scholarly journals Factors influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders from the perspective of mental health professionals

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengjie Deng ◽  
Shuyi Zhai ◽  
Xuan Ouyang ◽  
Zhening Liu ◽  
Brendan Ross

Abstract Background Medication adherence is a common issue influenced by various factors among patients with severe mental disorders worldwide. However, most literature to date has been primarily quantitative and has focused on medication adherence issue from the perspective of patients or their caregivers. Moreover, research focused on medication adherence issue in China is scarce. Present study aims to explore the influential factors of medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders form the perspective of mental health professionals in Hunan Province, China. Methods A qualitative study was performed in Hunan Province, China with 31 mental health professionals recruited from October to November 2017. And semi-structured interviews or focus group interviews were conducted along with audio recordings of all interviews. Interview transcripts were then coded and analyzed in Nvivo software with standard qualitative approaches. Results Three major themes influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders were identified as: (1) attitudes towards mental disorder/treatment; (2) inadequate aftercare; (3) resource shortages. Conclusions This qualitative study identified the factors influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders in China. As a locally driven research study, it provides practical advice on medication adherence promotion for mental health workers and suggests culturally tailored models that improve the management of patients with severe mental disorders in order to reduce economic burden on individual and societal level.

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110429
Author(s):  
João M Castaldelli-Maia ◽  
Priscila D Gonçalves ◽  
Danielle R Lima ◽  
Helena F Moura ◽  
Gisèle Apter

Background: There are remarkably high smoking rates in patients living with mental disorders (PLWMD), and the absence of a specific treatment policy for smoking cessation for these patients worldwide. The present study aimed to (i) investigate the quality of service and commitment to tobacco dependence treatment, and (ii) produce high-quality French versions of the Index of Tobacco Treatment Quality (ITTQ) and Tobacco Treatment Commitment Scale (TTCS). Methods: ITTQ and TTCS were used to assess French mental health professionals ( n = 80). Both scales were translated from their original language following standard procedures (i.e. forward translation). Descriptive analysis for total score, each factor and item were calculated for the entire sample, followed by subgroup analysis by gender, and role of the practitioner. Results: Nurses presented higher levels of both treatment commitment and treatment quality in their mental health care units, compared to psychiatrists, and residents. Overall, counseling offering was low and there was a perception that it is unfair to take tobacco away from PLWMD. In the other hand, there were high levels of smoking assessment and perceptions that nicotine dependence should be included in drug treatment programs. Conclusions: There is a gap in tobacco treatment implementation for French PLWMD. The present pilot study alerts about the problem, and should stimulate larger studies validating such measures for wide use with French-speaking mental health professionals. French nurses presented higher levels of both treatment commitment and quality, and could be in a leadership position for such implementation. Encouraging the implementation of tobacco counseling within conventional mental health treatment is critical to improve cessation rates among this population. There is a potential for the sustainability of tobacco treatment interventions since the levels of commitment observed here were higher than in previous studies conducted abroad.


2012 ◽  
Vol 200 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Reavley ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm

BackgroundA 1995 Australian national survey of mental health literacy showed poor recognition of disorders and beliefs about treatment that differed from those of health professionals. A similar survey carried out in 2003/4 showed some improvements over 8 years.AimsTo investigate whether recognition of mental disorders and beliefs about treatment have changed over a 16-year period.MethodA national survey of 6019 adults was carried out in 2011 using the same questions as the 1995 and 2003/4 surveys.ResultsResults showed improved recognition of depression and more positive ratings for a range of interventions, including help from mental health professionals and antidepressants.ConclusionsAlthough beliefs about effective medications and interventions have moved closer to those of health professionals since the previous surveys, there is still potential for mental health literacy gains in the areas of recognition and treatment beliefs for mental disorders. This is particularly the case for schizophrenia.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veikko Pelto-Piri ◽  
Lars Kjellin ◽  
Ulrika Hylén ◽  
Emanuele Valenti ◽  
Stefan Priebe

Abstract Objectives The objective of the study was to investigate how mental health professionals describe and reflect upon different forms of informal coercion. Results In a deductive qualitative content analysis of focus group interviews, several examples of persuasion, interpersonal leverage, inducements, and threats were found. Persuasion was sometimes described as being more like a negotiation. Some participants worried about that the use of interpersonal leverage and inducements risked to pass into blackmail in some situations. In a following inductive analysis, three more categories of informal coercion was found: cheating, using a disciplinary style and referring to rules and routines. Participants also described situations of coercion from other stakeholders: relatives and other authorities than psychiatry. The results indicate that informal coercion includes forms that are not obviously arranged in a hierarchy, and that its use is complex with a variety of pathways between different forms before treatment is accepted by the patient or compulsion is imposed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony F. Jorm ◽  
Helen Christensen ◽  
Kathleen M. Griffiths

Objective: A national survey of Australian adults in 1995 showed a low level of recognition of mental disorders and beliefs about treatment that were often discordant with those of professionals. The present study aimed to find out whether recognition and treatment beliefs have changed over 8 years. Method: A national survey of 2001 adults in 2003–2004 included the same questions as the 1995 survey. These interview questions were based on a vignette of a person with either depression or schizophrenia. Results: Over the 8 years, the public showed better recognition of depression and schizophrenia and gave more positive ratings to a range of interventions, including help from mental health professionals, medications, psychotherapy and psychiatric ward admission. Conclusions: The Australian public's beliefs have changed over 8 years to be more like those of mental health professionals. This change may have positive implications for helpseeking and treatment concordance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  

Introduction: A lack of awareness of the diagnosis of mental disorders exists in the Ghanaian community due to the general misconceptions about mental health. One major challenge in diagnosing mental disorders is that no blood test or scan can be performed to confirm a particular mental disorder, unlike other medical conditions such as cancer, malaria, diabetes, and hepatitis. A stepwise progressive observation and assessment to rule out all possible medical conditions that might be associated with a mental disorder is essential to enhance the quality of diagnosis and treatment. This study focuses on describing the diagnostic practices of mental disorders to educate the public, create awareness, and to improve diagnosis in Ghana. Objective: This paper aims to describe the current diagnostic practices used to diagnose mental disorders to understand the impact of the diagnosis of mental disorders and to provide evidence for mental health policy and planning to improve diagnostic practice in psychiatry in Ghana. Methods: We collected and described data on the diagnosis of mental disorders from 30 mental health professionals aged 20 years and above who were purposively selected from six hospitals. We carried out in-person structured interviews with all participants at their various hospital premises. Results: Stages of diagnosing mental disorders can be single, dual, or multiple. Proportions representing the patterns of diagnosis of the most common types of mental disorders in the population included 73.3% for mania without psychotic syndrome, and 63.3% for hebephrenic schizophrenia. Moderate depressive episodes, bipolar affective disorder with mild or moderate depression, and organic delusion (schizophrenia-like) disorder achieved the same results (56.7%). Phobic anxiety disorder and schizoid personality disorder were also reported by the same proportions (46.7%). Also, symptomatic epilepsy and epileptic syndrome was reported by (43.3%) and 40% for mood disorder due to known physiological condition with manic symptoms. Persistent delusional disorder as well as dementia with behavioral disturbance and dementia with depression and anxiety were reported by the same proportions (36.7%), and 33.3% for psychoactive substance abuse with psychoactive sub-induced anxiety disorder. The level of diagnostic quality in the psychiatric hospitals was higher than in the primary health centers (83.3% vs 63.3%). The most suitable intervention to improve diagnostic quality (40%) was associated with diagnostic education. Most participants (56.7%) assigned a moderate rating to the effectiveness of the interventions to improve diagnostic practices. Conclusion: We plan to use our findings to solicit support from mental health stakeholders to provide comprehensive public education involving basic and specific knowledge on the diagnosis of mental disorders. We recommend that any national programme would need to have sustainable long-term policies to encourage and motivate mental health professionals to participate in diagnostic activities and to pay more attention to patients. Incorporating mental health education into the school curriculum is also important.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 85-104
Author(s):  
Marta Coll-Florit ◽  
Antoni Oliver ◽  
Salvador Climent

In this paper we describe the building, manual annotation and analysis of a balanced corpus to assess conceptual metaphors on mental illness as used in Spanish blogger writing by patients and mental health professionals. The corpus was structured as eight subgroups: four patient subgroups (composed of persons who declared having been diagnosed with major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder) and four mental health professional subgroups (psychiatrists, psychologists, social educators, nurses). The quantitative analysis identified similarities and differences between groups regarding the volume of metaphors produced and the topics linguistically expressed through metaphors. The most frequent metaphors used by each major group, patients and professionals, were qualitatively analysed, with the principal findings showing a set of source domains used to conceptualize all four severe mental disorders, thus pointing to a common conceptualization of mental suffering irrespective of the specific diagnosis, and two major types of metaphors, WAR and JOURNEY, used by all subgroups of patients and professionals to talk about their first-hand experiences.


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