Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE: The authors describe an integrated area of study for undergraduate college students that targets an increase in knowledge of mental health issues in children, adolescents, and emerging adults; encourages mental health service utilization on college campuses; and exposes young minds to the possibilities of working with children and adolescents in the mental health field. METHODS: An overview of the program is provided, including the resources required to oversee and manage the program, student requirements, a description of the role that clinicians and researchers play as the program faculty, and an explanation of the tuition model. RESULTS: The program currently includes 40 courses with an annual enrollment of over 3000 students, resulting in departmental revenues that currently exceed $11 million per year. Student evaluations of the courses are very positive, and in a program survey students reported that their participation in the program had a positive impact on their life (84.2 %) and impacted their career choice (60.2 %). CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of the program include a valuable outreach to college students regarding the importance of seeking help for mental health issues, a positive influence on early career decision-making, opportunities for clinical and research educators to develop their scholarly areas of interest, and a significant source of departmental discretionary revenues.

OBJECTIVE The chronic workforce shortage in child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) remains a germane issue that has been difficult to deal with effectively. Collaboration between medical schools without sufficient CAP resources and those with enough to share may help improve interest in the field. METHOD This lecture series piloted a collaborative effort between CAP residents from a Midwest academic center and student-led interest groups from two osteopathic medical schools. CAP residents led nine interactive lectures with medical students on relevant topics, using video-teleconferencing. Baseline and follow-up surveys were used to assess attitudes and responses to the lecture series. RESULTS A group of 175 students completed the baseline survey; 43 students completed the follow-up survey; 21 of 43 (48%) reported that the lectures would positively influence their career choice toward CAP. CONCLUSION Interactive lectures via video teleconferencing demonstrated potential to improve medical students' exposure to CAP, and they were well received in this initial pilot study.

This presentation will describe an innovative program for recruiting child and adolescent psychiatrists and other mental health workers coupled with an innovative funding mechanism that we believe can be replicated elsewhere. In the United States, 70,000 undergraduate students are conferred Bachelor's degrees in Psychology annually, yet few of these students enter child psychiatry or psychology; the story is undoubtedly no different the world over. In an effort to address this severe shortage of practitioners and to increase awareness of the unique mental health concerns of children, adolescents, and families, we launched the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS) undergraduate college minor at New York University in 2006. Our success with this program, including the importance of identifying program goals, building coalitions, creating an advisory board, selecting relevant teaching materials and instructors, and establishing a viable financial model, will all be presented in detail. Student enrollment and demographics, course evaluation data, program growth, and earned income attest to the great success of the program

Mental health practitioners who treat children and adolescents are in short supply. The United States Federal Bureau of Health Professions has named child and adolescent psychiatry as the most underserved of all medical subspecialties, and a similar shortage exists worldwide. "CAP-tivated: A Short Story about Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" is a 10 minute movie produced by the American Academy of Child and Psychiatry and Campaign for America's Kids. The film follows four child and adolescent psychiatrists as they work with youth and families and engage in clinical care, research and education in a broad variety of settings. The film acts as a public education tool to be employed primarily with medical students and general psychiatry residents to encourage their interest in child and adolescent psychiatry. This presentation will begin with a viewing of the film and be followed by a discussion of how to most effectively use this unique tool in addressing the universal shortage of child mental health workers

This study examined the relationship between herbal medication and dietary supplement (HMDS) use and mental health characteristics. Data are drawn from a national household survey of the United States' civilian, non-institutionalized population (N = 9,585). Psychiatric medication and HMDS use, psychiatric diagnoses and treatment needs, utilization and satisfaction were assessed. Compared to non-users, HMDS users were more likely to perceive themselves as having mental health needs, to have received mental health and primary care treatment, and to be dissatisfied with their overall healthcare. Psychiatric medication use was not related to HMDS use, and in multivariate analyses, HMDS use was associated with perceived mental health needs. Differences in use of specific HMDS between those with and without a psychiatric disorder were also examined. The use of HMDS warrants particular attention in persons with perceived mental health problems as these individuals may be turning to HMDS use for treatment of their symptoms

Childhood parasomnias and movement disorders arise from a variety of etiologic factors. For some children, psychopathology plays a causal role in sleep disorders; in other cases, recurrent parasomnia episodes induce psychopathology. Current research reveals complex interconnections between sleep and mental health. As such, it is important that clinicians consider the impact psychiatric disorders have on childhood parasomnias. This article describes common parasomnias and movement disorders in children and adolescents, with emphasis on psychologic and behavioral comorbidities

OBJECTIVE: Mentorship is an important component of graduate education. This study assessed the perceptions of general psychiatry chief residents regarding the adequacy of mentorship provided during training. METHODS: The authors surveyed 229 chief residents participating in the APA National Chief Residents Leadership Program in 2004 and 2005. The survey assessed domains such as work hours, didactics, home and family life, and mentorship. RESULTS: Of the chief psychiatric residents surveyed, 49% reported that they did not have a clearly defined career development mentor, and 39% reported that they did not feel adequately mentored. Gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, moonlighting, medical school (American versus international), and type of residency program (academic versus community based) did not show significant association with either 'having a clearly defined mentor' or 'feeling adequately mentored,' based on chi-squared tests for independence. Chief residents who had authored peer-reviewed publications were significantly more likely to report having a clearly defined mentor and to feel adequately mentored than those who did not author publications. Logistic regression analysis showed that having a clearly defined mentor was associated with twice the odds for feeling well prepared to practice psychiatry upon graduation compared with those who did not have a clearly defined mentor, even after controlling for gender, race, medical school, and residency program type. CONCLUSION: Half of the psychiatric chief residents surveyed reported the lack of a clearly defined career development mentor. In addition, a chief resident's response of lacking a clear mentor was associated with the perception of being less prepared to practice psychiatry upon graduation. Psychiatric residency training programs may benefit from further clarification and implementation of effective mentorship programs