Browsing by Author "O'Brien, Virginia C."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A Novel Outpatient Mental Health Clinic Addressing Patient Access, Teaching, and Team-Based Care
    O'Brien, Virginia C.; Kurdila, Laura; Martin, Rachel K.; Nayani, Huma (2024-10-17)
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    Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: The Case of the Elongating Straws
    Stavig, Alissa; O'Brien, Virginia C. (2019-10-18)
    Accurately interpreting visual stimuli requires a complicated interplay between the eye, visual pathways and cortical pathways. The temporal lobe is responsible for object recognition and the parietal lobe is responsible for motion. Vision requires the integration of information from all cortical areas (temporal, parietal, occipital). Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) describes a set of visual and somatosensory symptoms characterized by a distortion in perception of the environment, time or self in contrast to hallucinations or illusions.
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    Challenges in Psychiatric Oncology: Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment and Use of Psychostimulants
    O'Brien, Virginia C. (2019-09-24)
    Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a common side effect of cancer and its treatment that can significantly impact patients' quality of life. CRCI may arise before, during or after cancer treatment, but for up to 30% of patients, CRCI persists1. The etiology of CRCI is hypothesized to be due to direct cytotoxic effects, oxidative stress, and/or the body's immune response to cancer and its treatment. This lack of certainty surrounding the cause of CRCI makes identification of appropriate interventions challenging. Persistent CRCI can significantly impact patients' role functioning, thus treating the symptoms of CRCI is paramount to comprehensive cancer care.
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    Effects of COVID-19 on Patients in Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry: Using Patient-Rated Outcome Measures and Telemedicine
    Kablinger, Anita S.; Gatto, Alyssa J.; O'Brien, Virginia C.; Ko, Hayoung; Jones, Sydney; McNamara, Robert S.; Sharp, Hunter D.; Tenzer, Martha M.; Cooper, Lee D. (Mary Ann Liebert, 2022-02-14)
    Introduction: To examine the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on patients in an academic psychiatric ambulatory clinic, data from a measurement-based care (MBC) system were analyzed to evaluate impacts on psychiatric functioning in patients using telemedicine. Psychiatric functioning was evaluated for psychological distress (brief adjustment scale [BASE]-6), depression (patient health questionnaire [PHQ]-9), and anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]-7), including initial alcohol (U.S. alcohol use disorders identification test) and substance use (drug abuse screening test-10) screening. Methods: This observational study included MBC data collected from November 2019 to March 2021. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) were examined to determine changes in symptomatology over the course of treatment, as well as symptom changes resulting from the pandemic. Patients were included in analyses if they completed at least one PROM in the MBC system. Results: A total of 2,145 patients actively participated in the MBC system completing at least one PROM, with engagement ranging from 35.07% to 83.50% depending on demographic factors, where completion rates were significantly different for age, payor status, and diagnostic group. Average baseline scores for new patients varied for the GAD-7, PHQ-9, and BASE-6. Within-person improvements in mental health before and after the pandemic were statistically significant for anxiety, depression, and psychological adjustment. Discussion: MBC is a helpful tool in determining treatment progress for patients engaging in telemedicine. This study showed that patients who engaged in psychiatric services incorporating PROMs had improvements in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research is needed exploring whether PROMs might serve as a protective or facilitative factor for those with mental illness during a crisis when in-person visits are not possible.
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    Mouth on Fire: A Case of Burning Mouth Syndrome and its Relevance in Psychiatry
    Bubel, Kristen; O'Brien, Virginia C. (Academy of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, 2021-11-01)
    Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a complex pain condition of the oral cavity characterized by a burning sensation without clinical or laboratory abnormalities. It affects an estimated 0.1-3.9% of the general population. BMS can originate in the central nervous system or the peripheral nervous system and is frequently accompanied by depression, anxiety, and/or somatic symptom disorder. The overlap of pain, neurologic pathophysiology, mental health and impaired quality of life highlight the need for collaboration among specialists in its identification and treatment.
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    Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of Hybrid Psychiatric Visits
    O'Brien, Virginia C.; Kablinger, Anita S.; Ko, Hayoung; Jones, Sydney B.; McNamara, Robert S.; Phenes, Ashlie R.; Hankey, Maria Stack; Gatto, Alyssa J.; Tenzer, Martha M.; Sharp, Hunter D.; Cooper, Lee D. (American Psychiatric Association, 2024-06-12)
    Objective: Little empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of hybrid psychiatric care, defined as care delivered through a combination of telephone, videoconferencing, and in-person visits. The authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness of hybrid psychiatric care compared with outpatient waitlist groups, assessed with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Method: Participants were recruited from an adult psychiatry clinic waitlist on which the most common primary diagnoses were unipolar depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder. Patients (N=148) were randomly assigned to one of two waitlist groups that completed PROMs once or monthly before treatment initiation. PROMs were used to assess symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7]), and daily psychological functioning (Brief Adjustment Scale-6 [BASE-6]). Patient measures were summarized descriptively with means, medians, and SDs and then compared by using the Kruskal-Wallis test; associated effect sizes were calculated. PROM scores for patients who received hybrid psychiatric treatment during a different period (N=272) were compared with scores of the waitlist groups. Results: PROM assessments of patients who engaged in hybrid care indicated significant improvements in symptom severity compared with the waitlist groups, regardless of the number of PROMs completed while patients were on the waitlist. Between the hybrid care and waitlist groups, the effect size for the PHQ-9 score was moderate (d=0.66); effect sizes were small for the GAD-7 (d=0.46) and BASE-6 (d=0.45) scores. Conclusions: The findings indicate the clinical effectiveness of hybrid care and that PROMs can be used to assess this effectiveness.