scholarly journals Social care: an essential aspect of mental health rehabilitation services

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Craig

AbstractThis study is aimed at the importance of social care in rehabilitation. A brief overview of the social care theme is used as the methodology. There is a tension in mental health care between biological and psychological treatments that focus on deficits at the individual level (symptoms, disabilities) and social interventions that try to address local inequalities and barriers in order to improve access for service users to ordinary housing, employment and leisure opportunities. The history of mental health care tells us that social care is often underfunded and too easily dismissed as not the business of health care. But too much emphasis on a health model of individual deficits is a slippery slope to institutionalisation by way of therapeutic nihilism. Rehabilitation services follow the biopsychosocial model but with a shift in emphasis, recognising the vital role played by social interventions in improving the functional outcomes that matter to service users including access to housing, occupation, leisure facilities and the support of family and friends. In conclusion, rehabilitation is framed within a model of personal recovery in which the target of intervention is to boost hope and help the individual find a meaning to life, living well regardless of enduring symptoms.

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 730-732
Author(s):  
Tom Butler ◽  
Philip Thomas

Health and social care in Britain is undergoing the most profound changes in its structure and organisation since its inception (Griffiths, 1988); indeed, some would argue that it is about to change beyond recognition. The purpose of this article is to describe contemporary developments in the delivery of such services in the USA. Given that many of the political changes here have been directly influenced by thinking and practice in that country, it is argued that there are two important lessons to be learnt. The first concerns the coordination of service delivery between different agencies, the second involves an emphasis on the delivery of acute and rehabilitation services in the community. In short the traditional distinctions between the two would be blurred.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Stimac Grbic ◽  
I Pavic Simetin ◽  
A Istvanovic

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.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Strand ◽  
Deede Gammon ◽  
Lillian Sofie Eng ◽  
Cornelia Ruland

BACKGROUND Peer support groups for people with long-term mental health problems are at the heart of recovery-oriented approaches in mental health care. When conducted face-to-face (offline) or on the Internet (online), peer support groups have proven to have differing strengths and weaknesses. Little is known about the benefits and challenges of combining the two formats. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to gain insights into the benefits and challenges of combining online and offline peer support groups facilitated through an Internet intervention designed to support recovery processes. METHODS In this exploratory and descriptive study, an e-recovery portal called ReConnect was used by service users in two mental health communities in Norway for 6-12 months. The portal included an online peer support forum which also facilitated participation in local in-person ReConnect-cafés. Both formats of peer support were facilitated by an employed service user consultant with lived experience of mental health problems and with training in peer support. Qualitative data about service users’ experiences of using the portal were collected through focus groups and individual interviews and inductively analyzed thematically with focus on benefits and challenges of peer support online and offline. RESULTS A total of 14 service users 22-63 years of age with various diagnoses, receiving services at both primary and specialist levels of mental health care participated in three focus groups and 10 individual interviews. Two main themes were identified in the analysis: 1) balancing anonymity and openness, and 2) enabling connectedness. These themes are further illustrated with the subthemes: i) dilemmas of anonymity and confidentiality, ii) towards self-disclosure and openness, iii) new friendships, and iv) networks in the local community. Three of the subthemes mainly describe benefits. Challenges were more implicit and cut across the subthemes. Identified challenges were linked to transitions from anonymity to revealing one’s identity, how to protect confidentiality, or to participation at face-to-face meetings in the local community. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that online peer support groups and offline meetings complement each other, and the combination is mainly beneficial to users. The identified benefits appeared to arise from participants’ options of one format or the other, or that they could combine formats in ways that suited their individual values and comfort zones. We also identified challenges related to combination of formats, and both formats require appropriate facilitation of peer support. Combining online formats that enable anonymity, a non-judgmental atmosphere, and 24/7 accessibility regardless of location, with offline formats that foster local, in-person community ties, is a promising concept for facilitating recovery-oriented care, and warrants continued research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 1916-1929
Author(s):  
Anna P. Folker ◽  
Mette M. Kristensen ◽  
Amalie O. Kusier ◽  
Maj Britt D. Nielsen ◽  
Sigurd M. Lauridsen ◽  
...  

Continuity of mental health care is central to improve the treatment and rehabilitation of people with mental disorders. While most studies on continuity of care fail to take the perspectives of service users into account, the aim of this study was to explore the perceived meanings of continuity of care among people with long-term mental disorders. Fifteen service users participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. We used template analysis to guide the analysis. The main transversal themes of continuity were “Navigating the system” and “Connecting to people and everyday life.” While the first theme related to the participants’ experiences of their interaction with the mental health care system, the latter related to their hopes and perceived opportunities for a good life as desired outcomes of mental health care. We conclude that efforts to improve continuity of mental health care should be tailored to the priorities of service users.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Daigle ◽  
Abraham Rudnick

This paper presents an organizational (ambulatory) case study of shifting mental health care from in-person to remote service delivery due to the current (COVID-19) pandemic as a rapid quality improvement initiative. Remotely delivered mental health care, particularly using synchronous video and phone, has been shown to be cost-effective, especially for rural service users. Our provincial specialized mental health clinic rapidly shifted to such remote delivery during the current pandemic. We report on processes and outputs of this rapid quality improvement initiative, which serves a purpose beyond pandemic circumstances, such as improving access to such specialized mental health care for rural and other service users at any time. In conclusion, shifting specialized mental health care from in-person to remotely delivered services as much as possible could be beneficial beyond the current pandemic. More research is needed to optimize the implementation of such a shift.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Berzins ◽  
Kathryn M. Berzins ◽  
Jacqueline M. Atkinson

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