Below is a list of articles, abstracts, book chapters, or handbooks authored by Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation staff. Due to copyright laws some articles are not available for full-text download. In most cases, these articles are available for purchase after searching the publisher's web site.
Matevosyan, N. (2009). Reproductive Health in Women with Serious Mental
Illnesses: A Review. Sexuality and Disability, 27(2), 109-118.
This review intends to determine the extent to which a serious mental illness (SMI) interferes with reproductive health (RH). The primary focus is the question of whether or not, women with SMI are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections, female cancer, unwanted pregnancies, and sexual dysfunction. Eighty-four original studies published 1971–2008 are identified through database, journal and Internet searches (PUBMED, ACOG, OMNI), and categorized by their focus and sampling techniques. RH related outcomes and their determinants (awareness, stigma, others) are considered as measurable outcomes. Women with SMI have more lifetime sex partners, low contraceptive usage, higher rates of unwanted pregnancies, and are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections. The review reveals a scant data about the awareness (knowledge, attitudes) in RH among women with SMI. The findings highlight the importance of integration of the RH education into the psychosocial rehabilitation programs.
Russinova, Z., Cash, D., & Wewiorski, N. (2009). Toward Understanding the Usefulness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses: Classification of Perceived Benefits. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 197(1), 69-73.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been gaining interest among individuals with serious mental illnesses. Yet, very little is known about how CAM may be beneficial to mental health. This study explored the specific benefits attributed to CAM by a national sample of 255 individuals with a serious mental illness who experienced CAM as having a positive impact on their mental health. Data about the CAM benefits were gathered through open-ended questions embedded in a mail survey that examined the patterns of CAM use in this population. Qualitative analysis revealed a wide spectrum of benefits that encompassed all major areas of human functioning, including physical, emotional, cognitive, self, social, spiritual, and overall functioning, and addressed both the improvement of psychiatric symptomatology and the promotion of functional recovery. Study findings provide useful information that can guide both everyday clinical practice and future research on the efficacy of CAM for psychiatric populations.
