told The Daily Telegraph. 'One of the biggest frustrations when I got injured was that I had spent my whole life trying to fine-tune myself as an athlete to compete. 'And when all that gets taken away from you, it is soul destroying. Not only do you lose your identity, but all that hard work that you put in is now worth nothing.
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Quebec, Montreal invest $3.5 million in social intervention in Quartier des spectacles
Quebec, Montreal, and local partners are investing more than $3.5 million to fund new psychosocial intervention teams aimed at improving safety and coexistence in the Place des Arts area of the Quartier des spectacles. The province of Quebec, the City of Montreal, and other local partners are set to provide more than $3.5 million in financial support to enhance social intervention services in the Place des Arts area downtown. The Minister responsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action, Chantal Rouleau, made the announcement during a press conference on Monday. 'Providing a safe and respectful space for everyone, regardless of their circumstances, is how we build a metropolis that is humane, inclusive, and proud of its diversity,' she said. The initiative aims to promote better coexistence in the Place des Arts area and enable everyone who frequents the sector to have a 'healthy, safe and inclusive' experience. It is being led by the Société de développement social de Ville-Marie and supported by the Quartier des spectacles partnership. Four teams of psychosocial workers are expected to start patrolling the area, day and night. In addition to existing services, this new presence aims to provide better support for individuals in vulnerable situations and enhance coordination efforts on the ground, according to officials. 'The deployment of these four new psychosocial intervention brigades is a great demonstration of what we can achieve,' said Robert Beaudry, with the City of Montreal. 'This measure is in addition to the many others that our administration is implementing in the greater city centre to increase the sense of security of all the people who live, work, or benefit from it.'
