Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Mental health services for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Canada: findings from a national survey
- Authors:
- LUNSKY Y, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20(5), September 2007, pp.439-447.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study aimed to document both the range of mental health services available to individuals with intellectual disabilities across Canada and the perceived service gaps. A 30-item questionnaire was developed that included questions on mental healthcare services for children, adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities. This survey was sent to key informants in the 10 Canadian provinces and three territories. More than half of the respondents reported that generic mental health providers were poorly equipped to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues. Certain specialized services (inpatient treatment, emergency room expertise) were reported to exist by less than half of the respondents. Waitlists for specialized services were typically four months or longer. Respondents thought that training for staff and professionals was very important. Some specialized services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues were reported to exist in Canada but the need for more specialized services and further training was identified. Documentation of these service gaps should lead to further efforts in Canada for the improvement in services and developing policy.
Mental health problems in old age
- Author:
- PETCH Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 27.09.07, 2007, pp.36-37.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The author examines the findings of an inquiry into older people's mental health problems and the available support and services. The report 'Improving services and support for older people with mental health problems' is the second report from the UK Inquiry co-ordinated by Age Concern into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life.
Cash in their hands
- Authors:
- COLDHAM Tina, NEWBIGGING Karen, VICK Nicola
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, June 2005, pp.26-28.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article reports on a project undertaken by the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS), and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, to explore the barriers to implementing direct payments in mental health and the ways in which take up of direct payments by people experiencing direct payments could be increased. The project used focus groups to facilitate dialogue between mental health professionals and service users about the potential offered by direct payments to give more choice and control to service users. The project also aimed to target people from black and minority communities. Summarises some of the main findings.
Barriers and opportunities: improving access to mental health support for refugees and people seeking asylum
- Authors:
- VCSE HEALTH AND WELLBEING ALLIANCE, BRITISH RED CROSS
- Publisher:
- British Red Cross
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 27
- Place of publication:
- London
This research seeks to explore the barriers faced by adult refugees and people seeking asylum when trying to access support for their mental health. By working closely with 16 individuals with lived experience of seeking asylum in England (VOICES Ambassadors), the research draws on some of the benefits of co-production. The fieldwork consisted of two focus groups with 16 professionals working within organisations such as the NHS and charities such as Solace, Doctors of the World and the British Red Cross who provide mental health services and/or related support to refugees and people seeking asylum. The research has highlighted multiple barriers experienced by refugees and people seeking asylum when attempting to access support for their mental health. These included: a lack of awareness of available support (among both refugees and people seeking asylum and professionals); problems with accessing support (including stigma, language barriers, digital exclusion and financial hardship); issues with quality and delivery of care (a lack of trauma-informed working, communication issues and problems associate with the dispersal process) and inadequate feedback mechanisms. Participants also agreed on the importance of addressing social determinants of mental health, particularly concerning social isolation. Ambassadors identified several opportunities to address the barriers encountered when attempting to access mental health support and to address the factors which contribute to poor mental health: ensure a person-centred, trauma-informed approach; improve communication with refugees and people seeking asylum; improve communication between services; provide access to peer support; improve continuity of care; ensure effective feedback mechanisms. (Edited publisher abstract)
Multiple disadvantage and co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions
- Author:
- MAKING EVERY ADULT MATTER
- Publisher:
- Making Every Adult Matter
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 20
- Place of publication:
- London
Substance use and mental health needs are two of the primary concerns for many people experiencing multiple disadvantage. People who experience both issues at the same time (also known as "co-occurring conditions" or "dual diagnosis") find it difficult or impossible to access the right support for their needs. Appropriate support for people with cooccurring conditions remains an unresolved challenge for many local areas. Without appropriate support, individuals' health, wellbeing and trust in services can be drastically harmed. In this briefing, we: 1. Examine the prevalence of co-occurring conditions among people experiencing multiple disadvantage; 2. Explore the existing national guidance around supporting people with cooccurring conditions; 3. Investigate the barriers to accessing support for co-occurring conditions; 4. Investigate the enablers to accessing support for co-occurring conditions; 5. Recommend improvements in policy, commissioning and local practice for people with co-occurring conditions. This briefing is informed by conversations with local areas from across the MEAM Approach and Fulfilling Lives networks, providing an in-depth understanding of the difficulties faced by support. In addition, a survey of local strategic leads across the networks was carried out exploring the scale and nature of the challenge of cooccurring conditions, access to and quality of services, as well as good practice in local areas. Overall, the picture appears to be that access to appropriate support remains extremely difficult, leading to poor health, wellbeing, housing and offending outcomes and significant levels of unmet need for these individuals. Systems that keep the commissioning, design and delivery of substance use treatment and mental health services separate from one another inevitably struggle to meet the needs of people experiencing co-occurring conditions. However, despite repeated challenges and frustrations, professionals are passionate about trying to tackle these issues and as a result improvements are being developed and good practice is emerging in some local areas. (Edited publisher abstract)
Shifting from receiver to provider: aging out of semi-institutional child welfare settings with serious mental health diagnoses
- Authors:
- KLODNICK Vanessa V., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 127, 2021, p.106120.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Youth who age out of group homes and transitional living programs with serious mental health needs can abruptly lose critical supports, including housing and mental health treatment access. Little is known about how these particularly vulnerable youth navigate these large shifts in support. Twenty youth diagnosed with serious mental health conditions completed three in-depth interviews (within four-months of planned emancipation and at six- and 12-months post-emancipation). Brief monthly check-ins prevented attrition. Participants transitioned from a receiver/complier role in a mental health treatment context pre-emancipation to a provider/exchanger role in a poverty context post-emancipation. Independence was short-lived post-emancipation; temporary emancipation funds and disability benefits provided a brief cushion. Participants were unprepared for navigation of mutual social support exchanges. Child welfare providers who aim to prepare youth for independence post-emancipation must better understand the social context youth age into, as well as youth’s desired and required resource exchanges. (Edited publisher abstract)
Ask how I am: supporting emotional health among people living with long-term conditions
- Authors:
- WILTON Jo, BELL Andy
- Publisher:
- Centre for Mental Health
- Publication year:
- 2021
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- London
This research set out to develop a clearer picture of the emotional needs of people living with long-term conditions; to explore the impact of long-term illness on people’s psychological wellbeing; to understand what would make the most difference, in terms of reducing this impact; and to address the barriers to providing and accessing effective support. The report finds that people with long-term conditions have too few opportunities to ask for help with their mental health. Short appointments, over-stretched services and stigma all make it hard for people to say they are struggling. Having a long-term condition affects people’s mental health in a number of ways, including coming to terms with the illness and its effects; living with it day-to-day, and for many years; the burden of having to go through repeated appointments, treatments and procedures; and the effects on people’s relationships. People’s experiences varied according to a number of factors. There was as much difference between people living with the same conditions as there was between different types of illness. Key factors included age; racial discrimination; poverty and financial difficulty; and fluctuating and progressive conditions, which mean people’s experiences and needs change over time. Key elements of an effective system of support for people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health included: making emotional support a standard part of care for their long-term condition; psychological interventions; joined-up mental and physical healthcare; a holistic, whole-person approach; being offered help proactively, not having to search for support; peer support; opportunities to give support to others; help for carers and family members. (Edited publisher abstract)
Development and preliminary testing of a framework for quantifying local service provision for people with dementia
- Authors:
- HUGHES Jane, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 21(3), 2020, pp.193-202.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: It was hypothesised that there were variations in health and social care services available for older people with dementia and their carers, and that measurement of this between localities was possible. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for examining this. Design/methodology/approach: Using a case study approach, data from national surveys of local authorities providing social care and National Health Services Trusts providing old age mental health services conducted in 2014/2015 in England were used. From these, indicators of variation in services for people with dementia and their carers in different geographical areas were created. Measurement of the presence/absence of each service permitted the creation of a service mix score for each area. Findings: The framework comprised 16 attributes each with indicators describing the characteristics of the organisations providing the services; the skill mix of community mental health teams for older people; and the health care and social care services available in localities. Variation was evident, confirmed by quartile analysis and exemplars, suggesting that older people with dementia and their carers in different localities are likely to experience differences in the range of provision available, particularly social care services. Originality/value: The case study approach used achieved its objectives, and the resultant framework has potential for generalisability and utility, given acceptable ecological validity and discriminant validity in identifying variations in service mix. It could be used in both research and practice. (Edited publisher abstract)
"We need to slowly break down this barrier": understanding the barriers and facilitators that Afro-Caribbean undergraduates perceive towards accessing mental health services in the UK
- Authors:
- SANCHO Tamara Nadine, LARKIN Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Public Mental Health, 19(1), 2020, pp.63-81.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: This paper aims to understand the barriers and facilitators that Afro-Caribbean undergraduates perceive towards accessing mental health services in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: Critical Incident Technique was used as the qualitative method because it explores the critical factors that contribute to or detract from a specific experience. Seventeen Afro-Caribbean undergraduates participated in five focus groups. This involved engaging in a novel psychosocial activity that incorporated vignettes to encourage the identification of barriers and facilitators to service access. The data were analysed thematically to generate categories of critical incidents and wish-list items. Findings: Analysis revealed rich data from a sub-group rarely researched within UK literature. Fifteen barriers, eleven facilitators and five wish-list items were identified. The importance of mental health literacy, social networks, cultural sensitivity and concerns surrounding services underpinned many categories. Originality/value: Findings provide a new perspective on barriers reported in previous literature. Novel facilitators were highlighted where, although psychological and sociocultural factors were deemed valuable, structural changes were most desired. Recommended changes illustrate innovative interventions that could make services accessible for young adult Afro-Caribbean populations. Future research should explore the barriers and facilitators identified by Afro-Caribbean undergraduates across various universities who have successfully accessed and engaged with services. This could provide a holistic perspective on viable facilitators enabling access despite the presence of barriers. (Edited publisher abstract)
Listen. Act. Thrive. The emotional and mental health of care experienced children and young people
- Authors:
- NSPCC WALES, VOICES FROM CARE CYMRU
- Publisher:
- NSPCC
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 4
- Place of publication:
- London
An overview of the key findings from research to explore how care experienced children and young people’s emotional and mental health needs are being assessed and supported in Wales. The research consulted 21 care experienced young people (aged 15-21), and carried out surveys with 26 looked after children nurses and 44 Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) in Wales. Children and young people felt they were not receiving the emotional and mental health support they need. Key issues identified during the consultation include: health assessments, access to services, training, and multi-agency working. The briefing makes recommendations to improve the mental health support for care experienced children in Wales. (Edited publisher abstract)