scholarly journals The global impact on mental health almost 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-246
Author(s):  
Blanaid Gavin ◽  
John Lyne ◽  
Fiona McNicholas

AbstractApproaching 2 years into a global pandemic, it is timely to reflect on how COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of the global population. With research continuing apace, a clearer picture should crystallise in time. COVID-19 has undoubtedly had some impact on population mental health, although the severity and duration of this impact remain less clear. The exceptional period of COVID-19 has provided a unique prism through which we can observe and consider societal mental health. This is a momentous time to be involved in mental health research as we strive to understand the mental health needs of the population and advocate for adequate resourcing to deliver quality mental healthcare in the post-pandemic period.

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 231-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Molodynski ◽  
Stephen Puntis ◽  
Em Mcallister ◽  
Hannah Wheeler ◽  
Keith Cooper

Recent years have seen a surge in interest in mental healthcare and some reduction in stigma. Partly as a result of this, alongside a growing population and higher levels of societal distress, many more people are presenting with mental health needs, often in crisis. Systems that date back to the beginning of the National Health Service still form the basis for much care, and the current system is complex, hard to navigate and often fails people. Law enforcement services are increasingly being drawn into providing mental healthcare in the community, which most believe is inappropriate. We propose that it is now time for a fundamental root and branch review of mental health emergency care, taking into account the views of patients and the international evidence base, to ‘reset’ the balance and commission services that are humane and responsive – services that are fit for the 21st century.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
tatsawan timakum ◽  
Min Song ◽  
Qing Xie

Abstract Background: E-mentalhealthcare is the convergence of digital technologies with mental health services. It has beendevelopedto fill a gap in healthcare for people who need mental wellbeing support and may never otherwise receive psychological treatment.This study aimed to apply text mining techniques to analyze the huge data of e-mental health researches and to report on research clusters and trends as well as the co-occurrence of biomedical and the use of information technology in this field.Methods: The e-mentalhealth research data was obtainedfrom 3,663 bibliographicrecords from Web of Science (WoS)and 3,172 full-text articlesfrom PubMed Central (PMC). The text mining techniques utilized for this study includedbibliometric analysis, information extraction, and visualization.Results: The e-mental health research topic trendsprimarily involvede-health care services and medical informatics research. The clusters of research comprise 16 clusters, which refer to mental sickness, ehealth, diseases, IT, and self-management. Based onthe information extraction analysis, in the biomedical domain, a “depression” entity was frequently detected and it pairs with other entities in the network with a betweenness centrality weighted at 0.046869 (eg. depression-online, depression-diabetes, depression-measure, and depression-mobile).The IT entity-relations of “mobile” were the most frequently found(weighted at 0.043466). The top pairs are related to depression, mobile health, and text message.Conclusions: E-mental health research trends focused on disease related-depression and using IT for treatment and prevention, primarily via online and mobile devices. Producing AI and machine learning are also being studied for e-mental healthcare. The results illustrate that physical sickness is likely to cause a mental health problem and identify the IT that was applied to help manage and mitigate mental health impacts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Hotopf ◽  
Ed Bullmore ◽  
Rory C. O'Connor ◽  
Emily A. Holmes

SummaryThe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on population mental health are unknown. We need to understand the scale of any such impact in different sections of the population, who is most affected and how best to mitigate, prevent and treat any excess morbidity. We propose a coordinated and interdisciplinary mental health science response.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyal Sen

Global events like wars and natural disasters have led to the refugee population reaching numbers not seen since the Second World War. Attitudes to asylum have hardened, with the potential to compromise the mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugees. The challenges in providing mental healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees include working with the uncertainties of immigration status and cultural differences. Ways to meet the challenges include cultural competency training, availability of interpreters and cultural brokers as well as appropriately adapting modes of therapy. Service delivery should support adjustment to life in a foreign country. Never has the need been greater for psychiatrists to play a leadership role in the area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 734-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Satinsky ◽  
Theodoros A. Filippou ◽  
Antonis A. Kousoulis

As Fotaki (2019) argues, the current political climate in Europe is threatening principles of humanitarianism, particularly among refugees and asylum seekers. This commentary builds on that argument, with a spotlight on mental health and culturally relevant service design. By addressing some of the barriers faced by refugees and asylum seekers in accessing mental healthcare, we can address inequalities and develop compassionate societies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ahmed ◽  
Brendan Dineen ◽  
Sinead O'Brien ◽  
Philip A Carney

AbstractObjectives: This study describes the social, demographic and clinical characteristics of all the new referrals in a mental health catchment area. This study aims to compare Irish and non-Irish service users in terms of their mental health needs and service utilization.Method: Case notes were reviewed retrospectively to investigate demographic, clinical and service utilization parameters among new referrals to the psychiatric services in Galway, Ireland over a six-month period.Results: One hundred and fifty-four new referrals, of whom 41 were non-Irish, presented over a six-month period. Results showed no difference between Irish and non-Irish service users in terms of socio-demographic variables. Alcohol problems and subsequent need for detoxification and counselling were significantly higher among service users from the new EU accession states with a significant impact on the duration of their hospital stay and the need for intensive psychiatric care.Conclusions: There is an urgent need for enhanced resources for the delivery of mental healthcare to immigrants. Service utilisation and mental health needs are not explained merely by illness-related aspects in immigrant service users. Social and cultural factors have to be recognised in order to prevent disadvantages in psychiatric care.


Author(s):  
Malene Broch Clemmensen ◽  
Simo Køppe

The increasing prevalence of mental disorders together with the uncertain validity of psychopathological diagnostics challenges psychiatry as the primary home of studying, diagnosing and treating mental health problems and developing mental healthcare. This marks an emerging paradigmatical shift towards ‘alternative’ mental health perspectives. With the ambition of attending authoritatively in definitory practices, contemporary scholars of psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy call for an interdisciplinary approach to mental health, with a predominant focus on the subject. We argue that a paradigmatical shift of mental health requires structural–historical considerations of the foundations upon which subjectivity has been and still is manifested through psychiatry. On this basis, we critically investigate fluctuating psychiatric discourses on subjectivity, normality and pathology. We conducted a genealogical analysis of 13 psychiatric sources (1938–2017) focusing on ‘Psychopathy’ as a fluctuating diagnosis. We elucidate how subject concepts in psychiatry develop in parallel to subject concepts in society and culture, exemplified through convincing similarities between psychopathic symptoms and neoliberal ideals. Considerations like these, offer scholars valuable bases for mental health research and debate, and also valuable insights to healthcare professionals.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodele O. Coker ◽  
Olufemi B. Olugbile ◽  
Olufemi Oluwatayo

The Lagos State Ministry of Health recently launched its Mental Health Policy aimed at addressing the mental health needs the residents of the State. The policy also aimed at reducing the mental disorders treatment gap in the state by integrating mental healthcare into the primary healthcare in order to make mental healthcare services closer and accessible for residents of the State. This paper therefore critically reviews the rationale for the integration, magnitude of problems in Lagos State with regards to mental healthcare services, available resources, challenges in providing mental healthcare services, recommendations for successful integration, the necessary advocacy needed to implement the integration and benefits of the integration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Laura Stewart

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the reflections of a person with lived experience of a severe mental illness (SMI) and former peer support worker in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who has also worked for seven years in mental health research. It describes a tendency of resources and services to create ghettos of people with SMIs by failing to support the integration of people with SMIs into the community at large or in exploring options for meaningful, fulfilling occupation, reinforcing social exclusion and ghettoization. Design/methodology/approach This paper shows a reflective and narrative account of personal experiences and observations of the ghettoizing tendency in mental health services. Findings Mental healthcare professionals tend to support people with SMIs in engaging activities within resources for the mentally ill, and not in carrying out activities in the community at large. The range of activities offered is limited, an obstacle to finding meaningful, fulfilling occupation. Harmful psychological effects include self-stigma, low self-esteem and a sense of marginalization, generating a ghettoized mentality. The difficulties encountered in an effort to leave the mental health ghetto are touched on with examples of how to overcome them. Practical implications The need for professional support for social integration of people with SMIs is identified, which could ultimately favor social inclusion of people with SMIs. Originality/value It is written from the perspective of a user and provider of mental health services, who also has seven years’ experience in mental health research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 210 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Heslin ◽  
Lynne Callaghan ◽  
Barbara Barrett ◽  
Susan Lea ◽  
Susan Eick ◽  
...  

BackgroundSubstantial policy, communication and operational gaps exist between mental health services and the police for individuals with enduring mental health needs.AimsTo map and cost pathways through mental health and police services, and to model the cost impact of implementing key policy recommendations.MethodWithin a case-linkage study, we estimated 1-year individual-level healthcare and policing costs. Using decision modelling, we then estimated the potential impact on costs of three recommended service enhancements: street triage, Mental Health Act assessments for all Section 136 detainees and outreach custody link workers.ResultsUnder current care, average 1-year mental health and police costs were £10 812 and £4552 per individual respectively (n = 55). The cost per police incident was £522. Models suggested that each service enhancement would alter per incident costs by between −8% and +6%.ConclusionsRecommended enhancements to care pathways only marginally increase individual-level costs.


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