NUI Study to inform future Mental Health Practice

Study seeks participants aged 18-25 years old to examine common experiences of feeling disconnected or detached from one's sense of self or their surroundings.

The School of Psychology at NUI Galway is conducting a research study on people who experience feelings of being disconnected or detached from themselves and their surroundings.  Adults aged 18-25 years old are invited to participate in the study, with findings hoping to better inform professionals working within the mental health service.

Recent research in mental health has identified that it can be common for people to experience unwanted thoughts and feelings of being more or less whole, or that the world is less real to them than at other times. This has been found to be a common phenomenon among the general population, but for some people it may cause them some distress.

These experiences can be influenced by stress and fatigue, with most people not admitting to experiencing feelings of disconnect and detachment, for fear of being perceived as different or strange. International studies have found that people are more willing to report these experiences in surveys rather than disclose it to a doctor.

The study is being carried out by Aoife Ó Laoide, a Psychologist in Clinical Training at the School of Psychology in NUI Galway, under the academic supervision of Dr Jonathan Egan, Deputy Director of the University’s Doctorate Programme in Psychological Science. Ms Ó Laoide is interested in examining this phenomenon and understanding how psychological factors, such as childhood experiences, current stress, anxiety, and mood might interact with these common experiences of feeling disconnected from yourself or your surroundings.

Miss Ó Laoide said: “We are seeking people for the study who have ever felt ‘unreal’ or in a ‘dream-like’ state. People who experience a feeling of detachment or disconnection from themselves and their surroundings.  We want to investigate this relatively common phenomenon that no one wants to admit to, in order to explore how it may impact on an individual and their overall psychological well-being, with the hope of informing future clinical practice.”

For those aged 18-25 years old who wish to participate in the study please visit the online survey link at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/feelingunreal 

For further information contact Aoife Ó Laoide at a.olaoide1@nuigalway.

Anxiety tops concerns for teenagers contacting Jigsaw

Anxiety is the most common concern raised by young people seeking help with mental health issues, a new study indicates.

Low mood, anger, family problems and stress were the other main issues raised by over 10,000 young people attending the Jigsaw mental health service between 2009 and 2015.

The analysis of attendance figures for 2013 shows there are significant differences in the issues of concern between boys and girls and between young people of different ages.

For young women, anxiety, family problems and isolation issues emerged as the main concerns, according to the study published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine.

For boys, the main issues were anxiety, anger and family problems.

Girls are more likely to experience anxiety, thoughts of hurting themselves, low self-esteem and feelings of sadness or loss. Boys were more likely to present with anger and drug use.

Headstrong,the national centre for youth mental health, set up Jigsaw in response to the need for supports for young people.

The service provides free mental health supports for young people aged 15-25 years in 10 communities around the State.

Almost one-third of young people referred themselves to the service, while 27 per cent of referrals came from parents and 12 per cent from a GP.

Swedish study on Mindfulness as treatment for Depression and Anxiety

Mindfulness treatment as effective as CBT for depression and anxiety

Even though a growing body of research has demonstrated the legitimate mental and physical health benefits of meditation, some people still consider mindfulness to be merely a New Age fad rather than a serious treatment option.

Now, a new Swedish study offers more compelling evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based practices in treating anxiety and depression.

Researchers from Lund University found group mindfulness treatment to be as effective as individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating individuals suffering from anxiety, depression and severe stress responses -- and it may be more affordable and convenient.

The research was conducted at 16 health care centers in Southern Sweden. A total of 215 patients with anxiety, depression or severe stress reactions were randomly sorted into either a regular treatment group, in which they underwent individual CBT sessions, or underwent 10-patient group mindfulness treatment sessions. Both programs lasted for eight weeks.

Before and after the treatments, the participants were asked to fill out questionnaires to determine the severity of their anxiety and depression symptoms. Among both groups, self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression decreased. The researchers noted that there was no statistical difference between the CBT and the mindfulness groups.  Earlier this year, a review of 47 studies showed that evidence of a positive effect of mindfulness on managing anxiety, depression and pain had been proven across a number of clinical trials.

"Clinicians should be prepared to talk with their patients about the role that a meditation program could have in addressing psychological stress," the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in January.

This reduction of symptoms is likely rooted in actual changes in the brain. In 2011, Harvard researchers found that participating in an eight-week mindfulness training program created significant changes in brain areas associated with sense of self, empathy, stress and memory. MRI data revealed that meditation increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, a region associated with learning and memory, and decreased density in the amygdala, a brain region associated with fear, anxiety and stress responses.

The findings were published online last week in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

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