scholarly journals Attitudes Towards Suicide among People with Eating Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 8-27
Author(s):  
Uršulė Toleikytė
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Mental Health Center ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Attitudes Towards Suicide ◽  
Research Recommendations

Clients of social workers have elevated suicide risks. One of those types of clients are people with eating disorders. Suicidality is associated with attitudes towards suicide. Although the suicidality of people with eating disorders is well-studied, their attitudes towards suicide have received less attention. The object of this research is to study the attitudes among people with eating disorders – 126 participants took place in this research: 63 people with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other eating disorders) and 63 people without eating disorders. All the participants with eating disorders at the time of the research were receiving treatment at the Center for Eating Disorders (VšĮ Vilnius Mental Health center). The majority of participants were women (92%), with an average age of 25 years. All the respondents filled in an Attitudes towards suicide questionnaire (ATTS) and its supplement. The results showed that participants with eating disorders perceived suicide as less predictable and associated it with loneliness more than participants without eating disorders. Attitudes of people with anorexia nervosa and with bulimia nervosa towards suicide did not differ significantly. Participants with anorexia nervosa perceived suicide as less predictable, showed more nonintrusive attitudes towards suicide and associated it with loneliness more than participants without eating disorders. Attitudes towards suicide among people with bulimia nervosa and people without eating disorders did not differ significantly. The results could be explained by considering the characteristics of people with eating disorders and the methodology of this research. Recommendations for social work practice were formed based on the findings.

Managing Risk in the Pro-Empowerment Era of Mental Health Care: A Cross-Cultural Study of Social Work Perspectives in Hong Kong and Sydney

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialiang Cui ◽  
Limin Mao ◽  
Christy E Newman ◽  
Chi Kin Kwan ◽  
Kari Lancaster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Assessment Guidelines

Abstract Risk management and empowerment have become key features of social work practice. Despite their increasing salience, relatively little is known about the perspectives of mental health social workers regarding how they navigate competing risk management approaches in modern practice that supports empowerment. The socio-cultural influences on risk management have also received insufficient attention in social work research. Focusing on these issues, this paper explored the perspectives of social workers in two geographically and culturally distinctive settings (i.e., Hong Kong and Sydney). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with frontline social workers and were analysed using thematic analysis. Similar views were expressed by participants in both settings regarding assessment of clients’ readiness for risk-taking. Differences were identified in their practices of negotiating the perspectives of other key stakeholders and can be attributed to the influences of distinctive cultural and socio-political contexts. These insights may contribute to the development of more systematic, localised and practice-based risk assessment guidelines for mental health practitioners working towards the empowerment of clients.

Feeding and Eating Disorders

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Devlin ◽  
Joanna E. Steinglass
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Psychiatric Illnesses ◽  
Feeding And Eating Disorders

This chapter discusses feeding and eating disorders, which are characterized by disturbed eating behavior and excessive concern about body weight and shape. There is substantial comorbidity of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Many patients with bulimia nervosa have other mental health problems related to impulse control as well, such as substance use disorders. Patients with binge-eating disorder experience periods of consumption of objectively large amounts of food accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. Anorexia nervosa is one of the most lethal psychiatric illnesses, as it is associated with mortality rates as high as 5% per decade of illness.

Some reflections on social workers’ perspectives on mental health services in two cities - Sydney, Australia and Budapest, Hungary

2007 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zita Weber ◽  
Zsolt Bugarszki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Political Narratives ◽  
Travail Social ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Sydney Australia

English This article reflects on the ways in which historical and political narratives have shaped social work practice in mental health in two cities, Sydney, Australia and Budapest, Hungary. A small sample of social workers was interviewed in the two cities and their perspectives highlighted many similarities in theoretical orientation to their practice. French Cette thèse s'arrête sur les façons dont les récits historiques et politiques ont façonnéla pratique du travail social dans deux villes, Sydney en Australie et Budapest en Hongrie. Un échantillon restreint de travailleurs sociaux ont étéinterviewés dans les deux villes et leurs perspectives ont mis en lumière un grand nombre de similitudes en ce qui a trait à l'orientation théorique de leur pratique. Spanish Se reflexiona sobre la manera en que narrativas históricas y políticas han dado forma a la práctica de trabajo social en Sydney (Australia) y Budapest (Hungría). Se entrevistóa una pequeña muestra de trabajadores sociales en las dos ciudades. Sus perspectivas muestran muchas semejanzas en la orientación teórica de su práctica.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WORKERS’ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF POPULATION’ MENTAL HEALTH PRESERVATION IN THE XXI CENTURY

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 2823-2828
Author(s):  
Liliia Y. Klos ◽  
Mariana V. Shkoliar ◽  
Sofiya G. Stavkova ◽  
Olena P. Kokhanova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The aim: Social work is focused on overcoming inequality and social isolation of individuals and communities due to health conditions. Therefore, substantiating the activities of social workers to preserve mental health of citizens is an important component of the new strategy for the development of the profession in the XXI century. Materials and methods: The methodological basis of the study is a holistic approach to the interpretation of individual health in the unity of physical, mental, social, and spiritual components; ecosystemic approach assumes the impact of the environment on the social functioning of the individual; interdisciplinary approach identifies ways of dealing withmental health challengein the global context; social inclusion approach provides a basis for the practice of experts of the social spherein the XXI century. Conclusions: The article substantiates the need for social workers to maintain the mental health of the population under the negative impact of global factors within their own countries and internationally. The evolution analysis of the international experience of transformations of social work practice in the area of mental health preservation is carried out. Preserving the mental health of citizens under the negative effects of globalization processes depends on the concerted actions of states, international organizations, civil society, communities, and individuals themselves. This encourages social workers to work at regional and international levels with institutions interested in fair policies and practices in social and health services.

Mental Health Status of Incarcerated Women in India: A Perspective from a Social Worker

2021 ◽  
pp. 097152152110579
Author(s):  
Navdeep Kaur ◽  
Sanjoy Roy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Women Inmates ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Incarcerated Women ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Incarcerated Population

Women constitute a growing segment of the incarcerated population across the world, presenting unique issues for social workers in correctional settings. In this article, based on a study conducted in Mandoli Jail, New Delhi, India, we address the need to broaden the scope and quality of social work provided for women inmates, specifically highlighting the potential role of social workers in promoting their mental health. Our study revealed that the mean age of women inmates was 39.43 years, indicating that most of the women were in their reproductive age and therefore prone to specific health issues. On an average, they were overweight, with only 42.22% women inmates being active, while remaining were inactive (15.56%), moderately inactive (22.22%) or moderately active (20.00%). Of greater concern were the mental health findings: 87.8% experienced distress (45.57% moderately elevated, 54.43% strongly elevated), 73.3% depression (34.85% moderately elevated, 65.15% strongly elevated), 77.78% anxiety (41.43% moderately elevated, 58.57% strongly elevated) and 82.22% somatisation (43.24% moderately elevated, 56.76% strongly elevated). Our study, consequently, identified the mental health of women inmates as a strategic priority for social workers. In this article, we explore the mutuality of various social work practice principles at different levels of intervention and the roles that social workers, as human rights-based professionals, may engage in to improve the mental health of incarcerated women.

scholarly journals Forensic Social Work: Practice and Vision

1986 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 340-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Brennan ◽  
Amy E. Gedrich ◽  
Susan E. Jacoby ◽  
Michael J. Tardy ◽  
Katherine B. Tyson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Mental Health Systems ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Forensic Social Work

Forensic social work can bridge the gap between the criminal justice and mental health systems and serve clients who “fall between the cracks.” The authors describe theoretical and clinical issues, utilizing case examples and the literature to develop a conceptual paradigm for the role of social workers in this area.

Sexual Revictimization: Implications for Social Work Practice

2007 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca J. Macy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Violent Victimization ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sexually Violent

Substantial research demonstrates the existence of the sexual revictimization phenomenon; however, the problem of sexual revictimization is largely unattended and unexamined in the social work literature. Because of the pervasiveness of sexually violent victimization, social workers are frequently working with victim-survivors among their clients in child welfare, domestic violence, and sexual assault as well as physical health, mental health, and substance abuse settings. Social workers lacking a thorough knowledge about sexual revictimization and the strategies to prevent its occurrence may be missing important intervention opportunities. This paper helps to increase social workers’ awareness of the revictimization phenomenon and builds on the literature and research to provide recommendations for social work practice and research for revictimization prevention.

scholarly journals Dyslexia Primer for Social Work

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-44
Author(s):  
Michelle D. Garner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Low Iq ◽  
Current Science

Dyslexia is a lifelong epigenetic neurobiological difference (neurodiversity) in brain formation and processing. Though highly prevalent, most people, including social workers, know little about dyslexia. Whereas dyslexia predicts common cognitive strengths and weaknesses, it is most often associated only with weaknesses, due to misinformation or a simple lack of information. As a result, pervasive myths (e.g., laziness, low IQ) drive beliefs, attitudes, and policies that contribute to disproportionally poorer educational, financial, justice system, and mental health outcomes for individuals with dyslexia – a cycle of externally and internally applied stigmas with significant practical effects. This analysis applies a person-in-environment conceptual framework to explain this cycle, as a step toward disrupting it. The analysis uses translational research methods, drawing from current science, to provide positive framing to dispel common stigmatizing myths and to foster strengths-based social work practice and advocacy by and for individuals with dyslexia.

scholarly journals Social work practice implications of upcoming mental health reforms

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Smith ◽  
Joanna Appleby
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
System Reform ◽  
District Health ◽  
The Impact

The Labour-led Government has recently announced new healthcare reforms in Aotearoa New Zealand. The four changes are:The current 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) across the country will be replaced by one national organisation, Health New Zealand.A new Māori Health Authority will have the power to commission health services, monitor the state of Māori health and develop policyNew Public Health Agency will be createdStrengthened Ministry of Health will monitor performance and advise governmentAs a teaser before the announcement, the country was informed that the reforms would be about equity and access. We, thewriters, are both Pākehā mental health social workers and we were eagerly awaiting news of the reforms. We have reflected on the current problems facing the mental health sector, speculated on how these may be addressed through system reform, and discussed our hopes for a better system.Based on our experience working within and alongside different DHB mental health services in the country we identified four major sector problems. These are the increasing demand and severity of presenting problems, the associated shifting goalposts of accessibility to manage demand, service variability between regions and issues of staff workload, and training and retention. As social workers, we have seen the impact of these issues upon multi-stressed families seeking support and we hope for reforms to address these equity issues.

scholarly journals Mental illness and addictions: Our responsibility to support the family

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
Jessica Kean
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Addiction Services ◽  
The Family

Mental health and addictions is a field within the realms of social work practice that appears to be consistently growing. This article seeks to discuss the importance of social work practice with the families that come into contact with mental health and addiction services. It will also draw attention to the questions of whether social workers are effectively supporting and engaging family and how we can work alongside or in partnerships with family. It will seek to highlight the importance of having a clear understanding of the experiences of the family who have been affected by mental illness or addiction in order to more effectively work towards recovery.

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