Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 26
Personality disorder: attitudes, understanding and treatment
- Authors:
- GREEN Barrie, WOOD Simon
- Journal article citation:
- Nursing Times, 16.11.04, 2004, pp.40-43.
- Publisher:
- Nursing Times
Looks at historical attitudes to personality disorder, sufferers from which are often stigmatised and dehumanised, and how understanding has developed in recent years, while legislation has failed to keep pace. Although often assumed to be untreatable, techniques that appear effective in helping such people integrate more successfully into society are summarised.
Psychiatrists’ attitudes toward individuals with substance use disorders and serious mental illness
- Authors:
- AVERY Jonathan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 9(4), 2013, pp.322-326.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Objective: The attitudes of psychiatrists toward individuals with highly stigmatized conditions such as substance use disorders and serious mental illness may influence treatment effectiveness. These attitudes may be influenced by factors including previous specialty training and current practice patterns. This study examined the attitudes of addiction and community psychiatrists toward individuals with diagnosed schizophrenia, polysubstance dependence, comorbid schizophrenia and polysubstance dependence, and depression. Methods: A web-based survey link was sent to the electronic mailing lists of addiction and community psychiatry associations. Results: A total of 84 respondents identified themselves as either addiction (n = 54) or community (n = 30) psychiatrists. The majority were male (70% of addiction and 57% of community psychiatrists) with an average age of 56.0 (SD = 11.86) and 52.7 (SD = 11.8), respectively. Addiction psychiatrists had less stigmatising attitudes than community psychiatrists for individuals with polysubstance dependence (p < .0001), while community psychiatrists had less stigmatising attitudes than addiction psychiatrists for those with schizophrenia (p < .0001). Attitudes toward individuals with dual diagnosis did not vary significantly by psychiatrist group, but both addiction and community psychiatrists had more stigmatising attitudes for individuals with dual diagnosis (p < .0001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that even psychiatrists working with highly stigmatised groups of individuals may continue to hold stigmatising attitudes toward people with other diseases. Future work is needed to further assess stigmatising attitudes among psychiatrists and the impact of these attitudes on quality of care, as well as interventions such as specialised education and training to reduce such stigma among psychiatrists. (Publisher abstract)
Social workers' attitudes about psychotropic drug treatment with youths
- Authors:
- MOSES Tally, KIRK Stuart A.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 51(3), July 2006, pp.211-222.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
There have been few studies about the views of practicing clinical social workers on the use of psychiatric drugs in the treatment of young people. This study, a cross-sectional survey of a national sample of social workers in the United States, examines their views about medications and the role they may play in the treatment of youths. Social workers included in the sample met the following criteria: i) had MSW degrees; ii) identified themselves as practicing in either mental health or school social work; and iii) reported that their primary function was clinical or direct practice. The findings suggest that social workers hold complex views that recognize both the potential benefits and harms of psychotropic medications, but overall they seem to support their use in a judicious manner.
A survey of psychiatrists' attitudes toward treatment guidelines
- Authors:
- HEALY Daniel J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 40(2), April 2004, pp.177-184.
- Publisher:
- Springer
The authors developed a survey to look at psychiatrists' attitudes toward psychotropic prescribing guidelines, specifically the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) algorithms. The 22-page survey was distributed to 24 psychiatrists working in 4 CMHC's; 13 completed the survey. 90% agreed that guidelines should be general and flexible. The majority also agreed that guidelines should define how to measure response to a specific agent; fewer agreed guidelines should specify dosage, side effect management, or augmentation strategies. Psychiatrists were familiar with TMAP; none referred to it in their practice. In spite of this, psychiatrists' medication preferences were similar to those suggested by guidelines.
The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale: factor structure, reliability, and validity with older adults
- Authors:
- FLOYD M., SCOGIN F., CHAPLIN W. F.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(2), March 2004, pp.153-160.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale Form A (DAS-A), a self-report measure of depression-related attitudes, has been used in numerous depression studies. The DAS-A has a two-factor structure that has been found consistently with college student samples and clinically depressed samples of middle-aged adults, but it has not been validated with older adults. The present study examined the factor structure with a sample of 100 depressed older adults (average age = 68.19; average initial Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HRSD] score = 16.72) who participated in a depression treatment study. Results indicated the factor structure established with younger adults was not replicated with older adults. Furthermore, the factor structure with older adults was uncertain: a single factor structure, two-factor structure, and three-factor structure were essentially of equal validity. The uncertainty of the latent structure of the DAS-A suggests that it should be interpreted with caution whenever used with older adults.
Help-seeking preferences for psychological distress in primary care: effect of current mental state
- Authors:
- WALTERS Kate, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of General Practice, 58(555), October 2008, pp.694-698.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of General Practitioners
To determine patient preferences for professional, informal, and alternative help for psychological distress in primary care, and the impact of their current mental state on these a across-sectional survey in seven general practices across suburban/urban London was undertaken. Participants were 1,357 consecutive general practice attenders aged 18 years and over. The main outcome measure was the General Health Questionnaire 12-item version and a questionnaire on help-seeking preferences. Overall, only 47% of participants reported wanting `some help' if feeling stressed, worried, or low and it was affecting their daily life. Those currently experiencing mild-to-moderate distress preferred informal sources of help such as friends/family support, relaxation/yoga, exercise/sport, or massage along with general advice from their GP and talking therapies. Self-help (books/leaflets or computer/internet) was not popular at any level of distress, and less favoured by those with mild-to-moderate distress. Those experiencing severe distress were much more likely to want talking therapies, tablets, and support groups. People with mild-to-moderate distress appear to prefer informal sources of help and those involving human contact, compared to medication or self-help. This has implications for the implementation of potential interventions for psychological distress in primary care.
Psychiatrists’ views and experiences of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
- Authors:
- CARSWELL Christine, DONALDSON Andrew, BROWN Keith
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 31(3), March 2007, pp.83-85.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
This study assesses the views and experiences of psychiatrists of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. A postal questionnaire was sent to 340 consultant psychiatrists and specialist registrars throughout Scotland. A response rate of 76% was achieved (n=257); 31 respondents (12%) felt patient care had improved with the new Act; 167 (65%) felt that informal patients’ care had suffered; 135 (52%) did not consider that tribunals were better than the previous court system; 151 (59%) felt that the out-of-hours workload had increased. An early indication of psychiatrists’ views and experiences of the new Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 is given.
Attitudes towards mental health care in younger and older adults: similarities and differences
- Authors:
- ROBB C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 7(2), March 2003, pp.142-152.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
It is commonly assumed that older and younger adults have very different attitudes about seeking mental health services and that this is a major factor in reducing the use of mental health services by the elderly. However, little evidence exists to illustrate how elders actually perceive mental health care. Responses from a survey of 474 older adults age 65 and over were compared with data from a national survey of 1001 persons age 21-65. Results indicate similarities in many attitudes including likelihood of seeking treatment for severe mental disorders, importance of mental health care, and concerns about cost and coverage as barriers to care. Differences included use of services, perceptions about less severe disorders, referral sources, and preferred providers. Clinical, policy and public education implications are discussed.
End of life treatment decisions in people with dementia: carers' views and the factors which influence them
- Authors:
- POTKINS Dawn, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(11), November 2000, pp.1005-1008.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Treatment decisions in life threatening situations (TD) are poorly studied in people with dementia. The carers of people with dementia were asked four TD questions, pertaining to cardiac resuscitation, intravenous fluids, oral antibiotics and intravenous antibiotics. The impact of key variables (age, dementia severity, psychiatric co-morbidity, physical illness, family relationship of carer) on TD were evaluated. The global view of carers, was not influenced greatly by key disease variables. There are potential implications for the way in which carers are used as proxy decision makers.
Consumers' and case managers' perceptions of mental health and community support service needs
- Authors:
- CRANE-ROSS Dushka, ROTH Dee, LAUBER Betsy G.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 36(2), April 2000, pp.161-178.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Consumers with serious and persistent mental illness and their case managers rated the amount of help needed and the amount of help received with mental health and community support services. Consumers' reports revealed a strong reliance on sources of support service needs, interpersonal needs, and crisis-related needs. In general, correlations between consumers' and case managers' ratings of help needed and help received were low. Consumers perceived the majority of their needs to be unmet; case managers perceived the majority of consumer needs to be overly met.