Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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The Men’s Group
- Author:
- PEET Steven
- Journal article citation:
- Groupwork, 21(2), 2011, pp.50-60.
- Publisher:
- Whiting and Birch
This paper describes and reflects upon the work done by the author’s in his first social work fieldwork placement of establishing and running a therapeutic group. The ‘Men’s Group’ was based in a day-centre for clients with mainly mental health issues in a rural area of West Cork. The activities undertaken by the group aimed to bring the men together in a sense of joint endeavour and acceptance. The paper examines the first 6 weeks of the group, particularly looking at what worked and what didn’t. The paper aims to: position the theoretical perspective being used by the group; discuss roles and behaviours within the group; consider the role of the author in the group; and to reflect upon the author's learning experience.
Biogenetic explanations and public acceptance of mental illness: systematic review of population studies
- Authors:
- ANGERMEYER Matthias C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(5), November 2011, pp.367-372.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
It is widely believed that biological or genetic models of mental illness will increase tolerance towards people with mental illness by countering perceptions of responsibility and blame. This review examined this hypothesis among the general public; whether such attributions are related to lower perceptions of guilt and responsibility, to what extent notions of responsibility are associated with rejection of people who are mentally ill, and how prevalent notions of responsibility are among the general public with regard to different mental disorders. Thirty three representative population studies examining attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about such disorders were included in a systematic analysis. Generally, biogenetic causal attributions were not associated with more tolerant attitudes and they were related to stronger rejection in most studies examining schizophrenia. No published study reported on associations of biogenetic causal attributions and perceived responsibility. The stereotype of self-responsibility was unrelated to rejection in most studies. Public images of mental disorder are generally dominated by the stereotypes of unpredictability and dangerousness; responsibility was less relevant. The authors conclude that biogenetic causal models are an inappropriate means of reducing rejection of people with mental illness.
Work, employment, and mental illness: expanding the domain of Canadian social work
- Authors:
- SHANKA Janki, BARLOW Constance A., KHALEMA Ernest
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 10(4), October 2011, pp.268-283.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social work literature conclusively shows that people who experience mental health issues perceive work as fundamental to their recovery. However, despite evidence that work and employment are an important component of recovery for people who experience mental illness, social work education in Canada seldom offers graduate training or courses on the significance of work in peoples' lives or on the practices involved in helping to gain and retain employment for these individuals. In this article the authors suggest that the high levels of unemployment among people who experience mental illness, and the rising incidence of mental health and addictions issues in workplaces, offer the opportunity, as well as the mandate, for social work educators to provide professional education in the area of employment support and assistance. The article discusses how social workers can overcome the barriers to employment, and how they can support employees with mental illness make a successful return to work.
Still in the red: update on debt and mental health
- Author:
- MIND
- Publisher:
- MIND
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 21p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The circle of debt and mental health problems is well established. One in 11 people in the UK reports being in debt or arrears, and for people with mental health problems this rises to one in four. In May 2008 Mind published “In the red” based on a survey of almost 2,000 people with experience of both debt and mental health problems. This follow-up survey, “Still in the red”, reveals worrying numbers of people with mental health problems living below the Government-defined poverty line as they struggle to cope with debts. It surveyed almost 900 people living with mental health problems and found that: 45% were living on below £200 a week, rising to 54% among those in problem debt; over 80% felt they were often struggling to manage their finances, rising to 95% among those in problem debt; and almost 75% thought that their mental health problems had made their debt worse. This rose to over four-fifths among those in problem debt. This report concludes that knowledge and practice has clearly improved in a number of areas but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Hearing voices and befriending schemes
- Author:
- HOLTTUM Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 15(4), 2011, pp.160-164.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This paper provides a summary of 2 recent research papers relating to mental health and social inclusion. The first (Beavan, J. Mental Health, 2011, 20, 281-92) considers the prevalence of voice hearing. Voice hearing is defined as when someone hears a voice that sounds real (rather than a thought) but that others cannot hear. Studies spanning more than 100 years are reviewed and suggest that hearing voices is more common than usually thought. The article argues the case for viewing hearing voices more positively than at present. The second article (Mitchell & Pistrang, Psychology and Psychotherapy, 2011, 84, 151-69) looks at befriending schemes for people with mental health problems. Interviews involving 8 people with mental health conditions and their befrienders suggest that demonstrating empathy and being non-judgmental helped people with mental health conditions to talk things through, with both parties learning from one another. Going out together helped befriendees gain greater confidence to participate in further activities and feel less isolated.
Improving psychiatric diagnosis in multidisciplinary child and adolescent mental health services
- Authors:
- MICHELSON Daniel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 35(12), December 2011, pp.454-459.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
Obtaining an accurate clinic diagnosis is a critical process in mental healthcare pathways. This study was designed to develop and test a new one-day diagnostic training intervention for multidisciplinary practitioners (n=63) in out-patient child and adolescent mental health services. The authors examined learning outcomes, practice impacts and the implementation processes. The work was conducted in an inner London area where previous audits had revealed large inconsistencies in rates of recorded diagnoses. Training was viewed positively by most participants and was associated with significant increases in practitioner self-efficacy; this effect was sustained at 8-month follow-up. A comparative audit before and after training indicated that clinicians were significantly more likely to assign an Axis I diagnosis following the training intervention. However, absolute rates of Axis I classification remained relatively low (less than 40%) both before and after training. Practitioners were moderately successful at following through on personal plans for implementing new learning. Support for implementation within teams was inconsistent. The authors conclude that a brief training workshop may have some impact on practitioners’ behaviour so that diagnoses are made more promptly and appropriately recorded. However, they suggest that future workforce development initiatives should consider more comprehensive and diversified strategies, including targeted post-training support, if increased self-efficacy following training is to be translated into sustained changes in diagnostic practice.
Covering mental health: a comparison of the UK/US press
- Author:
- O'HARA Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Open Mind, 168, September 2011, pp.4-5.
- Publisher:
- MIND
Drawing on a comparison study of articles and headlines in national and regional newspapers from the UK and US, this article looks at the coverage of mental health issues between the years 1985 to 2009. The researched measured the tone on a four-point scale of neutral, positive, negative, sensationalist. It found that although there were few 'sensationalist' articles, there were significant differences between UK tabloids and broadsheets. Almost two thirds of all broadsheet articles were either neutral or positive, tabloid reporting was found to be more negative. Key findings and the implications for media campaigns are highlighted.
Dialectical behaviour therapy for special populations: treatment with adolescents and their caregivers
- Authors:
- CHARLTON Margaret, DYKSTRA Eric J.
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 5(5), 2011, pp.6-14.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The authors begin by discussing the adaptations that need to be made to dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) when working with populations who have both intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses. They go on to report the preliminary findings of a pilot study conducted with adolescent clients in a day treatment program in Colorado. This was designed to determine the effectiveness of dialectical behaviour therapy for special populations (DBT-SP). The study, which involved 19 students, used all three components of DBT, in addition to the normal milieu management techniques. Clients received DBT-SP focused individual therapy, skills training groups using the DBT-SP skills training manual, and the whole treatment team staff participated in a DBT-SP supervision/consultation group. Data were collected through observations of client behaviour by staff, client outcome when leaving the program, and daily diary card information. The authors note that, as this was a pilot study, there are many limitations to the data. However they conclude that thus far, the data are suggestive, but not conclusive, regarding the effectiveness of DBT-SP.
Mental health and public transport
- Author:
- MENTAL HEALTH ACTION GROUP
- Publisher:
- Mental Health Action Group
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 51p.
- Place of publication:
- Derby
Back in 2008, the Government introduced national concessionary bus passes. People with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and sensory disabilities were eligible but the legislation did not include a category for people with mental health problems. Given that public transport plays a significant role in social inclusion, this research was conducted in order to investigate how important access to public transport is in the maintaining of good mental health and in recovery from an episode of poor mental health. A survey was designed which consisted of 16 questions split into 3 different sections: the need for public transport; experience of public transport; and concessionary fares for public transport. A total of 203 responses were received from across the United Kingdom. The findings revealed that 83% of respondents believe that that access to public transport is very important to their mental health. Barriers to public transport included: cost-prohibitive prices, overcrowding, unreliability, transport staff who are poorly trained in mental health and a continued level of ignorance and discrimination from their fellow passengers. Having a concession brings about not only the obvious financial benefit but also help to significantly reduce other barriers such as anxiety and low motivation levels.
Stigmatised attitudes towards the ‘stressed’ or ‘ill’ models of mental illness
- Authors:
- LUTY Jason, EASOW Joby Maducolil, MENDES Vania
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 35(10), October 2011, pp.370-373.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
Tackling discrimination, stigma and inequalities in mental health is a major objective of the UK government. This aim of this research was to determine whether there was any difference in stigmatised attitudes towards a fictitious person with a mental illness who was presented either as having a biological illness or a disorder that arose from psychosocial stress to two randomised representative panels of the general public. The 20-point Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) was used to assess stigmatised attitudes. The two groups were presented with slightly different vignettes describing “Tim” and then asked to complete the questionnaire. Overall, 187 individuals returned their questionnaires (74% response rate). The mean AMIQ stigma score for the ‘ill’ group was 1.4; for the ‘stress’ group was 0.5. The authors conclude that there was no statistical or practical difference in the stigmatised attitudes towards a person with mental illness regardless of whether they were presented as biologically ill or as having an illness that was a response to psychosocial stress. Some limitations of the study are noted: the self-selecting participants, the possibility of social desirability bias and whether the values expressed would be enduring.