Compassion focused therapy: An evolutionary and biopsychosocial understanding of depression and its management

Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is an evolution-informed biopsychosocial approach and thereby has sought to explore some of the evolved mechanisms that may underpin depression and how they are activated and regulated throughout the course of a person's life. The essence of a CFT approach is that motivations (social mentalities) regulate multiple functions, and that, when individuals get caught in threat-focused competitiveness and a sense of social isolation and disconnection, they are at risk of stimulating a whole range of psychophysiological states that will move them towards depression states. Depression is often comorbid with many other conditions such as eating disorders, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In regard to the cognitive competencies, depression affects attention, concentration and memory, styles of reasoning, and rumination. There are also multiple changes in the autonomic nervous system and increasing evidence that diets that are 'inflammatory' and can affect the immune system are linked to increasing rates of depression. Sleep difficulties are particularly important and can lead to a spiral of fatigue and depression. Lockdowns associated with Covid-19 have significantly increased the incidence of depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The lived experience of older, independent residents during the COVID-19 pandemic

The growing older population confronting the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic have a story to tell of their experiences that may influence the way society confronts future pandemics. Little research has been done on older adults in independent living communities and their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to fill that gap using the biopsychosocial model as a framework to guide the exploration of the research question addressing the lived experiences of older, independent residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a basic qualitative analysis design, a purposive sample of 10 participants from a continuing care retirement community were recruited by flyer for telephone interviews. Participant inclusion criteria were they must be 65 years old or older, lived at the facility since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, display no self-reported cognitive disability, and be fluent in English. The interview questions were developed from the literature review, theoretical framework, and pilot tests. Each interview was transcribed verbatim, coded in vivo, and sorted by codes before being analyzed thematically. Results indicated that participants were resilient and grateful while at the same time suffering from loneliness and grief. A surprising result was that the majority of participants responded in the negative to questions about depression and anxiety, known as the positivity effect. The implications for positive social change are twofold;the findings can be used (a) for the prospective development of marketing applications in health that take advantage of the positivity effect evidenced by older adults and (b) to develop a greater understanding of the older adult and improve communication with this cohort. . (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Telepsychology as the primary mental health care response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

In the Philippines, by the end of January 2020 strong mitigating measures were taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The standard procedures that were practiced before the pandemic were no longer applicable because of the quarantine and distancing protocol. Schools, churches, shopping malls, leisure centers, and private clinics, with the exception of hospitals, pharmacies, and other establishments that offer essential items and services, closed down. There was no other recourse but to use technologies to transact business and to provide services. The pandemic has triggered bio-psychosocial distress and has aggravated "eco-anxiety" among those affected by these endless calamities. Unpublished reports have revealed that the pandemic has triggered anxiety, sleeplessness, panic attacks, depression, and maladjustment. Medical and other front-line personnel are among those experiencing psychological discomforts. The author draws from his own work in providing telepsychological support and discusses profound issues related to justice and ethics. Multiple factors in the Filipino society complicate telepsychology, starting with the fact that many people have slow internet connections. The author also proposes amendments to existing policies and protocols to make telepsychology more accessible. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Does human-dog attachment increase the resilience and resistance to COVID-19? A biopsychosocial approach and future research

(Portuguese) Este artigo e uma proposta biopsicossocial sobre a melhora da resiliencia a doencas, incluindo a COVID-19, devido ao apego afetivo entre humanos e caes. A resiliencia diz respeito a capacidade fisica e emocional do ser humano de responder positivamente aos eventos adversos, como as doencas. Recentemente, alguns autores propuseram hipoteses independentes sobre o papel da oxitocina (OT) e da imunidade cruzada para aumentar a resiliencia e a resposta contra o COVID-19. Estende-se a hipotese a um campo biopsicossocial, incluindo os beneficios bem conhecidos do apego afetivo humano-cao a saude humana. E proposto que as relacoes de afeto reciproco e forte entre humanos e caes podem aumentar a resiliencia ao COVID-19, devido ao papel do OT na resposta imune, somando-se a imunidade cruzada. Outros beneficios, como protecao emocional, conforto mental e alivio do estresse sao funcoes auxiliares dos caes na saude humana e vice-versa. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) Este articulo es una propuesta biopsicosocial sobre la mejora de la resiliencia a enfermedades, incluida la COVID-19, debido al apego afectivo entre humanos y perros. La resiliencia se refiere a la capacidad humana fisica y emocional de responder positivamente a los eventos adversos, como las enfermedades. Recientemente, algunos autores han propuesto hipotesis independientes sobre el papel de la oxitocina (OT) y la inmunidad cruzada para aumentar la resiliencia y la respuesta frente a la COVID-19. Aqui se extiende esa hipotesis al campo biopsicosocial, incluyendo los bien conocidos beneficios del apego afectivo humano-perro sobre la salud humana. Se propone que las relaciones de afecto fuerte y reciproco entre humanos y perros pueden aumentar la resiliencia a la COVID-19, debido al papel de la OT en la respuesta inmune, sumando inmunidad cruzada. Otros beneficios como amortiguar el efecto de las emociones, la comodidad mental y el alivio del estres son funciones complementarias de los perros en la salud humana y viceversa. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Favorable Adaptation during SARS-CoV-2-Pandemic as Told by Student-Athletes-A Longitudinal and Behavioral Study.

(1) Background: The aim was to explore the impact of adaptive responses (resilience factors) on student-athletes' behaviors during a stressful period of life during the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic of 2020 and 2021. (2) Methods: A constructivist-based grounded theory (CGT) was used guided by a biopsychosocial approach. Based on purposeful sampling, 22 male and female student-athletes were divided into four focus group interviews (FGI) seven months after the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic (October 2020) and 18 of these were followed up by FGI seven months later (May 2021). The mean age was 17.65 and they represented golf and handball. (3) Results: The CGT contained four main categories seven months after the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic outbreak: Social support, Self-discipline, Physical practice and recovery and Management of everyday life. Fourteen months after the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic outbreak, four additional main categories emerged: More extensive social support, Belief in the future, Self-awareness and Responsibility and problem-solving. (4) Conclusions: The CTG suggests that student-athletes' favorable adaptations to the stressful SARS-CoV-2-pandemic period 2020-2021 are based on a gradually developed ability to take responsibility for one's own actions, insight into the importance of deepened social interaction, belief in a positive post-COVID future and increased awareness of physical activity and its relation to perceived health.

Virtual interprofessional team care planning and communication for chronic pain management: An educational model

Ideal patient care involves interprofessional collaboration and therefore emphasizes the importance of communicating how roles and responsibilities differ to create a team environment critical for providing optimal patient care. In light of the ongoing opioid epidemic associated with chronic pain, this interprofessional simulation focused on utilizing an interprofessional team approach to recognize the biopsychosocial and pharmacologic aspects of chronic pain management through creation of a patient-centered care plan using a virtual platform. Virtual IPE events can be performed by institutions with limited access to other healthcare disciplines for remote learning opportunities and can be adapted to develop comprehensive strategies to evaluate effectiveness of learning interventions among varied disciplines. Participants from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Health Related Professions, including occupational and physical therapy, participated in the virtual simulation event. The format was chosen to adhere to current COVID-19 safety guidelines and facilitate easier scheduling between disciplines. The event included individual pre-work through an online learning management system leading to a 2-h virtual simulation event. Interprofessional Education Collaborative, or IPEC developed competencies focused on communication and teamwork to establish activity objectives. International Association for the Study of Pain, or IASP, pain curriculum outlines provided additional objectives and guided presented information on best practice approaches for interprofessional pain management. Objectives were evaluated through peer team feedback, peer discipline feedback, and assessment of the comprehensive team care plan that consisted of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic pain management strategies. Programmatic review demonstrated students were able to have effective communication that led to a holistic patient care plan at the end of this activity.

Is It "Aging" or Immunosenescence? The COVID-19 Biopsychosocial Risk Factors Aggravating Immunosenescence as Another Risk Factor of the Morbus. A Developmental-clinical Social Work Perspective.

COVID-19 has proliferated ageism. The impetus of this article is to show that immunosenescence is a risk factor to COVID-19 and not aging per se. Based on the idea that some older people are also healthier than younger ones, the emphasis of this article is on immunosenescence and not aging as a risk factor of COVID-19 complications. The paper utilizes a biopsychosocial approach to expound on the link between immunosenescence and COVID-19 risk factors. The article explores biological factors such as malnutrition, comorbidities, substance abuse, and sex. It also expands on psychosocial factors such as mental health disorders, homelessness, unemployment, lack of physical exercises, stigma, and discrimination. The article calls for gerontological social work to assume a developmental-clinical social work perspective to prevent the early onset and progression of immunosenescence. It calls for gerontological social work to prevent factors that promote unhealthy aging. The article promotes a preventative stance to practice and not just curative approaches. Treatment involves primary prevention which emphasizes on avoiding the onset of unhealthy aging. It is this approach that gerontological social work should aim also to address in building resilience in the face of pandemics.