scholarly journals Breaking the chains

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 273-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sa'ad B. Malik ◽  
Iram Z. Bokharey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Severe Mental Disorders ◽  
Faith Healer

Pakistan is a developing country and thereby burdened with the problems that all developing countries share. There are over 13 million people suffering from mild to severe mental disorders and with barely 200 psychiatrists throughout the country, the mental health services remain painfully inadequate and poorly developed. Both psychiatrists and psychiatric services are restricted to the major cities and, therefore, the 70% of the population that live in the rural areas have almost no access to modern day psychiatric facilities. Their only hope remains, as has been for centuries, with the local quack and faith healer.

scholarly journals Discrepancy between experience and importance of recovery components in the symptomatic and recovery perceptions of people with severe mental disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Penas ◽  
Jose-Juan Uriarte ◽  
Susana Gorbeña ◽  
Mike Slade ◽  
María-Concepción Moreno-Calvete ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Internalized Stigma ◽  
Personal Recovery ◽  
Severe Mental Disorders ◽  
Clinical Recovery ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Personal recovery has become an increasingly important approach in the care of people with severe mental disorders and consequently in the orientation of mental health services. The objective of this study was to assess the personal recovery process in people using mental health services, and to clarify the role of variables such as symptomatology, self-stigma, sociodemographic and treatment. Methods Standardised measures of personal recovery process, clinical recovery, and internalized stigma were completed by a sample of 312 participants in a Severe Mental Disorder program. Results Users valued most the recovery elements of: improving general health and wellness; having professionals who care; hope; and sense of meaning in life. Significant discrepancies between perceived experience and relative importance assigned to each of the components of the REE were observed. Regression modeling (χ2 = 6.72, p = .394; GFI = .99, SRMR = .03) identified how positive discrepancies were associated with a higher presence of recovery markers (β = .12, p = .05), which in turn were negatively related to the derived symptomatology index (β = −.33, p < .001). Furthermore, the relationship between clinical and personal recovery was mediated by internalized stigma. Conclusions An improvement in psychiatric services should be focused on recovery aspects that have the greatest discrepancy between importance and experience, in particular social roles, basic needs and hope. Personal and clinical recovery are correlated, but the relationship between them is mediated by internalized stigma, indicating the need for clinical interventions to target self-stigma.

Is Pacific language ability protective of prevalence of mental disorders among Pacific peoples in New Zealand?

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirenei Taua'i ◽  
Rose Richards ◽  
Jesse Kokaua
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
Language Promotion

Aims: To explore associations between experiences of mental illness, migration status and languages spoken among Pacific adults living in NZ. Methods: SURVEY FREQ and SURVEY LOGISTIC procedures in SAS were applied to data from Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand (NZ) Mental Health Survey, a survey of 12,992 New Zealand adults aged 16 and over in 2003/2004. Pacific people were over sampled and this paper focuses on the 2374 Pacific participants but includes, for comparison, 8160 non-Maori-non-Pacific (NMNP) participants. Results: Pacific migrant respondents had the lowest prevalence of mental disorders compared to other Pacific peoples. However, Pacific immigrants were also less likely to use mental health services, suggesting an increased likelihood of experiencing barriers to available mental health care. Those who were born in NZ and who were proficient in a Pacific language had the lowest levels of common mental disorders, suggesting a protective effect for the NZ-born population. Additionally, access to mental health services was similar between NZ-born people who spoke a Pacific language and those who did not. Conclusions: We conclude that, given the association between Pacific language and reduced mental disorder, there may be a positive role for Pacific language promotion in efforts to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorder among Pacific communities in NZ.

scholarly journals Setting the scene: controversies on trends in mental health among adolescents in the Nordic countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Eriksson ◽  
A M Arnasson ◽  
N Lyyra ◽  
K R Madsen ◽  
T Torsheim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Advanced Analysis

Abstract At present there are different positions regarding trends in adolescent mental health. Can we trust trend data on the mental health among adolescents in the Nordic countries? Some question the trustworthiness of adolescent self-reports, which describe ordinary daily hassles as health complaints, which cannot be interpreted as signs of mental disorders. In addition, today there is a more open climate for talking about mental issues, which can lead to an overestimation of the prevalence of mental disorders. Statistics on mental health services statistics report increased psychopharmaceutic prescriptions as well as consumption of professional care. Such data argues for increased governmental investment in adolescent mental health services. Is this pattern due to increased availability of mental health services and/or increased prevalence of mental health problems in the adolescent population? A concern is that data availability influences policymaking and allocation of resources. If there is an emphasis on self-reported data from adolescents that may an increased risk of medicalization of young people's dealing with their daily lives. If on the other hand the reported problems among young people is disregarded, this would be against the UN Child Convention. The survey data has important qualities especially if the data is analysed and reported properly. The validation of survey measure has been done both regarding psychometric quality and content validity. Advanced analysis of the data can draw a more nuanced picture. Moreover, some screening instruments have been developed as a first step towards making diagnosis. Instead the HBSC surveys ask boys and girls about their health and well-being, social environment and health behaviours. HBSC uses findings at national and international levels to gain new insights into young people's health and wellbeing, understand the social determinants of health, and inform policy and practice to improve young people's lives.

Mental health data: A case for the African communities in New South Wales

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-80
Author(s):  
Daniel Kwai Apat ◽  
Wellington Digwa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
New South ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Community Members ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Health Related

This paper examines mental health policies in relation to African communities residing in New South Wales, Australia and the attitudes of African communities toward mental disorders and mental health services. Current mental health policy frameworks have shown an inadequate inclusion of African communities. This may negatively affect the design of mental health interventions and how African communities engage with mental health services. The available mental health literature on African communities showed disjointed and uncoordinated data which focuses on specific community-groups within African communities. Insufficient mental health or suicide data, combined with African community members’ perception toward mental disorders and mental health services, makes it very difficult to progress engagement and interventions. There is a need for proper and sizable data on mental health related to people of African descent in NSW and Australia wide, if positive outcomes are to be realised.

scholarly journals The Greek Hybrid Version of the Assertive Community Treatment Model: A Perspective View between Challenges and Limitations

Psych ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-799
Author(s):  
Vaios Peritogiannis ◽  
Fotini Tsoli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Assertive Community Treatment ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Perspective View

The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model of care has been long considered to be effective in the management of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in most Western countries. The implementation of the original ACT model may be particularly challenging in rural and remote communities with small and dispersed populations and lack of adequate mental health services. Rural programs may have to adapt the model and modify the ACT fidelity standards to accommodate these limitations, and this is the rationale for the introduction of more flexible, hybrid ACT models. In rural Greece, the so called Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) are well-established community mental health services. For patients with SMI that have difficulties engaging with treatment services, the new hybrid ACT model has been recently launched. The objective of this manuscript is to present the recently launched hybrid ACT model in rural areas in Greece and to explore the challenges and limitations in its implementation from the experience of a team of mental health professionals with ACT experience. Referral criteria have not been strictly set, but the number of previous relapses and hospitalizations is taken under consideration, as well as the history of poor treatment adherence and disengagement from mental health services. The main limitation in the implementation of the hybrid ACT service is that it has been introduced in several areas in the absence of a pre-existing community mental health service. This may impact referrals and limit focus on the difficult cases of patients with SMI, thus making the evaluation of the model inapplicable.

scholarly journals Acute mental health presentations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naaheed Mukadam ◽  
Andrew Sommerlad ◽  
Jessica Wright ◽  
Abigail Smith ◽  
Aleksandra Szczap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Mental Capacity Act

Background A number of community based surveys have identified an increase in psychological symptoms and distress but there has been no examination of symptoms at the more severe end of the mental health spectrum. Aims We aimed to analyse numbers and types of psychiatric presentations to inform planning for future demand on mental health services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method We analysed electronic data between January and April 2020 for 2534 patients referred to acute psychiatric services, and tested for differences in patient demographics, symptom severity and use of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA), before and after lockdown. We used interrupted time-series analyses to compare trends in emergency department and psychiatric presentations until December 2020. Results There were 22% fewer psychiatric presentations the first week and 48% fewer emergency department presentations in the first month after lockdown initiated. A higher proportion of patients were detained under the MHA (22.2 v. 16.1%) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (2.2 v. 1.1%) (χ2(2) = 16.3, P < 0.0001), and they experienced a longer duration of symptoms before seeking help from mental health services (χ2(3) = 18.6, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion of patients presented with psychotic symptoms (23.3 v. 17.0%) or delirium (7.0 v. 3.6%), and fewer had self-harm behaviour (43.8 v. 52.0%, χ2(7) = 28.7, P < 0.0001). A higher proportion were admitted to psychiatric in-patient units (22.2 v. 18.3%) (χ2(6) = 42.8, P < 0.0001) after lockdown. Conclusions UK lockdown resulted in fewer psychiatric presentations, but those who presented were more likely to have severe symptoms, be detained under the MHA and be admitted to hospital. Psychiatric services should ensure provision of care for these patients as well as planning for those affected by future COVID-19 waves.

scholarly journals Stigmatization Toward Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses: Tehran’s Stakeholders’ Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Farsi ◽  
Arsia Taghva ◽  
Samantha C Butler ◽  
Hanif Tabesh ◽  
Yavar Javanmard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Stigma Reduction ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Mental Health Diagnoses ◽  
To Receive

Background: The stigma associated with mental health disorders has an enormous impact on decisions concerning receiving mental health services. Objectives: The current qualitative study aimed to describe the stigma toward mental disorders in Tehran, Iran. Methods: The current grounded theory study conducted from 2013 to 2016 in Tehran (Iran). Fourteen participants were sampled using purposive and theoretical sampling techniques. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, focused groups, and written narratives. The Corbin and Strauss coding paradigm (2008) was used to analyze data. Results: Three main categories of stigmatization toward patients with mental health diagnoses were extracted: (1) barriers to stigma reduction; (2) strategies to reduce stigma; and (3) outcomes of stigma reduction such as negative consequences of stigma toward mental disorders and positive impacts of stigma reduction toward mental disorders. Conclusions: To improve mental health services for patients in Tehran (Iran), it is imperative to reduce the stigma toward mental disorders, educate the community, including the general population and healthcare professionals, and remove existing barriers to receive mental health services.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document