Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Social workers' views of the etiology of mental disorders: results of a national study
- Authors:
- WALSH Joseph, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 50(1), January 2005, pp.43-52.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Research on many mental disorders since the 1990s strongly suggests a biological component to etiology. These developments should inform the decisions clinical social workers make regarding interventions with clients. Several recent research reports have suggested that social workers may underestimate the influence of biological factors in some mental disorders. Presents the results of a US national study of social workers in which disorder-specific measures of mental illness were used to determine more clearly whether social workers are making research-based assessments of mental illness etiology. It was found that social workers attribute causality of 4 disorders in a manner consistent with current research.
A social work perspective on the adjustment disorders
- Authors:
- WALSH Joseph, CORCORAN Jacqueline
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 9(1-6), 2011, pp.107-121.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The adjustment disorders represent a client's problematic reaction to an environmental stress rather than assuming an internal functioning deficit. As a sole diagnosis, they account for 5-21% of voluntary mental health client consultations. However, they are controversial because of their relative lack of diagnostic validity and reliability. They may also be overused by social workers to avoid stigmatising clients. The purpose of this article is to explore the suitability of the adjustment disorders as clinical diagnoses, and to provide, through 2 case illustrations, intervention guidelines for social workers. Both illustrations provide example of assessment questions, risk and resilience considerations, and procedures for goal setting and treatment planning. The article argues that these diagnoses represent consistency with social work professional values in their focus on the interaction between persons and their environments, and in calling specific attentions to stressors that can be addressed during the intervention process. Social workers should therefore be encouraged to use these diagnoses when appropriate.
Child welfare workers' adoption of decision support technology
- Authors:
- FOSTER Kirk A., STIFFMAN Arlene R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 27(2), April 2009, pp.106-126.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Child welfare workers must process complex information in deciding to refer clients to appropriate mental health services. This study expanded the process and reaction by child welfare workers' to the adoption of a new decision support system specifically designed to enhance their assessment and referral abilities. Quantitative analysis was used to demonstrate the diffusion of innovation process among a sample of state child welfare workers in the US, while qualitative analysis was used to explain the facilitators and barriers to decision support systems adoption. Results indicate that for decision support systems to be widely adopted in child welfare practice, they should be integrated into the referral system and include workers' knowledge and experiences with referral resources. For successful adoption, decision support systems need to respect the natural logic and flow of worker interaction as well as organizational constraints.
Clinical assessment and diagnosis in social work practice
- Authors:
- CORCORAN Jacqueline, WALSH Joseph
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 518p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Oxford
This user-friendly textbook not only guides social workers in developing competence in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) system of diagnosis, it also assists them in staying attuned during client assessment to social work values and principles: a focus on client strengths, concern for the worth and dignity of individuals, appreciation of environmental influences on behaviour, and a reliance on evidence-based approaches. The authors, seasoned practitioner-scholars, provide an in-depth exploration of fourteen major mental disorders that social workers commonly see in practice, integrating several perspectives in order to meet the challenges social workers face in client assessment. A risk and resilience framework helps social workers understand environmental influences on the emergence of mental disorders and the strengths that clients already possess. Social workers will also learn to apply critical thinking to the DSM when it is inconsistent with social work values and principles. Finally, the authors catalogue evidence-based assessment instruments and treatments so that social workers can intervene efficiently and effectively, using the best resources available. Students and practitioners alike will appreciate the wealth of case examples, evidence-based assessment instruments, and treatment plans that make this an essential guide to the assessment and diagnostic processes in social work practice.
Social work and malingering
- Author:
- MURDACH Allison D.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 31(2), May 2006, pp.155-158.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Malingering is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as the "intentional production of false or exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms" in pursuit of "external incentives", such as escaping criminal prosecution, receiving financial compensation, or gaining access to drugs or medication. This American article looks the identification and treatment of malingers. It also provides a list of treatment suggestions which includes material by both social workers and other clinicians who have addressed this issue.
Suspect transactions
- Author:
- HOPKINS Graham
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 3.4.03, 2003, pp.46-47.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Presents a case study of a women with mental health problems and learning difficulties who depended on her in-laws for support. Looks at the process of risk assessment when her community social worker suspected she was being abused.
Harsh realities
- Author:
- MAPP Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 7.11.96, 1996, pp.28-29.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Reports on how an approved social worker must balance her client's right to refuse medication against society's right to be safeguarded against any danger this might pose.
Recognition of mental health problems by doctors and social workers
- Authors:
- COHEN J., FISHER M.
- Journal article citation:
- Practice: Social Work in Action, 1(3), 1987, pp.225-240.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Reviews previous research on the prevalence of dementia in the community, reports on a recent study and argues that there is a high prevalence of mental illness among people in contact with social services.
The psychiatric "caseness" of clients referred to an urban social services department
- Authors:
- HUXLEY P., KORER J., TOLLEY S.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 17(5), 1987, pp.507-520.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Discusses the results of a survey of clients referred to area offices and general practice social workers and the social workers' judgment about the clients' degree of psychiatric disorder.
Risk and ageing
- Author:
- BREARLEY C. Paul
- Publisher:
- Routledge and Kegan Paul
- Publication year:
- 1982
- Pagination:
- 149p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London