Abstract
To explore the receipt of mental health education, assessment, and referrals, and mental health service use among individuals with vestibular disorders. Patients with vestibular disorders living in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK were surveyed through social media forums. Questionnaires assessed demographics, anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression-10), dizziness (Dizziness Handicap Inventory), and type of professional providing mental health education, assessment, referral, and treatment. The 226 participants were largely White (90%), educated (67% holding an associate’s degree or higher) women (88%) with an average age of 45 who self-identified as having chronic vestibular symptoms (78%), as opposed to episodic ones (22%). Fifty-two percent reported never receiving verbal education, written education (69%), mental health assessment (54%), or referral (72%). Participants were more likely to receive mental health treatment in the past if they had received verbal resources and/or referrals from clinicians. The majority of patients with vestibular disorders report that medical professionals have not provided education, mental health assessment, or a mental health referral.
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The authors thank the Vestibular Disorders Association for supporting this project through participant recruitment.
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Emily O. Kostelnik, PhD: Designed the study; communicated with Facebook Group Administrators for posting survey information; created survey; consulted on statistical procedure; wrote Introduction and Discussion; provided detailed edits on the manuscript; and scheduled and ran research meetings for the group. Lindsay M. Howard, PhD: Consulted on study design and survey content; exported the data, cleaned data, ran statistical analyses; wrote Methods and Results; created all tables; and provided detailed edits on the manuscript. James F. Paulson, PhD: Consulted on study design and survey content; provided guidance on statistical analyses and proper interpretation; and provided detailed edits on the tables and manuscript as a whole.
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The Emily O. Kostelnik operates a business that provides virtual behavioral health education for individuals with vestibular disorders. The business sells virtual courses and provides free education via social media; it is not a private psychology practice. The business’ social media pages were used as one of several means to recruit participants.
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Kostelnik, E.O., Howard, L.M. & Paulson, J.F. Mental Health Education and Utilization Among Patients with Vestibular Disorders. J Clin Psychol Med Settings (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-024-10022-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-024-10022-8