“Attention seeker”, “drama queen”: the power of talk in constructing identities for young people with mental health difficulties

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Byrne ◽  
Lorraine Swords
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Research Use ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

Purpose – Mental health difficulties are often stigmatised because of situated ways of talking that become taken-for-granted “truths”. Against this backdrop, identities of those affected are constructed. The purpose of this paper is to explore identities of former inpatients at an Irish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Design/methodology/approach – Ten young people (aged 18-22) participated in discussions and their discourse was analysed using a critical discursive perspective. Findings – Three key identities emerged: a hidden identity, a misunderstood identity and the struggle for a re-claimed identity. Research limitations/implications – Findings indicate the power of discourse in creating stigma and the need for mental health professionals to draw on empowering discourses to help service-users construct positive identities. The importance of involving service-users in research is also implicated. Originality/value – This research involves service-users who are increasingly, although not traditionally, involved in research. Use of qualitative methodology allows their voices to be heard and gives meaning to their experiences.

Research watch: what really helps recovery in relation to severe mental health difficulties?

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Sue Holttum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inpatient Settings ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine three recent papers on mental health services and how they support recovery following a diagnosis of a severe mental health condition. Design/methodology/approach A search was carried out for recent papers on mental health and recovery. The author selected three papers that seemed to advance understanding of not only whether, but also how recovery of a meaningful life may be best supported in mental health services. Findings One paper suggested how staff were able to support service users’ personal goals and focus on recovery in acute inpatient settings, and what got in the way. The author suggests practical ways to address the barriers. A second paper reported the testing of a new model for supporting staff in primary and secondary care to work together so that service users with a diagnosis of bipolar or schizophrenia were better supported to work towards valued goals. A third paper reviewed 40 studies of how people can experience positive change after a first diagnosis of psychosis, and how change happened. Originality/value By studying the issues in detail, all three papers show how improved support for recovery and inclusion can be implemented against the backdrop of many years of service shortcomings.

Surviving sixth form: a story of mental health in adolescence

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22
Author(s):  
Carys J. Morley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Young People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
First Person ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Sixth Form

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share experiences of attending sixth form with mental health difficulties and provide tips to young people for coping. Its aim is to encourage empathy and understanding of young people suffering with mental illness. It is the second in a series of three papers exploring mental health at different stages of education. Design/methodology/approach A narrative, first-person approach is taken. Findings Advice and reflections for young people with mental health difficulties are provided. Originality/value The paper is one person’s experiences and is therefore unique. It contributes a voice to the much-needed discussion on teenagers and mental health, and promotes an understanding of mental health to both teenagers who maybe experiencing difficulties and those who know such teenagers.

scholarly journals Recovery and practice-based evidence: reconnecting the diverging discourses in mental health

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padraig Collins ◽  
Sarah Crowe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Improve Treatment ◽  
Collaborative Working

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the discourses which exist around the alleviation of mental distress, from the different perspective of mental health professionals and service users. It then looks at the use of “practice-based evidence” as a means of bringing together these two diverging discourses. Design/methodology/approach Literature on the discourses which exist around the cause and treatment of mental distress, from the perspective of professionals and service users, is first explored. Differences between these two discourses are identified, as are theoretical and practical limitations of current professional diagnostic and treatment paradigms. Finally the use of practice-based evidence as a means of bridging the gap between these two discourses is outlined. Findings This paper highlights marked differences between the discourse which exists for professionals, and that for service users, around alleviating mental distress. The use of practice-based evidence is explored, not only as a means of bringing these two varying discourses together, but also as a tool which could help to improve treatment outcome in a way which is more inclusive of service users and fits with both empiricism and a broader recovery ethos. Originality/value This paper applies a “practice-based evidence” approach to bringing together the divergent perspectives regarding mental health of service providers and users. In doing so it provides a practical and pragmatic approach to true collaborative working.

Now they’re listening: involvement in clinical psychology training

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Laura Lea ◽  
Sue Holttum ◽  
Victoria Butters ◽  
Diana Byrne ◽  
Helen Cable ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Clinical Psychology ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Service User ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychology Training ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Clinical Psychology Training ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe 2014/2015 UK requirement for involvement of service users and carers in training mental health professionals has prompted the authors to review the work of involvement in clinical psychology training in the university programme. Have the voices of service users and carers been heard? The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors update the paper of 2011 in which the authors described the challenges of inclusion and the specific approaches the authors take to involvement. The authors do this in the context of the recent change to UK standards for service user and carer involvement, and recent developments in relation to partnership working and co-production in mental healthcare. The authors describe the work carried out by the authors – members of a service user involvement group at a UK university – to ensure the voices of people affected by mental health difficulties are included in all aspects of training.FindingsCareful work and the need for dedicated time is required to enable inclusive, effective and comprehensive participation in a mental health training programme. It is apparent that there is a group of service users whose voice is less heard: those who are training to be mental health workers.Social implicationsFor some people, involvement has increased. Trainee mental health professionals’ own experience of distress may need more recognition and valuing.Originality/valueThe authors are in a unique position to review a service-user-led project, which has run for 12 years, whose aim has been to embed involvement in training. The authors can identify both achievements and challenges.

Our lives in three parts: an autoethnographic account of two undergraduates and their respective psychiatric careers

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-205
Author(s):  
Andrew Voyce ◽  
Jerome Carson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Recovery Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recovery Movement ◽  
Partnership Approach ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an autoethnographic account of the stories of a mental health professional and a mental health survivor. Design/methodology/approach Using the autoethnographic approach, the authors provide summaries of their respective psychiatric careers in three parts. Findings The authors studied at the same University, Reading. Voyce failed his Politics finals and embarked on a trajectory as a mental patient. Carson graduated in Psychology and trained as a clinical psychologist. The recovery movement brought them together, and they have now established an educational and personal bond. Research limitations/implications These are of course only two accounts, yet both authors have played a role in developing the recovery model in Britain. The accounts and story show the benefits of adopting a partnership approach between professional and service user. Practical implications Both accounts are recovery journeys in their own way. Both highlight the value of education for recovery. Social implications There is no doubt that clinical psychologists are both highly valued and well paid for their expertise. However, the expertise gained through Andrew’s life experience is equally invaluable for today’s mental health professionals to learn from, but perhaps not as well remunerated. Originality/value Both accounts stretch back over 45 years and have covered the move from institutional to community care. This paper presents two contrasting perspectives on these changes and the lives of the two people involved.

Young service users from refugee backgrounds: their perspectives on barriers to accessing Australian mental health services

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Claire Valibhoy ◽  
Josef Szwarc ◽  
Ida Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine barriers to accessing mental health services, from the perspective of young people of refugee background who have been service users, and to suggest strategies to improve access to mental health services. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with 16 young people (aged 18-25), who had been refugees and who had attended mental health professionals in Australia. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically to examine participants’ perspectives on what hinders initial access to mental health services. Findings Stigma about mental health problems was particularly prominent. Many believed a high level of disturbance was the threshold for entering services, and for some there was no knowledge of such services’ existence. Options for assistance other than mental health services were often preferred, according to young people’s explanatory models. Apprehension was expressed that sessions would be uncomfortable, distressing or ineffective. The desire to be self-reliant functioned as a further barrier. Finally, structural obstacles and social exclusion deterred some young refugees from accessing services. Practical implications Implications include the need for service providers to be equipped to provide culturally sensitive, responsive services that ideally offer both practical and psychological assistance. Potential referrers, including health professionals and community leaders, could facilitate increased access if trained to recognise and address barriers. Finally, findings indicate potential content for awareness-raising initiatives for young refugees about mental health problems and services. Originality/value This paper is original in its sample, method, topic and findings; being drawn from the first known qualitative research exploring views of young mental health service users who have been refugees about barriers to accessing mental health services.

Recovery and dementia: promoting choice and challenging controversy

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Louise Hammond ◽  
Conrad Debney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Content Type ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Person With Dementia ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a viewpoint about why people with dementia should be able to choose Recovery and how this approach might be experienced by them. Design/methodology/approach This paper addresses some key challenges to accepting Recovery as an approach for people with dementia by making comparisons with people with mental health difficulties. It then discusses key concepts of Recovery using the connectedness, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment framework and how each one might be experienced by the person with dementia. Findings The challenges which cause concerns about the applicability of Recovery to people with dementia are shared by people with mental health difficulties, therefore Recovery should be perceived as an approach suitable for anyone regardless of their diagnosis. Recovery for people with dementia could mean: connecting to the self, others and the world to promote feelings of purposefulness; having hope for the here and now; preserving one’s identity; finding meaning in retaining skills and incorporating dementia into one’s life; and, feeling empowered by keeping one’s mind working, adopting a positive attitude, having control and making decisions. Practical implications People with dementia can choose to access Recovery, and commonly voiced concerns can be answered and supported with evidence. Originality/value This is one of the only papers written to provide an understanding of how Recovery might be experienced by people living with dementia, and directly answers some concerns.

scholarly journals Foregrounding the perspectives of mental health services users during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-133
Author(s):  
Hannah Zeilig ◽  
Brioney Gee ◽  
Bonnie Teague ◽  
Jonathan Wilson ◽  
Corinna Hackmann
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lead Author ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Service Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategy Design

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the critical importance of the perspectives of mental health service-users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint is based on a review of recent research and literature and draws on consultations with experts by experience, including the lead author. Findings The authors argue that expertise-by-experience is critical to policy, service development and research; but there is a risk it will be neglected at a time of rapid and reactive clinical development. Research limitations/implications Understanding and responding to the nuances of individual need can only be achieved through coproducing service strategy design, delivery and research with mental health service users. The consultation outlined in this viewpoint gives some indication of the type of valuable insights that can be gained through seeking and listening to the perspectives of experts by experience. Originality/value The discussions revealed that experience of managing severe and complex mental health conditions can actually be advantageous when facing a crisis such as COVID-19.

Impact on staff attitudes of brief personality disorder training for acute psychiatric wards

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire McDonald ◽  
Fiona Seaman-Thornton ◽  
Che Ling Michelle Mok ◽  
Hanne Jakobsen ◽  
Simon Riches
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Staff Attitudes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acute Psychiatric Wards ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Negative attitudes towards “personality disorder” are common among mental health professionals. This study aims to design a psychoeducational training targeting attitudes to “personality disorder” for staff working in a London psychiatric hospital. Its impact on staff attitudes was evaluated. Design/methodology/approach Mental health clinicians were recruited from five acute psychiatric wards. Feasibility of implementing the training was measured. A free-association exercise explored baseline attitudes to “personality disorder” and visual analogue scales assessed staff attitudes pre- and post-training. Content analysis of staff feedback was carried out. Findings Psychoeducational training was found to be feasible, well-attended and highly valued by ward staff (N = 47). Baseline results revealed negative perceptions of “personality disorder”. Post-training, significant improvements in understanding, levels of compassion and attitudes to working with service users with a diagnosis of a “personality disorder” were observed. Staff feedback highlighted desire for further training and support. Research limitations/implications The sample size was relatively small and there was no control group, so findings should be interpreted with caution. Practical implications The findings highlight the need for support for staff working with service users with diagnoses of “personality disorder” on acute psychiatric wards. Providing regular training with interactive components may promote training as a resource for staff well-being. Planning to ensure service users’ and carers’ views are incorporated into the design of future training will be important. Originality/value This study is innovative in that it investigates the impact of a brief psychoeducational training on “personality disorder” designed for mental health staff on acute psychiatric wards.

Vulnerable young people’s experiences of child and adolescent mental health services

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Davison ◽  
Victoria Zamperoni ◽  
Helen J. Stain
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health Service

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of vulnerable young people in using a local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods design was employed in which participants completed the self-report Experience of Service Questionnaire (CHI ESQ) (n=34), and a subgroup completed individual semi-structured interviews (n=17). CHI ESQ satisfaction data were also compared with a national data sample provided by the Child Outcomes Research Consortium (n=621). Findings Many young people appeared to have a mixed or negative experience of the CAMHS service. They strongly emphasised that feeling listened to, cared for, and supported, in addition to access and continuity of care, are key methods to enhance their experience. They also reported a lack of knowledge and stigma associated with mental health as key barriers to engagement with services more widely. Research limitations/implications Purposive sampling was used to recruit a carefully defined group of vulnerable young people from one school using a single CAMHS service. Practical implications A number of recommendations were identified that could enhance the service experience of young people. Originality/value There is a significant paucity of knowledge regarding young people’s views and experiences of CAMHS, especially those with high vulnerability for mental health difficulties. This exploratory study offers methods for capturing the opinions of underrepresented young people to inform future service design.

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