Alcohol use disorder remains a major public health concern, with persistent disparities in treatment outcomes. Traditional interventions often fail to account for the heterogeneity of drinking triggers, limiting their effectiveness. This study aims to develop and evaluate an idiographic, mobile-based clinical tool to identify personalized triggers for alcohol use. Idiographic methods allow for individualized assessments […]
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use often go hand in hand, with many people using substances like cannabis to manage their symptoms. This concept, known as the self-medication hypothesis, suggests that people might use cannabis differently depending on the nature of their symptoms. Symptoms are classically split into domains – hyperarousal, emotional numbing, re-experiencing, […]
First-episode substance-induced psychosis (SIP) presents a clinical challenge in which treatment decisions cannot rely on evidence-based guidelines and long-term outcomes are not well understood. Preliminary findings from our retrospective study of psychiatry inpatients at Harborview Medical Center (HMC) suggest that patients with first-episode SIP had similar rehospitalization rates to those with first-episode psychosis (FEP) but […]
Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD) are among the most heritable psychiatric conditions, yet their genetic foundations remain poorly understood. Historically, unraveling these disorders’ genetic architectures was limited by inadequate technology. However, breakthroughs in next-generation sequencing have recently produced expansive genomic datasets—including those from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)—for SCZ and BD. Simultaneously, genomic foundation […]
This research project focused on existential distress (death anxiety, existential isolation, true-self incongruence, inauthenticity, low self-concept clarity, and limited future time perspective) among individuals with chronic pain, PTSD, and co-occurring chronic pain and PTSD.
Death by suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young adults in the United States. While most patients who die by suicide have had recent contact with their health care providers, the medical delivery system is poorly equipped to address this preventable issue. EMA (ecological momentary assessment) systems show promise as indicators of […]
The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated simultaneous paradigm shifts in healthcare delivery: virtual care (telehealth and videoconferencing) and the need for “Whole Person” healthcare that targets mind, body, and spirit, per recent US Surgeon General1 and National Academy of Medicine2 calls-to-action. The pandemic also highlighted treatment delivery inequities involving rural Veterans. The current proposal will address these […]
The objective of the project is to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Acute Pain Services Expansion Program (APSEP), an expansion of the independent and formal set of services that provide comprehensive inpatient pain management consultative services and is designed to meet perioperative care needs of veterans receiving inpatient pain management.
The aim of the project is to conduct a pragmatic pilot trial of a CIH-based stepped care approach v. treatment as usual in two primary care settings (one rural and one urban). The pilot trial will focus on feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness for providers and patients (e.g., randomization, retention, and treatment satisfaction) of the stepped […]
