Scope and Burdens of Psychological Dysfunction

2018 ◽  
pp. 19-50
Author(s):  
Alan E. Kazdin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Psychological Dysfunction ◽  
Core Features

This chapter addresses several key background topics, including the range and types of psychological dysfunctions, the scope of the problems in terms of incidence and prevalence of cases, and the burdens these place on individuals, families, and society at large. The chapter conveys core features of the mental health crisis and why innovation in developing remedies is so critical. The aim of the chapter is to establish the need for more effective interventions in light of the range of dysfunctions, the high number of people who experience them, and the burdens these dysfunctions cause. The burdens can be evaluated in many ways, including measures of impairment, costs, disability, and lost days. Overall, the costs and lost days of adequate functioning and lost days of life are enormous as a result of mental illness.

Simulation training for police and ambulance services to improve mental health practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 303-314
Author(s):  
Tasnim Uddin ◽  
Amina Saadi ◽  
Megan Fisher ◽  
Sean Cross ◽  
Chris Attoe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Professional Collaboration ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Simulation

Purpose Emergency services face increasing frontline pressure to support those experiencing mental health crises. Calls have been made for police and ambulance staff to receive training on mental health interventions, prevention of risk and inter-professional collaboration. Mental health simulation training, a powerful educational technique that replicates clinical crises for immersive and reflective training, can be used to develop competencies in emergency staff. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health simulation training for police and ambulance staff. Design/methodology/approach In total, 199 participants from the London Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service attended a one-day simulation training course designed to promote effective and professional responses to mental health crises. Participants took part in one of six simulated scenarios involving mental health crisis before completing structured debriefs with expert facilitators. Participants’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards mental illness were measured quantitatively using pre- and post-course questionnaires while participants’ perceived influence on clinical practice was measured qualitatively using post-course open-text surveys. Findings Statistically significant improvements in self-efficacy and attitudes towards mental illness were found. Thematic analyses of open-text surveys found key themes including improved procedural knowledge, self-efficacy, person-centred care and inter-professional collaboration. Originality/value This study demonstrates that mental health simulation is an effective training technique that improves self-efficacy, attitudes and inter-professional collaboration in police and ambulance staff working with people with mental health needs. This technique has potential to improve community-based responses to mental health crises.

scholarly journals The Intersection of COVID-19 and Mental Health: What's the Matter with Ethics?

Yuridika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
Siti Hafsyah Idris ◽  
Nor Jannah Nasution Raduan ◽  
Nurul Azreen Hashim ◽  
Nadiah Thanthawi Jauhari ◽  
Roslinda Mohd Subbian
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Control Order

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world, despite the measure taken to contain the spread of the disease through quarantine, it induces a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large. Health care providers, older people and people with underlying health conditions are the most vulnerable to the pandemic. Nations, even countries with advanced medical sciences and resources, have underestimated the perils of the pandemic. Efforts are focused on understanding the epidemiology, clinical features, transmission patterns, and management of COVID-19 disease. One aspect overlooked is the mental health crisis underpinning the effects of self-isolation/ quarantine and the deaths of loved ones—the number of positive cases in Malaysia at an exponential growth rate each day. With strict preventive measures and restrictions by the Malaysian Government in the form of nationwide Movement Control Order (also known as MCO), the citizens are going through a range of psychological and emotional reactions and fear and uncertainty of being one of the infected. Many studies have been conducted to identify the state of mental health of people during this calamity. This raises ethical concerns and legal issues with regards to the rights of individuals enduring mental illness. This paper explores the ethical issues about the research on mental health during Covid-19 pandemics and the regulatory mechanisms which protect the rights of the persons who have the symptoms of mental illness.

Assessing students’ mental health crisis skills via consumers with lived experience: a qualitative evaluation

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-371
Author(s):  
Claire L. O’Reilly ◽  
Rebekah J. Moles ◽  
Evelyn Boukouvalas ◽  
Sarira El-Den
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Simulated Patients ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Suicide is a major cause of preventable mortality and primary healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, require appropriate training to communicate with and support people at risk of suicide. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training teaches participants how to communicate with and support people experiencing suicidal thoughts. The purpose of this paper is to use a novel MHFA assessment approach involving simulated role-plays enacted by people with a lived experience of mental illness and explore MHFA participants’ and simulated patients’ views of participating in simulated role-plays of mental health crises. Design/methodology/approach MHFA is embedded into the Sydney School of Pharmacy curriculum. Post-MHFA training, pharmacy students were randomly allocated to participate in or observe a simulated role-play of one of three suicide crisis scenarios, with a person with a lived experience of mental illness. Two purpose-designed, semi-structured interview guides were used to conduct student focus groups and interviews with simulated patients to explore their views. Focus groups and interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically content analysed using a constant comparison approach. Findings In total, 22 pharmacy students participated in two focus groups and three simulated patients participated in interviews. Five themes emerged including: the benefits of participating; the value of having a lived experience; challenges with suicide assessment; communication; and the value of immediate feedback and debrief. Originality/value Students and simulated patients both benefited from participating in the role-plays. Students valued practicing their MHFA skills post-training with simulated patients with lived experiences. This unique approach to post-training assessment provides an opportunity to practice skills realistically and authentically, in a safe, learning environment.

Historicising the “Crisis” in Undergraduate Mental Health: British Universities and Student Mental Illness, 1944–1968

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-220
Author(s):  
Sarah Crook
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Post War ◽  
Attention To Students

Abstract This article explores how and why student mental health became an issue of concern in British universities between 1944 and 1968. It argues that two factors drew student mental health to the attention of medical professionals across this period: first, it argues that the post-war interest in mental illness drew attention to students, who were seen to be the luminaries of the future, investing their wellbeing with particular social importance. Second, it argues that the development of university health services made students increasingly visible, endorsing the view that higher education posed distinctive yet shared mental challenges to young people. The article charts the expansion of services and maps the implications of the visibility of student mental distress for post-war British universities. It suggests that claims that British higher education is currently in the midst of an unprecedented mental health “crisis” should be seen within this broader historical context, for while the contours of the debates around student mental health have shifted substantially, evidence that there was anxiety around student mental wellbeing in the immediate post-war years undermines accusations that contemporary students constitute a unique “snowflake generation.”

scholarly journals Smart Health and Cybersecurity in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K.M. Jahangir Alam Majumder ◽  
Charles B. Veilleux
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Loop System ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Human In The Loop ◽  
Smart Health

The need for a transformation in providing healthcare has been recognized by organizations and captured in reports. Research into Smart Health using Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help identify the mental health of individuals by analyzing physiological data. The complexity of emotions can make it challenging for an individual to recognize they are coping with mental illness. AI could be used as an objective method in recognizing mental health crisis. This is where smart emotion could help as a Human-in-the-loop system that can reduce the time it takes for an individual to get treatment by identifying mental illness. Early treatment of mental health crises can lead to an overall reduction in damage caused by it. Further, COVID-19 has overwhelmed many healthcare systems, leading malicious actors to target them, highlighting many Cybersecurity issues. AI could aid in addressing Cybersecurity concerns to create a robust and secure Human-in-the-Loop system for mental health problems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document