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Experiences of clients who have made the transition from the psychiatric hospital to community service provision: a phenomenological approach
- Authors:
- MANNIX-MCNAMARA Patricia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 14(1), 2012, pp.44-56.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Mental health and well-being are fundamental to the quality of life and the productivity of individuals, families and communities, enabling people to experience life as meaningful. Deinstitutionalisation, the replacement of long-stay hospitals with community-based alternatives, can have favourable outcomes for people experiencing mental health problems. However, in many cases the community services needed for comprehensive care are not available. This raises the question as to whether the move from the long-stay hospital has been positive or not for health of clients. Therefore, it is important to examine clients' lived experiences of such a move. This study, carried out over the period of 1 year, sought to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of clients who made the transition from institutional-based care to community service provision. Nine residents took part in the study, and the average time spent in various institutions varied from 1 to 13 years. Findings indicated that participants experienced a significant change in their lives in relation to their psychological, physical and social health and well-being. Freedom for self-determination and living in an environment that gives them autonomy is at the core of their personal experience. It could be argued that deinstitutionalisation generated a shift in client experience in relation to their health and well-being.
The Mental Health Act 2001, Irish and European law, and the contribution they make towards protecting the rights of people in relation to involuntary admission to psychiatric hospitals in Ireland
- Author:
- JOY Brid
- Journal article citation:
- Irish Social Worker, Autumn 2012, pp.20-25.
- Publisher:
- Irish Association of Social Workers
For many years Irish law was reluctant to conform to international laws in relation to the treatment of persons with a mental disorder. This changed with the implementation of the 2001 Mental Health Act. The 2001 Mental Health Act helped to bring Irish mental health law into conformity with the European Convention for the protection of human rights and assisted in giving fundamental freedoms to individuals involuntarily admitted. This article examines the current rights individuals involuntarily admitted to psychiatric institutions have in Ireland, and how the laws serve to protect these individuals. It focuses particularly on the effects the 2001 Mental Health Act is having these rights and looks at how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) acts as a protective force for those who are involuntarily admitted in Ireland. It concludes that, while there are some criticisms of the laws protecting those involuntarily admitted in Ireland, there have also been considerable positive developments.
Psychological distress as a key component of psychosocial functioning in community-dwelling older people
- Authors:
- SCHNITTGER Rebecca I. B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 16(1-2), January 2012, pp.199-207.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Psychological distress is a critical issue affecting the quality of life in older adults with implications for both mental and physical health. The aim of this study was to explore the key components of psychosocial functioning in older adults with a focus on identifying the constituents of psychological distress. Another aim was to examine the relationship between these components and health outcomes such as frailty. The study was conducted at the Technology Research for Independent Living Clinic, a comprehensive geriatric assessment facility in Dublin. As part of a structured clinical assessment, 579 participants completed 9 primary psychosocial measures as well as a broad range of health and demographic secondary assessments. Principal factor analysis identified 3 core dimensions of the construct of psychosocial functioning. The first is related to a core internal component of psychological distress. The 2 other components are related to external and physiological functioning, specifically social support networks and sleep. These components, particularly psychological distress, were found to be associated with health outcomes associated with frailty.
The alienated child
- Author:
- O’SULLIVAN Brian
- Journal article citation:
- Irish Social Worker, Autumn 2012, pp.13-16.
- Publisher:
- Irish Association of Social Workers
Marital breakdown has becomes a serious issue in Ireland, with an increase of 150% over the last decade. One emerging phenomenon that faces families, social workers, judges and mental health professionals relates to cases where a child rejects and denigrates a previously loved parent following separation or divorce. Often, when the alienated child is refusing contact with the rejected parent, all efforts to communicate are to no avail. This article considers some of the contributions put forward by authors to explain this phenomenon, identifies clinical presentations of an alienated child, and identifies the impact of alienation on children.
Application of DC-LD to an intellectual disability population
- Authors:
- TULLY John, SCHIRLIU Diana, MORAN Maria
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 6(5), 2012, pp.259-264.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for Use with Adults with Learning Disabilities/Mental Retardation (DC-LD), introduced in 2003, was designed to improve accuracy of diagnosis in individuals with intellectual disability. An Irish study aimed to investigate its usefulness in a clinical setting. It involved interviews and review of chart notes with a sample of 50 patients within an intellectual disability service. This article describes the study methodology and results, and discusses the findings. It reports that there was considerable discrepancy between the rates of psychiatric diagnoses after application of DC-LD and rates of previously documented diagnoses within the sample, and that use of DC-LD led to the reclassification of many previously documented diagnoses, mainly as behavioural disorders. It concludes that the study adds to the evidence regarding the usefulness of the criteria, and highlights the shortcomings of non-systematic methods of diagnosis.
Promoting recovery through peer support: possibilities for social work practice
- Author:
- LOUMPA Vasiliki
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 51(1), January 2012, pp.53-65.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The Recovery Approach promotes the view that people with mental health difficulties can recover. Recovery does not always mean that people will return to full health, but it does mean that they can live well in spite of their losses. Peer support constitutes one of the main elements of recovery-based services. This article discusses the relevancy of recovery and peer support to mental health social work practice through an exploration of social work ethics and values. It then provides an exploration of how peer support can be maximised in groupwork, presenting ideas about how different approaches can assist the social work clinician to enhance peer support in groupwork with the aim of promoting recovery. Specifically, the article discusses how the narrative therapy concepts of ‘retelling’ and ‘witnessing’ can be used in the context of peer support to promote recovery, and also how social constructionist, dialogical, and systemic therapy approaches can assist the social work practitioner to enhance peer support in recovery oriented groupwork.