scholarly journals Plagues, pandemics and epidemics in Irish history prior to COVID-19 (coronavirus): what can we learn?

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Irish History ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Spanish Flu ◽  
Current Outbreak ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
The 19Th Century

Objectives:This paper seeks to provide a brief overview of epidemics and pandemics in Irish history and to identify any lessons that might be useful in relation to psychiatry in the context of COVID-19.Methods:A review of selected key reports, papers and publications related to epidemics and pandemics in Irish history was conducted.Results:Viruses, epidemics and pandemics are recurring features of human history. Early Irish sources record a broad array of plagues, pandemics and epidemics including bubonic plague, typhus, cholera, dysentery and smallpox, as well as an alleged epidemic of insanity in the 19th century (that never truly occurred). Like the Spanish flu pandemic (1918–20), COVID-19 (a new coronavirus) presents both the challenge of the illness itself and the problems caused by the anxiety that the virus triggers. Managing this anxiety has always been a challenge, especially with the Spanish flu. People with mental illness had particularly poor outcomes with the Spanish flu, often related to the large, unhygienic mental hospitals in which so many were housed.Conclusions:Even today, a full century after the Spanish flu pandemic, people with mental illness remain at increased risk of poor physical health, so it is imperative that multi-disciplinary care continues during the current outbreak of COVID-19, despite the manifest difficulties involved. The histories of previous epidemics and pandemics clearly demonstrate that good communication and solidarity matter, now more than ever, especially for people with mental illness.

scholarly journals Diabetic retinopathy screening in persons with mental illness: a literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elinor Rhian Bradley ◽  
Vijay Delaffon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy Screening ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Preventative Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
Health Programmes ◽  
Retinopathy Screening

People living with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of developing diabetes and are less likely to spontaneously report physical health concerns; they may therefore derive greater benefit from attending screening to prevent diabetic retinopathy.We conducted a literature review to consider the uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) in people with mental illness.People with a diagnosis of SMI and those with self-reported mental ill-health have reduced attendance at DRS, within the context of poorer compliance with general diabetic care. Anxiety and depression were noted as barriers in attending DRS.People living with SMI require additional support to benefit from preventative health programmes such as DRS. Further research could support a better understanding of barriers to attendance, allowing effective support systems to be developed.

scholarly journals Barriers, attitudes, confidence, and knowledge of nurses regarding metabolic health screening and intervention in people with mental illness: a pilot study from Uganda

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 2546-2554
Author(s):  
Davy Vancampfort ◽  
Andrew Watkins ◽  
Philip B Ward ◽  
Michel Probst ◽  
Marc De Hert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Health Screening ◽  
Metabolic Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Workload ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: People with mental illness are at an increased risk for developing cardio-metabolic disorders. Routine screening following pharmacotherapy is however unacceptably low in sub-Saharan African countries with less than 1% adequately screened. It is unknown whether this is due to a lack of adequate competences.Objectives: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the barriers, attitudes, confidence, and knowledge of nurses regarding metabolic health, prevention and treatment in Uganda.Methods: Twenty-eight nurses (39% female, 30.9±6.9 years) completed the Metabolic – Barriers, Confidence, Attitudes and Knowledge Questionnaire and the physical activity prescription rate item of the Exercise in Mental Illness Questionnaire.Results: More than 75% had a positive attitude towards metabolic screening and intervention and more than 50% were confident in providing smoking cessation advice, and physical activity and nutritional counseling. However, 57% stated that their heavy workload prevented them from doing health screening and promotion activities. There was a negative correlation (ρ=-0.54, P=0.003) between the frequency of physical activity prescription and the perception of the inability of patients to change.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that nurses are generally supportive of metabolic health screening and intervention but their high workload prevents them from implementing metabolic health interventions.Keywords: Exercise, diet, metabolic syndrome, screening, smoking.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in a Cohort Study of Patients With Mental Illness in Residential and Community Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Mazereel ◽  
Tom Vanbrabant ◽  
Franciska Desplenter ◽  
Johan Detraux ◽  
Livia De Picker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Psychosocial Care ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: Patients with mental illness are at increased risk for COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality. Vaccination against COVID-19 is important to prevent or mitigate these negative consequences. However, concerns have been raised over vaccination rates in these patients.Methods: We retrospectively examined vaccine uptake in a large sample of Belgian patients admitted to or residing in a university psychiatric hospital or community mental health care setting between 29th of March 2021 and 30th of September 2021 in the Flanders Region. All patients were offered vaccination. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with vaccine uptake.Results: 2,105 patients were included in the sample, of which 1,931 agreed to be vaccinated, corresponding with a total vaccination rate of 91.7%. Logistic regression showed an effect of the diagnosis “other disorders” (OR = 0.08, CI = 0.005–0.45), age (OR = 1.03, CI = 1.02–1.04) and residing in the psychosocial care center (OR = 0.50, CI = 0.32–0.80) on vaccination status.Conclusion: Vaccine uptake among people with mental illness is high and comparable to the general population, when implementing a targeted vaccination program.

scholarly journals Cues for different diagnostic patterns of interpersonal violence in a psychiatric sample: an observational study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalila Talevi ◽  
Alberto Collazzoni ◽  
Alessandro Rossi ◽  
Paolo Stratta ◽  
Monica Mazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mood Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Violent Behaviors ◽  
Increased Risk

Abstract Background. Interpersonal violence has increased as a health concern especially in the psychiatry practice over the last decades; nevertheless, most patients with stable mental illness do not present an increased risk of violence and a mental disorder is not a necessary or sufficient cause of violent behaviors. People with mental illness endorse more often a number of risk factors for violence that could confound this association, such as young age and male gender. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age, gender, and diagnosis on reported levels of interpersonal violence in a sample of people with severe mental illnesses. Methods. The sample was composed of 160 inpatients: 73 with psychosis, 53 with mood disorder and 34 with personality disorder. All patients enrolled in the study were assessed for experiences of victimization and perpetration of interpersonal violence using the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale interview. Demographic variables were also collected. Results. Violence negatively correlated with age. Compared to males, females were exposed to higher degree of violence (for both victimizations in childhood and adulthood), whereas males were more involved in the perpetration of violence (only for perpetration in childhood). Among diagnoses, personality disorders are associated with higher levels of interpersonal violence. An interaction effect of gender and diagnosis was also observed for expression of violence in adulthood. Distinct patterns of interpersonal violence did emerge for the diagnostic entities with mood disorder showing a victimization pattern, personality disorders a perpetration pattern and psychoses a less defined pattern. Conclusions. The main finding is that psychoses, mood disorders and personality disorders have different patterns of violent experiences when combined with age and gender. This study offers a step towards a better understanding of the extent to which gender and age could affect violent behaviors. Moreover, study findings may increase the comprehension of the reason why some mental disorders, compared to others, are more associated with the risk of victimization or perpetration of violence. These patterns could have pathophysiological or pathoplastic meaning addressing clinical and diagnostic trajectories interacting with other intervening risk factors.

scholarly journals Temperature-related deaths in people with psychosis, dementia and substance misuse

2012 ◽  
Vol 200 (6) ◽  
pp. 485-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Page ◽  
Shakoor Hajat ◽  
R. Sari Kovats ◽  
Louise M. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Primary Diagnosis ◽  
Time Series Regression ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Hot Weather ◽  
Public Health Strategies

BackgroundClimate change is expected to have significant effects on human health, partly through an increase in extreme events such as heatwaves. People with mental illness may be at particular risk.AimsTo estimate risk conferred by high ambient temperature on patients with psychosis, dementia and substance misuse.MethodWe applied time-series regression analysis to data from a nationally representative primary care cohort study. Relative risk of death per 1° increase in temperature was calculated above a threshold.ResultsPatients with mental illness showed an overall increase in risk of death of 4.9% (95% CI 2.0–7.8) per 1° increase in temperature above the 93rd percentile of the annual temperature distribution. Younger patients and those with a primary diagnosis of substance misuse demonstrated greatest mortality risk.ConclusionsThe increased risk of death during hot weather in patients with psychosis, dementia and substance misuse has implications for public health strategies during heatwaves.

A whole-of-population study of the prevalence and patterns of criminal offending in people with schizophrenia and other mental illness

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869-1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Morgan ◽  
F. Morgan ◽  
G. Valuri ◽  
A. Ferrante ◽  
D. Castle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Case Register ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of

BackgroundLarge epidemiological studies are needed to better understand the prevalence and profile of offending by people with mental illness. This study used a whole-of-population design to examine the prevalence, type and pattern of offending across all psychiatric diagnoses, including schizophrenia, compared to the general population.MethodWe used whole-of-population longitudinal record-linked data for a cohort of all Western Australians born 1955–1969 to determine arrest history over the period 1985–1996 and to ascertain recorded history of psychiatric illness. Of the cohort, 116 656 had been arrested and 40 478 were on the psychiatric case register.ResultsThe period prevalence of arrest for people with any psychiatric illness was 32.1%. The highest arrest prevalence, by diagnostic category, was for substance use disorders (59.4%); the prevalence for schizophrenia was 38.7%. Co-morbid substance use disorders significantly increased risk of arrest in people with schizophrenia. The prevalence of mental illness among offenders was 11.1%: 6.5% of offenders had substance use disorders and 1.7% had schizophrenia. For the majority of offenders with a psychiatric illness, first arrest preceded first contact with mental health services; for schizophrenia only, this proportion was increasing over time. The mean percentage annual change in the number of arrests during 1985–1996 rose significantly for offenders with a psychiatric illness other than schizophrenia and dropped significantly for those with no mental illness. Compared to non-psychiatric offenders, offenders with schizophrenia were more likely to offend alone, to offend in open places and to target strangers.ConclusionsOur findings open the way to an informed approach to the management of offenders with mental illness.

scholarly journals Development of the workplace inclusion questionnaire (WIQ)

2021 ◽  
pp. 140349482199024
Author(s):  
Vigdis Sveinsdottir ◽  
Tone Langjordet Johnsen ◽  
Tonje Fyhn ◽  
Jon Opsahl ◽  
Torill Helene Tveito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Work Group ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Risk Ratios ◽  
Workplace Inclusion ◽  
Case Stories

Aims: To develop a questionnaire to examine attitudes among employees and managers to include people with various health problems into their work group, and to test the questionnaire in one relevant population within the labour market. Methods: A questionnaire was developed through a process involving discussions in a scientific forum and pilot testing with group discussions. The final questionnaire, which was tested in a survey study of managers and employees in 33 Norwegian kindergartens ( N=485), contained 10 short case stories followed by questions concerning workplace inclusion. The case stories described individuals with musculoskeletal and mental disorders, as well as individuals with potentially stigmatising behavioural history and lifestyle, and control cases. Risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare the case stories. Cases with high risk ratios had an increased risk of not being included compared to a control case. Results: Attitudes for workplace inclusion varied between the different case stories. Cases portraying mental illness had the highest risk ratios, indicating that employees and managers are less likely to include people with mental illness than people with musculoskeletal illness. Furthermore, unspecific or chronic illness had higher risk ratios than specific and acute illness. The most important barriers also varied between case stories. Conclusions: The workplace inclusion questionnaire fulfills the need for a quantitative measure of attitudes to include individuals with various health problems into the workplace. Comparison of risk ratios showed clear differences between case stories, indicating that the workplace inclusion questionnaire is a valuable tool to measure the variance in workplace inclusion.

Psychological aspects and sexual problems

2019 ◽  
pp. 429-442
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Psychological Issues ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Hiv Acquisition ◽  
Risk Of Hiv Acquisition ◽  
Living With Hiv

Psychological issues are commonly encountered within sexual health. They may be as a result of embarrassment or anxiety regarding the consultation/examination/procedure or due to being given a diagnosis, suffering a chronic or recurrent problem, or concern about a possible diagnosis. Mental illness can contribute to sexual dysfunction and vice versa. This chapter discusses psychosexual problems and sexual dysfunction in men and women, and how best to manage them. People living with HIV have a high prevalence of mental illness and people with mental illness are at increased risk of HIV acquisition. Stigma and isolation are commonly experienced amongst people with HIV and a multidisciplinary approach with psychology, social work, peer support is important for providing holistic care.

scholarly journals Recovery among People with Mental Illness (PMI) as Perceived by the Caregivers in Islamic Boarding School (IBS) in Indonesia

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Widodo Sarjana ◽  
Alifiati Fitrikasari ◽  
Sri Padma Sari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
Boarding Schools ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
People With Mental Illness

Background: Mental hospitals as places to rehabilitation people with mental illness(PMI) in Indonesia are limited in numbers and do not meet with the number of PMI.The society may contribute in facilitating recovery and rehabilitation place for PMI including Islamic boarding school. Some Islamic boarding schools provide rehabilitation for PMI to help with recovery process. Recovery is an important aspect to assess the success of PMI rehabilitation. Nevertheless, there has been no study on Islamic boarding school’s caregivers’ perception on PMI recovery.Purpose: This study aims to explore recovery perception of caregivers treating PMI in Islamic boarding school and factors affecting recovery.Methods: Data are acquired from 19 caregivers from three Islamic boarding schools providing rehabilitation for PMI with Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The data analyzed using descriptive analysis.Result: Having a good communication is a recovery criterion that is mentioned themost by caregivers. There are three biggest factors affecting recovery based on the caregivers such as prayers or religion followed by social support from family and environment and also doing activities.Conclusion: The results may depict the PMI recovery so that the health care providers can provide interventions that can support the recovery process in PMI.

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