Experiences of Persons Living with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalena Van Rooyen ◽  
Kegan Topper ◽  
Nontembeko Grycelda Shasha ◽  
Juanita Strümpher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Persistent Mental Illness

The mental healthcare needs of individuals suffering from mental illness, especially those with severe and persistent mental illness, are neglected and often misunderstood in South African rural communities. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe experiences of persons living with severe and persistent mental illness and those of their families in respect of mental health services provided by primary healthcare facilities in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory research design was utilised. Convenience sampling was used to select primary healthcare facilities in the rural Emalahleni sub-district of the Chris Hani Health District in the Eastern Cape. Purposive sampling was used to recruit persons living with severe and persistent mental illness (n = 18) and their family members (n = 11). A total of 29 in-depth, unstructured individual interviews were conducted using an audio recorder. Tesch’s thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the data. Two central themes emerged from the data, namely the challenges in accessing primary healthcare services, and the inadequate provision of mental healthcare. Primary healthcare in rural South Africa needs to be better prioritised by national government to deal with mental healthcare. Improvements in infrastructural and staff capacity are needed to improve access and availability of mental healthcare services in rural communities. Nursing education programmes should better integrate mental healthcare into curricula, especially rural mental healthcare. Cost-effective, evidence-based, culturally-sensitive mental health innovations focusing on the mental health needs throughout the person’s life course should be implemented.

scholarly journals Heard, known and safe in general practice? An interview study with patients with severe and persistent mental illness

BJGP Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. BJGPO.2021.0201
Author(s):  
Nancy Jennifer Sturman ◽  
Ryan Williams ◽  
Marianne Wyder ◽  
Johanna Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Persistent Mental Illness ◽  
Community Mental Health Clinics

BackgroundAlthough GPs provide care to many patients with severe and persistent mental illness, the role and skillset of the GP in this space are contested. Patients are less satisfied with GP care of mental health than physical health issues.AimTo explore patient expectations and experiences of GP roles in their mental health, and identify opportunities for improving mental health care in general practice.Design & settingPatient participants were recruited from community mental health clinics in Brisbane, Australia.MethodIndividual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of patients. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed professionally. The authors conducted an inductive thematic analysis, attending to participant vulnerability and reflexivity.Results16 interviews were conducted by one author (RW), average duration 29 minutes. Three overarching themes were identified: being heard; being known; and being safe. Participants greatly valued ‘good GPs’ who were able to detect early signs of relapse, and with whom they came to feel heard, known and safe over time. Experiences of perfunctory, hurried care and avoidance of mental health issues were also reported. Many participants were uncertain whether GP training in mental health was sufficient to keep them safe. Patients may suspect negative attitudes to mental illness in GPs who actively engage predominantly with their physical health.ConclusionSome GPs play central roles in patients’ mental healthcare. Barriers for others need further exploration, and may include time, confidence and/or expertise. Findings challenge GPs to engage more actively and effectively with these patients in theirgeneral practice consultations.

scholarly journals Using a mentorship model to localise the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK): from South Africa to Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (Suppl 5) ◽  
pp. e001079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajibola Awotiwon ◽  
Charlie Sword ◽  
Tracy Eastman ◽  
Christy Joy Ras ◽  
Prince Ana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Systems Strengthening ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Continuous Learning ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
User Friendly

Nigeria, in its quest to strengthen its primary healthcare system, is faced with a number of challenges including a shortage of clinicians and skills. Methods are being sought to better equip primary healthcare clinicians for the clinical demands that they face. Using a mentorship model between developers in South Africa and Nigerian clinicians, the Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) for adult patients, a health systems strengthening programme, has been localised and piloted in 51 primary healthcare facilities in three Nigerian states. Lessons learnt from this experience include the value of this remote model of localisation for rapid localisation, the importance of early, continuous stakeholder engagement, the need expressed by Nigeria’s primary healthcare clinicians for clinical guidance that is user friendly and up-to-date, a preference for the tablet version of the PACK Adult guide over hard copies and the added value of WhatsApp groups to complement the programme of face-to-face continuous learning. Introduction of the PACK programme in Nigeria prompted uptake of evidence-informed recommendations within primary healthcare services.

scholarly journals Telepsychiatry

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural Environments ◽  
Access And Quality

Numerous challenges have limited access to mental health services in rural areas. Some of these barriers have included transportation, number of providers, poverty, and lack of insurance. The purpose of this review was to identify and coalesce the benefits of telepsychiatry for adults living in rural communities in the United States to determine if telepsychiatry has improved access and quality of care. The methodology for this study was a literature review that followed a systematic approach. It was found that several studies supported that telepsychiatry has improved access and quality of care available in rural environments. Simultaneously, telepsychiatry in mental healthcare has not been utilized as it should in rural adult populations due to lack of access, an overall shortage of providers, and poor distribution of psychiatrists. While there are still barriers that prevent widespread utilization, telepsychiatry can improve mental health outcomes by linking rural patients to high-quality mental healthcare services that follow evidence-based care and best practices.

scholarly journals BARRIERS TO ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Strümpher ◽  
R.M. Van Rooyen ◽  
K. Topper ◽  
L.M.C. Andersson ◽  
I. Schierenback
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Eastern Cape Province ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Professional Nurses

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of professional nurses concerning barriers to care for people with mental illness in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study was based on a qualitative, explorative and descriptive design.  A total of nine professional nurses working in primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities were purposively selected. Unstructured interviews were conducted to collect data. Participants’ responses were captured on an audio recorder and later transcribed verbatim.Participants’ responses were then analysed thematically. Two main themes and their related sub-themes were identified. The first theme concerns the perceptions of professional nurses regarding the societal barriers that may hinder people with mental illness from accessing and utilising mental health services. These barriers include socioeconomic hardships, lack of knowledge and insight, lack of family support, embedded cultural beliefs and practices and stigma. The second theme highlights the barriers that professional nurses perceive within the health care system that influence access and utilisation of mental health services. These barriers include inadequate support from stakeholders and leaders in the mental health sector and lack of financial, human and infrastructure resources. Professional nurses made recommendations to improve mental health care. Those of high priority included enhanced mental health literacy among members of the public and a need for mental health stakeholders and leaders to increase their support of the mental health sector in an effort to improve access to mental health care.

scholarly journals Integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare in Lagos, Nigeria: the way forward

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodele O. Coker ◽  
Olufemi B. Olugbile ◽  
Olufemi Oluwatayo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The State ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Treatment Gap ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Lagos State

The Lagos State Ministry of Health recently launched its Mental Health Policy aimed at addressing the mental health needs the residents of the State. The policy also aimed at reducing the mental disorders treatment gap in the state by integrating mental healthcare into the primary healthcare in order to make mental healthcare services closer and accessible for residents of the State. This paper therefore critically reviews the rationale for the integration, magnitude of problems in Lagos State with regards to mental healthcare services, available resources, challenges in providing mental healthcare services, recommendations for successful integration, the necessary advocacy needed to implement the integration and benefits of the integration.

scholarly journals Registered Nurses’ Lived Experiences of HIV Counselling and Testing in Rural Primary Healthcare Clinics in Eastern Cape, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agrenette Nomboniso Madolo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Immune Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Contextual Design ◽  
Hiv Counselling And Testing

The increase in the global rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has had far reaching effects on healthcare services around the world. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of registered nurses (RNs) involved in daily implementation of HIV counselling and testing (HCT) in rural primary healthcare (PHC) clinics in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The researcher used a qualitative, descriptive and contextual design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. A total of 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the RNs until data saturation was achieved. The findings revealed that the RNs experienced HCT to be overwhelming. They also showed signs of stress, frustration, despair and sadness because most of the tested clients had positive results and the number of clients testing positive was increasing. Thus, it is recommended that all professionals working with HCT should be made aware of the emotional outcomes of working in HCT services. Furthermore, it is recommended that a programme to support RNs to cope better with HCT should be developed through further research.

Is Telehealth an Effective Way to Increase Accessibility to Counseling Services?

2022 ◽  
pp. 114-137
Author(s):  
Tara Renee Fox
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Mental Health Conditions ◽  
Delivery Models

Providing telehealth is often a means to increase the accessibility to and availability of clinical mental healthcare services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has been globally implemented into healthcare systems. Today, almost 390 million individuals have at least one mental illness. There are many challenges to seeking clinical mental healthcare, including availability and accessibility, anonymity, finances and insurance, stigma, and travel and transportation. Due to these barriers, many individuals have untreated mental health conditions, which can burden healthcare systems. By utilizing innovative delivery models such as telehealth technologies, the disparities experienced by individuals when attempting to seek clinical mental healthcare services can decrease.

scholarly journals Rural community attitude towards mental healthcare: a mixed-method study in Khurda district of Odisha, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunita Jena ◽  
Krushna Chandra Sahoo ◽  
Mousumi Samal ◽  
P. Kripalini ◽  
Chandni Shrivastava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Background Mental health is a global concern due to its hasty escalation. The shifting social dynamics in rural India intensify care-seeking behaviors, which means immediate action is required. Mental illness, however, is seen as a neglected disorder. This study examined the attitude of rural people towards mental health care in rural Odisha, India. An explanatory mixed-method study was conducted among 395 participants age between 18 to 65 years in two rural blocks of Khurdha district, Odisha. A total of 16 in-depth interviews were conducted among the caretakers of the patients. Results The educational level, religion, age, and gender (p < 0.05) had significantly associated with attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities; female having lower-education had more negative attitudes towards mental healthcare facilities. The major barriers for the mental healthcare were the rejection of mental illness by patients due to fear of societal stigma, faith on religious healers, and lack of availability of mental health services. Conclusions Perspective of people should be considered along with their location, gender, and education when strategizing the psychiatric healthcare system as their perception/attitude serves as facilitators/barriers for achieving mental healthcare goals and psychiatric hospital goals.

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