Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Tackling loneliness to avert a downward spiral
- Author:
- QUINNEY Lee
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 10.2.11, 2011, pp.32-33.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The findings of a report which examined loneliness in the social and structural context of society are summarised. The report included an literature review on loneliness and also drew on a survey of 2,256 people about their experiences of loneliness. The findings suggest that people feel more lonely in today’s society. Possible links between our individualistic society and increase in mental health problems are also highlighted. The report recommends a more proactive response to loneliness in society by professionals with an interest in well-being and mental health. Practice implications for social workers, directors and commissioners are listed.
A friend in need
- Authors:
- WRIGHT Sarah, FAULKNER Alison, BIRD Lisa
- Journal article citation:
- Openmind, 109, May 2001, pp.14-15.
- Publisher:
- MIND
Explains how stigma and discrimination about mental health problems can intrude on relationships between users and those closest to them.
Campaign appears to influence subjective experience of stigma
- Authors:
- SCHNEIDER Justine, BEELEY Chris, REPPER Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 20(1), 2011, pp.89-97.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Between September 2007 and Mental Health Awareness Week in October 2009, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in England conducted an anti-stigma campaign. It hoped to reduce the general public’s stereotyped attitudes to mental health problems and mental health service users. The campaign's rationale was based on social contact theory, which holds that bringing together 2 groups can reduce inter-group hostility. This study evaluates the campaign's impact on removing barriers to service users’ employment, promoting recovery and social inclusion, reducing the incidence of discrimination, as well as dissipating stereotyped attitudes and self-stigma. Factor analysis of questionnaires returned by 243 service users revealed 3 key factors referring to service users’ perceptions of: public attitudes to mental health; service users’ relationships with staff; and other interpersonal relationships. Service users’ perceptions of public attitudes towards mental health were improved, suggesting a short term, successful outcome from the main thrust of the campaign. However, there was no significant effect on the other 2 factors. The authors conclude that certain aspects of stigma associated with mental health may be changed through targeted strategies and community-level interventions. But, there remains an intractable core of stigma experiences associated with interpersonal relationships with family and staff, discrimination and social interactions. Bullying, harassment and assault can occur. These hard core issues present the greatest challenge to future anti-stigma strategies.
The naked bird watcher
- Author:
- JOHNSTON Suzy
- Publisher:
- Chipmunkapublishing
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 212p.
- Place of publication:
- Brentwood
The autobiography gives an insight into the torment that is mental distress but highlights the importance of good and appropriate psychiatric care, the role of support and the value of self management as the vital aids to recovery and mental health stability. In an engaging, informative and amusing biography, the author details the early onset of depression as a teenager but concentrates primarily on her university days - lived in typical 'work hard - play harder' student mode, interspersed wtih periods of disrupted study, relationship problems and psychiatric assessment. One of the aims in writing this book was to help challenge the enduring stigma associated with mental health problems, pointing out that people who battle daily with mental distress are worthy of respect rather than being discussed in embarrassed tones.
Stigma and disclosure: Implications for coming out of the closet
- Authors:
- CORRIGAN Patrick W., MATTHEWS Alicia K.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 12(3), June 2003, pp.235-248.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
There are costs and benefits for people with psychiatric disorders to decide to disclose publicly these disorders. The gay and lesbian community has struggled with the same tension and their discoveries about coming out may prove useful for the disclosure concerns of persons with mental illness. Lessons learned about coming out by the gay and lesbian community include a variety of models that map the stages for successfully coming out; e.g., identity confusion, comparison, identify acceptance, immersion, and identity synthesis. Navigating these stages requires consideration of the costs and benefits of disclosure; we review some of these including social avoidance and disapproval as key costs and improved psychological well-being and interpersonal relations as benefits. The paper ends with a review of levels of disclosure for people who opt to come out.
The impact of contact on stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental illness
- Authors:
- ALEXANDER Laurel A., LINK Bruce G.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 12(3), June 2003, pp.271-289.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
A growing body of research suggests that personal experience with people who have a mental illness can reduce stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness. However, the generalizability of these findings has been restrained by their samples and operational definitions of contact and stigma. This research seeks to test the contact-stigma link using a nationally representative sample and comprehensive measures of both contact and stigma. Data were collected in a 1990 American telephone survey of attitudes towards homelessness and homeless people with mental illnesses. By telephone, 1507 respondents completed measures of the perceived dangerousness of people with mental illnesses and their contact experiences with mental illness. A subsample of 640 respondents was read a vignette of a character with mental illness and then completed measures of their desired social distance from the character and the perceived dangerousness of the character. All respondents completed measures of political conservatism, social desirability, and anomia as well. As total contact increased, the perceived dangerousness and desired social distance from the vignette character decreased, as did the perceived dangerousness of people with mental illnesses in general. However, the contact types did not consistently predict the vignette stigma measures. While more research is needed to clarify and extend these findings, this study provides strong evidence for the importance of different contact types in reducing stigmatizing attitudes and the potential usefulness of incorporating contact into any stigma reduction intervention.
Aiming higher: a good practice guide
- Author:
- REVOLVING DOORS AGENCY
- Publisher:
- Revolving Doors Agency
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 36p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This document, produced by the Revolving Door Agency, an independent voluntary sector organisation, is aimed at practitioners across all sectors working with young adults with multiple needs. It sets out a series of good practice principles for the delivery of services to these young people to aid their transition to adulthood. Young adults with multiple needs are defined as 16 to 24 year olds who experience a number of the following: mental health problems, drug and/or alcohol use, homelessness, lack of legitimate income, family breakdown, contact with the criminal justice system and legal problems. The principles were derived from the observations of practitioners and 43 young adults from three regions in England and were gathered during visits to 15 projects offering a range of services to those aged 16 to 24 years. Clear themes which emerged from discussions during and after these visits were quality of relationships; continuity; personalised support; meeting basic needs; information, misinformation and challenging stigma; getting involved; aiming higher. Each of these themes is outlined with reference to the services visited. Each theme is supported by sections on lessons from research and relevant policy messages.
An exploratory study of the stigma associated with a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome: the mental health impact on the adolescents and young adults diagnosed with a disability with a social nature
- Author:
- SHTAYERMMAN Oren
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 19(3), April 2009, pp.298-313.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This exploratory study examined how adolescents and young adults diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) perceived their diagnosis and whether they feel stigmatised. The study also examined how stigma is related to mental health diagnosis (major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder). Ten adolescents and young adults in the United States aged 15 to 24 years with a diagnosis of AS were included in the cross sectional study. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by the subjects and one parent. The mean age at first diagnosis was 11.8 years; 9 subjects were male. All participants identified themselves as white. Two thirds of the sample had additional psychiatric diagnoses including 20% who met criteria for major depressive disorder and 30% who met criteria for generalised anxiety disorder. Level of stigma was significantly and negatively correlated with severity of AS symptomatology. Many subjects reported a high level of peer victimisation. Young adults had a higher level of victimisation compared with the adolescents in the study. The correlation between level of stigma and level of suicide ideation was not tested in the study owing to small sample size.
Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: a review of the literature
- Authors:
- COUTURE, PENN David L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 12(3), June 2003, pp.291-305.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Stigmatization of mental illness is widespread in Western societies and other cultures. Stigma is detrimental to the well being of persons with mental illness. This can lead to discrimination in housing and employment. It is for these reasons that practitioners have sought methods for reducing stigma. One strategy is increasing interpersonal relations with people with mental illness. This article reviews the literature on the subject.
The costs of seeking self-esteem
- Author:
- CROKER Jennifer
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 58(3), Autumn 2002, pp.597-615.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This American article examines the costs of the pursuit of self-esteem for the self, in terms of competence, relatedness, and mental health, and for others. The author hypothesizes that external contingencies of self-worth require validation from others and are unreliable as a basis of self-esteem, and hence are associated with greater costs. Data from a study of an ethnically diverse sample of 642 students support the view that contingencies of self-worth shape how students spend their time, and the prediction that external contingencies of self-worth, especially appearance, have high costs for stress, aggression, drug and alcohol use, and symptoms of disordered eating.