scholarly journals Men’s Help-Seeking for Distress: Navigating Varied Pathways and Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Vickery
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Health Support

There is a widely accepted dominant narrative surrounding men’s mental health help-seeking, that men are less likely to pursue formal mental health support on account of hegemonic masculine ideals that limit emotional expression and vulnerability. Across the literature, little attention has been given to the varied ways in which men can and will seek out help when experiencing mental health troubles. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study of men’s experiences of distress, specifically focused on their help-seeking and everyday coping and management of distress. Between 2016 and 2017, 38 individual interviews were carried out in South Wales, United Kingdom, with men of a range of ages (21–74 years of age) and social backgrounds. Analysis identifies nuanced help-seeking practices and pathways, emphasizing ways in which men can and will engage with mental health support. Some men struggled with articulating personal issues in mental health terms, and some portrayed ambivalence to help-seeking, yet at the same time reconstructed help-seeking to positively align with masculine values. The paper further highlights the significant influence of familial and friendship networks in the help-seeking process as well as the value of therapy for men experiencing mental health difficulties, challenging the idea that masculinity inhibits the disclosure of emotional problems. Awareness of the diversity of ways in which men can actively engage with their mental health is needed so that mental health support interventions and practitioners can best reach out to men experiencing distress and provide gender-sensitive support suitable to a range of different men.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Suicide Survivors—A Hidden Grieving Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Pinto ◽  
Joana Soares ◽  
Alzira Silva ◽  
Rosário Curral ◽  
Rui Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Complicated Grief ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Suicide Survivors ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
The Impact

Present time has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. People are grieving several non-death related situations: the loss of a job, of a status, of a role, of their life. Restrictive measures and uncertainty about the future makes individuals vulnerable to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Mental health support has been hindered and teams are reinventing themselves to reach people in need. Nevertheless, decompensation of previous psychiatric disorders, increasing levels of depression and anxiety, economical handicaps and fear of the infection, are prompting several cases of COVID-19 related suicides worldwide. Every suicide affects between 5 and 80 individuals, which are known as suicide survivors. Suicide grief is particularly challenging, with rates of complicated grief as high as 40%. Suicide survivors are at increased risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders and of suicidal behaviors. Moreover, feelings of guilt and shame, as well as social stigma, are major obstacles for them to reach form help. This article aims to review the existing literature on COVID-19 related suicides, complicated grief in suicide survivors and highlight modifiable risk factors for both conditions, as well as propose some public health measures to reduce the impact of the pandemic context on self-inflicted harm and its consequences on families, friends and the community. Obstacles to access to mental health support need to be overcome through the use of technology. Technicians should actively approach populations more vulnerable to develop suicidal ideation. Social media have the obligation to provide accurate an non-sensationalistic information. Families and friends should maintain social proximity, despite the need for physical distancing. When a suicide death occurs, police forces and health staff should be prepared to share the news with the family using an empathic and humane approach and providing psychological support. Funerals, memorials and other services should be held as much as possible. Closer contacts should be signalized and closely followed in order to detect the need for specific interventions. Help seeking behaviors should be promoted. Additionally, people should be educated on suicide and its impacts, in order to reduce stigma.

scholarly journals Improving Mental Health Help-Seeking Amongst Male University Students: A Series of Gender-Sensitive Mental Health Pilot Interventions.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilyas Sagar-Ouriaghli ◽  
Emma Godfrey ◽  
Vinay Tailor ◽  
June Brown
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support

Abstract Background: Up to a third of students experience a common mental health condition which is associated with decreased academic functioning and an increased risk of dropping out. While the prevalence of common mental health difficulties is lower amongst male students, worryingly, they are twice as likely to die by suicide. The importance of developing interventions that are gender-sensitive for male students to improve their uptake of mental health initiatives has been recently emphasised. However, acceptable, feasible and effective methods for male students are unexplored. The current study conducted three gender-sensitive pilot interventions for male students to evaluate acceptability (including uptake), changes to help-seeking and mental health status.Methods:Three gender-sensitive interventions were delivered to 24 male students. The interventions consisted of: Intervention 1 – a formal mental health intervention targeting male students (“psycho-educational model”), Intervention 2 - a second formal intervention that adopted more gender-sensitive language and promoted positive masculine traits (“positive masculinity model”), and Intervention 3 - an informal drop-in offering a social space for male students to receive general health information and connect with other students (“informal drop-in Man Cave model”). These were evaluated for acceptability (including uptake), attitudes to help-seeking and mental health outcomes.Results:In terms of acceptability, Intervention 3 - the informal drop-in (Man Cave) appeared better at engaging male students who have greater conformity to maladaptive masculine traits, more negative attitudes to help-seeking, higher levels of self-stigma, who were less likely to have used mental health support before and belonged to an ethnic minority. No significant changes to help-seeking attitudes, behaviours, or mental health status were observed across the interventions at feasibility stage. All interventions were deemed equally acceptable with minimal opportunity costs and perceived burden. Conclusions:These findings indicate differences in acceptability, particularly uptake, for male students who may be seen as more difficult to engage. Using informal strategies may help reach male students who would otherwise not engage with mental health support, familiarise them with the idea of help-seeking, and connect them with pre-existing mental health interventions. While no differences in outcomes measured were found in these small studies, more work needs to be carried out using larger samples to investigate the efficacy of informal interventions to engage male students.

scholarly journals STAVOVI PREMA OSOBAMA S POTEŠKOĆAMA MENTALNOG ZDRAVLJA

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-203
Author(s):  
Ana Petak ◽  
Sanja Narić ◽  
Roberta Matković
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Significant Interaction Effect ◽  
College And University ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Support Seeking ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Attitudes Toward Mental Illness

ATTITUDES TOWARD PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH DIFFICULTIES The implementation of modern approaches that seek to deinstitutionalize traditional psychiatric services is hampered by unfavorable attitudes of the community towards people with mental disabilities. Stigma is one of the most important factors that delay seeking help and negatively affects the quality of life of people with mental health problems. The research was conducted to describe attitudes towards people with mental health problems and determine their relationship with socio-demographic variables, information, and personal experience with mental health problems. There were 108 participants aged 21 to 59 (71% female, 64.5% college and university degrees). The Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness scale (CAMI) (Taylor & Dear, 1981) and a survey questionnaire were used online. Participants have generally benevolent attitudes toward all dimensions of the scale. Higher self-assessment of knowledge about mental health problems leads to more favorable attitudes towards authoritarianism, and younger age to less social restraint. Participants with a high school diploma have more negative attitudes towards the dimensions of authoritarianism and benevolence than participants with a university degree. There are no significant differences in attitudes regarding the experience of seeking mental health support, but on the authoritarian dimension, there is a significant interaction effect of being informed and mental health support seeking. The results indicate the importance of further research into the relationship between attitudes and mental health support seeking and the level of being informed on mental health issues. Key words: mental health; mental health difficulties; attitudes; stigmatization

Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Text-based Crisis Patterns in Youth following Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, 2018

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Runkle ◽  
Kurt Michael ◽  
Scott Stevens ◽  
Maggie Sugg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support

IMPORTANCE Crisis text lines have proven to be an effective and low-cost means for delivering texting-based mental health support to youth. Yet there has been limited research examining the use of these services in capturing the psychological impact of youth affected by a weather-related disaster. OBJECTIVE This ecologic study examined changes in help-seeking behavior for youth in North and South Carolina, USA, before and after Hurricane Florence (2018). DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOMES A retrospective, interrupted time-series design was used to examine pre- and post-hurricane changes in crisis text volume among youth help seekers in the Carolinas for the following outcomes: (1) text for any reason; (2) stress & anxiety; (3) depression; and (4) suicidal thoughts. RESULTS Results showed an immediate and sustained increase in crisis texts for stress/anxiety and suicidal thoughts in the six weeks following Florence. Overall, an immediate 15% increase in crisis texts for anxiety/stress (SE=.05, p=0.005) and a 17% increase in suicidal thoughts (SE=.07, p=0.02) occurred during the week of the storm. Text volume for anxiety/stress increased 17% (SE=.08, p=0.005) and 23% for suicidal ideation (SE=.08, p=0.01) in the 6-week post-intervention period. Finally, forecast models revealed observed text volume for all mental health outcomes was higher than expected in the 6 weeks post-Florence. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A low-cost, crisis texting intervention platform provided 24/7 mental health support available to young people in the Carolinas impacted by Hurricane Florence. These findings highlight a new application for text-based crisis support services to address the mental health consequences among individuals following a weather-related disaster.

scholarly journals Risk of psychological distress, pervasiveness of stigma and utilisation of support services: Exploring paramedic perceptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Mackinnon ◽  
Timothy Everett ◽  
Lisa Holmes ◽  
Erin Smith ◽  
Brennen Mills
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Distress Scale

IntroductionParamedics are exposed to significant and cumulative stressors that contribute to poor mental health. The provision of effective and engaging mental health support is essential in improving overall wellbeing. Many ambulance services have adapted their available support services to reflect this need. However, there remains limited research into the perceived efficacy of these services and barriers that limit uptake from paramedics.MethodsParamedics and ambulance volunteers from Australia and New Zealand were invited to complete an online survey consisting of a series of Likert-scale and open-ended response questions. The well-validated Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was also incorporated into the online survey.ResultsA total of 184 participants completed the survey. A total of 50 (27%) participants reported high/very high levels of psychological distress. Participants exposed to at least one adverse event while working reported higher psychological distress scores than those that had not. Just over half (51%) of all participants disagreed/strongly disagreed there was no stigma associated with seeking mental health support from paramedic colleagues and 54% of participants disagreed/strongly disagreed there was no stigma from managerial staff.ConclusionThese findings suggest paramedics are at a greater risk of psychological distress than the general population. This is particularly problematic given there is a clear perception of ongoing stigma among paramedics associated with the utilisation of mental health support services. Future research should explore methods for reducing stigma and encouraging help-seeking behaviours in this vulnerable population throughout all phases of an emergency service workers career.

scholarly journals Usual care for mental health problems in children with epilepsy: A cohort study

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Welch ◽  
Roz Shafran ◽  
Isobel Heyman ◽  
Anna Coughtrey ◽  
Sophie Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Health Support

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic paediatric conditions. Children and young people with epilepsy are at a significantly higher risk of developing mental health problems relative to the general population, yet the majority of these problems are unrecognised and under-treated in clinical practice. Although there is little epilepsy-specific guidance as to what interventions to use, researchers suggest there is no reason why clinicians should not be using the evidence base. Given the poor prognosis of untreated mental health difficulties, this cohort study sought to identify what psychological treatment young people with epilepsy with mental health needs receive in routine practice. Methods: Participants were children and young people aged 3 to 18 attending paediatric neurology clinics. The parents of those children who met threshold for impairing symptoms on the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire were asked to complete the Development and Well-being Assessment (DAWBA), an online clinical assessment designed to generate psychiatric diagnoses. Participants who met clinical threshold for a disorder according to the DAWBA were provided with a bespoke measure asking questions regarding their experience with treatment for mental health support. Results: 16 of the 46 parents who completed the DAWBA reported that they had experienced previous or current support for their child’s mental health difficulties. The mental health support offered to families was highly variable, inadequate and often not clearly compliant with existing UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for mental health treatment in children and young people. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates the inconsistency and inadequacy of mental health provision for children and young people with epilepsy. Future work should explore reasons for the treatments offered failing to adhere to existing guidance for mental health difficulties in children, as well as possible solutions to this.

scholarly journals Perfectionism and Attitudes Toward Sport Psychology Support and Mental Health Support in Athletes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Dean R. Watson ◽  
Andrew P. Hill ◽  
Daniel J. Madigan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
The Relationship

Attitudes toward help-seeking will contribute to whether athletes ask for support for performance and mental health issues when needed. While research outside of sport has found perfectionism is related to negative attitudes toward help-seeking, no studies have examined the relationship in sport. The authors provided the first test of whether perfectionism predicted attitudes toward both sport psychology support and mental health support. One hundred and sixty-six collegiate athletes completed measures of perfectionism and attitudes toward sport psychology support and mental health support. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perfectionistic concerns positively predicted closedness and stigma toward sport psychology support and mental health support, and negatively predicted help-seeking toward mental health support. However, perfectionistic strivings negatively predicted stigma toward sport psychology support and mental health support, and positively predicted confidence in sport psychology support and help-seeking toward mental health support. Athletes higher in perfectionistic concerns are less likely to seek support when required.

scholarly journals Improving mental health in autistic young adults: a qualitative study exploring help-seeking barriers in UK primary care

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (694) ◽  
pp. e356-e363
Author(s):  
Edmund Coleman-Fountain ◽  
Carole Buckley ◽  
Bryony Beresford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

BackgroundAutistic people are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. To reduce the negative impact of living with autism in a non-autistic world, efforts to improve take-up and access to care, and support in early years, which will typically start with a GP appointment, must be grounded in the accounts of autistic young adults.AimTo explore how autistic young adults understand and manage mental health problems; and to consider help seeking as a focus.Design and settingA cross-sectional, qualitative study. Autistic participants were purposively selected to represent a range of mental health conditions including anxiety and depression. A subsample were recruited from a population cohort screened for autism in childhood. The study concerns access to primary care.MethodNineteen autistic young adults without learning disabilities, aged 23 or 24 years, were recruited. In-depth, semi-structured interviews explored how they understood and managed mental health problems. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsYoung adults preferred self-management strategies. Multiple factors contributed to a focus on self-management, including: beliefs about the aetiology of mental health difficulties and increased vulnerability with the context of a diagnosis of autism, knowledge of self-management, and a view that formal support was unavailable or inadequate. Families had limited awareness of professional support.ConclusionYoung autistic adults without learning disabilities, and their families, may hold erroneous beliefs about autism and mental health. This may affect help seeking and contribute to an exacerbation of symptoms. GPs need to be alert to the fact that autistic young adults in their care may be experiencing mental health difficulties but may not recognise them as such.

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