ABSTRACT
Introduction: The incomplete effectiveness of interventions demands new ways to help people diagnosed with schizophrenia who experience auditory verbal hallucinations (SZ-AVH). We aimed to perform a feasibility study of low-resolution electromagnetic tomography analysis (LORETA) neurofeedback with people exhibiting treatment-resistant SZ-AVH. Method(s): We examined changes in resting-state quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) in four people with SZ-AVH (three male, one female) after LORETA Z-score neurofeedback training. Result(s): The study design had to be amended due to a national COVID-19 lockdown. Neurofeedback was well tolerated and no participants dropped out. Recruitment was the main feasibility issue. Barriers included a lack of knowledge of neurofeedback by patients and mental health teams, as well as the travel and time commitment involved. For the only patient who completed all 20 sessions, elevated frontal, central, and temporal theta absolute power measured at baseline normalized after treatment, but decreased temporal delta and an increase in coherence for all frequency bands were also found. Conclusion(s): Two key lessons were drawn for the feasibility of trials of EEG neurofeedback in this population. First, significant effort is needed to educate mental health professionals and patients about neurofeedback. Second, the equipment employed for neurofeedback training needs to be physically based at a site where patients routinely attend.Copyright © 2022. Amico et al.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims In January 2020 art therapy was offered to rheumatology patients at the Great North Children's Hospital supported by the Teapot Trust, as open groups and 1:1 ward-based interventions. However, this service was suspended due to Covid 19 restrictions. In response to these restrictions and to the needs of the patients we offered weekly online art therapy groups. Methods The rheumatology team referred patients directly to the art therapist and groups were allocated. The aim was to provide a safe space for the exploration of difficult thoughts and feelings and to give opportunities for peer support and interaction. Group members defined their own goals, including: 'to feel less worried about medical procedures' or 'to feel less lonely'. Parents also identified goals, including: 'to provide something different for their child to associate with rheumatology treatment.' Themes brought to sessions included medical anxiety, isolation, coping with loss, feeling different, resilience, control, independence and identity. Progress in therapy was measured using Goal Based Outcomes and online surveys, allowing children to report on their own progress. Results After six sessions all group participants reported progress towards meeting their individual goals. Clinical staff shared: 'the last 18 months has been challenging for our patients and the need for additional therapy cannot be underestimated', 'we have had to adapt to provide art therapy and the ease of referral has made my job easier', 'our patients have valued and enjoyed their sessions, they can connect with each other so don't feel so isolated with their diagnosis or treatment.' Parent feedback included: my daughter 'was not in a very good place, she was very down and also grieving, these sessions have been invaluable to her, she has gained a lot of confidence in talking about her feelings and expressing them through art has been a great help.' My child 'has been able to speak to other children like herself. To make friends and to open up a bit more.' 'I have been surprised by how much of what they put down on paper was about the hospital. These are things that they don't talk about and it has been an eye opener for me.' Patient's feedback included: it was important 'to discuss my feelings in a safe environment without anyone thinking they were silly', 'Thank you for helping me express my feelings and have confidence to speak out'. Conclusion Offering art therapy online creates a forum for sharing experiences and developing a community. It has shown a positive impact on the wellbeing of the patients and their carers. In response to the positive feedback, the service will continue on a rolling basis.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus pandemic is challenging the existing global economic order and the risk of infection is reordering the way people interact. Communication technologies have provided new ways of managing social activities and maintaining social order. The digital health code is a technology developed to digitize health and mobility via mobile devices;its objective is to restore the flow and control of the physical body in a post-pandemic society. This paper examines the digital health code in post-pandemic China. Through analysis of its technical structure, government policies and the use of the digital health code, the paper explores how this social biotechnology reconstructs the notion of health, how it restores mobility and in doing so how it strikes a balance between biosecurity and capital accumulation in post-pandemic societies. © AMIC/WKWSCI-NTU 2021.