An Ethnographic Study of Mental Healthcare Services for People with Mental Illness in Rural Thailand

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-64
Author(s):  
Vatinee Sukmak ◽  
Sirirat Sipola
Author(s):  
Helle Schnor ◽  
Stina Linderoth ◽  
Julie Midtgaard

Epidemiological evidence suggests that physical exercise, notably popular sports, is associated with reduced, mental health burden. This study explored participation in a supervised, group-based, outdoor cycling programme (10 × 10 km rides over a five-month period) for people with mental illness. We conducted two rounds of three audio-taped focus groups with people with mental illness (n = 25, mean age = 40 years) that focused on previous physical activity and motivation for enrolment (baseline), and on programme evaluation, including subjective wellbeing (after 10 weeks). Transcribed verbatim, the group discussions were analysed using systematic text condensation, which identified 12 categories and four themes: 1) Reinvigoration, (2) motivation through equal status, (3) group commitment without focus on illness, and (4) the value of cycling. Of particular interest was the potential for outdoor cycling to support unique non-stigmatising therapeutic relationships in a non-patient environment, outdoor sensory experiences, e.g., fresh air, wind, and rain, and feelings of personal mastery, equal status, solidarity, community, and healing. This study indicated that outdoor cycling performed in groups supervised by healthcare staff may support exercise self-efficacy and empower people with mental illness, potentially promoting long-term physical activity and participation. Future interventional studies examining the effectiveness of outdoor cycling complementary to conventional community mental healthcare services are warranted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Zolezzi ◽  
Maha Alamri ◽  
Shahd Shaar ◽  
Daniel Rainkie

Background: Mental health has not had the same public profile as physical health. This has contributed to the stigma associated with mental illness and to its treatments. Research investigating how the traditions and values amongst those with an Arab heritage contribute to stigmatizing beliefs, attitudes or actions in the provision of mental healthcare has not been widely reported. Aim: To systematically review the literature and summarize the findings of studies reporting stigmatizing beliefs, actions and attitudes toward treatment of people with mental illness in the Arab population. Methods: PubMed, Ovid, Psycharticles and Embase were used to identify original studies of non-institutionalized Arab adults or children reporting findings relevant to stigma toward mental illness. A manual search of the bibliography of all selected original studies was also undertaken. Independent data extraction was performed by two reviewers, who then met to compare data and reach consensus. Findings were classified as stigmatizing beliefs, actions or attitudes toward mental health treatments. Results: A total of 33 articles were retrieved for full review. Those utilizing qualitative methodology provided insight into the many ways mental illness is viewed and defined among those with an Arab heritage. Among the studies using quantitative methodology, most compared stigmatizing beliefs, attitudes toward mental health treatments or stigmatizing actions among different Arab populations, some also investigated correlations between characteristics of the Arab population tested with stigmatizing beliefs, actions and attitudes toward mental health treatments. Findings from studies undertaken in Qatar reported greater stigmatizing beliefs, actions or attitudes toward mental health treatments among Qatari versus non-Qatari Arabs. Conclusion: A large diversity in the stigmatizing beliefs, actions and attitudes toward treatment of mental illness within the Arab population were identified. The influence of cultural variations on stigma should be explored further and used to tailor anti-stigma interventions in this population.


2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 241-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Davies ◽  
Claire Dimond

SummaryThe UK Mental Health Act 1983 does not apply in prison. The legal framework for the care and treatment of people with mental illness in prison is provided by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We raise dilemmas about its use. We highlight how assessing best interests and defining harm involves making challenging judgements. How best interests and harm are interpreted has a potentially significant impact on clinical practice within a prison context.


Data in Brief ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 2095-2103
Author(s):  
Tomike I. Olawande ◽  
Hilary I. Okagbue ◽  
Ayodele S. Jegede ◽  
Patrick A. Edewor ◽  
Lukman T. Fasasi

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M Simpson ◽  
Kingsley Agho ◽  
Benjamin Van Nugteren ◽  
Tuija Rasku ◽  
Sean Thompson ◽  
...  

Objective Stigma towards mental illness has been described in many health professions at the undergraduate level, but not in the discipline of paramedicine. The objective of this research was to describe levels of stigma towards people with mental illness as self-reported by undergraduate paramedicine students in Australia, Finland, New Zealand and South Africa. Design Using a cross-sectional design, an online survey was administered consisting of a validated instrument measuring self-reported stigma levels. Setting Four undergraduate paramedicine university programs in Australia, New Zealand, Finland and South Africa. Method The Opening Minds Scale for Health Providers (OMS-HC) is a validated, 20-item instrument measuring self-reported stigma. The 20 OMS-HC items were summed and generalised linear models with log link and Poisson family were used to examine associated factors. Results The overall level of self-reported stigma across students from all countries was 53, on a scale ranging from 20 (‘least stigmatised’) to 100 (‘most stigmatised’). Compared with the Australian cohort, total stigma scores increased significantly by 8% in New Zealand (p=0.01), 15% (p<0.001), and 18% in South Africa (p=0.002). Subscale analysis revealed high scores for social distance as a construct of stigma more broadly. Conclusion The findings provide an important baseline that can be used by paramedicine programs to inform development of mental healthcare curricula seeking to reduce stigma during the formative undergraduate years of professional development. The findings can be applied in a teaching and learning setting as source material to stimulate discussion and promote student self-reflection in a range of teaching activities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelina Roida Eka ◽  
Novy Helena Catharina Daulima

Physical restraint and confinement (pasung) by families of people with mental illness is known to occur in many parts of the world Pasung is a common human right violation on people with mental illness found on every country in the world especially in developing countries like Indonesia. In Indonesia the term pasung refers to the physical restraint or confinement of "criminals, crazy and dangerously aggressive people. Despite the classification as Human Right Violation, pasung is constantly performed in Indonesia. In 2018, around 18% people with mental ilness experienced pasung. This study aimed to identify factors related to pasung. The researcher conduct the literature review on the credible sources. Five databases were used including  Science Direct, Proquest, Scopus, Ebsco, and  Google Scholar. Study result identified that factors related to pasung come from person with mental illness, family and community. The pasung phenomena within the community on people with mental illness ironically have a limited sources of research especially the ethnographic study of the said phenomena. Ethnographic study on pasung is important to elucidate the social and cultural meanings of the practice in a variety of settings and cultures especially in Indonesia, which take an enourmous impact within the community including the practice of pasung on people with mental illness.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402199280
Author(s):  
Yuer Deng ◽  
An-Li Wang ◽  
Rosemary Frasso ◽  
Mao-Sheng Ran ◽  
Tian-Ming Zhang ◽  
...  

Background and aims: The increasing prevalence of mental illness and low treatment rate presents a pressing public health issue in China. Pervasive stigma is a significant barrier to mental health recovery and community inclusion. In particular, stigmatizing or supportive attitudes held by healthcare providers could either perpetuate or mitigate self-stigma of people with mental illness. Moreover, mental health resources are unevenly distributed in China, with most of them concentrated in urban centers and provincial capitals. This study explores healthcare providers’ attitudes toward mental illness and the challenges they faced at work in a rural Chinese county. Method: Four focus groups were conducted with 36 healthcare providers from a three-tier mental healthcare system in a rural county in southwestern China. Focus group discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The team employed a conventional content analysis approach for data analysis. All transcripts were double-coded by three bilingual team members who are native Chinese speakers. Coding discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Results: Healthcare providers recruited from the county, township, and village levels varied in educational background, professional qualification, and experience of working with people with mental illness. Five thematic categories identified across four groups include (1) barriers to mental healthcare delivery, (2) keys to mental health recovery, (3) providers’ attitudes toward providing care, (4) providers’ perception toward patients and family members, and (5) providers’ perception of training needs. Conclusions: This is a unique study that included healthcare providers from a three-tier healthcare system. Findings signal the importance of understanding healthcare practitioners’ experiences and views to inform the design of training initiatives in rural or low-resource communities.


2022 ◽  
pp. 114-137
Author(s):  
Tara Renee Fox

Providing telehealth is often a means to increase the accessibility to and availability of clinical mental healthcare services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has been globally implemented into healthcare systems. Today, almost 390 million individuals have at least one mental illness. There are many challenges to seeking clinical mental healthcare, including availability and accessibility, anonymity, finances and insurance, stigma, and travel and transportation. Due to these barriers, many individuals have untreated mental health conditions, which can burden healthcare systems. By utilizing innovative delivery models such as telehealth technologies, the disparities experienced by individuals when attempting to seek clinical mental healthcare services can decrease.


Author(s):  
Dalena Van Rooyen ◽  
Kegan Topper ◽  
Nontembeko Grycelda Shasha ◽  
Juanita Strümpher

The mental healthcare needs of individuals suffering from mental illness, especially those with severe and persistent mental illness, are neglected and often misunderstood in South African rural communities. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe experiences of persons living with severe and persistent mental illness and those of their families in respect of mental health services provided by primary healthcare facilities in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory research design was utilised. Convenience sampling was used to select primary healthcare facilities in the rural Emalahleni sub-district of the Chris Hani Health District in the Eastern Cape. Purposive sampling was used to recruit persons living with severe and persistent mental illness (n = 18) and their family members (n = 11). A total of 29 in-depth, unstructured individual interviews were conducted using an audio recorder. Tesch’s thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the data. Two central themes emerged from the data, namely the challenges in accessing primary healthcare services, and the inadequate provision of mental healthcare. Primary healthcare in rural South Africa needs to be better prioritised by national government to deal with mental healthcare. Improvements in infrastructural and staff capacity are needed to improve access and availability of mental healthcare services in rural communities. Nursing education programmes should better integrate mental healthcare into curricula, especially rural mental healthcare. Cost-effective, evidence-based, culturally-sensitive mental health innovations focusing on the mental health needs throughout the person’s life course should be implemented.


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