scholarly journals “Take care of yourself”: a psychoeducational tool for adolescents for the mental health promotion (MHP) in the pediatric primary care (PPC)

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Passalacqua ◽  
A Crameri ◽  
A Zysset ◽  
F Wieber ◽  
A Wyl

Abstract Background Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders (MD). Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s. As adolescents move from child to adult-centered care, they should be encouraged to implement a proactive mental health strategy. Pediatrician have the potential to be an important gateway to MHP. The healthcare coordination may be affected by contextual constraints such as lack of time and the reluctance of the adolescents to seek help for MD. Adopting a resilience framework, we aimed to develop a psychoeducational toolkit to optimize the contact between the adolescents and their pediatrician. Methods We first collected pediatricians needs in a focus group and systematically searched in the literature for components of interventions that are effective in the MHP. We selected a previously developed toolkit, that we aimed to optimize and adapt culturally. The adapted toolkit was then evaluated by adolescents in two focus groups. We took their feedback into account when finalizing the toolkit. Results The psychoeducational toolkit “Take care of yourself” is a resource for adolescents to recognize risks for MD. It comprises ten topics that are central to MHP: myths and facts about MD, dealing with stress, love and loss, unhealthy relationships, separation, grief, online addiction, drugs, helping others, confidentiality, rights and obligations and useful websites. Analyses of the focus groups showed that adolescents and pediatricians evaluated the toolkit as appealing and helpful. Conclusions This toolkit provides a resource for adolescents to address mental health problems. It aims to increase MHP in PPC and to contribute to the destigmatization of MD. In a next step, we plan to test the effectiveness of this psychoeducational tool.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Kennedy ◽  
Chalice Jenkins ◽  

Abstract Depression is gradually increasing in African American women. These women are experiencing role changes and additional life stressors. Depressed African American women may perceive themselves as being devalued by society with fewer support systems to buffer stressful events. Depressive symptoms may develop into clinical depression and a further decrease in the quality of life for the African American woman. The assumption that all women share similar experiences does not allow for differences to emerge regarding the diagnostic process, measuring tools, and successful treatment strategies for various cultures. The authors developed a Multifaceted Model of Depression in African American Women for improving treatment of African American women with depression and future research needs. Cultural background plays a vital role in how the symptoms of mental illnesses are developed, reported, interpreted, and how women are treated. African Americans who subscribed to the Strong Black Women Archetype (SBWA) are naturally strong, resilient, self-contained, and self-sacrificing. This self-reliance prevents them from reaching out for social support. This, in turn, can contribute to depressive symptoms with negative health outcomes. The African American women are more apt to have less access to routine medical care where early diagnosis and interventions can be done, so their mental health problems (e.g., depression, stress, etc.) are often more developed, complicated, and their social supports more depleted when they do access treatment. When African American women do have access to mental health care, they receive poor quality care compared to Whites.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Lewis ◽  
Melanie D. Bertino ◽  
Narelle Robertson ◽  
Tess Knight ◽  
John W. Toumbourou

Background. This paper presents findings derived from consumer feedback, following a multicentre randomised controlled trial for adolescent mental health problems and substance misuse. The paper focuses on the implementation of a family-based intervention, including fidelity of delivery, family members’ experiences, and their suggestions for program improvements.Methods. Qualitative and quantitative data (n=21) were drawn from the Deakin Family Options trial consumer focus groups, which occurred six months after the completion of the trial. Consumer focus groups were held in both metropolitan and regional locations in Victoria, Australia.Findings. Overall reductions in parental isolation, increases in parental self-care, and increased separation/individuation were the key therapeutic features of the intervention. Sharing family experiences with other parents was a key supportive factor, which improved parenting confidence and efficacy and potentially reduced family conflict. Consumer feedback also led to further development of the intervention, with a greater focus on aiding parents to engage adolescents in services and addressing family factors related to adolescent’s mood and anxiety symptoms.Conclusions. Participant feedback provides valuable qualitative data, to monitor the fidelity of treatment implementation within a trial, to confirm predictions about the effective mechanisms of an intervention, and to inform the development of new interventions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Dowrick

Following ground-breaking work by Shepherd et al (1966) and, more recently, Goldberg & Huxley (1992), primary care is now recognised as the arena in which most contact occurs between the National Health Service (NHS) and people with mental health problems. General practitioners (GPs) remain the first, and in many cases the only, health professionals involved in the management of a whole range of conditions, from common anxiety and depressive disorders to severe and enduring mental illnesses.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirry M. Alang ◽  
Donna D. McAlpine

The gap between need and effective treatment for mental health problems continues to be a challenge for researchers and policymakers. Much of the attention has been on differences in treatment rates, with insufficient attention to variation in pathways that people take into treatment. Individuals may choose to seek help but may also be substantially influenced by others or coerced into care. The chances of each type of pathway are influenced by social characteristics and may shape perceptions of effectiveness of care. This paper investigates variation in pathways into care and perceived effectiveness of care. We also examine whether choice or coercion into care are associated with whether individuals perceive care as effective and if severity of illness moderates this relationship. We use data from the 2010–2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 10,020). Persons who independently sought mental health care were more likely to rate treatment as effective compared to persons ordered into care. Among people with severe mental illnesses, the probability of rating treatment as effective is lowest among those who were ordered into care. Entry into mental health care is not sufficient for closing the treatment gap if coerced care leads to poorer quality outcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry G. Coleman ◽  
Dorothy Cotton

Since the birth of modern policing in the early 1800s, police agencies have interacted with persons with mental health problems (P/MHP) whether in crisis, as victims, or in a support role. Given the nature of policing, this is unlikely to change. What has changed is how police handle these situations. This paper identifies and explains the two phases of the evolution, to date, of police responses and the now necessary third phase. It is time for police agencies to apply a focussed corporate approach to this important social issue and to establish a mental health strategy (third generation) in order to clearly take a strategic approach in concert with relevant community agencies to improve outcomes for P/MHP who come into contact with police personnel. While many standalone programs have been primarily reactive, this paper makes the case that a strategic approach enables the design and implementation of multiple programs congruent with the mental health strategy that are proactive as well as reactive, all with the aim of improving the outcomes for persons with mental illness and mental health problems.


Author(s):  
E. Matthews ◽  
M. Cowman ◽  
S. Denieffe

People with severe mental illnesses have dramatically reduced life expectancy compared with the general population, which is largely attributed to physical comorbidity. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions offer a safe and viable therapeutic resource for multi-disciplinary mental health care teams. The accumulating evidence supporting the role of these interventions has changed the focus of mental health strategy in some countries, with new developing roles for certain mental health professionals in this field. However, in Ireland the absence of specialised exercise practitioners places a leadership role for mental health nurses in this regard. National mental health strategy in Ireland should prioritise physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions, make recommendations for the integration of specialised exercise practitioners in all mental health multidisciplinary teams, and recommend the provision of training and awareness for mental health nurses and other multidisciplinary professionals who are already well placed to address this issue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 161-166
Author(s):  
Jennifer Melcher ◽  
Ryan Hays ◽  
John Torous

Experiencing continued growth in demand for mental health services among students, colleges are seeking digital solutions to increase access to care as classes shift to remote virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using smartphones to capture real-time symptoms and behaviours related to mental illnesses, digital phenotyping offers a practical tool to help colleges remotely monitor and assess mental health and provide more customised and responsive care. This narrative review of 25 digital phenotyping studies with college students explored how this method has been deployed, studied and has impacted mental health outcomes. We found the average duration of studies to be 42 days and the average enrolled to be 81 participants. The most common sensor-based streams collected included location, accelerometer and social information and these were used to inform behaviours such as sleep, exercise and social interactions. 52% of the studies included also collected smartphone survey in some form and these were used to assess mood, anxiety and stress among many other outcomes. The collective focus on data that construct features related to sleep, activity and social interactions indicate that this field is already appropriately attentive to the primary drivers of mental health problems among college students. While the heterogeneity of the methods of these studies presents no reliable target for mobile devices to offer automated help—the feasibility across studies suggests the potential to use these data today towards personalising care. As more unified digital phenotyping research evolves and scales to larger sample sizes, student mental health centres may consider integrating these data into their clinical practice for college students.


Author(s):  
Jenny Paananen ◽  
Camilla Lindholm ◽  
Melisa Stevanovic ◽  
Elina Weiste

Mental illness remains as one of the most stigmatizing conditions in contemporary western societies. This study sheds light on how mental health professionals and rehabilitants perceive stigmatization. The qualitative study is based on stimulated focus group interviews conducted in five Finnish mental health rehabilitation centers that follow the Clubhouse model. The findings were analyzed through inductive content analysis. Both the mental health rehabilitants and the professionals perceived stigmatization as a phenomenon that concerns the majority of rehabilitants. However, whereas the professionals viewed stigma as something that is inflicted upon the mentally ill from the outside, the rehabilitants perceived stigma as something that the mentally ill themselves can influence by advancing their own confidence, shame management, and recovery. Improvements in treatment, along with media coverage, were seen as the factors that reduce stigmatization, but the same conceptualization did not hold for serious mental illnesses. As the average Clubhouse client was thought to be a person with serious mental illness, the rehabilitation context designed to normalize attitudes toward mental health problems was paradoxically perceived to enforce the concept of inevitable stigma. Therefore, it is important for professionals in rehabilitation communities to be reflexively aware of these tensions when supporting the rehabilitants.


Author(s):  
Ji-Yeon Shin ◽  
Jiseun Lim ◽  
Myung Ki ◽  
Yeong-Jun Song ◽  
Heeran Chun ◽  
...  

Magnitudes of health inequalities present consequences of socioeconomic impact on each health problem. To provide knowledge on the size of health problems in terms of socioeconomic burden, we examined the magnitudes and patterns of health inequalities across 12 health problems. A total of 17,292 participants older than 30 years were drawn from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2010–2012). The age-adjusted prevalence ratios were compared across socioeconomic positions (SEPs) based on income, education, and occupation. The magnitudes of socioeconomic inequalities varied across 12 health problems and, in general, the patterns of socioeconomic inequalities were similar among groups of health problems (i.e., non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, and subjective health states). Significant health inequalities across NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and arthritis, were observed mainly in women. Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems, such as depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, were profound for both genders and across SEP measures. Significant socioeconomic inequalities were also observed for subjective health. No or weak associations were observed for injury and HBV infection. The patterns of socioeconomic inequalities were similar among groups of health problems. Mental illnesses appeared to require prioritization of socioeconomic approaches for improvement in terms of absolute prevalence and relative socioeconomic distribution.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 324-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kern ◽  
William Heininger ◽  
Emily Klueh ◽  
Stephanie Salazar ◽  
Barbara Hansen ◽  
...  

Student-athletes experience mental health problems, but they often encounter barriers to seeking help. This study reports findings from the pilot phase of Athletes Connected (AC), a new research and practice program at the University of Michigan addressing mental health and help-seeking behaviors among collegiate student-athletes. Members of the AC team gave presentations consisting of contact- and education-based interventions to every varsity athletic team at a large Division I Midwestern university, along with pre- and postsurvey questionnaires to measure their efficacy. The presentations included an educational overview of mental health, two videos highlighting former student-athletes’ struggles with mental illnesses, and a discussion at the end with the former athletes portrayed in the videos. A total of 626 student-athletes completed the pre- and postsurveys. Results indicated significant increases in knowledge and positive attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking. These results suggest that brief contact- and education-based interventions may be helpful in reducing stigma and promoting help-seeking behavior among college student-athletes.


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