Kathryn Kieran

• MSN
• Instructor at MGH Institute for Health Professions

Background Although small, the African immigrant population is one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. Emerging research indicates a high prevalence of noncommunicable preventable chronic conditions in this population. Like other African Americans, African immigrants are mistrustful of the health care system, hamperin...

Dissociation is a well-established outcome of early life trauma, but school nurses may not be aware of resources and recommendations available to support students who experience it. If dissociation or behaviors consistent with dissociation are present, trauma-informed care (TIC) principles can guide individualized care of the student. Part I of thi...

Dissociation is a normal life adaptation that can become pronounced and disruptive in the setting of repeated or extreme exposure to trauma. Children and adolescents may experience dissociation due to a trauma or stressor-related disorder, anxiety, or depressive disorders. Children and adolescents also may mimic behavior they see online as a way of...

Aim Examine frameworks of myth in the theory and treatment of sequalae of intimate and interpersonal traumas, often seen and experienced by practicing nurses. Design A discursive narrative review using a trauma‐informed lens. Methods Review of existing frameworks using myth to understand or treat trauma. Due to limited literature from 1945 to 202...

Gain a patient and family perspective of the mental health effects of strabismus.

Various forms of existing and emerging technology are playing an increasing role in psychiatric treatment of older individuals. A patient-centered discussion of initiating digital care must begin with collecting an inventory of what devices or technology the patient currently owns and assessing their access and proficiency in using the internet and...

Apathy is characterized by a lack of initiation, planning, and execution of previous activities and interests, in the absence of low mood, guilt, and altered self-concept. The presence of depression needs to be initially assessed for and continuously monitored, as these conditions often coexist. Hearing and vision deficits, as well as physical weak...

What Do I Do Now? Geriatric Psychiatry answers a basic question: What are the key differences in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders in older individuals compared to young and middle-aged adults? On the one hand, across the lifespan there are many of the same psychiatric disorders that have the same basic symptomatic manifestations...

Awareness of trauma’s effects in the world, our patients, and ourselves helps us be more empathic and responsive medication prescribers. Trauma-informed care (TIC) practice is central in treating patients with histories of trauma. Patients overwhelmingly struggle with polypharmacy due to increased medical illness, comorbid mood, and substance use d...

First responders are regularly confronted with exposure to traumatic events, including potentially life-threatening situations as well as the grave injuries and deaths of colleagues and civilians. Evidence indicates that the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is substantially higher among first responders than the general population...

Patients with trauma histories frequently confront polypharmacy, and the prescribing relationship can be rife with miscommunication. The deprescribing model, borrowed from gerontology, is discussed as a potential way forward. Maintaining rational pharmacotherapy in the face of obstacles both within and without the treatment is addressed. Strategies...

This paper explores the experiences of women who “hear voices” (auditory verbal hallucinations). We begin by examining historical understandings of women hearing voices, showing these have been driven by androcentric theories of how women’s bodies functioned leading to women being viewed as requiring their voices be interpreted by men. We show the...