Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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The development in Ireland of social work in Psychiatry of Old Age
- Author:
- NOLAN Damien
- Journal article citation:
- Irish Social Worker, 22(1), Autumn 2004, pp.19-22.
- Publisher:
- Irish Association of Social Workers
Provides an account of the key elements of the social work role in Psychiatry of Old Age, a specialist psychiatric service for older people concerned with mental disorders arising in people over the age of 65.
Screening for dementia in an Irish community sample using MMSE: a comparison of norm-adjusted versus fixed cut-points
- Authors:
- CULLEN Breda, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), April 2005, pp.371-376.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The MMSE is a widely-used instrument in screening for dementia in the community. The traditional cut-point of <24/30 may be unsuitable for use in some settings, due to biases in age and education. This study aimed to investigate whether cut-points derived from age- and education-specific norms would improve the performance of the MMSE as a screening tool for dementia and cognitive impairment in an Irish community setting, potentially reducing the number of onward referrals. A secondary aim was to obtain score norms in an Irish sample. One thousand one hundred and fifteen people aged over 65 (mean age 74.8±6.8 years; 68% female) were assessed in their own homes, using MMSE (world) and the AGECAT computerised diagnostic system for mental illness in the elderly. The performance of the MMSE in identifying case- and sub-case-level dementia was investigated using cut-points of <24 and <23, as well as adjusted cut-points based on published norms and norms derived from the Irish sample. Published norms did not prove useful in improving screening accuracy. Cut-points based on 10th percentile Irish norms and the <23 cut-point performed comparably well, both yielding 93% specificity, with overall accuracy of 90% and 91% respectively (as sensitivity was higher for the <23 cut-point). Locally-derived norms yielded better screening accuracy than did published norms or the traditional <24 cut-point. The importance of selecting an appropriate percentile cut-off when using norms is discussed. The best results were obtained with a simple <23 cut-point, and this may be optimal when screening for dementia in an Irish community setting.
Needs assessment in dementia
- Authors:
- MEANEY A. M., CROKE M., KIRBY M.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(4), April 2005, pp.322-329.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Resource allocation and service development traditionally focuses on diagnostic categories and consequent perceived need. Identification of the actual level of need in the elderly with dementia, and the degree to which it is unmet is necessary to plan services both individually and as a group. The aim of this study was to characterise the needs of a sample of community dwelling elderly patients with dementia who were referred to an old age psychiatry service in Ireland between July 2002 and July 2003. Eighty-two consecutively referred community dwelling patients with ICD-10 diagnosis of dementia were assessed on The Care Needs Assessment Pack for Dementia (CareNap-D). Data on needs across seven domains (health and mobility, self-care and toileting, social interaction, thinking and memory, behaviour and mental state, housecare, community living) is presented. Subjects had a mean of 33 (range: 13-56) identified needs. Approximately 1/3 of these were unmet with a mean of 13 (range: 0-37) and a mean of 20 (range: 4-39) were met. High levels of unmet need was identified in the domains of behaviour and mental state (84% of those with agitation) and of social interaction (79% of those with partaking in activities need). The specific item of repetitive questioning occurred in 68 individuals and was unmet in 88% of these cases. Increasing age, lower MMSE score, and living alone were associated with greater total levels of unmet need. This data underlines the degree of unmet need in the community dwelling elderly with dementia and the importance of developing a spectrum of services on the basis of the actual needs identified.
Mental disorders among the community-dwelling elderly in Dublin
- Authors:
- KIRBY M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, October 1997, pp.369-372.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Reports on a study to determine the prevalence of mental disorders among the community-dwelling elderly in the catchment area of a psychiatry service for the elderly in Dublin. Concludes that depression is the most common mental disorder among the elderly in Dublin. Found that the frequency of anxiety symptoms in the presentation of depression may be a factor in the under-diagnosis or misdiagnosis of depression in the community-dwelling elderly.
Disrupted transitions? Young adults and the COVID-19 pandemic
- Authors:
- SMYTH Emer, NOLAN Anne
- Publisher:
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 90
- Place of publication:
- Dublin
This study seeks to fill a gap in knowledge about the extent of disruption caused by the pandemic to young adults at a crucial time of transition in their lives and the consequences of this disruption for their mental health. It draws on an online survey, which was completed by 2,277 young adults, 33 per cent of the total sample, most of whom were 22 years of age at the time. The report focuses on disruption to employment, education and social activities, and associations with mental health and wellbeing. Chapter 2 provides a more detailed overview of the relevant national and international literature on these issues. Chapter 3 presents the results for disruptions to employment, education and social activities while Chapter 4 presents the results for mental health and wellbeing. We conclude in Chapter 5 with a summary and discussion of the findings, along with a set of implications for policy. While rates of serious illness and mortality due to COVID-19 among young people have been low, the impact on their daily lives has been substantial. The analysis in this report documents the disruptions to employment, education and daily activities of this group, and assesses the implications for their mental health and wellbeing. The scale of the disruption, and impact on mental health and wellbeing, was extensive. In terms of mental health, the data show large and significant increases in depressive symptoms between the ages of 20 and 22, with over 55 per cent of females, and 41 per cent of males, exceeding the threshold for clinically significant depression at age 22. (Edited publisher abstract)
Research watch: Coronavirus (COVID-19), mental health and social inclusion in the UK and Ireland
- Author:
- HOLTTUM Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 24(3), 2020, pp.117-123.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: This paper aims to examine recent papers on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, including implications for some of the groups of people already less included in society. Design/methodology/approach: A search was carried out for recent papers on mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: Two papers describe surveys of adults in the UK and Irish Republic in the first days of lockdown. Low income and loss of income were associated with anxiety and depression. These surveys could not examine distress in Black and minority ethnicities, who have higher death rates from COVID-19. Two surveys of children and young people report distress and what can help. One paper summarises a host of ways in which the pandemic may affect mental well-being in different groups, and what might help. Another calls for research to understand how to protect mental well-being in various groups. Originality/value: These five papers give a sense of the early days of the pandemic, especially in the UK. They also highlight the needs of some specific groups of people, or the need to find out more about how these groups experience the pandemic. They suggest some ways of trying to ensure that everyone has the best chance to thrive in the aftermath of the pandemic. (Edited publisher abstract)
Keyworkers’ experiences and perceptions of using psychological approaches with people experiencing homelessness
- Authors:
- BENSON Josephine, BRENNAN Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 21(2), 2018, pp.51-63.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore keyworkers’ experience and perceptions working with people experiencing homelessness and the use of psychologically informed approaches in an Irish context. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper a qualitative descriptive methodology was employed and face-to-face in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data collected were analysed using a thematic framework and transcribed by the researcher. Findings: It was the view of the keyworkers psychological approaches allowed them greater understanding of psychological trauma and its effects promotes safe physical and emotional environments builds rapport between staff and clients and enables keyworkers to work more effectively with people with complex needs. There was also convincing evidence staff are quite receptive to training. Originality/value: Given there is no research exploring the use of psychologically informed approaches in homelessness service settings, this study researched an area that has not yet been explored in Ireland. This qualitative descriptive research provides a platform from which further research can be conducted. It is hoped that highlighting the psychological issues of homeless people, the data obtained will help improve Irish homeless services, and the findings extracted beneficial in terms of future service developments, professional training and education. (Publisher abstract)
The relationship between perceived family support and depressive symptoms in adolescence: what is the moderating role of coping strategies and gender?
- Authors:
- HICKEY Emma, FITZGERALD Amanda
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 53(4), 2017, pp.474-481.
- Publisher:
- Springer
This study examined the moderating role of gender and coping strategies in the relationship between perceived family support, self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Data were used from the My World Survey Second Level (MWS-SL), a national survey of mental health among 6062 young people aged 12–19 years. Conditional process analyses indicated that planned coping moderated the relationship between perceived family support and depressive symptoms for those engaging in low-moderate levels but not high levels of planned coping, and this moderating role was stronger for females than males. Avoidance coping was a moderator for those engaging in moderate-high but not low levels of avoidance coping, and gender also moderated this relationship. Support-focused coping only moderated the perceived family support/depressive symptoms relationship for females. Findings suggest that the strength of the relationship between perceived family support and depressive symptoms depends on level of engagement with a particular coping strategy, and this engagement is a consistently stronger moderator for females. (Publisher abstract)
Housing choices discussion paper 1: what is the evidence for the cost or cost-effectiveness of housing and support options for people with care or support needs?
- Authors:
- HARFLETT Naomi, et al
- Publisher:
- National Development Team for Inclusion
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 12
- Place of publication:
- Bath
A brief summary of evidence on the costs and cost-effectiveness of residential care and other housing and support options for older people, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health problems. It draws on a review of peer reviewed and grey literature in the UK and Ireland from 2000 onwards. The paper highlights limitations in the available evidence, which include limitations in terms of quantity; quality; lack of reliability of unit costs used in the research, and difficulties of making comparisons across studies. It then provides a broad summary of the evidence that is available. The paper finds that limitations in quality and quantity mean that there is not sufficient, reliable evidence in which to inform housing and support decisions on the basis of cost. It concludes that there is therefore a strong argument that decisions about an individual’s housing and support should be based on other factors supported in current health and social care policy such as rights, inclusion, choice and control. (Edited publisher abstract)
A traumatised and traumatising system: professionals' experiences in meeting the mental health needs of young people in the care and youth justice systems in Ireland
- Authors:
- MCELVANEY Rosaleen, TATLOW-GOLDEN Mimi
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 65, 2016, pp.62-69.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
It is well recognised that children and young people in the care and youth justice systems typically present with significant and diverse mental health needs. In this study, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 26 professionals working in the care and youth justice services in Ireland, representing a range of disciplines, to capture professionals' perspectives of working in this field. A thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed data. Professionals described frustration and helplessness in the face of what they perceived as inadequate system responses and poor interagency working. Their experiences are conceptualised here as reflecting a traumatised and traumatising system. The implications for practice emphasise the need for staff support through training, collaboration between agencies, and addressing vicarious traumatisation. (Edited publisher abstract)