Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Is day service modernisation such a daunting prospect?
- Author:
- SWAN Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 14(3), August 2010, pp.10-14.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
In the last few years, mental health day services have been encouraged to adopt a more structured, recovery-oriented approach to the way they work. This article describes the results of a study that explored the views and experiences of adult mental health day service staff relating to day service modernisation. The study comprised interviews and email conversations with 16 day centre staff. While the respondents acknowledged the positive aspects of service modernisation, they also believed that some people might find these changes harder to accept than others. The article concludes that, even though it can be a daunting prospect for some, day centre modernisation appears to be effective at improving well-being. It argues that, based on the testimonies of the staff interviewed, the rewards associated with service modernisation outweigh the initial discomfort.
Harm reduction in community mental health settings
- Authors:
- MANCINI Michael A., LINHORST Donald M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 9(2-3), April 2010, pp.130-147.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Fifty percent of people with psychiatric disabilities have a co-occurring substance misuse disorder, and are more likely to have a range of chronic disease conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and chronic pulmonary disease. Harm reduction is a conceptual framework and set of practices that focus on the minimisation of the physical, social, and legal harms substance users do to themselves and to society as a whole. Its application to community mental health settings is relatively new, and can create controversies and ethical dilemmas if not properly designed, implemented, and evaluated. Building on the harm reduction literature, the community mental health literature, and the authors' experiences with a community mental health programme that uses a harm reduction approach, the authors offer five guidelines for its successful implementation. The authors conclude that when properly integrated with other recovery-based services, and when appropriately applied to the individual client's stage of change, harm reduction can effectively be used, and should be used, in community mental health settings with clients with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders.
Service users' experiences with help and support from crisis resolution teams. A literature review
- Authors:
- WINNESS Monika Gullslett, BORG Marit, HESOOK Suzie Kim
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 19(1), February 2010, pp.75-87.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Services for crisis resolution provided by home treatment teams are recent developments in the mental health care scene. The focus of this paper is to identify and discuss service users’ experiences of crisis resolution and home treatment (CR/HT) teams, especially in terms of how users find this form of service helpful, in order to explore ways to develop this form of service further. A systematic review of the periodical literature and research reports on CR/HT was carried out for the period from January 1995 to January 2009. The search identified a total of 13 papers, 1 Cochrane review, and 2 research reports were identified. Although these studies provided few in-depth details, 3 major themes as the characteristics of CR/HT teams are identified as: access and availability; being understood as “normal” human beings; and dealing with crises in an everyday life context. The findings suggest that the key positive characteristics of help in crisis situations are intrinsically tied to the values and principles underlying CR/HT services. The commitment to community-based services, the philosophy of partnership, and user-empowerment seem to the base from which these 3 themes of positive experiences emerged.
Intensive home treatment, admission rates and use of mental health legislation
- Authors:
- FORBES Naida F., CASH Helen T., LAWRIE Stephen M.
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 34(12), December 2010, pp.522-524.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
An intensive home treatment team was launched when adult community mental health services were reconfigured in a redesign of the mental health service in Midlothian (a semi-rural area near Edinburgh) which included closure of a local adult in-patient ward. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of introducing a home treatment team on the rates of in-patient care and compulsory treatment in the local area. The results of the study showed that rates of admission to hospital and duration of hospital stay were unchanged, but that there was an increase in episodes of detention under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in the year following the team's introduction. The authors discuss the results and their implications.
Supporting briefing note: community mental health survey 2010
- Author:
- CARE QUALITY COMMISSION
- Publisher:
- Care Quality Commission
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 12p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Key findings from a 2010 survey of people who use community mental health services are reported. The 2010 survey comprises a sample of service users aged 16 and over who had been in contact with NHS community mental health services in the period 1 July 2009 to 30 September 2009 and who were receiving specialist help for a mental health condition. A total of 17,199 questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 32%. The survey aimed to find out about the experiences of people using mental health services in the community. These services provide care and treatment to people who have been referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic, local community mental health team, or other community-based mental health services. The survey results are presented separately for those on Care Programme Approach (CPA) and those not on CPA. The survey questions relate to: health and social care workers; medications; talking therapies; care coordinators or lead professionals; care plans; care reviews; day to day living; and crisis care. Overall, service users rated the care they received from mental health services in the last 12 months as: excellent 29%, very good 30%, good 20%, fair 12%, poor 5% and very poor 4%.
Attitudes to mental illness 2010: research report
- Author:
- TNS-BMRB
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 66p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This report presents the findings of an annual survey of attitudes towards mental illness among adults in England. The aim of these surveys is to monitor public attitudes towards mental illness, and to track changes over time. 1,745 adults (aged 16+) were interviewed in England in January 2010. The questionnaire included a number of statements about mental illness. They covered a wide range of issues from attitudes towards people with mental illness, to opinions on services for people with mental health problems. Respondents were asked to indicate how much they agreed or disagreed with each statement. For analysis purposes the attitude statements were grouped into four themes – Fear and exclusion of people with mental illness; Understanding and tolerance of mental illness; Integrating people with mental illness into the community; and Causes of mental illness and the need for special services.
Olive Tree community treatment centre for individuals with personality disorder: naturalistic service evaluation
- Authors:
- PRETORIUS Johannes L., ALBENIZ Alberto, BROOME Matthew
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 34(1), January 2010, pp.12-20.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
Community based treatment for an individual with personality disorder is a rapidly developing field. This study, from the Olive Tree community treatment centre for individuals with personality disorder, created by the Coventry Primary Care Trust, reports on the effectiveness of one such community based approach. Examining the referral pathways of all clients between January 2005 and April 2008, including the mean days spent in this unit, the days spent in a psychiatric hospital before and after admission to the unit, and the results of changes in the rating scales that are routinely used, this paper outlines the methods employed to routinely reduce the number of in-patient beds in use and shows a small but significant improvement of most psychometric test results. Using a graphical presentation of the referral pathway, and presenting statistical evidence for the positive benefit the authors conclude that the data presented in the study provides further evidence for the effectiveness of community treatment for individuals with personality disorder.
Forces of support
- Author:
- MICKEL Andrew
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 14.1.10, 2010, pp.30-31.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Former military personnel with mental health issues face the biggest battle of all: coming to terms with their condition. The MoD has teamed up with the NHS to provide six pilot projects which offer community mental health care for veterans. Brief details of the pilots and their services are provided.
How day services can meet government targets of social inclusion and recovery while retaining buildings-based services
- Authors:
- WILKINSON Katie, WALTERS Alun, CRAWFORD-DOCHERTY Anne
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 14(4), November 2010, pp.40-47.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article describes the approach to modernisation of adult mental health day services taken in Sandwell. Recent reforms in mental health practice have meant that providers are faced with the challenge of how to redesign day services in line with promoting social inclusion and facilitating recovery. The approach in Sandwell has been to retain a building-based element to provide for attachment and belonging from which people can move on to community-based interventions that promote social integration and recovery. The authors describe the transitional model of care of how people are helped to bridge the gap from the centres to the wider community. Once a person has developed a sense of attachment and belonging, they are introduced to the idea of recovery through recovery groups. They then identify their own goals towards their recovery. Psycho-educational groups are available for those with low self-esteem to help them achieve their goals. Each occupational group in the centre has a pathway to groups in the community, and people are encouraged and supported to attend leisure, creative and educational activities. This transitional model helps staff and service users to keep in mind a pathway of care.
Specialist community perinatal screening clinic: service evaluation
- Authors:
- MAGON Rakesh, WHITE Ruth
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 34(11), November 2010, pp.492-495.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The specialist community perinatal team (SCPT) in Worcestershire Mental Health Trust runs a specialist community perinatal screening clinic in Worcester Royal Hospital for the detection of women who are symptomatic or have identifiable risk factors for mental illness. This study aimed to identify the outcomes of patients in the obstetric screening clinic. In 2 years, 180 women were referred by midwives to the screening clinic, and the ‘ultra-high risk’ patients were identified. There were four outcome measures predicated on level of care: no mental health problems; referred to the community mental health team (CMHT); referred to the SCPT; or treatment in primary care services. Of those referred, 69 women were managed in primary care/generic community mental health teams, 90 by specialist perinatal team and 21 did not attend. Twenty-three women were ultra-high risk, and the majority of these required treatment with specialist teams. The article concludes that specialist community perinatal screening clinics are successful at identifying those at high risk of developing mental health problems. Ultra-high risk women needed a higher level of service. High morbidity in women who fail to attend the services demands more assertive follow-up.