scholarly journals The Mental Health Act Commission

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 328-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Curran ◽  
William Bingley

The aim of this article is to promote a clearer understanding of the Mental Health Commission's development, structure and function. Over recent years, mental health professionals and patients have become more aware of the organisation and its work, although some may remain uncertain about its function and how it fits into the overall care of detained patients. The Commission's fundamental job is to safeguard the well-being and interests of patients detained under the Act. Its remit does not extend to informal patients. Unless otherwise indicated, all statutory references are to the 1983 Mental Health Act.

Author(s):  
Xu Jiang ◽  
Kristin L. Otis ◽  
Marco Weber ◽  
E. Scott Huebner

This chapter begins with a description of the tenets of hope theory and then addresses the importance of hope during adolescence from a developmental perspective. Next, two accompanying instruments for measuring hope in adults and adolescents, the Adult Hope Scale and the Children’s Hope Scale, are described. Then the chapter summarizes the research findings on the relations between hope and adolescent mental health, focusing on the findings related to emotional, psychological, and social well-being, respectively. In addition, the Making Hope Happen intervention is introduced. Finally, the chapter explores future directions in adolescent hope research, along with implications for use by mental health professionals.


Author(s):  
Philip J. Lazarus ◽  
Shannon M. Suldo ◽  
Beth Doll

In this introduction, the authors discuss the purpose of this book, which is (a) to provide school-based mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools to help promote students’ emotional well-being and mental health, (b) to describe how to implement new models of mental health service delivery in schools, and (c) to prescribe practical strategies that bolster the likelihood that our youth will thrive in school and in life. The authors recommend conceptualizing student mental health through a dual-factor model that encompasses both promoting wellness and reducing pathology. They advocate for a change in educational priorities—one that supports the whole child, in mind, body, and spirit. They then discuss the prevalence of psychological distress in youth, risk and resilience research, the dual-factor model of mental health, happiness studies, new frameworks for the delivery of services, and the organization and structure of the text.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 616-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bonnet ◽  
Nicola Moran

Abstract The number of people detained under the 1983 Mental Health Act has risen significantly in recent years and has recently been the subject of an independent review. Most existing research into the rise in detentions has tended to prioritise the perspectives of psychiatrists and failed to consider the views of Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs), usually social workers, who ultimately determine whether detention is appropriate. This mixed-methods study focused on AMHPs’ views on the reasons behind the rise in detentions and potential solutions. It included a national online survey of AMHPs (n = 160) and semi-structured interviews with six AMHPs within a Community Mental Health Team in England. AMHPs reported that demand for mental health services vastly exceeded supply and, due to inadequate resources, more people were being detained in hospital. AMHPs argued that greater investment in preventative mental health services and ‘low intensity’ support would help to mitigate the impact of social risk factors on mental health; and greater investment in crisis services, including non-medical alternatives to hospital, was required. Such investment at either end of the spectrum was expected to be more effective than changes to the law and lead to better outcomes for mental health service users.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Rottenberg ◽  
Andrew R. Devendorf ◽  
Vanessa Panaite ◽  
David J. Disabato ◽  
Todd B. Kashdan

Can people achieve optimal well-being and thrive after major depression? Contemporary epidemiology dismisses this possibility, viewing depression as a recurrent, burdensome condition with a bleak prognosis. To estimate the prevalence of thriving after depression in United States adults, we used data from the Midlife Development in the United States study. To count as thriving after depression, a person had to exhibit no evidence of major depression and had to exceed cutoffs across nine facets of psychological well-being that characterize the top 25% of U.S. nondepressed adults. Overall, nearly 10% of adults with study-documented depression were thriving 10 years later. The phenomenon of thriving after depression has implications for how the prognosis of depression is conceptualized and for how mental health professionals communicate with patients. Knowing what makes thriving outcomes possible offers new leverage points to help reduce the global burden of depression.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1711-1711
Author(s):  
R.F. D'Souza

Northern Psychiatry Research Centre, Melbourne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Mental health professionals and their patients are increasingly aware of the basic need of all human beings for a source of meaning that is greater than one's self. This growth in awareness is driven by the professional's practical goal of reducing disability from mental disorders and by the heart felt wishes of the suffering for their therapists to recognize of the need for self transcendence. This has resulted in mental health professionals and the general public's growing awareness of the need to foster spirituality and well-being in clinical practice. We now see a groundswell of professional work to focus on the development of health and happiness, rather than merely to fight disease and distress.This presentation will consider the practical necessity to reduce disability, and understanding the science of well-being including the stages of self-awareness on the path to well-being. Considering the interpersonal neurobiology view of well-being. Ultimately discussing the developing of well-being through therapies such as Cloninger's “The happy life- Voyages to well-being” and D'Souza's Evidence based East-West Spiritually Augmented Well-being therapy. seven catalylectic exercises for each day of the week. This allows attention to spirituality based on principles of psychobiology with roots in compassion and tolerance, rather than on the basis of dogmatic judgments that are rooted in fear and intolerance. Thus only by addressing spirituality in a scientific and non judgmental manner can we make psychology and psychiatry into a science of well-being that is able to reduce stigma and disability of psychological disorders


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan C. Dombrowski ◽  
Karen L. Gischlar ◽  
Amanda Clinton

The abuse and neglect of children has been linked to their cognitive, academic, psychological, and behavioral demise. As a result of the deleterious effects that abuse can have on children’s development and well-being, all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, have enacted child abuse reporting laws for mental health professionals. These laws typically require a mandated child abuse report when child maltreatment has been reasonably suspected. Although mandated child abuse reporting laws appear straight-forward, mandated reporting often entails complex and nuanced decision-making, particularly when a child is from a diverse cultural background. Thus, this article offers a discussion for mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers) regarding mandated child abuse reporting within a multicultural environment.


Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 188-197
Author(s):  
Lei Jin ◽  
Chenyu Ye ◽  
Eric Fong

Sociology is perhaps best seen classically as the study of the development, structure, and function of human societies, and sociologists have long been interested in urbanization and the ways in which urban living influences people’s health and well-being. These interests intersect with other core sociological concerns, such as socioeconomic inequality, racial and ethnic relations, migration, social cohesion, and social control to inform unique sociological perspectives on urban health. Urban environments, bringing together heterogeneous populations in dynamic, rapidly evolving settings, are natural laboratories for understanding human societies, thus suggesting a critical role for sociological perspectives in the study of urban health. This chapter introduces a sociological lens to the study of urban health, offering how sociology can advance our understanding of the health of urban populations.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261818
Author(s):  
Laurence Fond-Harmant ◽  
Hélène Kane ◽  
Jade Gourret Baumgart ◽  
Emmanuel Rusch ◽  
Hervé Breton ◽  
...  

Objective Our project aims to provide: an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the field of mental health professionals in 23 countries; a model of recommendations for good practice and proposals for methods and digital tools to improve the well-being at work of mental health professionals and the quality of services offered during crisis and post-crisis periods; an in-depth ethics review of the assessment of the use of numerical tools for psychiatry professionals and patient support, including teleconsulting. Methods This is a large international survey conducted among 2,000 mental health professionals in 23 countries over a 12-month period. This survey will be based on 30 individual interviews and 20 focus group sessions, and a digital questionnaire will be sent online to 2,000 professionals based on the criteria of gender, age, professional experience, psychiatric specialty, context of work in psychiatry, and geographical location. Regarding the development of telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic, a pilot study on the use of digital tools will be carried out on 100 clients of psychiatry professionals in France and Belgium. Discussion-conclusion This study will contribute to the co-construction of an international organization and monitoring system that takes into account psychiatric health professionals as major resources to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop efficient processes for preparing and anticipating crises by reducing psychosocial risks as much as possible. This project also aims to design tools for remote medicine and to develop the use of numerical tools for monitoring and supporting professionals and helping professionals to build the conditions for satisfactory operational work during crises and post-crisis situations, using adapted organizational methods. Our ongoing research should support professionals in the search for existing concrete solutions to cope with emergency work situations while maintaining an optimal quality of life.


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