Mental Health

Diabetes.co.uk: Raedeh Basiri quoted and her team’s research cited in story about the role of diet reducing risks linked to diabetes and mental health

tthoma8 — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 17:55:41 +0000

Diabetes.co.uk: Raedeh Basiri quoted and her team’s research cited in story about the role of diet reducing risks linked to diabetes and mental health tthoma8 Fri, 01/12/2024 - 12:55

In This Story

Raedeh Basiri, PhD, RDN

Study highlights pivotal role of diet in reducing risks linked to diabetes and mental health

Topics

Poor nutrition contributes to poor mental health and risk of diabetes

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 22:20:16 +0000

Poor nutrition contributes to poor mental health and risk of diabetes Mary Cunningham Mon, 11/20/2023 - 17:20

In This Story

Raedeh Basiri, PhD, RDN

People with diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) are two-to-three times more likely to have depression than people without, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current treatment includes therapy, medicine, or both. However, the understanding of the multifaceted relationship between nutrition, mental health, and DM is relatively new in scientific discourse. Mason researchers sought to learn about the connection between nutrition, diabetes, and mental health.

Two literature reviews from assistant professor Raedeh Basiri show that poor nutrition plays a dual role, contributing to both the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and impacting mental health, including anxiety and depression. According to the findings, mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and diabetes is also linked with an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety. Nutrition interventions can aid in both of these health issues.

“Our findings underscore the pivotal role of dietary choices in reducing the risks associated with both diabetes and mental health. The implications of these findings extend beyond the scientific community, as they hold promise for informing public health policies, health care practices, and dietary recommendations that can positively impact the general population, said Basiri, the lead author of the papers.

“Ultimately, the research seeks to empower individuals to make informed and health-promoting dietary choices that can serve as a proactive strategy for the prevention and management of diabetes, as well as anxiety and depression,” Basiri said.

More specifically, the team’s findings provide a comprehensive view of the relationship between dietary patterns, health outcomes, and the critical role of eating behavior in the context of type 2 diabetes and mental health.

The team found that eating foods rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Conversely, a diet with a large number of processed foods was found to have a negative effect, increasing the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety.

Additionally, the research team found that a diet with energy-dense foods but lacking in essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, selenium, chromium, and magnesium, is associated with the exacerbation of unfavorable symptoms in both mental health and the development of type 2 diabetes. This connection emphasizes the importance of nutrient-rich dietary choices for overall health and well-being.

“Current scientific evidence underscores the potential benefits of adopting a well-balanced dietary regimen in decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms while enhancing glycemic control in individuals with diabetes,” said Basiri.

“Exploring the Interrelationships between Diabetes, Nutrition, Anxiety, and Depression: Implications for Treatment and Prevention Strategies” was published in Nutrients in September 2023 with Mason Master of Science in Nutrition students Blessing Seidu and Mark Rudich as co-authors.

“Key Nutrients for Optimal Blood Glucose Control and Mental Health in Individuals with Diabetes: A Review of the Evidence” was published in Nutrients in September 2023 with Seidu and Mason Professor Lawrence Cheskin as co-authors.

Neither study received external funding.

Topics

Mason Researchers Create Digital Health Solution for Students Experiencing Academic, Mental Health Concerns

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:33:33 +0000

Mason Researchers Create Digital Health Solution for Students Experiencing Academic, Mental Health Concerns John Brandon C… Wed, 01/05/2022 - 09:33

Topics

Center for Health Equity

In This Story

Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Hong Xue, PhD

The intervention tool uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to detect a decline in undergraduate students' mental health and academic performance.

Students continue to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created additional barriers to their academic success and mental well-being. A team of researchers in the College of Health and Human Services is working to address these concerns with an early intervention tool specifically designed for students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds.

The research team includes Lawrence Cheskin, Hong Xue, Erika Kennedy, Xiaolu Cheng, and Shuo-yu Lin.

The team has created a predictive mobile app that integrates machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms to detect when students are encountering academic and mental health challenges. The app connects students who are exhibiting risk factors to appropriate resources, such as Mason’s Counseling and Psychological Services and students’ academic advisors.

Data suggests that minority and low-income students have a greater risk for developing a mental illness and a higher need for COVID-19 related interventions.

The research team leveraged data from the ongoing Health Starts Here research project to refine the machine learning analytics. The Health Starts Here cohort study collected information on 155 diverse undergraduate students’ mental health challenges caused by the pandemic. The team will compare that data with a new cohort of 582 Mason undergraduate students using the app throughout the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters.

"Offering earlier assistance through the app will increase retention rates of vulnerable populations, improve mental well-being, and provide new insight into the daily lived experiences of these groups," says Erika Kennedy, a Master of Public Health student and the user interface design editor for the app.

Lawrence Cheskin, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, and Hong Xue, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, serve as co-principal investigators for the research project. The research team also includes Mason alumna and former postdoctoral researcher Xiaolu Cheng and PhD candidate Shuo-yu Lin.

“Users are asked some pre-screen questions about their age, employment, how many credits they are taking, and so on,” says Cheng, who developed the app. “Upon completing the pre-screen, users access a survey about mental health within the app once per week.”

The app is programmed to detect inconsistencies in participants' survey responses, allowing for intervention if the app recognizes a student exhibits behavioral, emotional, and academic risk factors that will need addressing. All information that the app collects will be securely stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

“We chose to use the secure AWS environment to process, maintain, and store protected health information,” Cheng said.

The group of researchers examines the data to determine if the app is effective on undergraduate student success and mental well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The team is also analyzing demographic differences, such as race, in student success when accessing the digital health solution.

"Now that the app has been developed, the next step is focusing on [sharing] the tool so that other universities and students nationwide can access and benefit from it," says Kennedy.

Suicide and Depression has been Increasing among Adolescent Girls Since 2010: Challenging What We Think We Know

dhawkin — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 22:05:59 +0000

Suicide and Depression has been Increasing among Adolescent Girls Since 2010: Challenging What We Think We Know dhawkin Fri, 02/14/2020 - 17:05

Dr. Katherine M. Keyes was the second speaker in the College of Health and Human Services Dean’s Seminar Series on January 27, 2020. Keyes is an associate professor of epidemiology and co-director of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She shared her research and the current understanding on the increase of depressive symptoms and suicide in adolescent girls.

She challenged everyone in the room to come up with their own best explanations and then we can think of studies to test them.

What is happening with adolescent mental health?

Depressive episodes among males have remained constant, but they have increased among girls since 2010. The largest decrease in self-esteem was among girls who identify as a liberal or democrat following the 2016 election.

When looking at adolescent ER visits, the total number of visits for boys and girls has remained stable since 2010, while more of them have been for suicide attempts or ideation. In addition, completed suicides are increasing overall, and males are more likely to complete suicide than females.

Is the increase linked to drug and alcohol use (a historic predictor of depressive symptoms)?

Keyes is part of a long-time National Institute on Drug Abuse study, Monitoring the Future, which has been studying high school students since 1976 asking the same questions about drug and alcohol abuse so that they can be compared over time. They found that in the 90’s and early 2000’s, kids who binge drank were more likely to be depressed, but drug and alcohol have been going down since then.

“Declines in adolescent alcohol use are part of a broader decline in use of many substances and problem behaviors since the 90’s/2000’s,” Keyes explained. “We call this this ‘the great decline.’ And yet, depressive symptoms and suicide are increasing among this group, so this is a new trend we’re seeing.”

There are two exceptions to the great decline: use of cannabis and e-cigarettes. With the changes in legality for cannabis use within states, researchers questioned whether that had an effect. Both frequent use of cannabis and experimenting are increasing. Is this happening because certain states have legalized its use in one form or another? The consensus across the studies is that the legalization of cannabis has not increased adolescent use in the states it has been legalized in.

It appears that drug and alcohol use are not responsible for this 2010 increase. However, we need more research to understand the impact of e-cigarette use.

What about smart phones?

The iPhone was released in 2007, so this was one of the first questions researchers had – are smart phones responsible for these increases? While some studies have found a link between smart phone use and increased suicide, others have found a “goldilocks effect”—a little screen time is good, but too much has a detrimental effect on child and adolescent mental health.

In order to other potential influences on mental health, Orben and colleagues analyzed the many different ways adolescents spent their time and the effect on their mental health. They found that activities such as binge drinking were three times worse than smart phone use. Marijuana use was ten times worse for adolescent mental health. On the plus side, eating fruit was ten times better.

While excessive use of smart phones may have a negative effect on adolescent health, they are not solely responsible for the increase in depressive symptoms and suicide. There is something else going on here.

Keyes explains that while limiting excessive adolescent use of smart phones may be beneficial, we shouldn’t jump to taking away adolescent smart phones, as we have early indications that they can have a protective effect as well—offering a good way to deliver therapy.

Are adults experiencing a similar increase in depressive symptoms and suicide?

Yes and no. Adults in higher socioeconomic statuses (SES) are not seeing a decline in mental health. However, those in the lower SES certainly are. Adults in crisis have increased more than 30% in 10 years, and the group most likely to complete suicide are middle-aged men.

Adults are sleeping less. However, contrary to adolescent behavior, alcohol use among some adult groups has been increasing since the 2000)’s. Alcohol use has remained relatively constant among men (although they do drink more than women), and it has also remained constant among women with children or lower levels of education. The largest increase in alcohol use has been among middle-aged high-income and highly educated women who do not have children.

What can we do?

“The trends – adults drinking increasing, adolescent mental health, adult mental health, they’re not disconnected. These are the same people moving through historical time, and if you follow them as birth cohorts, you start to uncover critical trends,” Keyes explains. “This is why it’s so important to study people over the lifespan.”

Keyes recommends that we don’t stop with prevention efforts at age 18 and that we have programs—particularly for alcohol abuse prevention—beyond that.

“We still don’t know exactly why this increase in depressive symptoms and suicide is happening among young people in the United States, and so far, the research shows that it’s not due to any one thing,” Keyes explains.

Video Recording

View the full recording here. (YouTube)

Dean’s Seminar Series

This presentation was part of the College of Health and Human Services Dean’s Seminar Series. Learn more about the series, upcoming speakers, and RSVP.

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

admin_alpha — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 23:24:01 +0000

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA admin_alpha Tue, 10/20/2015 - 19:24

Associate Dean of Research, CPH
Professor, HAP

Contact Information

Email: aevanscu@gmu.edu

Phone: 703-993-5048
Building: Peterson Hall
Room 2911

CV

Download Alison Evans Cuellar curriculum vitae (CV) here.

Personal Websites

ORCID

Study Recruitment

Telehealth Study

Biography

Dr. Cuellar, Professor of Health Administration and Policy, has extensive research experience in health care systems, payer innovations, Medicaid policy, mental health, and justice involved populations. A health policy researcher, her contributions include work on evaluating new organizational forms, such as hospital systems and physician alliances and their effects on quality, efficiency, costs, prices, and equity. She is currently engaged in research related to Medicaid perinatal care, equity, and payment. In other work she has examined the intersection of behavioral health and the justice system; Medicaid policies and their impact on justice-involved youth and youth with behavioral health problems; on mental health courts as an innovative alternative for justice-involved juveniles; and on health care services for incarcerated youth and adults returning to the community. Her work has been funded by NIMH, NICHD, AHRQ, NIJ, SAMHSA, and private foundations including National Institute for Health Care Management, Robert Wood Johnson, and MacArthur.

Dr. Cuellar was recently appointed to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation committee. In addition, she serves as Chair of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) to which she was appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CPSTF is an independent, nonfederal panel of public health and prevention experts that provides recommendations and findings on programs, services, and other interventions to protect and improve population health.

Dr. Cuellar is a Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research, and is affiliated with the Mason Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research, a forum for policy-relevant research using micro-economic and micro-econometric methods hosted by GMU’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Previously, Dr. Cuellar served on the NASEM Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States which released its report in 2017. Previously, she was a member of a national collaborative Mental Health Policy network supported by the MacArthur Foundation. In 2005-2006, she spent the academic year as a visiting economist to the U.S. Department of Justice. Dr. Cuellar serves on the editorial board of Medical Care Research and Review and is co-editor of the Economic Grand Rounds column in the journal Psychiatric Services.

Dr. Cuellar served as Interim Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health and Human Services in 2018/2019. Prior to joining George Mason University Dr. Cuellar was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. Her work has been published in several journals, including Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Health Economics, American Journal of Public Health, Health Affairs, Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and Journal of General Internal Medicine among others.

Research

Research Interests

Payer Innovations
Medicaid Policy
Health care delivery systems
Physician and hospital integration
Mental health and substance use
Criminal justice systems

Publications

View Dr. Cuellar's ORCID for her publications.

Honors and Awards

Calderone Researcher Prize for Junior Faculty, 2005, Columbia University

Affiliations

Member, American Society of Health Economists
Member, International Health Economics Association
Member, AcademyHealth

Degrees

PhD, Health Services and Policy Analysis, Economics Concentration, University of California, Berkeley
MBA, University of Texas at Austin
BA with Highest Honors, University of Texas at Austin