Exploring Pharmacists’ Roles during the 2019–2020 Australian Black Summer Bushfires

Background: Australians are no strangers to sudden natural disasters, such as bushfires. The effects of a natural disaster can devastate local communities and health care services. Currently, limited research has explored the role of the pharmacist during a natural disaster. This study explores the role of the Australian pharmacist during the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires. Methods: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with ten community pharmacists who worked through the Black Summer Bushfires whose daily tasks and work environment were directly affected by the bushfires. Thematic analysis using NVivo®, a qualitative data analysis software was conducted. Results: Analysis of the transcripts generated six main themes: collaboration; trauma and mental health; power and communication; acute presentations; triaging and emergency prescribing. Pharmacists worked in close collaboration with doctors and members of the local community. They provided triaging services, timely health advice about chronic health problems, and managed acute issues, including wound and burn management and mental health support in traumatic conditions, sometimes without power and communication amenities. The challenges presented to pharmacists during the bushfires warranted creative and flexible approaches at times. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for mental health support and training for pharmacists, provisional prescribing privileges, and a clearer set of contingency regulations and legislation related to emergencies and natural disasters. Further research is warranted to gain greater insight into the roles undertaken by Australian pharmacists during natural disasters and their autonomy in decision making processes during such times.

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Supporting the mental health of children with speech, language and communication needs: the views and experiences of parents

10.31234/osf.io/xhsgd ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Hobson ◽

Mya Kalsi ◽

Louise Cotton ◽

Melanie Forster ◽

Umar Toseeb

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Language Skills ◽

Children’S Mental Health ◽

Children's Mental Health ◽

Language And Communication ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Language Needs ◽

Health Support ◽

Communication Needs

Background & aims: A high rate of children in mental health services have poor language skills, but little evidence exists on how mental health support is delivered to and received by children with language needs. This study looked at parental experiences, asking parents of children speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) about their experiences seeking help for their children’s mental health. We were particularly interested on the experiences of parents of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a specific SLCN that remains relatively unknown to the general public. Methods: We conducted an online survey of 74 parents of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Survey respondents included parents of children with a range of difficulties, including DLD, autism, verbal dyspraxia, global intellectual delay, a history of hearing problems, and SLCN without a primary diagnosis. Survey respondents were asked what sources of support they had accessed for their child’s mental health and to provide comments on what was good and what was not good about this support. We then conducted 9 semi-structured interviews of parents of children with DLD about their experiences. These were parents of children with DLD aged 7 to 17 years, from across a range of educational settings, and with a range of present mental health concerns. Results: Content analyses of the survey responses from parents of children with SLCN highlighted three broad factors of importance to parents’ experiences: relational aspects of care, organisational aspects of care, and professionals’ knowledge. Thematic analyses of the interviews of parents of children with DLD identified 5 themes: the effects of language problems on the presentation of distress; the role of the school environment; the role of key professionals; standard approaches to mental health support might not be appropriate; and the role and impact on parents. Parents expressed concerns that their children’s mental health problems and need for support would not be recognised, and felt interventions were not accessible, or delivered in a manner that was not comfortable for their children due to high reliance on oral language skills. Some parents were left feeling that there was no provision suitable for their children.Conclusions: Parents of children with SLCN face barriers accessing support for their children’s mental health, including a lack of professional knowledge about their children’s language needs. Parents argued that language and communication needs can significantly affect the delivery and success of psychological therapies and interventions.

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Providing Telemental Health Services after Disasters

Health Information Systems ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-988-5.ch066 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1051-1065

Author(s):

Shashi Bhushan Gogia

Keyword(s):

Local Community ◽

Healing Touch ◽

It Projects ◽

Tsunami Disaster ◽

Healthcare Needs ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support ◽

Work Done ◽

Role Of Information

The role of information technology (IT) in managing disasters is increasingly being recognized. The Healing Touch project was started after the tsunami disaster in Tamilnadu to address the healthcare needs of the survivors through IT. Specifically; it provided mental health support to the victims near their place of residence. This project has been different from other telemedicine projects because: It was sponsored and managed entirely by NGOs. The local community and local NGOs were directly trained to manage there own health problems after the natural disaster. Success was linked to the intensive pre and post execution work done. We believe that preparation and involvement of people is the key to success in most IT projects. Some problems we faced were related to a general lack of awareness and nonpenetration of IT in the community we served. If people are using IT in their day to day work; adoption of telemedicine and other e-services will be far simpler after a disaster.

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Mental Health Support Workers

Advances in Psychology, Mental Health, and Behavioral Studies - Workforce Development Theory and Practice in the Mental Health Sector ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1874-7.ch010 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 200-221

Author(s):

Julia L. Hennessy ◽

Liz Smythe ◽

Max Abbott ◽

Frances A. Hughes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

New Zealand ◽

Educational Preparation ◽

Mental Health Consumers ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support ◽

Health Consumers ◽

The Relationship ◽

Community Based Services

This chapter provides the background for policy setting, educational preparation, and emergence of mental health support workers (MHSWs) in New Zealand and examines the work they do in mental health services. New Zealand formally introduced the MHSW role in the early 1990's to provide non-clinical services for mental health consumers or clients through either hospital or community-based services. The work MHSWs undertake and their relationship with other health professionals is discussed. Also discussed, is the relationship that MHSWs have with mental health consumers/clients and the attributes that the MHSW brings to the relationship. Consideration is given to the debate as to whether the role of the MHSW should be regulated, what it means to be considered a health professional, and the possibilities of expanding the scope of practice for MHSWs.

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Parental and offspring psychopathological disorders after the 2012 Italian earthquake

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.602 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

G Panciroli ◽

B Forresi ◽

F Soncini ◽

E Botosso ◽

E Di Pietro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Parental Psychopathology ◽

Parental Mental Health ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support ◽

Psychopathological Disorders ◽

Italian Earthquake

Abstract Background Parental mental health can affect offspring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but up to now few data focused on families exposed to natural disasters. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the association between parental and youth psychopathology after the Italian earthquake of 2012. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 1162 parents and 682 children and adolescents (9-14 years) living in two districts, earthquake area (EA) and control area (CA), were assessed for psychopathological distress two years after the earthquake. Children filled in the UCLA PTSD-Index for DSM-IV, an exposure questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); parents the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Results Parents in EA showed a higher frequency of psychopathological difficulties than those in CA (28% vs 17.5% had a SCL-90 global score over the cutoff, p < 0.001). Sleep disturbances were the most prevalent disorder, followed by obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, somatization and anxiety. Compared to fathers, mothers had significantly higher scores, especially in the EA sample. Both SCL90 total and symptom domain scores correlated with PTSD total and clusters scores, especially for hyperarousal and re-experiencing. Parental anxiety, depression and somatization showed the highest correlations. Considering SDQ, mothers' psychopathology resulted to be associated mainly with offspring's emotional and peer problems, while fathers' disorders affected mainly children's hyperactivity. Conclusions This study showed a significant association between parental mental health and both PTSD and emotional/behavioral problems among offspring after earthquake. These results should be carefully considered when planning mental health support interventions in areas affected by earthquakes. Key messages Parental psychopathology and PTSD and other emotional/behavioral difficulties in children tend to cluster in families exposed to natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Parental and offspring psychopathological disorders should be considered when planning mental health support interventions in areas affected by earthquakes.

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Mapping the Role of Instructors in Canadian Post-Secondary Student Mental Health Support Systems

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction ◽

10.1007/s11469-020-00453-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Lucia DiPlacito-DeRango

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Support Systems ◽

Secondary Student ◽

Student Mental Health ◽

Post Secondary ◽

College And University ◽

University Support ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support

AbstractUsing Recognize, Render, and Redirect (RRR) (Di Placito-De Rango, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 16:284–290, 2018) as a framing organizational model, this study engaged in online document analysis to (a) locate the instructor’s position within student mental health support frameworks across Canadian colleges and universities, and (b) understand how their role is exactly defined and described. The role of instructors within student mental health support systems was detailed in 20 Canadian post-secondary institutions. Strategies to recognize, render, and redirect students were observed in most frameworks. For example, 45% of college and university support frameworks featured instructors engaging in compassionate narrative exchanges with students, which included instructors listening to student narratives with concern, no judgement, anti-discriminatory demeanor, and minimal interruption. Post-secondary institutions are urged to continue clearly defining and updating the role of instructors in post-secondary student mental health support frameworks.

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Networks, sociabilities and health: the role of mental health support in Brazil

Sociologias ◽

10.1590/15174522-98602 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (53) ◽

pp. 282-286

Author(s):

Breno Augusto Souto Maior Fontes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support

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The MindLab Project. Local Museums Supporting Community Wellbeing Before and After UK Lockdown

Museum and Society ◽

10.29311/mas.v18i3.3506 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 314-318

Author(s):

Jade French ◽

Nic Lunt ◽

Martin Pearson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Impact ◽

First Century ◽

Community Resources ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Community Wellbeing ◽

Before And After ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support

Catalyst is a science discovery centre and independent museum based in Widnes, United Kingdom. Since 2018, it has collaborated with mental health charity Mind Halton on The MindLab project; a science inspired wellbeing programme for residents local to the museum in an area where access to mental health support is low. As museums in the twenty-first century are being increasingly regarded as community resources capable of producing valuable social impact, this article considers the role of museums in harnessing this potential to enhance community health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reflects on the challenges encountered during this unprecedented period of lockdown, as well as the emerging opportunities through the perspectives of those delivering The MindLab project.

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