Seeking help for psychological distress: The interface of Zulu traditional healing and Western biomedicine

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya A. Crawford ◽  
Maurice Lipsedge
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Seeking Help

scholarly journals Contemplating Help-Seeking in Perinatal Psychological Distress—A Meta-Ethnography

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5226
Author(s):  
Minna Anneli Sorsa ◽  
Jari Kylmä ◽  
Terese Elisabet Bondas
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Linear Process ◽  
Small Children ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Critical Appraisal Skills

Perinatal psychological distress (PPD) may cause delays in help-seeking in the perinatal period, which is crucial for families with small children. Help-seeking theories focus on rational processes of behavior wherein ‘help-seeking’ is viewed as a decision-making process, in which action is preceded by recognizing a problem. We identified the phase prior to actual help-seeking actions as a life situation and a phenomenon through which to gain a deeper understanding from women’s own perspectives. The aim of this study was to integrate and synthesize knowledge of women’s experiences of contemplating seeking help for PPD. We chose interpretative meta-ethnography by Noblit and Hare (1988) and implemented eMERGe guidelines in reporting. The search was performed systematically, and the 14 included studies were evaluated with Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist (CASP). We identified seven themes and a metaphor in a lines-of-argument synthesis, showing that contemplating help-seeking is a multidimensional phenomenon. We did not observe a straightforward and linear process (as previous research suggests) but instead a complex process of contemplating help-seeking. A clinical implication is that service providers should work with outreach and develop their tools to connect with mothers with PPD. Another suggestion is to improve training in mental health literacy prior to or during pregnancy.

Barriers of Chinese primary care attenders to seeking help for psychological distress in Hong Kong

2016 ◽  
Vol 196 ◽  
pp. 164-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Sing Sun ◽  
Tai Pong Lam ◽  
Kwok Fai Lam ◽  
Tak Lam Lo ◽  
David Vai Kiong Chao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Seeking Help

scholarly journals Seeking help for perinatal psychological distress: a meta-synthesis of women’s experiences

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (663) ◽  
pp. e692-e699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Button ◽  
Alexandra Thornton ◽  
Suzanne Lee ◽  
Judy Shakespeare ◽  
Susan Ayers
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Continuity Of Care ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Seeking Help

BackgroundWomen may not seek help for perinatal psychological distress, despite regular contact with primary care services. Barriers include ignorance of symptoms, inability to disclose distress, others’ attitudes, and cultural expectations. Much of the evidence has been obtained from North American populations and may not, therefore, extrapolate to the UK.AimTo understand the factors affecting women’s decision to seek help for perinatal distress.Design and settingMeta-synthesis of the available published qualitative evidence on UK women’s experiences of seeking help for perinatal distress.MethodSystematic searches were conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Databases searched were PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, CINAHL, and Academic Search Complete. Searches of grey literature and references were also conducted. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported qualitative data on UK women’s experiences of perinatal distress and contact with healthcare professionals. The synthesis was conducted using meta-ethnography.ResultsIn all, 24 studies were eligible for inclusion. Metasynthesis identified three main themes: identifying a problem, the influence of healthcare professionals, and stigma. These themes build on current understanding of help seeking by identifying the need for women to be able to frame their experience, for healthcare professionals to educate women about their roles, the need for continuity of care, and the way that being seen as a ‘bad mother’ causes women to self-silence.ConclusionPerinatal care provision needs to allow for continuity of care and for staff training that facilitates awareness of factors that influence women’s help seeking. Further research is required, particularly in relation to effective means of identifying perinatal psychological distress.

Normal feline behaviour: … and why problem behaviours develop

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Behavioural Disorders ◽  
Normal Behaviour ◽  
Aversive Events ◽  
Problem Behaviours ◽  
Seeking Help

Practical relevance: Cats are descended from a solitary, territorial ancestor, and while domestication has reduced their inherited tendency to be antagonistic towards all animals larger than their typical prey, they still place more reliance on the security of their territory than on psychological attachments to people or other cats, the exact opposite to dogs. Many feline problem behaviours stem from perceived threats to this security, often due to conflicts with other cats. Others are more developmental in origin, often caused by inadequate exposure to crucial stimuli, especially people, during the socialisation period. Strongly aversive events experienced at any age can also contribute. A third category comprises normal behaviour that owners deem unacceptable, such as scratching of furniture. Evidence base: This review identifies three areas in which basic research is inadequate to support widely employed concepts and practices in feline behavioural medicine. First, classification of cats’ problem behaviours relies heavily on approaches derived from studies of their behavioural ecology and, to some extent, extrapolation from canine studies. Few studies have focused on cats in the home, the environment in which most behavioural disorders are expressed. Secondly, cats’ chemical senses (olfactory and vomeronasal) are far more sensitive than our own, making it difficult for owners or clinicians to fully comprehend the sensory information upon which they base their behaviour. Thirdly, although the concept of psychological distress is widely invoked as an intervening variable in behavioural disorders, there are still no reliable measures of distress for pet cats in the home. Global importance: Psychological distress of some kind is the primary cause of many of the behavioural problems presented to clinicians, but surveys indicate that many more cats display the same clinical signs without their owners ever seeking help. The welfare of this ‘invisible’ group could be improved by veterinarians taking a more proactive approach to educating their clients about the behavioural needs of pet cats.

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