Causes and psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia: the opinions of Mental Health services' staff

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza Magliano ◽  
Corrado de Rosa ◽  
Manuela Guarneri ◽  
Pasquale Cozzolino ◽  
Claudio Malangone ◽  
...  

SummaryObjective – Description of the opinions about causes and psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia in a sample of psychiatric professionals, recruited in 29 Italian Mental Health Centres (MHC). Design – Each professional was asked to read a case-vignette describing a patient who met the ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia. Referring to case-vignette, he/she was asked to fill the Questionnaire on the Opinions about Mental Illness – Professionals' version (QO-P). Professionals' opinions were explored in relation to: a) their socio-demographic variables and professional background; b) geographic location of the MHC. Setting – 29 MHC stratified by geographic area (Northern, Central, Southern Italy) and population density of their catchment areas (> 100000 inhabitants; between 100000 and 25000 inhabitants; < 25000 inhabitants) and randomly selected. Results – Data on 465 professionals were collected. 75% of the sample identified in the vignette a case of schizophrenia, 22% of depression/anxiety disorder. Factors most frequently mentioned as causes of the detected disorder were heredity (68%), stress (61%), family difficulties (46%). More pessimistic opinions about psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia were found among nurses and among professionals of Southern Italy, among those with lower educational level, older age and among those working longer in psychiatry. No statistical difference in the opinions about psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia was found among staff who referred the case-vignette to schizophrenia and those who did not. Conclusions – The results of this study outline the need to: a) include issues such as disability and psychosocial consequences of mental disorders in the basic training of professionals; b) increase the number of professionals trained in evidence-based psychosocial interventions.

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza Magliano ◽  
Corrado De Rosa ◽  
Andrea Fiorillo ◽  
Claudio Malangone ◽  
Manuela Guarneri ◽  
...  

SummaryObjective – Description of opinions on schizophrenia and its psychosocial consequences in a sample of general population. Methods – The study has been carried out in 29 GP units stratified by geographic area and population density of their catchment areas and randomly selected. Each respondent was asked to read a case-vignette describing a patient who met ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia, and then to fill the Questionnaire on the Opinions about Mental Illness General Population's version (QO-GP). Results – Data on 714 respondents were collected. 21% of the sample identified a case of schizophrenia, 66% of depression/anxiety disorder, and 13% of “nervous breakdown”. Factors most frequently mentioned as causes of detected disorder were stress (72%), heredity (62%), family difficulties and psychological traumas (45%). More pessimistic opinions about psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia were found among respondents with lower educational level and older age. Respondents who referred the case-vignette to schizophrenia reported more pessimistic opinions about psychosocial consequences of detected disorder. Conclusions – The results of this study outline the need to plan educational campaigns on mental illnesses, which take into account the socio-cultural characteristics of the target populations.Declaration of interest: none of the seven authors has had any interest or received any form of support, including that from drug companies and honoraria for lectures and consultancies, potentially in conflict with this scientific work, in the last 2 years.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenza Magliano ◽  
Ada Orrico ◽  
Andrea Fiorillo ◽  
Heidegret Del Vecchio ◽  
Giuseppina Castiello ◽  
...  

SummaryAims – To explore: a) the burden of care, and the professional and social support in relatives of patients with bipolar disorders; b) the psychosocial interventions provided to patients and their families by Italian mental health centres. Methods – 342 outpatients with a bipolar disorder and their key-relatives were randomly recruited in 26 Italian mental health centres, randomly selected and stratified by geographical area and population density. Family burden was explored in relation to: a) patient's clinical status and disability; b) relatives’ social and professional support; c) interventions received by patients and their families; d) geographical area. Results – In the previous two months, global functioning was moderately impaired in 36% of the patients, and severely impaired in 34% of them. Twenty-one percent of patients attended a rehabilitative programme, and 3% of their families received a psychoeducational intervention. Burden was higher when patient's symptoms and disability were more severe, the relatives had poorer psychological support and help in emergencies by the social network, and the family lived in Southern Italy. Differences in family burden in relation to geographical area disappeared when psychosocial interventions were provided. Conclusion – This study highlights the need to increase the availability of rehabilitative interventions for patients with bipolar disorders and of psychological support for their families, especially in Southern Italy.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402098161
Author(s):  
Vyjayanthi N Venkataramu ◽  
Bhavika Vajawat ◽  
Bharathram Sathur Raghuraman ◽  
SK Chaturvedi

Introduction: Cultural competence is a prerequisite skill for a psychiatrist. There is a dearth of information on the methods used for training of cultural competence and their outcomes. This study aims to explore and determine the existing methods used for cultural competency training (CCT) for psychiatry residents and how useful these training methods are. Method: A systematic review methodology based on PRISMA guidelines was adopted for this study. The literature search reviewed databases of PubMed and MesH, using keywords ‘psychiatry resident’, ‘psychiatry’, ‘psychiatrist’, ‘mental health’, and ‘mental health professional’. In the end,14 articles qualified for the detailed review. The level of evidence and quality of the studies were evaluated and recorded. Results: The methods of cultural competence training identified were grouped as, active/passive/mixed; group training/individual training. These included documentaries or non-feature films based teaching, secondary consultation and cross consultation models, case vignette discussions, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), behavioral simulation, video demonstration, cultural discussion in rounds, and traditional clinical teaching. The studies covered participants from different cultural backgrounds, mainly urban and predominantly university/institution based. Conclusion: There is limited literature in the area to conclude one method to be better than the other with respect to CCT in psychiatry residents. However, this review identified a variety of training methods, which can be used and pave way for research on their effectiveness. Training and evaluation of psychiatry residents in the area of cultural competence should be done routinely during their training to enable them to practice in the multi ethic societies.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Gustavo Cernera ◽  
Marika Comegna ◽  
Monica Gelzo ◽  
Marcella Savoia ◽  
Dario Bruzzese ◽  
...  

Background and objectives: ischemic stroke (IS) is among the most frequent causes of death worldwide; thus, it is of paramount relevance to know predisposing factors that may help to identify and treat the high-risk subjects. Materials and Methods:we tested nine variants in genes involved in thrombotic pathway in 282 patients that experienced IS and 87 that had transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in comparison to 430 subjects from the general population (GP) of the same geographic area (southern Italy). We included cases of young and child IS to evaluate the eventual differences in the role of the analyzed variants. Results: we did not observe significant differences between TIA and the GP for any of the variants, while the allele frequencies of methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, beta-fibrinogen -455G>A and factor (FXIII) V34L were significantly higher in patients with IS than in the subjects from the GP. No significant interaction was observed with sex. Conclusions: the present data argue that some gene variants have a role in IS and this appears to be an interesting possibility to be pursued in large population studies to help design specific strategies for IS prevention.


2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110117
Author(s):  
Fakir Al Gharaibeh ◽  
Laura Gibson

Summary COVID-19 is shaping all aspects of life throughout the world. The unexpected number of people who have been infected with and died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is evidence that the pandemic has affected families and societies. The strong shock wave that has resulted in the international response has focused more on medical rather than psychosocial interventions. Little has been written or studied about the impact of COVID-19 on families. This article explores the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on the mental health of families. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with Jordanian families through snowball sampling. Findings The results show that 20 interviewees described varied and new experiences. Many of the families we interviewed displayed symptoms of mental health problems, including disrupted sleep patterns, changes in eating habits, excessive digital media use, anxiety, depression, excessive smoking, stomach aches, bedwetting among children, and persistent headaches. The study also demonstrated the psychological stress partners felt during the lockdown due to their worries about job security. They also communicated their hope that renewed family commitments might bring more stability to their relationships. During the lockdown, family members spent more time together, and it became harder to conceal any issues from each other. Applications The findings of this research demonstrate a critical need for social workers, and it is hoped that future legislation will include a role for social workers in various fields of crisis. Moreover, social workers should encourage families to ask for intervention to overcome the long-term effects that may result from COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Wiegelmann ◽  
Sarah Speller ◽  
Lisa-Marie Verhaert ◽  
Liane Schirra-Weirich ◽  
Karin Wolf-Ostermann

Abstract Background Informal caregivers of persons living with dementia have an increased risk of adverse mental health effects. It is therefore important to systematically summarize published literature in order to find out which mental health interventions generate effective support for informal caregivers of persons living with dementia. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of intervention content, effectiveness and subgroup differentiation of mental health interventions for informal caregivers of persons with dementia living at home. Method We searched four electronic databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Scopus and CINAHL) and included only methodically high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in English or German language between 2009 and 2018. The intervention programmes focused on mental health of family caregivers. A narrative synthesis of the included studies is given. Results Forty-eight publications relating to 46 intervention programmes met the inclusion criteria. Burden, depression and quality of life (QoL) are the predominant parameters that were investigated. Twenty-five of forty-six interventions (54.3%) show positive effects on at least one of the outcomes examined. Most often, positive effects are reported for the outcome subjective burden (46.2%). Only six studies explicitly target on a certain subgroup of informal dementia caregivers (13%), whereas all other interventions (87%) target the group as a whole without differentiation. Conclusion The most beneficial results were found for cognitive behavioural approaches, especially concerning the reduction of depressive symptoms. Besides this, leisure and physical activity interventions show some good results in reducing subjective caregiver burden. In order to improve effectiveness, research and practice may focus on developing more targeted interventions for special dementia informal caregiver subgroups.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 263348952098825
Author(s):  
Cheri J Shapiro ◽  
Kathleen Watson MacDonell ◽  
Mariah Moran

Background: Among the many variables that affect implementation of evidence-based interventions in real-world settings, self-efficacy is one of the most important factors at the provider level of the social ecology. Yet, research on the construct of provider self-efficacy remains limited. Objectives: This scoping review was conducted to enhance understanding of the construct of provider self-efficacy and to examine how the construct is defined and measured in the context of implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions. Design: Online databases were used to identify 190 papers published from 1999 to June of 2018 that included search terms for providers, evidence-based, and self-efficacy. To be eligible for the scoping review, papers needed to focus on the self-efficacy of mental health providers to deliver evidence-based psychosocial interventions. A total of 15 publications were included in the review. Results: The construct of provider self-efficacy is not clearly defined but is typically described as confidence to deliver a specific intervention or practice. A range of measures are used to assess provider self-efficacy across both provider and intervention types. Conclusions: Standardized definition and measurement of provider self-efficacy is needed to advance practice and implementation research. Plain language abstract: Provider self-efficacy is known to influence implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions. However, the ways in which provider self-efficacy is defined and measured in implementation research literature is not well understood; furthermore, it is not clear what types of providers and interventions are represented in this literature. This scoping review adds to current research by revealing that there is no agreed upon definition or measure of provider self-efficacy in the context of implementation of evidence-based interventions, and that the research includes multiple types of providers (e.g., social workers, counselors, psychologists) and interventions. Self-efficacy appears to change as a function of training and support. To further research in this area, a common definition and agreed upon measures of this construct are needed.


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