Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Numbing the pain: survivors' voices of childhood sexual and addiction
- Author:
- ONE IN FOUR
- Publisher:
- One in Four
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 44
- Place of publication:
- London
This report highlights the link between substance misuse and childhood sexual abuse. Using 14 personal accounts and critical analysis, the report illustrates how childhood sexual abuse predisposes survivors to substance use and addiction. It shows how the trauma of childhood sexual abuse can affect survivors' emotions, their ability to relate to others and how drugs and alcohol can be used to numb the pain of abuse. It finds that addiction services rarely make the link between substance use and the underlying trauma of childhood sexual abuse, yet survivors can report a range of mental health issues. It recommends that addiction and mental health services develop a trauma model in working with people in addiction, make the link between childhood sexual abuse as an underlying trauma in addiction and consider how they are supporting and signposting survivors to appropriate support. It order to establish the scale of childhood sexual abuse trauma in people with addictions, it also recommends that services anonymously record disclosures of childhood sexual abuse for collation. (Edited publisher abstract)
Trauma is everyone's business: an exploration of the challenges and opportunities for trauma-informed practice amongst female populations within custodial settings
- Author:
- THOMSON Lisa
- Publisher:
- Barnardo's
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- Ilford
This paper provides an overview of the key themes emerging from focus groups to explore the prevalence and impact of trauma and bereavement experiences among women in custodial institutions. Information gathered from these sessions was used to adapt the trauma, bereavement and loss service to meet the needs of a female population. The paper also draws on experiences of professionals to highlight some of the challenges and opportunities identified during the development phase of a trauma- informed intervention for the female custodial population. (Edited publisher abstract)
The Women's Mental Health Taskforce: final report
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health and Social Care
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 73
- Place of publication:
- London
This report sets out how women's experience of mental ill health can differ to men's and the strategic priorities for the future. It is the final report of the Taskforce, which was formed in response to a rise in mental ill health among women. The Taskforce reviewed evidence and held focus groups to hear the views and experiences of women. Core themes identified include: women’s experiences of mental health services; women as mothers and carers; gender based violence and trauma; and multiple needs. The report sets out the statements developed by women as to what matters to them in mental health services. It also presents the gender and trauma informed principles developed by the Taskforce and describes how these could be implemented to improve outcomes for women. It goes on to outline the commitments made by members and other organisations to improve the experiences and treatments of women and makes suggestions for the future, including the strategic priorities and suggestions for how current research and data could be improved for women. It calls for commissioners and providers across the health and care system to take note of the report’s findings and to embed these in their work. (Edited publisher abstract)
The grip of trauma: how trauma disrupts the academic aspirations of foster youth
- Author:
- MORTON Brenda M.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 75, 2018, pp.73-81.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The academic challenges foster youth encounter during their P-12 education have been widely reported. Yet, despite these challenges, the majority of foster youth desire postsecondary education. What is less known is the reason why so few foster youth alumni who desire a four-year college degree, achieve this goal. For the participants in this four-year longitudinal study, maltreatment, resulting in foster care placement, and the ensuing exposure to the foster care system, resulted in trauma histories and mental health diagnoses. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were the most common diagnosis. The participants shared the ways in which these mental health challenges manifested throughout their college education. Of those in the study, almost half successfully graduated from college, a third dropped out, and only two remain enrolled. This study provides a unique and critical insight into the experiences of foster youth, enrolled in a four-year university, by sharing their stories. (Publisher abstract)
Young service users from refugee backgrounds: their perspectives on barriers to accessing Australian mental health services
- Authors:
- VALIBHOY Madeline Claire, SZWARC Josef, KAPLAN Ida
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 10(1), 2017, pp.68-80.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine barriers to accessing mental health services, from the perspective of young people of refugee background who have been service users, and to suggest strategies to improve access to mental health services. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study was conducted with 16 young people (aged 18-25), who had been refugees and who had attended mental health professionals in Australia. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically to examine participants’ perspectives on what hinders initial access to mental health services. Findings: Stigma about mental health problems was particularly prominent. Many believed a high level of disturbance was the threshold for entering services, and for some there was no knowledge of such services’ existence. Options for assistance other than mental health services were often preferred, according to young people’s explanatory models. Apprehension was expressed that sessions would be uncomfortable, distressing or ineffective. The desire to be self-reliant functioned as a further barrier. Finally, structural obstacles and social exclusion deterred some young refugees from accessing services. Practical implications: Implications include the need for service providers to be equipped to provide culturally sensitive, responsive services that ideally offer both practical and psychological assistance. Potential referrers, including health professionals and community leaders, could facilitate increased access if trained to recognise and address barriers. Finally, findings indicate potential content for awareness-raising initiatives for young refugees about mental health problems and services. Originality/value: This paper is original in its sample, method, topic and findings; being drawn from the first known qualitative research exploring views of young mental health service users who have been refugees about barriers to accessing mental health services. (Publisher abstract)
Rebuilding lives: mental health matters
- Authors:
- CRANE Maureen, JOLY Louise, MANTHORPE Jill
- Publisher:
- King's College London. Social Care Workforce Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 5
- Place of publication:
- London
Focusing on the participants’ mental health problems, this briefing summarises the findings of the Rebuilding Lives study, which examined the experiences and outcomes for formerly homeless people five years after they were resettled. The study revealed that health problems were common among the participants, and the percentage who reported these problems increased slightly after they were resettled. Some participants had mental health problems that were severe and disabling, and affected their ability to manage independent living and move forward with their lives. For some people, mental health problems were triggered or exacerbated when they faced stressful events after being resettled, or when they tried to resolve or come to terms with past traumas and difficulties. One-third of participants with mental health problems identified help or treatment that they needed but were not receiving. (Edited publisher abstract)
The reported experience of four women with intellectual disabilities receiving emergency psychiatric services in Canada
- Authors:
- LUNSKY Yona, GRACEY Carolyn
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 13(2), June 2009, pp.87-98.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
A focus group study was conducted in 2005 in Toronto, Canada with four women with intellectual disabilities who had paid repeated visits to their local emergency department due to a psychiatric or behavioural crisis. These women spoke about not feeling respected, the trauma of being restrained physically or chemically, and about hospital staff not being comfortable working with women with intellectual disabilities. Clinical implications are discussed and recommendations are presented to improve the experience of women who require emergency services in the future.
Social exclusion prevents us understanding the role of sleep in psychosis and “schizophrenia”
- Author:
- HOLTTUM Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 21(5), 2017, pp.252-258.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent papers on trauma, sleep and psychotic experiences to highlight the lack of attention given to sleep. Design/methodology/approach: A search was carried out to find recent papers on psychosis or schizophrenia, trauma and sleep. Findings: Papers tended to focus on trauma and psychosis, or on sleep and psychosis, but not on trauma, sleep and psychosis. The two papers discussed in most detail here focused on sleep difficulties from either a service user or professional perspective. Both concluded that sleep difficulties need more attention. The author also discussed evidence suggesting that stress and trauma cause sleep difficulties and that these, in turn, are an important cause of psychotic experiences. Severe or prolonged stress may also directly cause some psychotic experiences. Originality/value: The two main papers highlight for the first time in detail service users’ own experiences of sleep difficulties, and how mental health professionals view them, suggesting more help is needed. Other papers suggest that sleep is overlooked in research into the causes of psychosis. There is growing evidence that people have sleep problems before psychotic experiences, and that many have experienced severe or prolonged stress due to life events and circumstances, often in childhood. Given that stress can interfere with sleep, it is time to investigate further the role of stress and sleep in the development and maintenance of psychosis. (Publisher abstract)
An evaluation of the Refuge Access for All project
- Authors:
- AVA, WOMEN'S AID
- Publishers:
- AVA, Solace Women's Aid
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 59
- Place of publication:
- London
An evaluation of Solace Women’s Aid’s Refuge ‘Access for All Project’ in five London Boroughs, using qualitative and quantitative data from service users, managers and staff. The project aimed to improve access to, and the outcomes for, women and children in refuges with mental health and/or substance use issues who have experienced domestic abuse. A key aspect was the creation of a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) across Solace refuges, which included improving mental health training for staff and the provision of play therapy for children. The evaluation found that the project led to an increase in the understanding and confidence of staff in dealing with mental ill health and substance use issues and an increase in staff expectations of the support they could expect to receive from Solace for themselves. It also resulted in a reduction in the number and proportion of service users turned away because their mental health needs could not be met and received positive feedback from residents. The report provides lessons for Solace Women’s Aid, commissioners, policy makers and other providers. (Edited publisher abstract)