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Count me in: making life better for people with mental health problems: an easy read version of the Social Exclusion Unit report
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Social Exclusion Unit
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Social Exclusion Unit
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 9p.
- Place of publication:
- London
An easy to read version of the Social Exclusion Unit’s report on mental health. It was put together with the help of Mencap and outlines in easy to understand language what the report is about, explains some of the key terms such as ‘social exclusion’ and sets out some of the main action points from the report.
The quality of life of HIV-infected women is associated with psychiatric morbidity
- Authors:
- TOSTES M.A., CHALUB M., BOTEGA N.J.
- Journal article citation:
- AIDS Care, 16(2), February 2004, pp.177-186.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Evaluates the effect of clinical, demographic and psychiatric factors on the health-related quality of life of 76 women with HIV infection seen in two HIV reference centres in Brazil. The generic questionnaire for evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-36), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) and the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) were used. The statistical tests included the covariance analysis. The sub-group of the non-AIDS symptoms (clinical stage B) showed the worst quality of life. The variables which better explained the scoring variation on both the mental and physical components of the SF-36 were related to mental health. The more mental symptoms present, the worse the health-related quality of life. Concludes that care strategies should be rethought in the area of mental health which are directed toward HIV+ patients, by virtue of the levels of mental health symptoms found and the request for care which the research revealed.
Religious coping in highly religious psychiatric inpatients
- Author:
- PIEPER Joseph Z. P.
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 7(4), December 2004, pp.349-363.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study among highly religious psychiatric patients in a mental hospital in the Netherlands focused on the following issues: their religious and spiritual beliefs and activities; their religious coping activities, measured using Pargament's three coping styles and a positive religious coping scale; the influence of religious coping on psychological and existential well-being; and the predictive value of general religiousness, as compared with religious coping activities, regarding psychological and existential well-being. For this population of inpatients, religion had a positive influence on their ways of dealing with mental problems; religious coping was positively correlated with existential and psychological well-being. General religiousness as well as religious coping were positively correlated with existential well-being, whereas psychological well-being primarily was predicted by positive religious coping. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical notions of religious coping, addressing in particular the positive influence of religious beliefs, relying on God, religious activities and religious social support in psychological and existential times of crisis.
Mental health promotion: implementing standard one of the national service framework for mental health
- Author:
- SAINSBURY CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Publisher:
- Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 12p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Mental health promotion has a wide range of health and social benefits – improved physical health, increased emotional resilience, greater social inclusion and participation, and higher productivity. It can also contribute to health improvement for people living with mental health problems and to challenging discrimination and increasing understanding of mental health issues. The inclusion of this mental health promotion standard has been significant in recognising its relevance and importance. It has also provided an important opportunity for those working locally to invest in mental health promotion and to develop evidence-based programmes for delivery. This briefing looks at some of the challenges presented by Standard One and what mental health promotion can contribute to both the improvement of services and to the broader public health agenda.
The importance of work as compared to other forms of daily occupations for wellbeing and functioning among persons with long-term mental illness
- Authors:
- EKLUND Mona, HANSSON Lars, AHLQVIST Carin
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 40(5), October 2004, pp.465-477.
- Publisher:
- Springer
This study investigated the importance of competitive work as compared to participating in community-based activities and having no regular daily activity for people with long-term mental illness. One hundred and three persons visiting an outpatient unit and representing the three targeted occupational conditions were randomized to the study and assessed on satisfaction with daily occupations, health, and wellbeing. Persons with work were more satisfied with their daily occupations and were interviewer-rated as better functioning than the other groups, but the groups did not differ on self-ratings of health and wellbeing. Unexpectedly, people participating in community-based activities did not show better satisfaction or functioning than those without regular daily activity. It was concluded that competitive work should be an urgent end goal for services designed for occupational or vocational support.
Counting the cost: the economic and social costs of mental illness in Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- NORTHERN IRELAND ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH, SAINSBURY CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Publisher:
- Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health,|Sainsbury Centre for Mental Heal
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 19p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The economic and social costs of mental illness in Northern Ireland amounted to nearly £3 billion in 2002/3 - more than the total spend on health and social care for all health conditions. The paper presents an estimate of the economic and social costs of mental illness in Northern Ireland, which is described and evaluated under three broad headings:costs of health and social care covering such costs as the services provided by the NHS for people experiencing mental health problems and also the costs of informal care given by family and friends; costs of output losses in the economy which result from the negative impact of mental illness on an individual’s ability to work; and human costs corresponding to the adverse effects of mental illness on the health related quality of life.
Differences in the indicators of depressive symptoms Among a community sample of African–American and Caucasian older adults
- Authors:
- MILLS Terry L., ALEA Nicole L., CHEONG Josepha A.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 40(4), August 2004, pp.309-331.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Depression among older adults is a major public health concern in the U. S. Yet, time and again this condition goes undiagnosed, or attributed to other causes. Despite being treatable, few individuals older than age 65 are treated for this disorder. Using a community sample of 404 African–American and Caucasian older adults, the aim of this study was to identify the sources of racial group variance in self-reports of depressive symptoms. Descriptive and multivariate analyses reveal no racial/ethnic differences in the mean level of depressive symptoms, but differences in the correlates of self-reported depression, as well as differences in the distribution of individual indicators of depressive symptoms.
Associations of caregiver stressors and uplifts with subjective well-being and depressive mood: a meta-analytic comparison
- Authors:
- PINQUART M., SORENSEN S.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(5), September 2004, pp.438-449.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The present meta-analytic study gives a systematic review of research on depression and the subjective well-being of caregivers. The authors integrate results from 60 studies on informal caregivers' subjective well-being (e.g., positive affect, life-satisfaction) and contrast them with the result of studies on caregiver depression. Analyses were based on a two-factor model of subjective well-being that distinguishes between positive and negative dimensions of well-being (e.g., happiness and depression). The strongest effects were domain-specific: uplifts of caregiving were associated with subjective well-being and caregiving stressors were associated with depression. In addition, weaker effects that crossed domains were present: uplifts were weakly associated with depressive symptoms. In addition, lower levels of caregivers' subjective well-being were weakly related to care receivers' physical and cognitive impairments, as well as behaviour problems, but not to the amount of caregiving. Type of care recipients' illness and the measure of well-being moderated, in part, the association between stressors/uplifts and subjective well-being.
Well-being, appraisal, and coping in African-American and Caucasian dementia caregivers: findings from the REACH study
- Authors:
- HALEY W. E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2004, pp.316-329.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Although there has been considerable interest in racial differences in family caregiving for persons with dementia, most research to date has either ignored racial diversity or based conclusions on small numbers of caregivers drawn primarily from single site studies. The current study utilized participants from four sites of the REACH (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health) multi-site study to compare well-being, appraisal, and religious coping by race. African-American (n = 295) and Caucasian (n = 425) dementia caregivers from four cities (Birmingham, Memphis, Boston, and Philadelphia) were compared in their demographics, care recipient characteristics, mental and physical health, and psychosocial coping resources including appraisal and religious coping. African-American caregivers reported lower anxiety, better well-being, less use of psychotropic medications, more benign appraisals of stress and perceived benefits of caregiving, and greater religious coping and participation, than Caucasian caregivers. Self-rated health did not differ by race, but African-American caregivers reported more unhealthy behaviors than Caucasian caregivers. Some results were specific to site, possibly due to differences in recruitment strategies, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and regional differences. Adjustment for covariates, including caregiver relationship to the care recipient, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and care recipient behavioral problems, altered few of these differences. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to psychosocial intervention programs for ethnically diverse caregivers.
Promoting mental health through physical activity: examples from practice
- Authors:
- JONES Martin, O'BENEY Carol
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 3(1), March 2004, pp.39-47.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
The physical health benefits of exercise are well established but there is also growing research evidence of links between physical activity and mental health benefits, including mood elevation, better cognitive functioning and improved self-perception, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Physical activity has also been shown to enhance the effectiveness of psychological therapies and to have a role in improving quality of life and symptom management for people with a wide range of mental health problems. Provides two examples of how provision of physical activity facilities and programmes staffed by qualified specialists can contribute towards improving mental health and quality of life for people with mental health problems.