Peer Support for Mental Health

This study stems from an interest in peer support talk, an underexplored area of research, and in how supportive actions such as formulated summaries function in comparison to more professional healthcare settings. Using conversation analysis, this study explores 35 instances of formulations within 65 calls to four different ‘warm lines’, a term for peer-to-peer telephone support within the community mental health system in the United States. Formulations can be characterized across two related axes: client versus professional perspective, and directive versus nondirective. The findings show that formulations within peer support were overwhelmingly nondirective, in terms of meeting institutional agendas to let callers talk. However, formulations ranged from client-oriented ones that highlight or repeat caller reports to those which transform caller reports through integrating past caller experiences or implicit caller emotions. These tactics are found to have similarities to how formulations function in professional healthcare settings.

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The importance of peer support in the recovery process of persons with mental disorders

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

D Stimac Grbic ◽

I Pavic Simetin ◽

A Istvanovic

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Peer Support ◽

Community Intervention ◽

Recovery Process ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Hospital Treatment ◽

Personal Recovery

Abstract Issue Care for people with severe mental disorders requires approach that is focused on a person's strengths, not his weaknesses, and is a shift from a deficit model that is often associated with mental illness. Care users and their family members play an important role in this approach. Description of the Problem Mental disorders are the leading group of diseases in Croatia, according to the number of days of hospital treatment. The number of hospitalizations is high, and the rate of hospitalization for depression has tripled in the last twenty years. Such indicators highlight the need for reorientation of mental health care, from hospital-based to community-based, by organizing mobile community intervention teams. Results In Croatia, psychosocial peer teams were established by the NGO Ludruga, financed by local government, to provide peer support to persons with mental disorders. The main activities are: development of a personal recovery plan, home visits and providing psychological support to persons with mental disorders, organizing support groups and education of peer workers. The teams consist of a peer worker, social worker, psychologist, and operate under the supervision of a psychiatrist. The teams have been operating for five years, have had over a hundred users so far and are a significant help to the healthcare system in preventing rehospitalizations. Lessons The goal of therapeutic interventions in mental health care should be recovery. Recovery involves empowering a person to take responsibility for themselves and their health. Peer workers play an important role in the recovery process, providing hope for recovery. Their role must also be recognized by the health system. Key messages People with mental disorders and their families should be co-creators of care and recovery-oriented interventions. Only by comprehensive interventions, tackling all determinants of health, therapeutic goal can be achieved.

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Longitudinal comparative evaluation of the equivalence of an integrated peer-support and clinical staffing model for residential mental health rehabilitation: a mixed methods protocol incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-016-0882-x ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Stephen Parker ◽

Frances Dark ◽

Ellie Newman ◽

Nicole Korman ◽

Carla Meurk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Peer Support ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Stakeholder Perspectives ◽

Multiple Stakeholder ◽

Staffing Model ◽

Health Rehabilitation ◽

Mental Health Rehabilitation

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Using peer support to strengthen mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.30585 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rahul Suresh ◽

Armaghan Alam ◽

Zoe Karkossa

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Peer Support ◽

Health Anxiety ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Health Resources ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Mental Health Resource ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Anxiety Depression

BACKGROUND The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on society’s overall mental health with a notable effect on healthcare providers. To manage this global crisis, governments have had to implement numerous measures such mandated lockdowns and physical distancing to minimize the risk of overloading healthcare systems. Altogether, these measures have contributed to higher levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other metrics indicating worsening mental health. Unfortunately, the availability of crucial mental health resources and support remains scarce during this time as services attempt to transition to an effective online delivery model. Peer support, which is peer-to-peer provided social and emotional support, is an underutilized and effective mental health resource that is easily delivered/accessed in-person by members within a social distancing bubble, or virtually across different bubbles. OBJECTIVE This review aims to summarize the toll that this pandemic has had on society’s mental health as found in peer-reviewed literature from October 2019 to March 2021, as well as suggest the utility of peer support to address these needs. Lastly, we provide strategies to effectively deliver peer support so that members of the community can better support one another during these unprecedented times. METHODS References for this review were chosen through searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for articles published between October 2019 and March 2021 that used the terms: “coronavirus”, “COVID-19”, “mental health”, “anxiety”, “depression”, “isolation”, “mental health resources”, “peer support”, “online mental health resources”, and “healthcare workers”. Articles resulting from these searches and relevant references cited in those articles were reviewed. Articles published in English, French and Italian were included. RESULTS As stated in peer-reviewed literature, this pandemic has ubiquitously worsened the mental health of populations across the world, which is further exacerbated by extended periods of lockdown. Peer support has been demonstrated to yield positive effects on the mental health of a wide variety of recipients, and it can be provided through numerous accessible mediums such as web/mobile applications, video-conferencing software, workshops, telephone services, and student programs. CONCLUSIONS The provision of peer support can be very beneficial for improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and may be an effective tool should similar events arise in the future. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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