Scholars@Duke
Miriam Helen Feliu

Miriam Helen Feliu

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychology
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Selected Publications

Emotional reactions to pain predict psychological distress in adult patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

Journal Article Int J Psychiatry Med · 2014 Differentiating somatic from emotional influences on the experience of chronic pain has been of interest to clinicians and researchers for many years. Although prior research has not well specified these pathways at the anatomical level, some evidence, bot ... Full text Link to item Cite

Body Image in a Sample of Adult African American Males and Females with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Journal Article Journal of African American Studies · March 1, 2011 Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects developmental maturation causing a delay in secondary sex characteristics associated with puberty. There is little data on the impact of SCD on body image, a well-established risk factor for eating disorders among young wo ... Full text Cite

Opioid management and dependency among adult patients with sickle cell disease.

Journal Article Hemoglobin · 2011 While pain is one of the most debilitating symptoms of sickle cell disease, narcotics remain an effective although controversial widely practiced intervention. Vaso-occlusive crises are the most common cause for seeking pharmacological treatment. The influ ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neurocognitive testing and functioning in adults sickle cell disease.

Journal Article Hemoglobin · 2011 The impact of cerebrovascular events (CVE) on cognitive functioning in adults with sickle cell disease is not well understood. Sequelae of CVEs can adversely impact their quality of life. We reviewed neurocognitive presentation and testing in adults with s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Somatization in the conceptualization of sickle cell disease.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · November 2010 The unpredictable nature of sickle cell disease (SCD) and its social and environmental consequences can produce an unhealthy and almost exclusive focus on physical functioning. At the upper range of this focus on health concerns is somatization. In the cur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychologic factors in the development of complex regional pain syndrome: history, myth, and evidence.

Journal Article Clin J Pain · 2010 OBJECTIVE: The present paper examines the literature that addresses psychologic aspects involved in complex regional pain syndrome from a historic perspective to provide a rationale for the emergence of psychologic theories to explain its pathogenesis. The ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression, suicidal ideation, and attempts in black patients with sickle cell disease.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · November 2009 There is a strong relationship between suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and depression. Rates of successful suicides are relatively high among the chronically ill compared to other populations but are reduced with treatment. Depression and suicide rate ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pain coping in Latino populations.

Journal Article J Pain · October 2009 UNLABELLED: Although there has been a rapid increase in Latino populations in the United States over the last 10 years, health research with Latino cultural groups is sorely lacking. In the area of pain-coping research, one consequence of the limited resea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Religious coping and pain associated with sickle cell disease: Exploration of a non-linear model

Journal Article Journal of African American Studies · March 1, 2009 The current study tested a non-linear model of religious coping among Black patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). We predicted that moderate prayer and church attendance would be associated with less severe affective and sensory ratings of pain, lower l ... Full text Cite

Coping as predictor of psychiatric functioning and pain in patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Journal Article Journal of African American Studies · March 1, 2009 Coping is recognized as an increasingly important consideration in the management of chronic disease. Prayer, hostility and John Henryism appeared to be the most frequently discussed but least understood coping strategies associated with health outcomes in ... Full text Cite

Neuropsychological effects and attitudes in patients following electroconvulsive therapy.

Journal Article Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat · June 2008 The current study examined the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on neuropsychological test performance. Forty-six patients completed brief neuropsychological and psychological testing before and after receiving ECT for the treatment of recalcitra ... Full text Link to item Cite

Misestimation of peer tobacco use: understanding disparities in tobacco use.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · March 2008 Blacks experience disproportionately elevated rates of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Blacks experience delayed smoking initiation relative to other racial/ethnic groups, highlighting the importance of examining smoking correlates occurring in la ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, and neuropsychiatric evaluation in pediatric and adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Journal Article Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat · December 2007 Traditionally, neuropsychological deficits due to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) have been understudied in adults. We have begun to suspect, however, that symptomatic and asymptomatic Cerebrovascular Events (CVE) may account for an alarming number of deficits i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fear of movement (kinesiophobia), pain, and psychopathology in patients with sickle cell disease.

Journal Article Clin J Pain · October 2007 OBJECTIVES: Fear of movement (ie, kinesiophobia) has emerged as a significant predictor of pain-related outcomes including disability and psychologic distress across various types of pain (eg, back pain, headache, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reconsideration of the training of psychiatrists and mental health professionals: helping to make soup.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · September 2006 For many years, we have known of deficits in our system of training mental health professionals, particularly in recognizing and integrating diversity. Recently, we have begun to understand that our literature must more authentically reflect the experience ... Link to item Cite

Parental substance abuse, reports of chronic pain and coping in adult patients with sickle cell disease.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · March 2006 There is increasing interest from a social learning perspective in understanding the role of parental factors on adult health behaviors and health outcomes. Our review revealed no studies, to date, that have evaluated the effects of parental substance abus ... Link to item Cite

Moderate chronic pain, weight and dietary intake in African-American adult patients with sickle cell disease.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · December 2005 In this exploratory study, we evaluated weight status and dietary intake patterns during painful episodes in adult patients with SCD. Specifically, we explored the relation between pain severity and body mass index (BMI), and we tested the hypothesis that ... Link to item Cite

A brief review of the pathophysiology, associated pain, and psychosocial issues in sickle cell disease.

Journal Article Int J Behav Med · 2005 Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disorder of the blood. The disease produces significantly abnormal hemoglobin (Hgb) molecules in red blood cells (RBCs). The sickling of RBCs occurs when partially or totally deoxygenated Hgb molecules d ... Full text Link to item Cite