The mental health lead

Psychiatric Social Work teaching has completed seven decades in India which was started with master course in medical and psychiatric social work at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in 1948 followed by various schools of social work across the country but unfortunately even after two year full time or part time course they are not counted as a mental health professional; still they need two more years of specialized training in mental health as Master of Philosophy in Psychiatric Social Work (M.Phil. PSW) which was offered in just a few institutions. Recently the Government of India formulated manpower development schemes under the national mental health programme to address the shortage of men power in mental health. Under this scheme, 25 centre of excellence in mental health are already stabilised and various post graduate departments were upgraded and M.Phil. PSW course is started or will be started. This figure is in raise in Government intuitions and few private institutions also. The prominence of social work in mental health is expected to enhance by this effort as highly trained social workers will be available to practice in the mental health field but there are some challenges to overcome to get the maximum outcome from this opportunity to expand.Â Â Â Â Keywords:Psychiatric social work, mental health, men power development, India Â Â

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Mechanisms of COVID-19 Mental Health Burden

10.31234/osf.io/cswde ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Joseph Bulbulia ◽

Sofia Piven ◽

Fiona Barlow ◽

Don E. Davis ◽

Lara Greaves ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Health Satisfaction ◽

Civic Attitudes ◽

Social Belonging ◽

Pervasive Health ◽

The Government ◽

Health Burdens ◽

Political Economic

New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020 was among the world's most stringent. Similar to other countries, New Zealand's lockdown occurred amidst pervasive health and economic uncertainties. However, New Zealanders experienced comparatively less psychological distress. To test theories of pandemic distress mitigation, we use national longitudinal responses with pre-COVID-19 baselines and systematically quantify psychological distress trajectories within the same individuals during the lockdown (pre-COVID-19 = 2018/2019; stringent-lockdown = March/April 2020; N = 940). Most distress indicators were minimally elevated. However, there was a three-fold increase in feelings of worthlessness. Neither satisfaction with the government, nor business-satisfaction, nor a sense of neighbourhood community were effective distress defences. Perceived social-belonging and health-satisfaction mitigated feelings of worthlessness. A silver lining was a relief from feelings of effort, which social-belonging fostered. That social-belonging and health satisfaction could quell serious distress among those low in government confidence, low in business satisfaction, and low neighbourhood community proves that distress mitigation is possible without shifting a population's general political, economic, and civic attitudes. Protection of income and containment of infectious disease threat reduces mental health burdens. Though feelings of worthlessness surge during lockdown, such feelings attenuate from interpersonal belonging with people one already knows.

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Distrust in government and its relationship with mental health after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764020968129 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002076402096812

Author(s):

Maiko Fukasawa ◽

Norito Kawakami ◽

Maki Umeda ◽

Tsuyoshi Akiyama ◽

Naoko Horikoshi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power Plant ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Residential Area ◽

National Government ◽

Nuclear Power Plant Accident ◽

Fukushima Prefecture ◽

The Government

Background: Distrust in authorities has negative effects on mental health. Aims: In this study, we aimed to explore whether the impact of distrust in government on mental health became stronger in the area heavily affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Methods: We examined the effects of distrust in the national government on depressive symptoms three years after the accident among community residents in Fukushima prefecture using those in the Kanto area (the area surrounding Tokyo) as a control. A questionnaire survey was administered to a random sample of 1000 residents in Fukushima prefecture and 1650 residents in the Kanto area. Distrust in the national government was assessed using a four-point single-item scale. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The associations of residential area (i.e. living in Fukushima prefecture or in the Kanto area) and distrust in the national government with depressive symptoms were examined, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and disaster-related experiences using multivariate linear regression analyses. We used the interaction term of residential area and distrust in the government to explore the difference in the association between the respondents in Fukushima prefecture and those in the Kanto area. Results: Valid responses were obtained from 976 (36.8%) residents. Distrust in the government was associated with depressive symptoms and the association was stronger in Fukushima prefecture than in the Kanto area. Conclusion: The deleterious effects of distrust in the government on mental health may become more serious after a nuclear power plant accident and require careful attention during support activities in an affected area.

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Costs of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses in Urban Australia: Findings from the Low Prevalence (Psychotic) Disorders Study

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1046/j.1440-1614.2003.01092.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 31-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Vaughan J. Carr ◽

Amanda L. Neil ◽

Sean A. Halpin ◽

Scott Holmes ◽

Terry J. Lewin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Psychotic Disorders ◽

Community Services ◽

Societal Costs ◽

Metropolitan Regions ◽

Lost Productivity ◽

Average Patient ◽

The Government ◽

Low Prevalence

Objective: To estimate the costs associated with the treatment and care of persons with psychosis in Australia based on data from the Low Prevalence Disorders Study (LPDS), and to identify areas where there is potential for more efficient use of existing health care resources. Method: The LPDS was a one-month census-based survey of people with psychotic disorders in contact with mental health services, which was conducted in four metropolitan regions in 1997–1998. Mental health and service utilization data from 980 interviews were used to estimate the economic costs associated with psychotic disorders. A prevalencebased, ‘bottom-up’ approach was adopted to calculate the government and societal costs associated with psychosis, including treatment and non-treatment related costs. Results: Annual societal costs for the average patient with psychosis are of the order of $46 200, comprising $27 500 in lost productivity, $13 800 in inpatient mental health care costs and $4900 in other mental health and community services costs. Psychosis costs the Australian government at least $1.45 billion per annum, while societal costs are at least $2.25 billion per annum (including $1.44 billion for schizophrenia). We also report relationships between societal costs and demographic factors, diagnosis, disability and participation in employment. Conclusions: Current expenditure on psychosis in Australia is probably inefficient. There may be substantial opportunity costs in not delivering effective treatments in sufficient volume to people with psychotic disorders, not intervening early, and not improving access to rehabilitation and supported accommodation.

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Suicidal Ideation and Predictors of Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Eswatini: A Population-Based Household Telephone Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18136700 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (13) ◽

pp. 6700

Author(s):

Mduduzi Colani Shongwe ◽

Song-Lih Huang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Telephone Survey ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Psychological Distress Scale ◽

The Government ◽

Distress Scale

The unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic can induce psychological distress in individuals. We investigated perceived stressors, prevalence of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, and predictors of psychological distress among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini. This study was a cross-sectional, population-based household telephone survey of 993 conveniently sampled adults (18+ years) from all the four administrative regions of Eswatini. Data were collected between 9 June and 18 July 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the country was under a partial lockdown. COVID-19-related psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale (K6). We performed weighted modified Poisson regression analyses to identify significant predictors of moderate/severe psychological distress (K6 scores: ≥5). The weighted prevalences of moderate (K6 scores: 5–12) and severe psychological distress (K6 scores: ≥13) were 41.7% and 5.4%, respectively. Participants reported several perceived COVID-19-related stressors, including worries and fears of the contagion-specific death, serious need for food and money, and concerns about loss of income or business. The weighted prevalence of suicidal ideation was 1.5%. Statistically significant predictors of increased risk for moderate/severe psychological distress included living in the Hhohho and Manzini regions; feeling not well informed about COVID-19; feeling lonely; having received COVID-19 food or financial relief from the government; feeling burdened by the lockdown; being married; and being youth (18–24 years). The results call for the government to urgently augment the provision of mental health services during the pandemic. Mental health practitioners and programs may use several stressors and risk factors identified in this study to inform interventions and government policies aimed at reducing psychological distress induced by the pandemic.

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Reforming the Mental Health Act 1983: ‘Joined Up Compulsion’

International Journal of Mental Health and Capacity Law ◽

10.19164/ijmhcl.v1i5.350 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (5) ◽

pp. 5

Author(s):

Philip Fennell

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Learning Disabled ◽

Legal Framework ◽

White Paper ◽

Best Interests ◽

Mentally Disordered ◽

Mental Health Act ◽

Risk Patients ◽

The Government ◽

Personality Disordered

This article discusses the two volume White Paper Reforming the Mental Health Act issued by the Government in December 2000. The two volumes are separately titled The New Legal Framework and High Risk Patients. The foreword to the White Paper appears above the signatures of the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, and the Home Secretary, Jack Straw. This is heralded as an example of ‘joined up government’, and indeed one of the themes of the White Paper is the need for closer working between the psychiatric and criminal justice systems. The primary policy goal of the proposals is the management of the risk posed to other people by people with mental disorder, perhaps best exemplified in Volume One of the White Paper which proclaims that ‘Concerns of risk will always take precedence, but care and treatment should otherwise reflect the best interests of the patient.’ This is a clear reflection of the fact that the reforms are taking place against the background of a climate of concern about homicides by mentally disordered patients, whether mentally ill, learning disabled, or personality disordered.

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Architecture Without Expectation: Designing a third place for mental wellbeing in the community

10.26686/wgtn.17151230 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Kezia Fairbrother

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New Zealand ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Third Place ◽

Therapeutic Landscapes ◽

Spatial Design ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

The Government ◽

Maori Health

In 2018, the government published the report of its inquiry into mental health and addiction in Aotearoa New Zealand, which called for a ‘paradigm shift’ in the country’s approach to mental wellbeing. This research portfolio explores the role architecture has to play in this shift, acknowledging the problematic historical associations of architecture and mental health. In doing so, the work aims to establish principles for a new architectural typology of mental health care, outside of conventional institutions. It explores contemporary approaches to wellness, and integrates research from several bodies of theoretical and evidence-based research into a new creative practice within architecture. Specifically, the research draws on theory around nonrepresentational therapeutic landscapes, third place and evidence based design. These inform creative explorations of the therapeutically affective qualities of naturally-sourced materials. The findings of this explorations are transferred to spatial design using a ‘multiplicity’ approach based on nonrepresentational theory and Māori health models, which is then applied to a specific site in Wellington, New Zealand. Finally, architectural applications for this research are proposed in the form of a community-based third place to support mental health and wellbeing.

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Gendered Factors Associated with Preventive Behaviors and Mental Health among Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic Home Quarantine

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910819 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10819

Author(s):

Shu-Mei Liu ◽

Shu-Fang Shih ◽

Bo Meng ◽

Rui Zhen ◽

Xiao-Ben Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Emotional Response ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Preventive Behaviors ◽

High Odds ◽

Factors Associated ◽

And Behaviors ◽

The Government

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly impacted the life and mental health of many people globally. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with preventive behaviors and mental health among Chinese adults during their home quarantine in the COVID-19 period. An online questionnaire survey was administered in March 2020. The study participants were adults aged between 18 and 70 years old from 31 provinces in China. Of the 3878 participants, 1314 reported moderate levels of anxiety, and the remaining participants reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety. Findings revealed that females aged between 18 and 30 years old who had higher educational qualifications, greater levels of preventive knowledge, trust in the government, and resided in urban and medium-risk areas (R2 = 0.100, F = 27.97, p < 0.001) were more likely to exhibit preventive behaviors. In contrast, a higher negative emotional response was generally seen in males who had low levels of preventive knowledge and behaviors, higher risk perception of infection, lower trust in the government, and unhealthy lifestyles (R2 = 0.127, F = 32.33, p < 0.001). In addition, the high-risk perception of infection was positively associated with high odds of anxiety (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10–1.24), whereas a greater level of preventive knowledge (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.19–0.70) and behaviors (AOR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57–0.84), higher trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.71–0.83), and a healthier lifestyle (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99) were negatively associated with high odds of anxiety. Results showed that a lower level of anxiety and negative emotional response were associated with better preventive behaviors against COVID-19, which were influenced by preventive knowledge, risk perception, trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures, and healthy lifestyle. Findings in this study could help formulate health interventions for vulnerable groups related to gendered vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 environment to improve their mental health and preventive behaviors, especially during the period of a pandemic.

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Workload implications of the proposed new Mental Health Act – an audit

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/s0955603600001410 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 27 (02) ◽

pp. 54-57

Author(s):

Sean Whyte ◽

Clive Meux

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Clinical Care ◽

White Paper ◽

Law Reform ◽

Clinical Implications ◽

Health Law ◽

Forensic Patients ◽

Mental Health Act ◽

The Government ◽

Time Required

Aims and Method To estimate specific time and resource implications for professionals, if proposed changes to the Mental Health Act 1983 (England & Wales) in the Government's white paper were to be implemented unchanged. An audit of time spent on current procedures was extrapolated. Results The amount of time required to comply with the Act will rise substantially (by 27% overall). Social workers and independent doctors will spend 30% and 207% more time respectively, complying with the Act, but psychiatrists providing clinical care to forensic patients should be largely unaffected. Clinical Implications If the Government presses ahead with its plans for mental health law reform as currently proposed, extra resources will be required to provide additional social work and independent medical time – or other services for patients will suffer.

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Corporate Criminal Liability Against the Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems

Lentera Hukum ◽

10.19184/ejlh.v7i2.17047 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Jazau Elvi Hasani

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Criminal Liability ◽

National Development ◽

Vital Role ◽

Deterrent Effect ◽

Primary Concern ◽

Conservation Effort ◽

The Government ◽

Corporate Criminal Liability ◽

Crucial Part

Indonesia has various natural resources, including a diversity of natural and biological wealth. Article 33 paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution outlines that the state should control natural resources for national prosperity. Biological natural resources can appropriately situate with the conservation effort and the government plays a vital role in maintaining biological natural resources and ecosystems. The development of biological natural resources and ecosystems is essentially an integral part of sustainable national development, and efforts to conserve biological natural resources and their ecosystems are realized by analyzing and evaluating the existing legislation. This paper aims to discuss the corporate criminal liability in Indonesia in the case of the conservation of biological natural resources and ecosystems. Then, it suggests the possible revisions regarding the biological national resources legislations. Revision of the Act on the conservation of biological natural resources has started since 2018 as it is prioritized under the national legislation program. As the revision put the crucial part of the legal creation, the protection of biological natural resources and their ecosystem becomes the government's primary concern because the existing regulation still has no deterrent effect for violators. KEYWORDS: Corporate Criminal Liabilities, Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems, Criminal Provisions.

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