Surviving secondary school: a story of mental health in adolescence

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 162-165
Author(s):  
Carys J. Morley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
First Person ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share experiences of attending a secondary school with mental health difficulties and provide tips for coping. It is the first 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 tips for both adolescents experiencing mental health difficulties and teachers are provided. Originality/value The paper is one person’s experiences and 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 may be experiencing difficulties and those who know such teenagers.

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.

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.

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 Adapting to trauma: disengagement as a holding strategy

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 338-347
Author(s):  
David Barton ◽  
Kath Ward ◽  
Hazel Roddam
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Inner Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw upon a range of material to improve the understanding of disengagement with everyday life, by some individuals who have learning disabilities and mental health difficulties. Illustrative incidents from historical clinical cases are utilised, to consider whether this reframing may enhance the interpretation of presenting behaviours. Design/methodology/approach – Key recurring themes within transpersonal literature were reviewed, relevant to adults with behaviour indicating a degree of disengagement from everyday life. These were grouped into Physical Realm, Psychosocial Realm and Realm of Being. Illustrative examples of behaviour are reviewed and re-interpreted within this framework. Findings – These examples generated plausible interpretations for the presenting behaviours within this framework of the Three Realms. These interpretations support a fresh understanding of the quality of the individual's inner experience. This paper suggests a potential framework to consider the way in which some individuals may experience a different quality of consciousness than the usual. Practical implications – Use of the Three Realms for behaviour interpretation should result into a more empathetic and client-centred approach that could reduce the need for aversive approaches, lessening risk for the client and any employing organisation. The identification of behaviours that signal participation in the Realm of Being could be defined and evaluated with the potential to be used to inform the nature and content of the support provided. Originality/value – This paper, rooted in clinical examples, offers an original synthesis with reasons to include the immaterial realm in the perspective of the human condition. This could benefit people with substantial episodes of disconnection from the Physical Realm and everyday culture and those who support them.

“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.

Relational recovery in co-occurring conditions: a qualitative study of first-person experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-100
Author(s):  
Eva Brekke ◽  
Ottar Ness ◽  
Lars Lien
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
First Person ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Relational Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe first-person experiences of relational recovery in co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions. Design/methodology/approach Within a phenomenological and collaborative approach, in-depth individual interviews with eight persons with co-occurring conditions were analysed using systematic text condensation. Findings Participants described interpersonal relationships as both supporting and hindering recovery in fundamental ways. Four categories of experiences of relational recovery were described as follows: choosing one’s child; living with loneliness and a painful past; sacrificing everything for one’s partner; and regaining trust and support. Originality/value This paper provides an enhanced understanding of how interpersonal relationships may be experienced by persons who live with co-occurring conditions. The results generally support an understanding of recovery as a relational process.

A day in the life of a peer support worker: re-entry

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-152
Author(s):  
Emma Watson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Personal Recovery ◽  
Support Worker ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Returning To Work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the experiences and reflections of a peer support worker over the course of a day working in mental health services. Design/methodology/approach – A narrative approach has been taken to structure reflections based on the experience of returning to work after taking sick leave. Findings – Reflections are offered based on the process of returning to work and the way that this experience sheds light on personal recovery. Originality/value – This paper adds to the small number of accounts of the experiences of peer support working in mental health services and as such is highly original.

scholarly journals A first-person theory of documentation

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Gorichanaz
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Analytical Tool ◽  
First Person ◽  
Visual Artists ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Person Experience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to first articulate and then illustrate a descriptive theoretical model of documentation (i.e. document creation) suitable for analysis of the experiential, first-person perspective. Design/methodology/approach Three models of documentation in the literature are presented and synthesized into a new model. This model is then used to understand the findings from a phenomenology-of-practice study of the work of seven visual artists as they each created a self-portrait, understood here as a form of documentation. Findings A number of themes are found to express the first-person experience of art-making in these examples, including communicating, memories, reference materials, taking breaks and stepping back. The themes are discussed with an eye toward articulating what is shared and unique in these experiences. Finally, the themes are mapped successfully to the theoretical model. Research limitations/implications The study involved artists creating self-portraits, and further research will be required to determine if the thematic findings are unique to self-portraiture or apply as well to art-making, to documentation generally, etc. Still, the theoretical model developed here seems useful for analyzing documentation experiences. Practical implications As many activities and tasks in contemporary life can be conceptualized as documentation, this model provides a valuable analytical tool for better understanding those experiences. This can ground education and management decisions for those involved. Originality/value This paper makes conceptual and empirical contributions to document theory and the study of the information behavior of artists, particularly furthering discussions of information and document experience.

From reflection to action: a case study of an art psychotherapy group which drew on occupational therapy perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-213
Author(s):  
Ali Coles ◽  
Tom Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Service User ◽  
Psychological Outcome ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Art Psychotherapy ◽  
Post Therapy

Purpose This paper aims to describe service user experiences of an art psychotherapy group which drew on occupational therapy perspectives to help adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties move forward in their recovery. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach incorporating outcome data was used. The data gathered comprised attendance, facilitators’ clinical notes, photographs of participant artworks, the Psychological Outcome Profiles questionnaire (PSYCHLOPS: www.psychlops.org), a post-therapy feedback form, discussion at post-therapy individual review sessions and participants’ achievements post-group. Findings All but one participant scored the group as “very helpful” or “helpful” and all felt that the group had helped them with the personal aims they had identified. The PSYCHLOPS questionnaire yielded a large average effect size, indicating positive change in terms of problems, functioning and well-being. Participants identified several ways in which the group was helpful, and their artwork and reflections indicate how they used the art making in the group to pursue their recovery goals. The service user experiences and outcomes suggest that this group was effective in facilitating recovery for these adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Originality/value This group was innovative in integrating approaches from the different professional specialisms and the findings encourage further investigation into this way of working.

London Fire Brigade's screen and treat approach to the Grenfell Tower incident

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Steel ◽  
Zoe Travers ◽  
Lynette Meredith ◽  
Deborah Lee ◽  
Michael Conti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Response ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Post Disaster ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose is to report on the mental health response to the Grenfell incident within the London Fire Brigade (LFB).Design/methodology/approachThe LFB implemented screening for the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 28 days, 3 months and 6 months for all personnel directly involved in the incident.FindingsThe prevalence of PTSD within frontline personnel was 13.4% at 28 days, falling to 7.6% at 6 months. The LFB's internal Counselling and Wellbeing Service offered treatment to those scoring above the cut-off for PTSD along with accepting self-referral and referrals from line managers and occupational health. There were 139 referrals within the 12-month period following the incident.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcomes for those who engaged in treatment are broadly in line with other studies evaluating post-disaster interventions. Issues for consideration within national guidelines are discussed.Practical implicationsThe screen and treat approach adopted by LFB was shown to be a feasible approach to use within such a scenario.Originality/valueThe current study reports on a screen and treat approach to one of the largest single incidents in the UK in recent years.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document