Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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The tyranny of expert language
- Author:
- HARPER Dave
- Journal article citation:
- Openmind, 113, January 2002, pp.8-9.
- Publisher:
- MIND
Asks who chooses the words we use to talk about mental health problems and looks at some of the social effects of the language we use.
Mental health
- Author:
- RYAN Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Research Matters, 15, April 2003, pp.37-42.
- Publisher:
- Community Care
Looks at three research studies which highlight the links between empowerment and the effects of stigma on services users and their families.
The study of mental distress and the (re)construction of identities in men and women with experience of long-term mental distress
- Authors:
- TIMANDER Ann-Charlott, GRINYER Anne, MOLLER Anders
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 30(3), 2015, pp.327-339.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article explores the possibility of using a theoretical framework drawn from disability studies in the field of mental health, and the study of identity (re)construction in the recovery process. In this PhD project, 33 narratives were analysed using framework analysis. The analysis showed that disablism was present and powerful in the participants’ lives, and also showed how disablism shaped how the participants thought and felt about themselves. As Carol Thomas argues, when analysing disablism one should also focus on who we are and are prevented from being, as disabled people. The conclusion is that processes of oppression were central when it comes to understanding the (re)construction of identities. A disability studies perspective is thus relevant in the field of mental distress, and can be used to enhance the understanding of the process of identity (re)construction. (Publisher abstract)
Removing barriers: the facts about mental health and employment
- Author:
- SAINSBURY CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Publisher:
- Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 7p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
This paper looks at barriers to employment for people with mental health problems and at efforts that are being made to support their efforts to find and sustain work. Barriers include: stigma and discrimination; low expectations and a lack of resources; financial disincentives. There is some discussion of government policy and the Pathways to Work scheme. The section on developing new ways of working lists some key ways in which people with mental health problems can be helped to find and retain jobs. These include: re-designing vocational and day services; vocational rehabilitation; the Access to Work Scheme; provision of appropriate primary care. It concludes by looking at employers and the case for developing effective programmes with which to manage mental health at work.
Attitudes of case managers toward people with serious mental illness
- Authors:
- MURRAY Megan G., STEFFEN John J.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 35(6), December 1999, pp.505-514.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Negative attitudes toward people who have serious mental illnesses held by mental health professionals threaten the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment. In this American study, attitudes held by case managers working within the public sector were investigated. The results showed a complex interplay among client level of functioning, type of case, management approach, case management philosophy, and attitudes. Among other findings, intensive case managers held more authoritarian attitudes that did their supportive case manager counterparts.
Mental health-related stigma and pathways to care for people at risk of psychotic disorders or experiencing first-episode psychosis: a systematic review
- Authors:
- GRONHOLM P.C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Psychological Medicine, 47(11), 2017, pp.1867-1879.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge
Stigma associated with mental illness can delay or prevent help-seeking and service contact. Stigma-related influences on pathways to care in the early stages of psychotic disorders have not been systematically examined. This review systematically assessed findings from qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research studies on the relationship between stigma and pathways to care (i.e. processes associated with help-seeking and health service contact) among people experiencing first-episode psychosis or at clinically defined increased risk of developing psychotic disorder. Forty studies were identified through searches of electronic databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts) from 1996 to 2016, supplemented by reference searches and expert consultations. Data synthesis involved thematic analysis of qualitative findings, narrative synthesis of quantitative findings, and a meta-synthesis combining these results. The meta-synthesis identified six themes in relation to stigma on pathways to care among the target population: ‘sense of difference’, ‘characterizing difference negatively’, ‘negative reactions (anticipated and experienced)’, ‘strategies’, ‘lack of knowledge and understanding’, and ‘service-related factors’. This synthesis constitutes a comprehensive overview of the current evidence regarding stigma and pathways to care at early stages of psychotic disorders, and illustrates the complex manner in which stigma-related processes can influence help-seeking and service contact among first-episode psychosis and at-risk groups. The findings can serve as a foundation for future research in the area, and inform early intervention efforts and approaches to mitigate stigma-related concerns that currently influence recognition of early difficulties and contribute to delayed help-seeking and access to care. (Edited publisher abstract)
Making us crazy: DSM - the psychiatric bible and the creation of mental disorders
- Authors:
- KUTCHINS Herb, KIRK Stuart A
- Publisher:
- Constable
- Publication year:
- 1999
- Pagination:
- 305p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Used by doctors and therapists all around the country, the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the closest thing America has to a bible of mental illness. Currently in its fourth edition, the DSM (as it's commonly called) classifies more than 200 disorders and their symptoms, from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Generalized Anxiety Disorder and everything in between. In so doing, the DSM applies the language of mental illness to everyday behaviour, transforming ordinary reactions to life's vicissitudes into billable pathology. The authorshave used 15 years of studying the DSM to produce a lengthy diatribe against its ever-growing list of psychiatric disorders and their overly inclusive symptoms, including bad handwriting, impulsive shopping sprees, and reckless driving. The DSM, they contend, is most influenced by the needs of the insurance industry; every illness comes with its own diagnostic code, widely used for insurance claim forms. Moreover, its choices of which disorders to include and exclude are widely influenced by social prejudices as well as special interests. Given the DSM's list of diagnostic criteria, it is possible to classify almost anyone with objectionable views or behavior that deviates from social norms as "crazy." But in doing so, any mental-health professional would be acting irresponsibly by ignoring the behavior's context--the one factor a reference such as the DSM cannot quantify.
Prevalence and experience of harassment of people with mental health problems living in the community
- Authors:
- BERZINS Kathyrn M., PETCH Alison, ATKINSON Jacqueline
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 183(12), December 2003, pp.526-533.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The levels and experiences of harassment of people with mental health problems in the community compared with those of the general population have not been explored. The aim was to measure the levels and experience of harassment experienced by people with mental health problems in the community in Scotland and compare them with the general population. Experiences of harassment were collected by interviewing 165 individuals with mental health problems and a control group of 165 people from the general population. Harassment in the community was found to be twice as common for individuals with mental health problems (41%) than for those in the general population (15%). The harassment commonly involved verbal abuse referring to the individual's mental health problems and was committed primarily by teenagers and neighbours. Harassment has a significantly higher prevalence among individuals with mental health problems living in the community and is believed to have a detrimental effect on mental health.
'People don't understand': an investigation of stigma in schizophrenia using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
- Authors:
- KNIGHT Matthew T. D., WYKES Til, HAYWARD Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 12(3), June 2003, pp.209-222.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Recent investigations provide evidence of stigma against people with a diagnosis of mental illness. The purpose of this study was to provide an account of the life experiences of persons with schizophrenia. Focusing on the individuals' personal reports of events and situations, the issues of stigmatisation and discrimination were explored. Six participants were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule focusing on the areas of personal history, understanding of schizophrenia, social and medical contextualisation, and reflection on impact. The research was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Super-ordinate themes of judgement, comparison, and personal understanding of the (mental health) issue emerged. Stigma was evident both as public-stigma and as self-stigma. The ramifications of stigma and discrimination are enduring and potentially disabling. IPA is a constructive tool in exploring these issues.
Psychological factors in relatives of people with mental illness
- Authors:
- OSTMAN Margareta, KJELLIN Lars
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 181(12), December 2002, pp.494-498.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Stigma affects not only people with mental illnesses, but their families as well. Understanding how stigma affects family members in terms of both their psychological response to the ill person and their contacts with psychiatric services will improve interactions with the family. In a Swedish multi-centre study, 162 relatives of patients in acute psychiatric wards following both voluntary and compulsory admissions were interviewed concerning psychological factors related to stigma. A majority of relatives experienced psychological factors of stigma by association. Eighteen per cent of the relatives had at times thought that the patient would be better off dead, and 10% had experienced suicidal thoughts. Stigma by association was greater in relatives experiencing mental health problems of their own, and was unaffected by patient background characteristics.