Understanding the role of service providers, land use, and resident characteristics on the occurrence of mental health crisis calls to the police

Religiosity is a construct that has interesting implications in the mental health issues of youths. This study examines the role of religiosity on anxiety, depression, and stress using 148 Muslim students studying Islamic studies at undergraduate provision in an Islamic University as sample. Results indicated that the level of religiosity among the participants ranged from moderately religious to highly religious. The mean levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among the participants were moderate, and a significant number of students suffered from severe psychological distress. Female students were reported to experience significantly slightly more stress than male students. Furthermore, the relationship between religiosity, anxiety, and depression was significantly negative but not stressful. Further analysis found that religiosity serves as a protective factor for depression. Meanwhile, some religiosity components (i.e., avoidance of sinful acts and frequent conduct of recommended acts) were found to be a significant protective factor against anxiety and depression, respectively. Thus, in retrospect, mental health and religion appear to converge on managing psychological distress. As so to speak, this is a vital point in the emerging mental health services in which the incorporation of religious components into clinical practice may show good promising results in aiding the recovery process of psychological health issues. Likewise, embedding religiosity in one’s life, or being religiously minded, reflected in daily life manifestation, is linked with better mental health outcomes.

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Early warning signs of a mental health tsunami: Initial data insights from digital services providers during COVID-19 (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19903 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Becky Inkster ◽

Ross O’Brien ◽

Kate Niederhoffer ◽

Niranja Bidargaddi ◽

Roger S. McIntyre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Financial Services ◽

Service Providers ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Digital Data ◽

Future Research ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Time Data ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Digital Services

BACKGROUND The immediate impact of COVID-19 on mortality and morbidity has demonstrated the need for accurate and real time data monitoring and communication. Displacements to healthcare systems and economies may have created the perfect storm for an impending and enduring mental health crisis. OBJECTIVE This project documents observations from multiple digital platforms during the COVID-19 crisis, especially digital mental health services. METHODS We used email and social media campaigns to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health service providers (N=44), financial services providers (N=5) and other relevant digital data source providers (N=3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative insights. RESULTS This study demonstrates the complexity of mental health concerns as witnessed by digital providers. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen. The nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, notably with an increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability of working with data insights from diverse digital services providers. We hope that these insights might help to form an epistemological foundation to stimulate future research. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from a wide variety of sources in order to monitor mental health needs.

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A looming mental health pandemic in the time of COVID-19? Role of fortitude in the interrelationship between loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among young adults

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0081246321991030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 008124632199103

Author(s):

Tyrone Pretorius ◽

Anita Padmanabhanunni

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Young Adults ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Self Report ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Health Crisis

This study investigates loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among a sample of young adults in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of fortitude in the interrelationship between these variables. Fortitude refers to the psychological strength to manage stress and stay well, and it is derived from positive appraisals of self, family, and support from others. Participants included 337 young adults who completed four self-report questionnaires: the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Scale, the Satisfaction with Life scale, and the Fortitude Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the direct, indirect, mediating, and moderating role of fortitude on psychological outcomes. The results demonstrated unprecedented levels of anxiety, loneliness, and reduced life satisfaction among the sample. These levels were significantly higher than those encountered in previous studies in other contexts, as well as in studies of similar populations conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women reported higher levels of psychological distress than men. The results confirmed the mediating role of fortitude; however, they also suggested that the predictors (loneliness and anxiety) are the mediated pathways and fortitude is causally antecedent to loneliness and anxiety. These findings suggest a looming mental health crisis among young adults in South Africa and identify potential targets for intervention efforts. A strengths-based approach that focuses on enhancing individuals’ appraisals of coping and support may serve to build fortitude and potentially mitigate adverse mental health outcomes.

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Adolescents in mental health crisis: the role of routine follow-up calls after emergency department visits

Emergency Medicine Journal ◽

10.1136/emj.2008.062745 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 159-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. M. Hopper ◽

I. Pangestu ◽

J. Cations ◽

C. Stewart ◽

L. N. Sharwood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Health Crisis

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A Scoping Review of Police Involvement in School Crisis Response for Mental Health Emergencies

School Mental Health ◽

10.1007/s12310-021-09477-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kristen R. Choi ◽

Corey O’Malley ◽

Roya Ijadi-Maghsoodi ◽

Elyse Tascione ◽

Eraka Bath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Law Enforcement ◽

Data Extraction ◽

School Mental Health ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Health Crisis ◽

School Crisis ◽

Scoping Literature Review

AbstractThe purpose of this scoping literature review was to examine research on police involvement in school mental health crisis response. The search was conducted in PsychInfo, PubMed, and ERIC and initially identified 315 articles. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 47 articles remained. Detailed review and data extraction by three independent reviewers resulted in a final article count of nine. Three primary themes were identified across articles: (1) perceptions and consequences of law enforcement presence in schools; (2) the role of school-community partnerships in successful crisis response models; and (3) gaps in research and challenges of implementing and scaling existing models. Though in practice law enforcement officers are often involved in school mental health crisis response, there is limited empirical research supporting this approach. Our review did not return any randomized trials. In the absence of empirical evidence supporting the use of current models, there is a need for research on law enforcement involvement in school crisis response and, more broadly, community-partnered models of responding to student mental health needs.

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Public mental health crisis management and Section 136 of the Mental Health Act

Journal of Medical Ethics ◽

10.1136/medethics-2016-103994 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 349-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Aileen O’Brien ◽

Faisil Sethi ◽

Mark Smith ◽

Annie Bartlett

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Criminal Justice ◽

Public Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Mental Health Act ◽

Proper Role ◽

Current State ◽

Criminal Justice Professionals

The interface between mental health services and the criminal justice system presents challenges both for professionals and patients. Both systems are stressed and inherently complex. Section 136 of the Mental Health Act is unusual being both an aspect of the Mental Health Act and a power of arrest. It has a long and controversial history related to concerns about who has been detained and how the section was applied. More recently, Section 136 has had a public profile stemming from the use of police cells as places of safety for young, mentally disturbed individuals. This paper explores the current state of health of this piece of legislation. Specifically, we consider whether alternative approaches are more suitable for those individuals in crisis and/or distress who come into contact with the police. This requires careful thought as to the proper role of both health and criminal justice professionals who are daily grappling with an ethically contentious domain of multiagency work.

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