scholarly journals Uncovering Recovery: The Resistible Rise of Recovery and Resilience

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Harper ◽  
Ewen Speed
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Health Service Providers

Discourses of recovery and resilience have risen to positions of dominance in the mental health field. Models of recovery and resilience enjoy purchase, in both policy and practice, across a range of settings from self-described psychiatric survivors through to mental health charities through to statutory mental health service providers. Despite this ubiquity, there is confusion about what recovery means. In this article we problematize notions of recovery and resilience, and consider what, if anything, should be recovered from these concepts. We focus on three key issues, i) individualization, ii) the persistence of a deficit model, and iii) collective approaches to recovery. Through documentary analysis we consider these issues across third sector organizations, and public and mental health policy. Firstly, definitional debates about recovery reflect wider ideological debates about the nature of mental health. The vagueness of these concepts and implicit assumptions inherent in dominant recovery and resilience discourses render them problematic because they individualize what are social problems. Secondly, these discourses, despite being seen as inherently liberatory are conceptually dependent on a notion of deficit in that talk of “positives” and “strengths” requires the existence of “negatives” and “weaknesses” for these concepts to make sense.  We argue that this does little to substantially transform dominant understandings of psychological distress. Thirdly, these issues combine to impact upon the progressive potential of recovery. It comes to be seen as an individualistic experiential narrative accompaniment to medical understandings where the structural causes of distress are obscured. This in turn impacts upon the potential for recovery to be used to explore more collective, political aspects of emotional distress. Drawing on the work of Fraser, we use this critique to characterize “recovery” as a “struggle for recognition,” founded on a model of identity politics which displaces and marginalizes the need for social, political and economic redistribution to address many of the underlying causes of emotional distress. We conclude by stating that it is only when the collective, structural experiences of inequality and injustice are explicitly linked to processes of emotional distress that recovery will be possible. 

scholarly journals The value of doing philosophy in mental health contexts

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-752
Author(s):  
Sophie Stammers ◽  
Rosalind Pulvermacher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Mental Health Stigma ◽  
Epistemic Injustice ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Settings

Abstract People experiencing mental distress and illness are frequently on the receiving end of stigma, epistemic injustice, and social isolation. A range of strategies are required to alleviate the subsequent marginalisation. We ran a series ‘philosophy of mind’ workshops, in partnership with a third-sector mental health organisation with the aim of using philosophical techniques to challenge mental health stigma and build resources for self-understanding and advocacy. Participants were those with lived experience of mental distress, or unusual beliefs and experiences; mental health advocates; and mental health service providers (such as counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists). We draw on a shared perspective as a participant and facilitator of the workshop series to assess their impact. We discuss the following benefits: (i) the opportunity for structured discussion of experiences and models; (ii) dialogue across different mental health backgrounds; (iii) the potential to reduce self-stigma and to increase self-understanding and advocacy; and (iv) the potential to alleviate (some) epistemic injustice. We invite researchers and mental health practitioners to consider further opportunities to investigate the potential benefits of philosophy groups in mental health settings to establish whether they generalise.

Reclaiming user leadership in peer support practice

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Stamou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore user leadership in peer support practice by reviewing existing evidence and models of delivery, investigating the recently developed term of “authentic” peer support and reflecting on challenges and opportunities for the future. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents and discusses views and evidence on peer support policy and practice, found in the current literature, grass roots peer support experts’ presentations and contributions to conferences, a national peer support network, key policy documents and the work of Together for Mental Wellbeing. Findings – Peer support benefits are widely documented as is its history, rooted in user leadership. More recently, peer support is acknowledged in a number of key mental health policy documents as seen to be key in the response to current quality and cost agendas. There has been a simultaneous increase of “formal” peer support as practiced by large service providers and a gradual shift away from its “user led” origins. Against the background of the current economic climate and implications for mental health services, there seems to be a need to pause and reflect on current peer support practice and rethink the way forward. Originality/value – This paper's emphasis on the authenticity of peer support covers new ground in relation to an important topical debate.

Recovery Star: validating user recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Dickens ◽  
Judy Weleminsky ◽  
Yetunde Onifade ◽  
Philip Sugarman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
Addictive Behaviour ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
The Uk

Aims and methodMental Health Recovery Star is a multifaceted 10-item outcomes measure and key-working tool that has been widely adopted by service providers in the UK. We aimed to explore its factorial validity, internal consistency and responsiveness. Recovery Star readings were conducted twice with 203 working-age adults with moderate to severe mental health problems attending a range of mental health services, and a third time with 113 of these individuals.ResultsMental Health Recovery Star had high internal consistency and appeared to measure an underlying recovery-oriented construct. Results supported a valid two-factor structure which explained 48% of variance in Recovery Star ratings data. Two Recovery Star items (‘relationships’ and ‘addictive behaviour’) did not load onto either factor. There was good statistically significant item responsiveness, and no obvious item redundancy. Data for a small number of variables were not normally distributed and the implications of this are discussed.Clinical implicationsRecovery Star has been received enthusiastically by both mental health service providers and service users. This study provides further evidence for its adoption in recovery-focused mental health services and indicates that items relating to addictive behaviour, responsibilities and work could be further developed in future.

Evaluation of an Online System for Routine Outcome Monitoring: A Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Wiebe ◽  
Pria Nippak ◽  
Julien Meyer ◽  
Shannon Remers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Routine Outcome Monitoring ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Online System ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Outcome Monitoring

BACKGROUND The use of Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) in the treatment of mental health has emerged as a method of improving psychotherapy treatment outcomes. Despite this, very few clinicians regularly use ROM in clinical practice. Online ROM has been suggested as a solution to increase adoption. OBJECTIVE To identify the influence of moving ROM online on client completion rates of self-reported outcome measures and to identify implementation and utilization barriers to online ROM by assessing clinicians’ views on their experience utilizing the online system over previous paper-based methods. METHODS Client completion rates of self-reported outcome measures were compared pre and post implementation of an online system of ROM. In addition, a survey questionnaire was administered to 340 mental health service providers regarding their perception of benefits with an online system of ROM. RESULTS Client completion rates of self-reported measures increased from 15% to 54% after moving online. Fifty-eight% of service providers found the new system less time consuming than previous paper-based ROM and 64% found that it helped monitor clients. However, the perceived value of the system remains in doubt as only 23% found it helped them identify clients at risk for treatment failure, and only 18% found it strengthened the therapeutic alliance. CONCLUSIONS Although the current study suggests mixed results regarding service providers’ views on their experience using an online system for ROM, it has identified barriers and challenges that are actionable for improvement.

scholarly journals Sexual violence and the mental health system: A critical discourse analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Getchell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Health System ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Mental Health System ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Broad Term

Sexual violence is a relevant topic in the Canadian mental health system. However, the dominant bio-medical understanding of mental health can be harmful to survivors. This study is focused on analyzing how sexual violence is discussed within the bio-medical mental health system. The bio-medical understanding of mental health is one that conceptualizes “mental illness” is brain disease and emphasizes pharmacological treatment. Sexual violence is a broad term that describes any violence, physical or psychological, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality. Critical Discourse Analysis is used in this study to find and analyze discourses in the bio-medical mental health system found in three interviews with mental health service providers. The discourses that emerged were as follows: 1. people were “boiled down” to their diagnoses or experiences of sexual violence; 2. professionalism; 3. being funneled into “streams of care”; 4. what makes someone credible; and 5. who “gets it”. The MRP concludes with a discussion of implications of these findings for social work.

scholarly journals A Scenario of COVID-19 Disease on Mental Health Among the General Age-groups

2022 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67
Author(s):  
Somadatta Das ◽  
Rabindra Nath Padhy ◽  
Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
World Health ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Mental Health Effects ◽  
Watching Tv

The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus causes a respiratory disease with physical and mental health effects, ending at general morbidity and fatality from some latest coronavirus strains, at times. During the present pandemics, people stay mainly at home, contributing to some elevated stress levels. World Health Organization (WHO) contemplates that the additional steps like, quarantine and self-isolation have stimulated daily routines of peoples, leading to a rise in agitation, oppression, sleeplessness, alcohol addiction, drug-addictions and suicidal behaviors; consequently, causing increase in cases of domestic violence, even. At this stage, health service providers cannot help the poor, elderly people, children who are susceptible to pre-medical adverse conditions. This work aims to highlight the general scenario of the mental health locally in India during covid-19 pandemic. Some lifestyles, such as yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic medication, avoiding reading on corona too much and watching TV about it, while staying with the own family with the popular healthier lifestyles are recommended to alleviate stress.

scholarly journals Knowledge of managers on the National Mental Health Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaella Leite Fernandes ◽  
Francisco Arnoldo Nunes de Miranda ◽  
Kalyane Kelly Duarte de Oliveira ◽  
Clara Tavares Rangel ◽  
Danyella Augusto Rosendo da Silva Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Psychosocial Care ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Care Network ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
National Mental Health ◽  
Service Managers

ABSTRACT Objective: Identify the knowledge of mental health service managers about the national mental health policy. Method: This is a qualitative study conducted with 20 coordinators, who were submitted to a structured interview. Data were categorized in a thematic analysis using ALCESTE software. Results: The results produced the following categories: Back to society: protagonism and autonomy of patients; Interprofessional team: assignments and activities; Structuring of a psychosocial care network; Challenges affecting the service; Distance between policy and practice. Final Considerations: Public managers demonstrated they are aware of the key concepts for effective structuring of a psychosocial care network based on patient protagonism and autonomy, the assignments and activities performed by interprofessional teams, and the challenges found while structuring a psychosocial care network.

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