The relationship between violence, level of functioning, and treatment outcome in psychiatric inpatients

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irram Walji ◽  
Vincent Egan ◽  
Andres Fonseca ◽  
Adam Huxley

Purpose – There is an association between the diagnosis of a mental illness and violent behaviour. Individuals diagnosed with severe and enduring mental health difficulties who display violent behaviour have inferior treatment outcomes when compared with those who do not engage in violent behaviour. Violent behaviour within care settings impacts on general functioning, adherence to treatment plans, and inhibits wider recovery goals. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research studied 95 inpatients with a primary diagnosis of severe mental illness, with and without a history of violence, and compared how levels of global functioning and risk impacted on recovery. Patients were divided into two groups: those with and without a previous or current history of violence. The two groups were compared on measures of global functioning, symptomatology, and risk at baseline and 12-month follow up. Findings – Both violent and non-violent groups showed increased global functioning over time, with no significant difference between the groups. Neither group showed significant reductions in risk over time. Patients in the violent group had significantly fewer prior and current symptoms of mental ill-health than non-violent individuals. Research limitations/implications – Despite evidence suggesting that historical or current violence leads to impaired outcomes amongst people with diagnoses of mental illness, the findings of this study suggest a history of violent behaviour was not a predictor of poor progress within inpatient settings. Practical implications – Disconfirming previous hypotheses, the paper suggests that in itself, violent behaviour does not always significantly impair outcomes for individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses, and that many other variables contribute to meaningful recovery. Originality/value – Whilst there are previous studies investigating outcomes for inpatients diagnosed with mental illness who have violent histories, there is a dearth of research comparing equivalent groups in the same facility over the same time period. This study directly compared inpatients with or without a history of violence in the same psychiatric rehabilitation settings.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayssa Rekhis ◽  
Sami Ouanes ◽  
Abir Ben Hamouda ◽  
Rym Rafrafi

Purpose This study aims to assess the awareness about the rights of people with mental illness in the main psychiatric hospital in Tunisia among the service users, the family members and the staff. Design/methodology/approach The Convention of Rights of People with Disabilities mandates that State Parties initiate and maintain campaigns and human rights training to promote understanding of the rights of people with mental illnesses, considered as a main factor for their fulfillment. Service users, family members and staff evaluated, through a survey, the importance of ten rights for persons with mental illness, stated in the convention. Findings Disparities were found in the perception of the different rights by and between the three groups. The highest levels of awareness were associated with the freedom from torture or degrading treatment and the right to live with dignity and respect, whereas the lower importance were assigned to the right to participation in recovery plans, to give consent and to exercise legal capacity. Originality/value The lack of awareness and the poor perception of rights of people with mental illness is one of the barriers to their achievement. More training and awareness raising is necessary.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlyn Muir ◽  
John Gilbert ◽  
Rebecca O’Hara ◽  
Lesley Day ◽  
Stuart Newstead

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of physical preparation for bushfire among Victorian residents in established high risk bushfire locations, and to assess whether these levels of preparation changed over time. Design/methodology/approach Data were analysed from a telephone survey among Victorian residents (n=614-629) living in high risk bushfire locations over a three-year period (2012-2014). The survey measured residents’ bushfire awareness, knowledge, planning, preparation and engagement with bushfire services. This paper focusses on the extent to which respondents undertook physical preparatory bushfire activities over the three-year period using: first, principal components analysis to generate a single preparation variable by identifying a smaller number of uncorrelated variables (or principal components) from a larger set of data, second, analysis of variance to assess differences in preparation scores between years, and third, Tukey’s honest significant difference test to confirm where the differences occurred between groups. Findings Results indicated only moderate levels of physical preparation for bushfires amongst respondents. The activities that respondents rated the lowest were: “having protective covers for windows” and “having firefighting equipment to protect the house”. A significant difference in total preparation scores over time was observed, F(2, 1,715)=6.159, p<0.005, with lower scores in 2012 compared with 2013 and 2014 scores. Social implications This study found some marginal improvements in levels of physical bushfire preparation from 2012 to 2014. However, the results indicate only moderate levels of preparation overall, despite respondents living in established high risk locations. Originality/value This study provides evidence for the current levels of preparedness in high risk bushfire communities, and emphasises the need for future initiatives to focus on specific bushfire preparation activities but also to consider the broader range of interventions that are likely to contribute to desired safety outcomes.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Navneet Kapur ◽  
Robert Goldney

This chapter places suicide and suicidal behaviour in a European historical context. Although suicide has been documented throughout history, its meaning and functions have varied over time. In the Middle Ages, suicide was regarded as sinful but, subsequently, was conceptualized in terms of social influences or mental illness. Systematic research into suicidal behaviour has been undertaken for more than two centuries. The contributions of Morselli, using statistical and epidemiological techniques, were particularly notable. Many of the accepted social and psychiatric antecedents of suicide we talk about today were well described by the nineteenth century.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 584-592
Author(s):  
Brendan Daugherty ◽  
Katherine Warburton ◽  
Stephen M. Stahl

Despite medical, technological, and humanitarian advances, the criminalization of those with serious mental illness continues. This is not an isolated phenomenon. The benefits of treatment reform and innovation are difficult to maintain or sometimes outright harmful. Across time and geography, the care of those with serious mental illness tends towards maltreatment, be it criminalization or other forms of harm. We present a social history of serious mental illness, along with the idea that the treatment of serious mental illness is a Sisyphean task—perpetually pushing a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down and start again. The history is provided as a basis for deeper reflection of treatment, and treatment reform, of those with serious mental illnesses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahreum Lee ◽  
Hokyoung Ryu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how people differently create meaning from photos taken by either a lifelogging camera (LC) (i.e. automatic capture) or a mobile phone camera (MC) (i.e. manual capture). Moreover, the paper investigates the different changes in the interpretative stance of lifelog photos and manually captured photos over time to figure out how the LC application could support the users’ iconological interpretation of their past. Design/methodology/approach A 200-day longitudinal study was conducted with two different user groups that took and reviewed photos taken by either a LC or a MC. The study was structured in two phases: a photo collection phase, which lasted for five days (Day 1‒Day 5), and a three-part semi-structured interview phase, which was conducted on Days 8, 50 and 200. Findings Results revealed that the interpretative stance of the LC group changed greatly compared to the MC group that kept a relatively consistent interpretative stance over time. A significant difference between the two groups was revealed on Day 200 when the lifelog photos provoked a more iconological and less pre-iconographical interpretative stance. This stance allowed the viewers of lifelog photos to systemically interpret the photos and look back upon their past with different viewpoints that were not recognized before. Originality/value This paper contributes to further understand the dynamic change in interpretative stance of lifelog photos compared to manually captured photos through a longitudinal study. The results of this study can support the design guidelines for a LC application that could give opportunities for users to create rich interpretations from lifelog photos.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel A. Dvoskin ◽  
James L. Knoll ◽  
Mollie Silva

This article traces the history of the way in which mental disorders were viewed and treated, from before the birth of Christ to the present day. Special attention is paid to the process of deinstitutionalization in the United States and the failure to create an adequately robust community mental health system to care for the people who, in a previous era, might have experienced lifelong hospitalization. As a result, far too many people with serious mental illnesses are living in jails and prisons that are ill-suited and unprepared to meet their needs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddie Chaplin ◽  
Mo Eyeoyibo ◽  
Steve Wright ◽  
Kiriakos Xenitidis ◽  
Jane McCarthy

Purpose – The use of violence risk assessment measures within intellectual disabilities (ID) services is now the norm and a growing target for research. The purpose of this paper is to examine the clinical utility of the historical and clinical factors of the HCR-20 in predicting violence. Design/methodology/approach – The study took place within a national low secure service for adults with ID examining all completed admissions over a six-year period, (N=22). Clinical records covering the first three months of admission were examined along with historical reports and incident data recorded at three, six, nine and 12 months admission using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS). Findings – Significant positive relationship between Historical score and total number of incidents was established. Patients with challenging behaviour less likely to have a previous history of violence, and more likely to be older at first violent incident than patients without challenging behaviour. Incidents involving patients with autism were less severe and those with no additional psychiatric diagnosis were significantly more likely to have substance misuse problems than those with a diagnosis. Originality/value – The study found the Historical section was predictive of violent incidents and whilst the study is too small to draw any firm conclusions, the significant positive relationship between the Historical Score and number of incidents for those without additional diagnosis needs to be investigated further as well as the potential positive clinical impact of using the HCR-20 in routine clinical practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Bermingham ◽  
Christopher F. Manlick ◽  
William Ming Liu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the history of the Fairweather Lodge Program, its utility, the development of one program in a small Midwestern city, the role of psychology, and the importance of disseminating information about the program to combat homelessness. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes a short case study approach to describing the evolution of a peer support-based housing program for individuals with serious mental illness and a history of homelessness. Findings – The Fairweather Lodge facilitates peer support, community engagement, stable housing, and work engagement in those struggling with mental illness and homelessness. Originality/value – The Fairweather Lodge Program is a program intended to support the mental health and employment needs of individuals with severe mental illness who are at increased risk of homelessness. Housing alone often does not address the complex needs of chronically homeless individuals.


1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juha Öhman ◽  
Antti Servo ◽  
Olli Heiskanen

✓ A prospective series of 265 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) of Grades I to III (Hunt and Hess classification) upon admission were evaluated as to neurological outcome and computerized tomography (CT) findings 1 to 3 years (mean 1.4 years) after the SAH and surgery. A total of 73 patients underwent acute surgery (within 72 hours after the bleed: Days 0 to 3), 86 were operated on subacutely (between Days 4 and 7), and 91 had late surgery (on Day 8 or later). Fifteen patients died before surgery was undertaken and another 20 patients died during the follow-up period. A total of 104 patients received nimodipine and the rest of the patients received either placebo (109 patients) or no medication (52 patients). A logistical regression analysis revealed the following prognostic factors for cerebral infarction, in order of importance: the amount of blood on the primary CT scan; postoperative angiographic vasospasm; the timing of the operation; and a history of hypertension. The use of nimodipine was associated with a significant reduction of cerebral infarcts visualized by CT scanning in patients who received intermediate or late surgery. In patients who underwent acute surgery no significant difference between the incidence of cerebral infarcts was observed.


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