Mental Health Peer to Peer Support via Social Media practice reference During COVID-19 Pandemics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Wang ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Pu Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Psychological Practice ◽  
Novel Model

This article describes a psychological practice reference to provide peer support via social media, derived from the experience learned from our intervention project, which was developed and carried out by a group of experienced mental health professionals, offering peer psychological support to healthcare professionals working at the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. The authors describe the infrastructure of the team and the novel model of peer-to-peer crisis intervention via social media. This offers a model for intervention that can be used elsewhere for current pandemic and future crises.

scholarly journals It is ethical to diagnose a public figure one has not personally examined

2018 ◽  
Vol 213 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gartner ◽  
Alex Langford ◽  
Aileen O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
British Journal ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Figure ◽  
Duty To Warn ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Figures ◽  
The Press

SummaryShould psychiatrists be able to speculate in the press or social media about their theories? John Gartner argues the risk to warn the public of concerns about public figures overrides the duty of confidentiality; whereas Alex Langford suggests this is beyond the ethical remit of psychiatric practice.Declaration of interestA.O'B is joint debates and analysis Editor of the British Journal of Psychiatry. J.G. is the founder of Duty To Warn, an association of mental health professionals who advocate the president's removal under the 25th Amendment on the grounds that he is psychologically unfit and dangerous.

scholarly journals Combining technical and expert-by-experience knowledge in the quest for personal recovery from bipolar disorder: a qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Tse ◽  
Winnie W. Y. Yuen ◽  
Greg Murray ◽  
Larry Davidson ◽  
Queenie Lai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Peer Support Services ◽  
The Way

Abstract Background Knowledge construction is a form of communication in which people can work individually or collaboratively. Peer support services have been adopted by the public psychiatric and social welfare service as a regular form of intervention since 2015 in Hong Kong. Peer-based services can help people with bipolar disorder (BD) deal with the implications of the diagnosis, the way in which individuals with BD receive treatment, and the lifestyle changes that take place as a result of the diagnosis. Through a qualitative paradigm, this study aims to examine how individuals with BD use technical and expert-by-experience knowledge. Methods A total of 32 clients of mental health services were recruited from hospitals, Integrated Community Centers for Mental Wellness, and non-governmental organizations. They participated in semi-structured individual interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis with the aid of NVivo. The findings were verified by peer researchers. Results Three main themes are presented in this article, including how clients made sense of the knowledge provided by mental health professionals and peer support workers (PSWs), critical perspectives about peer support services, and the way in which the services are more than knowledge transfer alone. Participants generally indicated that knowledge sharing revolved around three experiences: mood changes, medications, and sense of hope. Nevertheless, an empathic understanding of the clients’ experience was more important than the sharing of knowledge. Some clients perceived medication as the chief means to recovery, so PSWs were not useful for them. However, PSW role models had an effect beyond mere knowledge transmission, as they could promote clients’ pursuit of functional recovery goals. Conclusions The present study has improved our understanding of knowledge sharing between clients with BD and health professionals or PSWs, which should take place in an empathic and hope-instilling manner. It has also emphasized the value of the presence of a role model who can speak convincingly with clients to facilitate recovery. The present findings can be used to improve the care of people with BD by generating important guidance with regard to enhancing the knowledge exchange between clients and health practitioners.

Breaking Out of the Mainstream: The Evolution of Peer Support Alternatives to the Mental Health System

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra L. Adame ◽  
Larry M. Leitner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health System ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
The United States

The consumer/survivor/ex-patient (c/s/x) movement has been instrumental in the development of a variety of peer-support alternatives to traditional mental health services in both the United States in Canada. This article explores the role of the c/s/x movement in the creation of such alternatives and discusses the various ways peer support is defined and has been put into practice. We also discuss the potential for future alliances and dialogues between progressive mental health professionals and the c/s/x movement as both groups seek ways to reconceptualize mental illness and recovery outside of the medical model paradigm.

scholarly journals Suicide-Related Knowledge and Attitudes among a Sample of Mental Health Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8296
Author(s):  
Denise Erbuto ◽  
Isabella Berardelli ◽  
Salvatore Sarubbi ◽  
Elena Rogante ◽  
Alice Sparagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Patient Suicide ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Inadequate Knowledge ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
The Impact

Inadequate knowledge of the potential signs and risk factors of suicide negatively affects the ability of healthcare professionals to recognize patients at risk of suicide. The principal aim of the present study is to assess the attitudes and knowledge about suicide in a large sample of mental health professionals. We examined the relationship between Suicide Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire items and the experience of a patient dying by suicide. We also examined whether various healthcare professionals respond differently to the items of the Impact of a Patient’s Suicide on Professional and Personal Lives Scale. Results demonstrated that healthcare professionals who had experienced a patient suicide reported greater skills than professionals who had not experienced a patient suicide. However, 44% of professionals who had experienced a patient suicide felt that they did not have adequate training on this particular issue. Among those who had experienced a patient suicide, there was an increased tendency to hospitalize patients with suicide risk and an increased use of collegial consultation. Concerning personal emotions, healthcare professionals reported troubled relationships with family members and friends and the loss of self-esteem. In conclusion, better knowledge and attitudes about suicide are necessary for suicide-prevention strategies.

scholarly journals A utilização das redes sociais digitais no cuidado psicossocial infantojuvenil, diante da pandemia por Covid-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-61
Author(s):  
Lorena Andrade ◽  
Ana Mauch ◽  
Jéssica Costa ◽  
Kelly Silva ◽  
Lucas Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Online Chat ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Key Words Adolescents ◽  
Distrito Federal ◽  
Mental Health Unit ◽  
Online Group

RESUMO   Objetivo: Analisar como as redes sociais digitais podem ser ferramentas essenciais para profissionais dentro dos serviços de saúde, mediante as alterações que ocorreram com a pandemia. As rotinas de prática assistencial para o público infantojuvenil na clínica psicossocial foram diretamente afetadas. Metodologia: Em uma abordagem qualitativa descritiva prospectiva, esse artigo apresenta o planejamento, a execução e os desafios enfrentados pela equipe de um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Infantil no Distrito Federal na utilização das redes sociais como fontes de comunicação e atendimento. Trata-se de um grupo terapêutico para adolescentes, no qual o meio de comunicação e mediação das discussões foi um chat online. Na condução do grupo a equipe é composta por três profissionais da unidade, e a duração do chat é de uma hora e meia. Conclusão: O uso das mídias sociais é um meio de orientação, acolhimento e esclarecimento de dúvidas é facilmente articulado pela equipe, seja por meio de teleatendimento, chats online, vídeo chamadas. Aliás, tais recursos digitais devem ser utilizados com responsabilidade por profissionais de saúde. As informações e abordagens devem priorizar a privacidade dos relatos dos pacientes e a veracidade das informações compartilhadas acerca das precauções em frente a pandemia do COVID-19.    Palavras-chave: Adolescente, saúde mental, coronavírus, TIC em saúde.   ABSTRACT Objective: Analyse how social media is capable to become an essential and effective tool for health professionals. Since the emergence of Covid-19, the routines inside de psychosocial clinic were directly affected. Methods: This article possesses a qualitative approach, which description is about the schedule, execution, effectiveness, and challenges will be presented for a Mental Health Unit from a Psychosocial Clinic at Distrito Federal, Brasilia - Brazil. Social media was selected to be a major tool for communication and assistance for kids, adolescents, and families. The initiative is a therapeutic online group for adolescents. The discussions and interactions were held by online chat. All the conduction is executed by mental health professionals from a reference local unit. Conclusion: Social media has great potential to establish a good and healthy connection with their patients during the quarantine. It can be used as a means of orientation, welcoming, and further explanations. The Health Team can use alternatives of home-office, live web chats, video calls, and smart posts on open or private social media. That said, it must be used by health professionals with accurate responsibility to avoid fake news and to preserve all patient information.   Key-words: Adolescents, mental health, Coronavirus, HIT.

scholarly journals COVID-19: Mental Health Prevention and Care for Healthcare Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Rolling ◽  
Amaury C. Mengin ◽  
Cédric Palacio ◽  
Dominique Mastelli ◽  
Morgane Fath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Health Prevention ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Care System

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed health professionals to high stress levels inducing significant psychological impact. Our region, Grand Est, was the most impacted French region during the first COVID-19 wave. In this context, we created CoviPsyHUS, local mental health prevention and care system dedicated explicitly to healthcare workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in one of this region's tertiary hospitals. We deployed CoviPsyHUS gradually in 1 month. To date, CoviPsyHUS comprises 60 mental health professionals dedicated to 4 complementary components: (i) a mental health support hotline (170 calls), (ii) relaxation rooms (used by 2,120 healthcare workers with 110 therapeutic workshops offered), (iii) mobile teams (1,200 contacts with healthcare staff), and (iv) a section dedicated to patients and their families. Among the critical points to integrate mental health care system during a crisis, we identified: (i) massive dissemination of mental health support information with multimodal communication, (ii) clear identification of the mental health support system, (iii) proactive mobile teams to identify healthcare professionals in difficulty, (iv) concrete measures to relieve the healthcare professionals under pressure (e.g., the relay in communication with families), (v) support for primary needs (body care (physiotherapy), advice and first-line therapy for sleep disorders), and (vi) psychoeducation and emotion management techniques. The different components of CoviPsyHUS are vital elements in meeting the needs of caregivers in situations of continuous stress. The organization of 4 targeted, modular, and rapidly deployable components makes CoviPsyHUS an innovative, reactive, and replicable mental health prevention and care system that could serve as a universal support model for other COVID-19 affected teams or other exceptional health crises in the future.

Attitudinal barriers hindering adoption of Telepsychiatry among mental healthcare professionals: Israel as a case-study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamir Magal ◽  
Maya Negev ◽  
Hanoch Kaphzan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
Clinical Quality ◽  
Hierarchical Position ◽  
Organizational Affiliation

BACKGROUND Despite obvious and proven advantages for the use of telemedicine in psychiatry, mental healthcare professionals have shown deep-seated mistrust and suspicion of telepsychiatry, which hinders its widespread application. OBJECTIVE The current study aims to examine the attitudes of Israeli mental health professionals towards telepsychiatry; seeking to uncover the relationship with experience with telepsychiatry, and organizational affiliation. METHODS A qualitative study, including 27 in-depth interviews with Israeli mental-health professionals, representing a diverse analytical, geographical, and gendered cross-section of the local professional community. A thematic analysis revealed three major themes – economic efficiency, clinical quality, and the effects on the work-life balance of healthcare professionals. Individuals’ responses were furthermore compared against hierarchical position, organizational affiliation, and experience with telepsychiatry. RESULTS Participants were evenly divided, between supporters of telepsychiatry and those who oppose and object to its widespread usage in routine mental healthcare. This division manifested itself most clearly in their assessment of the clinical quality of telepsychiatry. However, it was also palpable in their assessment of its efficiency and its effects for healthcare professionals. Furthermore, the study also revealed a positive correlation between participants’ experience with telepsychiatry, and their support for its usage. However, this relationship seems to be mitigated by one’s employment and organizational affiliations. Employees of at least one Israeli Health Maintenance Organization exhibited a negative trendline, where more experience with telepsychiatry also meant stronger opposition for its utilization. CONCLUSIONS Attitudes of mental health professionals were found to be widely divergent and sharply dichotomized regarding different aspects of telepsychiatry, and its suitability for mental healthcare services. However, there was general consensus that telemedicine may not fulfil its promise of being a panacea to the problems of modern public medicine. At the same time, attitudes were related to hierarchical position, organizational affiliation and personal experience with telepsychiatry. Specifically, organizational affiliation influenced experience with and support for assimilation of telepsychiatry. The study also revealed the role of organizational leadership and culture in promoting or inhibiting the proliferation and adoption of innovative technologies and services in modern medicine.

Health professionals and peer support workers in mental health settings

2020 ◽  
pp. 143-160
Author(s):  
Aukje Leemeijer ◽  
Mirko Noordegraaf
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Mental Health Settings ◽  
The Status

In many Western countries mental health care institutions employ ‘peer support workers’ in professional teams. They are clients or former clients in mental health care who are trained and educated to transform their personal experience as a client into ‘experiential knowledge’ helping other clients. This is supposed to improve ‘client centeredness’ in mental health care. However, the rise and roles of peer support workers are not undisputed; mental health professionals – psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and therapists – have ambivalent responses. Peer support workers may challenge the status and dominance of traditional expert knowledge when they bring experiential knowledge into decision making processes. This challenge is strengthened by the development of peer support workers as a new group who may ultimately themselves professionalise. This chapter, focused on The Netherlands, explores from a neo-Weberian standpoint the relationship between mental health professionals and peer support workers. This is related to professional identities and positions, and also institutional surroundings, including how peer support workers and service organisations deal with risks and accountability. On the basis of empirical observational research, organisational conditions are shown to count more than occupational conditions. This underscores that the interweaving of new forms of knowledge in service processes must be organised.

scholarly journals Stalking of mental health professionals: an underrecognised problem

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (5) ◽  
pp. 403-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronan J. McIvor ◽  
Edward Petch
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Educational Programmes

SummaryDoctors and mental healthcare professionals are at greater risk of being stalked than the general population, particularly by their patients. Despite causing significant psychological distress, stalking remains underrecognised and poorly managed. Healthcare organisations should ensure appropriate policies are in place to aid awareness and minimise risk, including the provision of formal educational programmes.

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