Research
“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” said Dr. Alyssa Howren, a research trainee at Arthritis Research Canada who is currently completing postdoctoral research at Stanford University. “We know that having a mental health disorder can affect a person’s response to medications and their ability to achieve remission.”
Howren has conducted extensive research to understand the connection between arthritis and mental health.
“My main hope is that this research helps people feel that their experiences with respect to their mental health are validated,” Howren said. “I hope it helps them find courage to move past societal stigmas, have discussions about mental health and optimize their wellbeing.”
Expand the menu below and click the links to learn more about arthritis and mental health research at Arthritis Research Canada.
Mental Health Research
- Do individuals with Inflammatory Arthritis Receive Minimally Adequate Treatment for Incident Depression and Anxiety: A population-based study
- “What Came First?” Population-Based Evaluation of Health Care Encounters for Depression and Anxiety Before and After Inflammatory Arthritis Diagnosis: Disentangling the Relationship Between Mental Health and Arthritis
- Impact of Loneliness and Social Isolation on Mental Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Rheumatic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Virtual Rheumatology Appointments During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Survey of Perspectives of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases
- Epidemiology of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- The Incidence of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Epidemiology of Depression and Anxiety in Gout: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Defining Depression and Anxiety in Individuals With Rheumatic Diseases Using Administrative Health Databases: A Systematic Review
Research Scientist
Dr. Alyssa Howren, MSc and PhD
Research Trainee, Arthritis Research Canada | Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Dr. Alyssa Howren is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Department of Epidemiology and Population Health in the School of Medicine. Dr. Howren completed her MSc and PhD training at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. During this time, she was a trainee at Arthritis Research Canada.
Her research focuses on the complex relationship between depression, anxiety and inflammatory arthritis. She has also done research to understand how people living with inflammatory arthritis, and mental health disorders, receive medical treatment.
Dr. Howren’s postdoctoral research at Stanford will evaluate whether biases in clinical decision-making contribute to sex and gender differences observed in the diagnosis of major depressive disorders.
