Amicus cum Laude: Ethnodramatic Inquiry Regarding Sharing Mental Health in College

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (14) ◽  
pp. 2173-2191
Author(s):  
Robert D. Hall

In this manuscript, I utilize an ethnodramatic methodology in reanalyzing two data sets about college friends disclosing and receiving mental health-related information. After describing ethnodrama and how this methodology applies to mental health–related inquiry, I detail my process of creating an ethnodrama from two extant data sets. The result is an ethnodrama called Amicus cum Laude: Becoming a Friend with Honor for Mental Illness, a one-act play about how friends discuss mental health issues with one another. After providing the ethnodrama, I offer recommendations for taking the ethnodrama from page to stage while reflecting on and critiquing the final product.

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (14) ◽  
pp. 1359-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan E. Simon ◽  
Kenneth C. Schoendorf

We examined mental health–related visits to emergency departments (EDs) among children from 2001 to 2011. We used the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey—Emergency Department, 2001-2011 to identify visits of children 6 to 20 years old with a reason-for-visit code or ICD-9-CM diagnosis code reflecting mental health issues. National percentages of total visits, visit counts, and population rates were calculated, overall and by race, age, and sex. Emergency department visits for mental health issues increased from 4.4% of all visits in 2001 to 7.2% in 2011. Counts increased 55 000 visits per year and rates increased from 13.6 visits/1000 population in 2001 to 25.3 visits/1000 in 2011 ( P < .01 for all trends). Black children (all ages) had higher visit rates than white children and 13- to 20-year-olds had higher visit rates than children 6 to 12 years old ( P < .01 for all comparisons). Differences between groups did not decline over time.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S288-S289
Author(s):  
Brishti Sengupta ◽  
Pritha Dasgupta

AimsTo survey the effect of COVID-19 on mental health of both medical professionals and the general population, as well as attitudes surrounding the disclosure of mental illness.MethodAn online survey comprised of two questionnaires, one for medical professionals and one for the general population, were conducted via social media. Both questionnaires asked respondents of the effect of COVID-19 on their mental health, and the former asked respondents about the effect of COVID-19 on their patient group's mental health. The questionnaires went on to ask respondents about their attitudes to mental health disclosure in various scenarios, to varying groups of people. The general population group was also asked how they would react if someone else disclosed their mental illness to them.ResultThe questionnaire for the medical professionals gained 62 respondents and the one for the general population had 122 respondents, with responses from multiple nations. Overall, COVID-19 has affected everyone's mental health to a degree, and all groups had reservations about disclosing their mental health issues to others. The medical professionals were especially reluctant to disclose mental illness to their patients, but were more comfortable when it came to disclosing mental illness to colleagues. The general population, however, was much more reluctant to disclose mental health issues to their colleagues. The general population were, on the whole, willing to listen to and help anyone who came to them with mental health concerns. Both groups surveyed showed reluctance toward disclosure to the wider community.ConclusionCOVID-19 appears to significantly affect not only physical health, but mental health as well. There is at least some degree of stigma surrounding the disclosure of mental health issues. While most would be happy to help anyone who came to them with their mental health problems, there seems to be an attitude shift when people must contend with mental health issues of their own.


Author(s):  
Victoria Morris ◽  
Hannah S. Scott

This article explores the victimizing experiences of individuals with mental illness using grounded inductive qualitative research methods, by extracting themes from 15 first-hand accounts of living with mental illness delivered on the TED Talks media platform. Emergent themes included (1) victimizing effects of the illness including the effects of medication and the effects of stigma, (2) normalcy, (3) the importance of help-seeking in the process of overcoming obstacles presented by mental health issues, and (4) victimization by others. We conclude that the speakers in our sample, even though they reflect an extraordinary level of functioning, still view themselves as what Becker (1991 [1963]) describes as outsiders, acting as moral entrepreneurs, crusading to normalize madness through a variety of strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-322
Author(s):  
Jennifer Payne

Students enter college with pre-formed beliefs about the causes of mental health issues, from spiritual explanations (e.g., demonic possession) to biological explanations (e.g., genetics). However, they rarely have thought through how their faith backgrounds influence their beliefs about mental health. MSW students in their clinical concentration year engaged in a class-based assignment in which they explored the question, "Where are you on the spectrum of belief regarding the cause of mental illness?" A qualitative content analysis was completed on 69 student papers collected over five years. Results showed how each student's religious childhood experience shaped his or her view about mental illness causes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 451-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Kay ◽  
Barbara Martin ◽  
Doreen Kelly ◽  
Cameron Stark

The mass media is an important source of public information on mental health issues. A two-page insert in 11 local Ayrshire newspapers was purchased to coincide with the Mental Health Weeks in 1994 and 1995. Using a quota sampling technique, 379 adults were questioned on their views and recollection of the insert in 1994, and a further 365 in 1995. It had been seen by 27% of 1994 respondents, and by 22% in 1995. Of these, 80% in each sample had read at least part. Local details were best remembered, and information on the nature of mental illness was regarded as the most helpful part of the insert. The newspaper articles provided a way of contacting a substantial proportion of the adult population of the area.


Author(s):  
Gemma Richardson

Social media has added a new dynamic for those living with mental illness. There are several benefits to using social media to obtain information and support for mental health issues, but there are also new challenges and drawbacks. This chapter explores social media for mental health initiatives, with a focus on two case studies: Facebook's suicide prevention tools and the Bell Let's Talk campaign. These case studies highlight the unique ways that social media can be harnessed to raise awareness and provide support and resources to vulnerable populations, while also providing insights into the challenges of utilizing these platforms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-441
Author(s):  
Arran Rose ◽  
Stephane M Shepherd ◽  
James R P Ogloff

Objective: A key challenge facing justice health service providers is addressing and treating the high rates of mental illness among offenders. It is well documented that rates of mental illness are substantially higher within prison populations compared to the general population. As such, the need to provide ongoing treatment to prisoners experiencing mental health issues is of fundamental importance. Prisoners experiencing mental health disorders are more likely to have poorer social outcomes on release, including a greater likelihood of recidivism and poorer health outcomes. The growing numbers of justice-involved individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds signal the need for justice systems to adapt to the changing demographic. Conclusions: In this commentary, we argue that greater efforts to explore the nature and prevalence of mental illness among CALD groups in custody, where such concerns are often intertwined with additional complex personal, environmental and historical criminogenic risk factors, are desperately needed to improve system responses and reduce recidivism.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 266-279
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Cockshott ◽  
Gundi Kiemle ◽  
Paula Byrne ◽  
Mark B. Gabbay

We investigated the experiences of unemployed university graduates with common mental health issues. After conducting semistructured interviews with 12 unemployed bachelor’s degree graduates with common mental health issues, we used interpretative phenomenological analysis to generate three superordinate themes: “fall from grace,” “vulnerability,” and “life on hold.” Our focus in this article is life on hold and its constituent themes: “stagnation,” “moving backward,” and “feeling left behind.” Graduates struggled to complete the broader structural life transition from university student to the adult world of work, experiencing a nebulous state of straddling adolescence and early adulthood. This undermined their sense of adult maturity, leaving them vulnerable to becoming entrenched in their mental health-related difficulties. We discuss these findings in relation to the developmental perspectives of life-course theory, status passages, and separation–individuation in early adulthood, which raise important issues for the applicability of life-course frameworks for these graduates, who are a disadvantaged minority group.


2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 514-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wrigley ◽  
Henry Jackson ◽  
Fiona Judd ◽  
Angela Komiti

Objective: To examine the role of perceived stigma and attitudes to seeking care in predicting help-seeking from a general practitioner (GP) for mental health problems. Method: Across-sectional surveyin 2002 with self-repor t questionnaires assessing current levels of symptomatology, disability, attitudes towards mental illness, knowledge of prevalence and causes of mental illness, contact with mental illness and help-seeking behaviour and preferences and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Results: No significant relationship was found between symptom measures and measures of disability and help-seeking. Variables positively associated with general attitudes to seeking professional psychological help were: lower perceived stigma, and biological rather than person-based causal attributions for schizophrenia. Willingness to discuss mental health issues with a GP was predicted by the perceived helpfulness of the GP and by no other variable. Conclusions: Causal attributions and perceivedstigma rather than participants' levels of symptomatology and disability influence attitudes to help-seeking for mental health issues. Efforts to improve attitudes to help-seeking should focus on reducing stigma and improving mental health literacy regarding the causes of disorders.


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