scholarly journals Psychological Therapy for Postnatal Depression in UK Primary Care Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Investigation Using Framework Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 3519-3532
Author(s):  
Holly Hadfield ◽  
Suzanne Glendenning ◽  
Penny Bee ◽  
Anja Wittkowski

Abstract Objectives Postnatal depression (PND) can have negative consequences for mother and infant. Current psychological therapies are effective in treating depression but improvements in mother-infant outcomes have not yet been established. We aimed to capture mothers’ experiences of therapy for PND with a focus on parenting-related outcomes. We also sought their views on including parenting support within interventions. Methods Fourteen mothers who received psychological therapy in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results Three main themes were identified: ‘The experience of therapy’, ‘Therapy outcomes’ and ‘Views about parenting interventions for postnatal depression’. The main themes were underpinned by other themes. Overall the findings revealed that mothers perceived therapy as helpful in improving mood, confidence as a parent and relationship with their infant. Mothers valued the process of normalising their experiences within group therapy and by their therapists because it reduced any shame and stigma associated with PND. Mothers thought parenting support within therapy would be acceptable if delivered collaboratively. Conclusions Primary care-based psychological therapy for PND was perceived as helpful and acceptable. It clearly met some of the mothers’ goals, especially if their beliefs about being a ‘bad mother’ was challenged and modified. Barriers to engagement, such as childcare issues and therapist’s knowledge about perinatal mental health, would also need to be overcome. Finally, mother-infant interventions should be further explored as an adjunct treatment option.

Author(s):  
Gary Lamph ◽  
John Baker ◽  
Tommy Dickinson ◽  
Karina Lovell

Abstract Background: High numbers of people present with common mental health disorders and co-morbid personality disorder traits in primary care ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services in England and they receive sub-optimal treatments. No previous studies have explored the treatment experiences or needs of this patient population in England. Aims: This qualitative study explored the treatment experiences of patients (n = 22) with common mental health difficulties and co-morbid personality disorder as indicated by a score of 3 or more on the ‘Standardised Assessment of Personality – Abbreviated Scale’ (SAPAS) in receipt of primary care-based IAPT treatment. Method: A qualitative health research approach was used. Qualitative individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted. All interviews were audio recorded, data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a framework analysis approach. Results: Findings revealed a need to adapt away from prescriptive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) treatment models towards more flexible, personalised and individualised treatment with this patient group. Time to emotionally offload, build a therapeutic relationship and link past experiences to presenting problems were highlighted as important. Conclusions: For the first time, the needs and treatment experiences of this patient group have been explored. This paper provides a unique patient experience insight that should be considered when exploring new approaches to working with and developing effective interventions via a stepped care approach.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seamus Ryan ◽  
Anne Rogers ◽  
Helen Lester

Purpose – Recovery is a key organising principle underlying mental health services, but remains under-researched in primary care. The purpose of this paper is to explore what recovery from psychosis means from multiple perspectives, the role of primary care in fostering recovery, and interventions that might enhance its promotion in primary care. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 patients who had experienced psychosis and 24 General Practitioners (GPs) with varying expressed interest in mental health participated in semi-structured interviews, and were invited to two subsequent mixed focus groups. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis. Findings – Recovery was conceptualised by GPs without a specialist clinical interest in mental health as improvements in symptomatic outcomes, by GPs with a special interest as improvements in social or functional outcomes, and by patients as a process involving a “whole person” approach. Both GPs and patients highlighted benefits of primary care including continuity, accessibility, and the role primary care professionals can play in supporting patients’ families, and helping patients expand social support networks. Despite feeling “fobbed off” at times, patients desired a shift in responsibility for psychosis from secondary to primary care. Practical implications – Reflective peer supervision meetings for GPs and patient-led training might improve primary care's ability to provide a more recovery-focused environment. Originality/value – This study provided original and valuable findings regarding how GPs viewed their own role in promoting recovery from psychosis. This study also provided original findings regarding how patients viewed the role of primary care in promoting recovery from psychosis.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248339
Author(s):  
Megan A. Lewis ◽  
Laura K. Wagner ◽  
Lisa G. Rosas ◽  
Nan Lv ◽  
Elizabeth M. Venditti ◽  
...  

Background An integrated collaborative care intervention was used to treat primary care patients with comorbid obesity and depression in a randomized clinical trial. To increase wider uptake and dissemination, information is needed on translational potential. Methods The trial collected longitudinal, qualitative data at baseline, 6 months (end of intensive treatment), 12 months (end of maintenance treatment), and 24 months (end of follow-up). Semi-structured interviews (n = 142) were conducted with 54 out of 409 randomly selected trial participants and 37 other stakeholders, such as recruitment staff, intervention staff, and clinicians. Using a Framework Analysis approach, we examined themes across time and stakeholder groups according to the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. Results At baseline, participants and other stakeholders reported being skeptical of the collaborative care approach related to some RE-AIM dimensions. However, over time they indicated greater confidence regarding the potential for future public health impact. They also provided information on barriers and actionable information to enhance program reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Conclusions RE-AIM provided a useful framework for understanding how to increase the impact of a collaborative and integrative approach for treating comorbid obesity and depression. It also demonstrates the utility of using the framework as a planning tool early in the evidence-generation pipeline.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S8-S8
Author(s):  
Jesus Perez ◽  
Clare Knight ◽  
Debra A Russo ◽  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Peter B Jones

Abstract Background Systematic reviews indicate that approximately one third of people with at-risk mental states for psychosis (ARMS) will transition to a psychotic disorder. Research in non-specialised services, such as primary care settings, has shown that far fewer make such a conversion. Nonetheless, psychotic experiences (PE) may also be linked to common mental disorders (CMD), particularly depression and anxiety, and still predict poor outcomes. Population studies modelling the co-occurrence of CMD and PE have found an underlying unitary psychopathological factor, with PE emerging towards its more severe end. We know little about the prevalence of and recovery from PE in primary mental health care, where most CMD are treated. One example of primary mental health care setting in England is the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme (https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/iapt/). The IAPT programme provides evidence-based psychological therapies for mild to moderate CMD across the UK National Health Service (NHS). IAPT services adhere to current diagnostic paradigms and, therefore, do not either measure or treat PE. We aimed to establish the prevalence of PE in a large sample of patients with CMD from the IAPT programme and compare recovery rates between patients with CMD and PE (CMD-P) and those without PE. Methods We used the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences - Positive 15-item Scale (CAPE-P15) to determine the prevalence of PE in patients with CMD receiving treatment from IAPT services across England. We employed the CAPE-P15 threshold score of 1.47, which identifies individuals with ARMS, and also a lower threshold of 1.30, chosen as within one standard error of measurement, in order to explore threshold effects in the association between PE and recovery. Patient-reported measures of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) are routinely collected in IAPT services and determine ‘caseness’ before, during and after therapy. Using recovery rates (moving from ‘caseness’ to recovery) monitored nationally in the IAPT programme, we stratified patients according to the absence and presence of PE. Multi-group growth models estimated improvement trajectories for each group. Results 2,042 patients with CMD completed the CAPE-P15. The mean age was 39.8. The overall prevalence of CMD-P was 29.68% at CAPE-P15 threshold score for ARMS, i.e. 1.47, and 48.09% at threshold score 1.30. The overall recovery rate at threshold of 1.47 was 27.87% and 36.3% at 1.30. Recovery rates for those without PE were 58.92% and 62.43% for thresholds 1.47 and 1.30, respectively. Although patients with or without PE shared similar improvement trajectories, the initial severity of patients with CMD-P impeded their likelihood of recovery during treatment. Discussion At least one in four patients receiving treatment from IAPT services in primary care experience CMD-P. This significant group of people experience a lower recovery rate, with adverse implications not only for them but also for efficiency of services. Although recovery trajectories for this group showed improvement over therapy sessions, remittance of symptoms was insufficient to meet national IAPT standards of recovery. This patient group is not well-served by current interventions in primary care. This work forms part of a nation-wide NIHR research programme (TYPPEX; https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/innovative-mental-health-study-launchesin-eastern-region) aiming to develop innovative therapies for people with CMD-P in primary care. Preliminary results related to feasibility and effectiveness of new therapeutic approaches will also be presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
pp. 683-701
Author(s):  
Diana Cagliero

This article explores ethical issues raised by Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) when diagnosing depression and caring for cross-cultural patients. This study was conducted in three primary care clinics within a major metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States. The PCPs were from a variety of ethnocultural backgrounds including South Asian, Hispanic, East Asian and Caucasian. While medical education training and guidelines aim to teach physicians about the nuances of cross-cultural patient interaction, PCPs report that past experiences guide them in navigating cross-cultural conversations and patient care. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven PCPs which were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis to explore how patients’ cultural backgrounds and understanding of depression affected PCPs’ reasoning and diagnosing of depression in patients from different cultural backgrounds. Ethical issues that arose included: limiting treatment options, expressing a patient’s mental health diagnosis in a biomedical sense to reduce stigma, and somatization of mental health symptoms. Ethical implications, such as lack of autonomy, unnecessary testing, and the possible misuse of healthcare resources are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-196
Author(s):  
Lucy Fiddick ◽  
Emily Neale ◽  
Falguni Nathwani ◽  
Kristina Bennert ◽  
James Gregory

Purpose Evidence-based psychological therapies are available for severe and enduring mental health problems, but resources and access to these are limited within England. Practitioners in community mental health teams (CMHTs) can act as gatekeepers for access to psychological therapies for those in secondary care, but little is known about how they make referral decisions. This paper aims to understand how CMHT practitioners make decisions about who to refer or not, to secondary care psychological therapy services (PTS). Design/methodology/approach A total of 11 CMHT practitioners were interviewed to understand the decision making processes underpinning their referrals or otherwise, to a PTS within NHS England. The data were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Findings Thematic analysis resulted in 11 sub-themes under three main themes of the self, the organisation and wider structure and the service user. Results indicated that some participants were referred automatically for psychological therapy if a service user asked or if there was external pressure to refer, while others’ decisions were informed by contextual information such as the service user’s ability to engage or change, risk status and limited organisational resources. Originality/value This study explores the decision making of multi-disciplinary professionals referring to PTS. The findings have important implications for understanding some of the factors that can influence patient access to psychological treatment in secondary care.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e016307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Calanzani ◽  
Debbie Cavers ◽  
Gabriele Vojt ◽  
Sheina Orbell ◽  
Robert J C Steele ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWe aimed to test whether a brief, opportunistic intervention in general practice was a feasible and acceptable way to engage with bowel screening non-responders.DesignThis was a feasibility study testing an intervention which comprised a brief conversation during routine consultation, provision of a patient leaflet and instructions to request a replacement faecal occult blood test kit. A mixed-methods approach to evaluation was adopted. Data were collected from proformas completed after each intervention, from the Bowel Screening Centre database and from questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were carried out. We used descriptive statistics, content and framework analysis to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability.ParticipantsBowel screening non-responders (as defined by the Scottish Bowel Screening Centre) and primary care professionals working in five general practices in Lothian, Scotland.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSeveral predefined feasibility parameters were assessed, including numbers of patients engaging in conversation, requesting a replacement kit and returning it, and willingness of primary care professionals to deliver the intervention.ResultsThe intervention was offered to 258 patients in five general practices: 220 (87.0%) engaged with the intervention, 60 (23.3%) requested a new kit, 22 (8.5%) kits were completed and returned. Interviews and questionnaires suggest that the intervention was feasible, acceptable and consistent with an existing health prevention agenda. Reported challenges referred to work-related pressures, time constraints and practice priorities.ConclusionsThis intervention was acceptable and resulted in a modest increase in non-responders participating in bowel screening, although outlined challenges may affect sustained implementation. The strategy is also aligned with the increasing role of primary care in promoting bowel screening.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saimah Yasmin-Qureshi ◽  
Susan Ledwith

Purpose A number of initiatives have been developed to ensure easy access to mental health services for Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a service that delivers first line interventions for South Asian women; however, little is known about what makes IAPT accessible for this population. This paper aims to explore South Asian women’s experiences of accessing psychological therapy and whether therapy within IAPT helps individuals to re-frame their experiences within their own cultural context. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with South Asian women who accessed an IAPT service. Ten participants took part in the study and interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Six themes were identified; access, experience, cultural framework, therapist characteristics, expectations and “sticking with it”. Having a good therapeutic relationship with the therapist was key. While cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) enabled clients to manage their symptoms, manualised CBT led to a sense of dissatisfaction for some. Clients spoke of having to make a forced choice to either deny their culture or leave their culture at the door to access therapy. Cultural and religious exclusion had a negative impact on therapy particularly for those whose difficulties were related to their cultural or religious context. Practical implications Culture and religion continues to be excluded from psychological therapy for South Asian Women. A cultural shift is required from within IAPT services to maintain engagement for this group. Further clinical implications are discussed. Originality/value While the experiences of Black and Asian ethnic minority groups accessing secondary mental health services has been explored, this study explores and highlights the experiences of South Asian Women accessing therapy in primary care, and uniquely identifies the processes that enable women to engage in therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martyn Pickersgill

Psychological therapy today plays a key role in UK public mental health. In large part, this has been through the development of the (specifically English) Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. Through IAPT, millions of citizens have encountered interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy, largely for the treatment of depression and anxiety. This article interrogates how this national response to problems of mental ill-health – and the problematization itself – was developed, accounted for, and sustained. By imbricating economic expertise with accounts of mental ill-health and mechanisms of treatment, IAPT has revivified psychological framings of pathology and therapy. However, it has done so in ways that are more familiar within biomedical contexts (e.g. through recourse to randomized controlled trial studies). Today, the initiative is a principal player in relation to which other services are increasingly developed. Indeed, in many respects IAPT has transformed from content to context within UK public mental health (in a process of what I term ‘contextification’). By documenting these developments, this paper contributes to re-centring questions about the place and role of psychology in contemporary healthcare. Doing so helps to complicate assumptions about the dominance of linear forms of (de)biomedicalization in health-systems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Bristow ◽  
S. Edwards ◽  
E. Funnel ◽  
L. Fisher ◽  
L. Gask ◽  
...  

Background. In the UK, most people with mental health problems are managed in primary care. However, many individuals in need of help are not able to access care, either because it is not available, or because the individual's interaction with care-givers deters or diverts help-seeking. Aims. To understand the experience of seeking care for distress from the perspective of potential patients from “hard-to-reach” groups. Methods. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, analysed using a thematic framework. Results. Access to primary care is problematic in four main areas: how distress is conceptualised by individuals, the decision to seek help, barriers to help-seeking, and navigating and negotiating services. Conclusion. There are complex reasons why people from “hard-to-reach” groups may not conceptualise their distress as a biomedical problem. In addition, there are particular barriers to accessing primary care when distress is recognised by the person and help-seeking is attempted. We suggest how primary care could be more accessible to people from “hard-to-reach” groups including the need to offer a flexible, non-biomedical response to distress.


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