Heterosexism, racism, and mental illness discrimination: Experiences of people with mental health conditions and their families

Abstract Police violence is reportedly common among those diagnosed with mental disorders characterized by the presence of psychotic symptoms or pronounced emotional lability. Despite the perception that people with mental illness are disproportionately mistreated by the police, there is relatively little empirical research on this topic. A cross-sectional general population survey was administered online in 2017 to 1,000 adults in two eastern U.S. cities to examine the relationship between police violence exposure, mental disorders, and crime involvement. Results from hierarchical logistic regression and mediation analyses revealed that a range of mental health conditions are broadly associated with elevated risk for police violence exposure. Individuals with severe mental illness are more likely than the general population to be physically victimized by police, regardless of their involvement in criminal activities. Most of the excess risk of police violence exposure related to common psychiatric diagnoses was explained by confounding factors including crime involvement. However, crime involvement may necessitate more police contact, but does not necessarily justify victimization or excessive force (particularly sexual and psychological violence). Findings support the need for adequate training for police officers on how to safely interact with people with mental health conditions, particularly severe mental illness.

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Interactive Activities to Aid in a Comprehensive Understanding of Mental Health Within the Professional Athletic Training Curriculum

Athletic Training Education Journal ◽

10.4085/1947-380x-20-73 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 262-269

Author(s):

Jennifer Lynn Ostrowski ◽

Ashley Gray ◽

Ellen K. Payne ◽

David Wilkenfeld ◽

James R. Scifers

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Athletic Training ◽

First Aid ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Standardized Patient ◽

Counseling Session ◽

Mental Health First Aid ◽

Athletic Training Students ◽

Mental Health Conditions

Context Mental health is a significant issue in the United States, with approximately 18.5% of adults and 22% of adolescents having a diagnosable mental illness. Athletic trainers are in a prime position to recognize signs of mental health illness in their patients and to facilitate referral to a mental health professional. Objective To introduce interactive approaches for developing mental health first aid and referral skills in professional athletic training students. Background Although the 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education curricular content standards require programs to educate students about identification and referral for mental health conditions, the standards do not provide specific suggestions for instructing this content. Description Three educational activities have been implemented into the curriculum: an exploratory counseling session, Mental Health First Aid certification, and a standardized patient encounter. Clinical Advantage(s) The exploratory counseling session improves athletic training students' empathy for individuals living with mental illness. The Mental Health First Aid curriculum has been shown to raise awareness of mental health conditions and positively influence the number of people who receive professional help. Standardized patient scenarios have been shown to increase critical thinking and confidence with mental health cases and to increase knowledge in mental health assessment. Conclusion(s) Students' reflections support that these components have increased their competence and confidence in recognizing, intervening, and making referrals for individuals with suspected mental health concerns.

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From serious mental illness to recovery: An APA curriculum trains psychology students how to help people recover from schizophrenia, major depression and other serious mental health conditions

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e522492014-018 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca A. Clay

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Major Depression ◽

Serious Mental Illness ◽

Psychology Students ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Serious Mental Health Conditions

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Is Telehealth an Effective Way to Increase Accessibility to Counseling Services?

10.4018/978-1-7998-8028-8.ch007 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 114-137

Author(s):

Tara Renee Fox

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Healthcare Systems ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Counseling Services ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Delivery Models

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.

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“Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn’t differentiate”: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

International Journal for Equity in Health ◽

10.1186/s12939-020-01295-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Linney ◽

Siyan Ye ◽

Sabi Redwood ◽

Abdi Mohamed ◽

Abdullahi Farah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Service Use ◽

Waiting Times ◽

Community Based Participatory Research ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Mental Health Service Use ◽

Community Initiatives ◽

Building Relationships ◽

Mental Health Conditions

Abstract Background Mental health conditions have been shown to disproportionately affect those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Somali communities globally have relatively high levels of mental illness, but low levels of mental health service use, with numerous barriers to care identified. This study was conducted in an established UK Somali community in the South West of England and aimed to explore community beliefs and views about the causes of mental illness, treatment for mental illness, and access to medical services in general. Participants were asked about how mental health and illness are understood and conceptualised, along with the cultural meaning of mental illness and its manifestations in relation to men, women and young people. Design Using a community-based participatory research design, in partnership with local Somali community organisations, the research team conducted four focus groups with a total of 23 participants aged over 18. Open-ended questions were used to facilitate discussion. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results The participants discussed the role of migration and associated stress from the civil war and how that could contribute to mental illness. Participants tended to view the symptoms of mental illness as physical manifestations such as headaches and to describe a strong community stigma where those with mental health conditions were viewed as “crazy” by others. Barriers to accessing healthcare included language barriers, waiting times and a mistrust of doctors. Various ideas for improvements were discussed, including ideas to reduce stigma and ideas for community initiatives. Conclusion Cultural considerations and reducing stigma are vital in improving understanding of mental illness and improving access to mental health services, along with building relationships and trust between the Somali community and health care workers.

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Identity, mental health and work: How employees with mental health conditions recount stigma and the pejorative discourse of mental illness

Human Relations ◽

10.1177/0018726717716752 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 722-741 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Hadar Elraz

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Health Management ◽

Health Condition ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Management Skills ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Difficult Situation ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

The Face

This article asks how identity is constructed for individuals with mental health conditions (MHCs) in the workplace. It takes especial regard to how MHCs are discursively situated, constructed and reconstructed in the workplace. Employees with MHCs face a difficult situation: not only do they need to deal with the stigma and discrimination commonly associated with MHCs, but they must also manage their health condition whilst adhering to organizational demands to demonstrate performance and commitment to work. Discourse analysis derived from 32 interviews with individuals with MHCs delineates how these individuals feel both stigmatized and empowered by their MHCs. The findings address three discursive strands: (i) a pejorative construction of mental illness in employment and society; (ii) contesting mental illness at work by embracing mental health management skills; and (iii) recounting mental illness through public disclosure and change. This article enhances understanding of how the construction of positive identity in the face of negative attributions associated with MHCs contributes to literature on identity, organizations and stigma as well as raising implications for policy and practice.

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Smoking cessation and serious mental illness

Independent Nurse ◽

10.12968/indn.2021.5.11 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (5) ◽

pp. 11-13

Author(s):

Graham Cope

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Serious Mental Illness ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Quit Smoking

Graham Cope explains how people with mental health conditions can be encouraged to quit smoking

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Thyroid diseases and mental illness together with behavioural disorders versus mental illness together with behavioural disorders and thyroid diseases

Polish Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2478/pjph-2021-0007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 131 (1) ◽

pp. 35-40

Author(s):

Jolanta Herda ◽

Piotr Okoński ◽

Agnieszka Parfin ◽

Krystian Wdowiak ◽

Marek Kos

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Thyroid Disease ◽

Thyroid Diseases ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Behavioural Disorders ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Hashimoto’S Disease ◽

Hashimoto's Disease

Abstract Introduction. Numerous authors have undertaken research on the coexistence of mental health disorders and thyroid disease. They have not been able to clearly demonstrate which illness came first. Aim. The main purpose of this work is to asses the coexistence of thyroid disease with mental health conditions and disorders in behaviour. This work is based on a retrospective study and has shown frequent coexistence of thyroid disease with mental health or behaviour disorders. Material and methods. The research method was a retrospective study carried out on the basis of medical records of patients of primary care clinics in the city of Lublin. The criterion for qualifying patients for the study was having a diagnosis, according to ICD 10, from at least one of the following groups: thyroid diseases E03-E07, mental health conditions F00-F 99 and behavioral disorders R44-R46. Results. In total, 243 patients were qualified for the study. In this group 193 people are women and the remaining 50 are men. Among patients with isolated diseases, 28% of them have only diagnosed thyroid disease; every third patient (30%) has diagnosed mental health illness or behavioural disorders. The Fisher test showed a relationship between thyroid diseases and mental health conditions including behavioural disorders (p=0.0000). A group of people with hypothyroidism in the course of Hashimoto’s disease has been identified. The results of the prevalence of the disease were observed dividing by gender and age. Hashimoto’s disease occurs in the group of 15% women and 4% men. Pearson’s Chi2 test showed a relationship between the incidence of Hashimoto’s disease and gender (p=0.037). The quota coefficient showed that this relationship is weak (0.13). The disease is more common in women. Conclusions. There is a close relationship between the incidence of thyroid disease and mental health illness, including behavioural disorders. Patients with co-morbidity are significantly more likely to present mental illnesses and disorders. The dominance of mental illnesses and disorders is three times higher compared to thyroid diseases.

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Plant power? A systematic review of the effects of plant-based diets on people with mental illness

10.1101/2020.09.28.20203026 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Heather Catt ◽

Jane Beenstock ◽

Ummaz Nadeem ◽

Adam Joiner

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Physical Health ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Control Group ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Positive Effects

Objective There is increasing interest in plant-based diets in the general population and an increasing evidence base for the positive impact of plant-based diets on health outcomes for many chronic diseases. This systematic review aims to identify the effects of plant-based diets on people with mental health conditions. Methods A systematic review of intervention and observational studies. We conducted a systematic electronic search of MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (ProQuest), British Nursing Index (ProQuest), CINAHL (EBSCO) and the Cochrane library to April 2019, with no date limits. We extracted data on outcomes and assessed the studies for bias using validated tools. Results We retrieved 588 studies. One study met the inclusion criteria with high risk of bias. The intervention was a plant-based diet for people with moderate to severe depression, without a control group. The study recruited 500 people, but recorded 66.8% attrition. Of the completers, 62% reported improvements in depressive symptoms, and 59% in anxiety symptoms. Completers lost 5.7lbs (2.6kg) during the trial and 15lb (6.8kg) at six month follow up. Conclusion There is not enough research to make conclusions about the effects of plant-based diets on people with mental health conditions. Given the evidence for positive effects of plant-based diets on physical health, further research is urgently required to understand the effects on people with mental health conditions. This will support the provision of advice and guidance for patients with mental illness who want to optimise their diet to improve their mental and physical health. PROSPERO registration: CRD42019133440

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Characterisation of mental health conditions in social media using Informed Deep Learning

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep45141 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

George Gkotsis ◽

Anika Oellrich ◽

Sumithra Velupillai ◽

Maria Liakata ◽

Tim J. P. Hubbard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Mental Health Conditions ◽

Life Years ◽

Health And Social Care

Abstract The number of people affected by mental illness is on the increase and with it the burden on health and social care use, as well as the loss of both productivity and quality-adjusted life-years. Natural language processing of electronic health records is increasingly used to study mental health conditions and risk behaviours on a large scale. However, narrative notes written by clinicians do not capture first-hand the patients’ own experiences, and only record cross-sectional, professional impressions at the point of care. Social media platforms have become a source of ‘in the moment’ daily exchange, with topics including well-being and mental health. In this study, we analysed posts from the social media platform Reddit and developed classifiers to recognise and classify posts related to mental illness according to 11 disorder themes. Using a neural network and deep learning approach, we could automatically recognise mental illness-related posts in our balenced dataset with an accuracy of 91.08% and select the correct theme with a weighted average accuracy of 71.37%. We believe that these results are a first step in developing methods to characterise large amounts of user-generated content that could support content curation and targeted interventions.

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