Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Rain, rain, go away
- Author:
- MOURANT Andrew
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, September/October 2014, pp.8-9.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article discusses the impact flooding can have on people's mental health, looking at some of the findings from recent research and what can be done to help. (Edited publisher abstract)
Mental health
- Author:
- WEINSTEIN Jeremy
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 76
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
Mental health social work is at an impasse. On the one hand, the emphasis in recent policy documents on the social roots of much mental distress ,and in the recovery approaches popular with service users seems to indicate an important role for a holistic social work practice. On the other hand, social workers have often been excluded from these initiatives and the dominant approach within mental health continues to be a medical one, albeit supplemented by short-term psychological interventions. Jeremy Weinstein draws on case studies and his own experience as a mental health social worker, to develop a model of practice that draws on notions of alienation, anti-discriminatory practice and the need for both workers and service users to find ‘room to breathe’ in an environment shaped by managerialism and marketization. Academics and student social workers respond to Weinstein’s lead essay. (Edited publisher abstract)
Permanent supportive housing: assessing the evidence
- Authors:
- ROG Debra J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Services, 65(3), 2014, pp.287-294.
- Publisher:
- American Psychiatric Association
Objectives: Permanent supportive housing provides safe, stable housing for people with mental and substance use disorders who are homeless or disabled. This article describes permanent supportive housing and reviews research. Methods: Authors reviewed individual studies and literature reviews from 1995 through 2012. Databases surveyed were PubMed, PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress, the Educational Resources Information Center, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The authors chose from three levels of evidence (high, moderate, and low) on the basis of benchmarks for the number of studies and quality of their methodology. They also described the evidence of service effectiveness. Results: The level of evidence for permanent supportive housing was graded as moderate. Substantial literature, including seven randomized controlled trials, demonstrated that components of the model reduced homelessness, increased housing tenure, and decreased emergency room visits and hospitalization. Consumers consistently rated this model more positively than other housing models. Methodological flaws limited the ability to draw firm conclusions. Results were stronger for studies that compared permanent supportive housing with treatment as usual or no housing rather than with other models. Conclusions: The moderate level of evidence indicates that permanent supportive housing is promising, but research is needed to clarify the model and determine the most effective elements for various subpopulations. Policy makers should consider including permanent supportive housing as a covered service for individuals with mental and substance use disorders. An evaluation component is needed to continue building its evidence base. (Publisher abstract)
Supported employment: assessing the evidence
- Authors:
- MARSHALL Tina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Services, 65(1), 2014, pp.16-23.
- Publisher:
- American Psychiatric Association
Objective: Supported employment is a direct service with multiple components designed to help adults with mental disorders or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders choose, acquire, and maintain competitive employment. This article describes supported employment and assesses the evidence base for this service. Methods: Authors reviewed meta-analyses, research reviews, and individual studies from 1995 through 2012. Databases surveyed were PubMed, PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress, the Educational Resources Information Center, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Authors chose from three levels of evidence (high, moderate, and low) based on benchmarks for the number of studies and quality of their methodology. They also described the evidence for service effectiveness. Results: The level of research evidence for supported employment was graded as high, based on 12 systematic reviews and 17 randomized controlled trials of the individual placement and support model. Supported employment consistently demonstrated positive outcomes for individuals with mental disorders, including higher rates of competitive employment, fewer days to the first competitive job, more hours and weeks worked, and higher wages. There was also strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of individual elements of the model. Conclusions: Substantial evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of supported employment. Policy makers should consider including it as a covered service. Future research is needed for subgroups such as young adults, older adults, people with primary substance use disorders, and those from various cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. (Publisher abstract)
Journeys to work: the perspective of client and employment specialist of 'Individual Placement and Support' in action
- Authors:
- MILLER Lynne, CLINTON-DAVIS Suzanne, MEEGAN Tina
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 18(4), 2014, pp.198-202.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: This paper provides the personal accounts of the journey back to work from the perspective of both the person entering employment and the Employment Specialist who assisted them. Design/methodology/approach: Two people with mental health problems who received help into employment from an employment service in a London Mental Health Trust were asked to give write their accounts of their journey. The Employment Specialists who assisted them in this journey were also asked to write their accounts. (Edited publisher abstract)
Animal insticts
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, September/October 2014, p.22.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Animals can have a positive impact on mental health. This article presents a brief case study of how owning a dog was able to help Tracey Doolan. Tracey was diagnosed with rheumatiod arthritis at 16, and also experienced mental health issues of post traumatic stress disorder and depression. Although her dog was intended to be a pet, and received no training, the dog was able to eventually help her with many tasks, as well as improving her physical and mental wellbeing. (Original abstract)
Mental and physical illness in caregivers: results from an English national survey sample
- Authors:
- SMITH Lindsay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 205(3), 2014, pp.197-203.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Aims: This study investigates the relationship between weekly time spent caregiving and psychiatric and physical morbidity in a representative sample of the population of England. Method: Primary outcome measures were obtained from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. Self-report measures of mental and physical health were used, along with total symptom scores for common mental disorder derived from the Clinical Interview Schedule - Revised. Results: In total, 25% (n = 1883) of the sample identified themselves as caregivers. They had poorer mental health and higher psychiatric symptom scores than non-caregivers. There was an observable decline in mental health above 10 h per week. A twofold increase in psychiatric symptom scores in the clinical range was recorded in those providing care for more than 20 h per week. In adjusted analyses, there was no excess of physical disorders in caregivers. Conclusions: Strong evidence was found that caregiving affects the mental health of caregivers. Distress frequently reaches clinical thresholds, particularly in those providing most care. Strategies for maintaining the mental health of caregivers are needed, particularly as demographic changes are set to increase involvement in caregiving roles. (Edited publisher abstract)
Facilitators and barriers in dual recovery: a literature review of first-person perspectives
- Authors:
- NESS Ottar, BORG Marit, DAVIDSON Larry
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 7(3), 2014, pp.107-117.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The co-occurrence of mental health and substance use problems is prevalent, and has been problematic both in terms of its complexity for the person and of the challenges it poses to health care practitioners. Recovery in co-occurring mental health and substance use problems is viewed as with multiple challenges embedded in it. As most of the existing literature on recovery tends to treat recovery in mental health and substance use problems separately, it is critical to assess the nature of our current understanding of what has been described as “complex” or “dual” recovery. The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss what persons with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems describe as facilitators and barriers in their recovery process as revealed in the literature. Design/methodology/approach: The method used for this study was a small-scale review of the literature gleaned from a wider general view. Searches were conducted in CINAHL, Psych info, Medline, Embase, SweMed+, and NORART. Findings: Three overarching themes were identified as facilitators of dual recovery: first, meaningful everyday life; second, focus on strengths and future orientation; and third, re-establishing a social life and supportive relationships. Two overarching themes were identified as barriers to dual recovery: first, lack of tailored help and second, complex systems and uncoordinated services. Originality/value: The recovery literature mostly focuses on recovery in mental health and substance use problems separately, with less attention being paid in the first-person literature to what helps and what hinders dual recovery. (Publisher abstract)
Combined effects of physical illness and comorbid psychiatric disorder on risk of suicide in a national population study
- Authors:
- QIN Ping, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 204(6), 2014, pp.430-435.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Background: People with physical illness often have psychiatric disorder and this comorbidity may have a specific influence on their risk of suicide. Aims: To examine how physical illness and psychiatric comorbidity interact to influence risk of suicide, with particular focus on relative timing of onset of the two types of illness. Method: Based on the national population of Denmark, individual-level data were retrieved from five national registers on 27 262 suicide cases and 468 007 gender- and birth-date matched living controls. Data were analysed using conditional logistic regression. Results: Both suicides and controls with physical illness more often had comorbid psychiatric disorder than their physically healthy counterparts. Although both physical and psychiatric illnesses constituted significant risk factors for suicide, their relative timing of onset in individuals with comorbidity significantly differentiated the associated risk of suicide. While suicide risk was highly elevated when onsets of both physical and psychiatric illness occurred close in time to each other, regardless which came first, psychiatric comorbidity developed some time after onset of physical illness exacerbated the risk of suicide substantially. Conclusions: Suicide risk in physically ill people varies substantially by presence of psychiatric comorbidity, particularly the relative timing of onset of the two types of illness. Closer collaboration between general and mental health services should be an essential component of suicide prevention strategies. (Publisher abstract)
Late life depression: a historical perspective upon a maturing field of inquiry
- Author:
- BLAZER Dan G.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18(5), 2014, pp.538-539.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In this editorial, the author reviews the findings of seven studies on the topic of late life depression and compares these studies with the state of the field in terms of empirical research when he wrote his 1982 book. (Original abstract)