Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Research watch: art therapy: a dose of treatment, an aid to social inclusion or an unnecessary indulgence?
- Author:
- HOLTTUM Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 17(2), 2013, pp.64-69.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose – This Research Watch aims to summarise two recent and very different research publications on art therapy and comments on their ability to shed light on the usefulness of art therapy to address mental distress and enhance social inclusion. Design/methodology/approach – The author discusses a recent edition of a UK art therapy journal in which research papers focus on art therapy with people who have been given a diagnosis of personality disorder. The main methodologies are qualitative describing participants’ and/or therapists’ experiences and the role of art therapy in addressing serious mental distress. The second publication is a recent report of a large randomised controlled trial of art therapy for people given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The author assesses the value of both publications in informing us about the usefulness of art therapy in addressing mental distress and enhancing social inclusion. Findings – In the author's view, neither publication establishes definitively how or whether art therapy might address serious mental distress, whether labelled personality disorder or schizophrenia. However, the qualitative articles provide insight into possible helpful (and less helpful) aspects of therapy. The randomised trial should have been able to establish general principles about the effectiveness of art therapy for a specific group of people in specified contexts, but instead exemplifies many problems inherent in the pervasive research culture of putting numbers onto complex human interactions and calculating their value for money, sometimes at the expense of really understanding what is going on. Originality/value – The author draws upon these two very different examples of research to reflect a current dilemma in UK art therapy research, and tentatively looks at possible ways forward. (Publisher abstract)
Interpersonal violence and mental illness: a review
- Authors:
- GILLIES Donna, O’BRIEN Louise
- Journal article citation:
- Contemporary Nurse, 21(2), May 2006, pp.277-286.
- Publisher:
- eContent Management Pty Ltd
- Place of publication:
- Queensland
There is a public perception that people with mental illness are dangerous, but arguments persist in the research literature as to whether this is truly the case. This review of reviews and single studies with samples over 250 identifies good evidence of an association between a diagnosis of serious mental health problems such as schizophrenia or personality disorder and an increased risk of violence. It also shows that substance abuse and younger age are significant factors. The risk of violence appears to be higher among community-dwelling than in-patients, with most violence among the former directed against family and friends. Among inpatients, nurses are the most frequent victims of assault. The overall magnitude of risk in both in-patient and community settings is difficult to estimate because of the use of different research methods and definitions of violence, and the authors call for a meta-analysis of the data to develop a clearer picture of the risk of violence in this population.
Links between drug and alcohol misuse and psychiatric disorders
- Author:
- LITTLEJOHN Christopher
- Journal article citation:
- Nursing Times, 4.1.05, 2005, pp.34-37.
- Publisher:
- Nursing Times
Substance use is common in a wide range of psychiatric disorders, which can increase the risks of use developing into a substance use disorder. Conversely, substance use disorders are frequently accompanied by psychiatric symptoms. In some people these indicate formal psychiatric disorder. Whatever the causes, comorbidity may complicate treatment and resolution of both disorders, often presenting as a vicious circle that is difficult to break.
Unusually persistent complainants
- Authors:
- LESTER Grant, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 184(4), April 2004, pp.352-356.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Querulous paranoia may have disappeared from the psychiatric literature, but is it flourishing in modern complaints organisations and the courts? The aim was to investigate the unusually persistent complainants who lay waste to their own lives and place inordinate demands and stress on complaints organisations. Complaints officers completed questionnaires on both unusually persistent complainants and matched controls. Persistent complainants (distinguished by their pursuit of vindication and retribution) consumed time and resources and resorted to both direct and veiled threats. Attempts to distinguish these people from a control group on the basis of the manner in which their claims were initially managed failed. Persistent complainants’ pursuit of vindication and retribution fits badly with complaints systems established to deliver reparation and compensation. These complainants damaged the financial and social fabric of their own lives and frightened those dealing with their claims. The study suggests methods of early detection and alternative management strategies.
Positive illusions and mental and physical health in later life
- Authors:
- GANA K., ALAPHILI PPE D., BAILLY N.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(1), January 2004, pp.58-64.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There are three competing conceptions concerning the relationship between positive illusions and mental health: the 'traditional' mental health model, according to which an accurate perception of the self and the world is a cornerstone of psychological well-adjustment; Taylor and Brown's Social Psychological Model on mental health, which assumes that positive illusions promote good mental health; and Baumeister's Optimal Margin Theory, which states that too much accuracy is harmful to mental health, as are exaggerated illusions. These three models were evaluated in the elderly (n = 857 retirees ages 60-95) using the youthful bias, which is the illusion of being younger than one's real age. As a whole, the Social Psychological Model obtained the strongest support. Retirees who harboured an exaggerated youthful bias (more than 15 years) reported more satisfaction with leisure time, higher self-esteem, better perceived health, and less boredom proneness than those who felt as old as they were or who, except for perceived health, entertained a moderate youthful bias (between 1 and 15 years).
Co-occuring disorders among jail inmates: bridging the treatment gap
- Author:
- YOUNG Diane S.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 3(3), 2003, pp.63-85.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This paper presents findings based on a retrospective review of health and mental health records of 359 mentally ill jail inmates. Regardless of demographic group, substance-related disorders and the most prevalent disorder. Sixty-seven percent of the sample had a substance-related disorder, 37% an adjustment disorder, 23% a mood disorder, and 12% had schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder. Comorbidity was extensive with close to 45% of the sample having both a substance-related disorder and an additional major mental illness. Study findings indicate that there is a great need to strengthen services and create jail-community linkages for inmates with comorbid mental health and substance abuse disorders. Innovative programme and resource information are provided. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
Ethnic minority psychiatric illness rates in the community (EMPIRIC)
- Editors:
- SPROSTON Kerry, NAZROO James
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2002
- Pagination:
- 210p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The results of this survey allow for the first time detailed analysis of the mental health of ethnic minority groups and comparisons with a general White population. It contains data on common mental disorders, psychosis, social functioning, physical health, use of services and social support. The survey was carried out by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and University College, London among ethnic minority adults aged 16-74 living in England to make comparisons with the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in the general population. The survey took place in 2000 and was conducted at the same time as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey of the adult population of Great Britain. It had a focus on some of the main ethnic minority groups in England. The survey consisted of two elements, a quantitative survey of rates of mental illness among different ethnic groups in England and a qualitative study investigating ethnic and cultural differences in the context, experience and expression of mental distress.
Is reported childhood sexual abuse associated with the psychopathological characteristics of patients who experience auditory hallucinations?
- Authors:
- OFFEN Liz, WALLER Glenn, THOMAS Glyn
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 27(8), August 2003, pp.919-927.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The aim of this study was to determine whether reported childhood sexual abuse is related to the severity of symptoms in patients who experience auditory hallucinations. A sample of 26 adult male and females with psychotic disorders involving auditory hallucinations were interviewed and were asked to complete three self-report measures: the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II and DES-taxon versions); the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); and the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire (BAVQ). They were also asked about any history of sexual abuse in childhood. A history of childhood sexual abuse was reported by 10 of the 26 patients (38.5%), and was associated with higher levels of depression and dissociation, as well as being linked to a tendency to regard the voices as more malevolent. The same three features were all associated with the age at first reported abuse, with a younger age of first experience being related to higher levels of psychopathology in all instances. These results require replication and refinement in future research, but indicate a need for greater attention to be paid to the possible role of childhood sexual abuse when understanding and treating auditory hallucinations.
Pathways to emotional dysfunction in first-episode psychosis
- Author:
- BIRCHWOOD Max
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 182(5), May 2003, pp.373-375.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Emotional dysfunction is pervasive even in non-affective psychosis. Sometimes (and unhelpfully) referred to as 'comorbidity', these disorders include depression, usually accompanied by hopelessness and suicidal thinking; social anxiety, usually accompanied by social avoidance and problems in forming relationships; and traumatic symptoms (post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD). There is also the distress (fear, anger, shame) attached to the experience of psychotic symptoms.
Case register study of suicide risk in mental disorders
- Authors:
- BAXTER David, APPLEBY Louis
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 175, October 1999, pp.322-326.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This research aimed to estimate the long-term risk of suicide in psychiatric patients using a sample of 7921 individuals identified from the Salford Psychiatric Case Register. The suicide risks estimated in this study are generally higher than those previously reported, notably in schizophrenia and personality disorder and in previous in-patients. Risk was also high in males with substance dependency.