American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conferen

Severely mentally ill patients often lack access to primary medical care compared with the general population, leading to increased risk of health care complications and emergency room visits.

More than one in three adults with a mental illness smoke cigarettes, compared with about one in five adults with no mental illness, according to the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Twenty percent of Americans smoke and one in five has a mental illness.

Addiction is a chronic and progressive brain disease of the reward, motivation, and memory pathway that moves from an impulse or positive reinforcement to compulsive and negative reinforcement.

Treatment failure can be caused by a variety of factors, including misdiagnosis of the primary psychiatric complaint, the presence of one or more comorbid conditions, and nonadherence to medication plans.

When treating patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, you should consult with their oncologist to brainstorm interventions that can help your patient have the best possible quality of life.

Prolonged exposure therapy can help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder overcome the fear, anxiety, and depression that can lead to avoidance behaviors and other responses that negatively impact quality of life.

A pattern of sleep disturbance is a risk factor for depression and suicide and also increases the risk of cancer, infection, hypertension, weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, osteoporosis, chronic pain, and arrhythmias. It can also have a significant negative impact on cognition and creativity.

How can clinicians help veterans with PTSD deal with depression and anxiety symptoms, and process intense feelings of shame and guilt stemming from actions and situations they experienced while serving?

Adolescent depression is a serious mental illness that results in negative health consequences and frequently recurs later in life. Although the prevalence rate of depression is around 20 percent among African American and European-American adolescents, the associated risks and utilization rates vary greatly.