LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: emotional distress

  • University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s part of statewide mental health research initiative

    University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s part of statewide mental health research initiative

    News release from UC News

    SOAR Study to identify risk and resiliency factors to improve behavioral health outcomes

    headshot of Tim TedeschiBy Tim Tedeschi

     

    The University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital are part of a collaborative research initiative designed to identify contributors to the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide and drug overdose in the state of Ohio.

    The SOAR Study investigates the role of underlying biological, psychological and social factors.

    The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is funding this statewide research project with an initial $20 million grant. Like other areas of the country, Ohio has seen a rise in mental illness, suicide and deaths related to drug overdose over the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these problems.

    “The causes of these diseases remain largely a mystery to clinical experts and the public,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of OhioMHAS. “The SOAR Study has the potential to help future generations better understand risk factors, effective mitigation strategies and techniques to build resiliency — in short, the study has the potential to curb disease and save lives.”

    SOAR is studying Ohioans in their local communities, using an integrated “bring science to the people” approach. It is creating a statewide medical research and development ecosystem to drive continued advances in mental health, substance use prevention and treatment interventions.

    The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects.

    Better understanding biomarkers of risk and resilience among Cincinnatians is in line with our department’s vision to advance the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. – Cal Adler, MD

    Focusing on breadth, the SOAR Wellness Discovery Survey is engaging as many as 15,000 people across all 88 Ohio counties. Researchers want to uncover how strengths and skills may be related to overcoming adversity. Those strengths will inform researchers about which factors to focus on to develop new treatments. This portion is underway, with more than 300,000 postcards mailed out to residents statewide.

    Focusing on depth, the SOAR Brain Health Study will comprehensively study as many as 3,600 Ohioans in family groups to examine the biological, psychological and social factors that help explain response to adversity, with longer-term goals of personalizing individual care.

    The SOAR Study will engage a multidisciplinary team of experts from UC and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University, Central State University, Kent State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Case Western/University Hospital-Cleveland, Ohio University, University of Toledo and Wright State University.

    CALEB ADLER WITH UC LAB COAT PSYCHIATRY
    Cal Adler, MD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.

    Faculty and staff in UC’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience will enroll approximately 500 Ohioans who will complete study procedures such as MRIs, EEGs, neuropsychological assessments, biospecimen collection and questionnaires.

    “Better understanding biomarkers of risk and resilience among Cincinnatians is in line with our department’s vision to advance the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders,” said Cal Adler, MD, professor, vice chair of research, co-director of the Division of Bipolar Disorders Research, director of the Center for Imaging Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UC’s College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. “We have already begun to enroll Ohio families and anticipate engaging over 200 participants over the next year.”

    “This important SOAR Study builds on our long-standing academic health mission, and we are proud to champion this vital research to help all Ohioans,” said John J. Warner, MD, chief executive officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and executive vice president at Ohio State. “Mental health care is health care, and this study will help us inform prevention and treatment strategies to advance patient-centered care and influence the way we train our future care providers.”

    Leaders of the study say SOAR aims to do for addiction, mental illness and mental health what Framingham Heart Study researchers did for heart disease and heart health. Launched in 1948, the multigenerational Framingham Heart Study has enrolled more than 15,000 study participants over 75 years, resulting in major life-saving advancements about heart disease risk factors.

    “Our approach with the SOAR Study will allow us to identify the factors that can be modified to reduce risk and build resilience,” said SOAR Study principal investigator K. Luan Phan, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ohio State. “We won’t be able to ‘bend the curve’ on the growing number of deaths of despair, such as those from addiction and suicide, until we go upstream to better understand their etiology. SOAR is the first statewide, multigenerational comprehensive study in the nation that will offer a new roadmap for developing better treatments and cures that will improve and save lives.”

    Impact Lives Here

    The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city’s direction. Next Lives Here.

    If you are interested in participating in this study, please reach out to the UC study coordinator, Rachel, at 513-558-5319.

    If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

  • 988 is the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

    988 is the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

    The Lifeline and 988

    Starting on July 16, 2022

    988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While some areas may be currently able to connect to the Lifeline by dialing 988, this dialing code will be available to everyone across the United States starting on July 16, 2022.

    When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

    The current Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, even after 988 is launched nationally.

    The Lifeline’s network of over 200 crisis centers has been in operation since 2005, and has been proven to be effective. It’s the counselors at these local crisis centers who answer the contacts the Lifeline receives every day. Numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor. 

    Answer the call! These centers are looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees. You will receive training, so if you are a caring person who wants to help those in crisis, apply today. Find your opportunity: samhsa.gov/988-jobs

    For ways to support your local Lifeline network crisis center, visit our Crisis Centers page here. 

    To learn about the impact of the Lifeline, visit our new By the Numbers page.

    To learn about what happens when you call, text, or chat with the Lifeline, click here.

    To learn more about the history of 988, visit here. 

    To learn how Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administrator of the Lifeline, has been supporting states’ implementation planning for 988 through grants, check here.

    If you’re a Veteran, Service Member or loved one and want to know more about how 988 will affect the Veterans Crisis Line, click here.

    988 is not yet active across all communications access points in the United States. If you or someone you know is in crisis now, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or visit Vibrant Emotional Health’s Safe Space for digital resources.