scholarly journals DEEP GAMES: ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH INDEPENDENT VIDEOGAME DEVELOPMENT

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ruffino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Professional Networking ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Videogame Industry ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Agent Of Change ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Impostor Syndrome

Game workers and reports on the videogame industry frequently document cases of anxiety, depression, burnout and impostor syndrome. Mental health issues are exacerbated among independent developers and freelancers. The article draws on interviews with four London-based independent videogame developers who have been producing 'deep games' about mental health. The article argues that conceiving, producing and releasing these videogames is understood by their makers as a strategy to establish new and 'deeper' relations with consumers, participants and other developers. Developers seek relations with other game workers and players through the process of making, researching, testing, and showing their videogames. Their responses draw on biographical self-reflexivity and are articulated within a network sociality that conceives the individual developer as the agent of change. The development of videogames about mental health is interpreted by the participants as facilitating exchanges of autobiographical experiences that are otherwise regulated by the norms of professional networking. At the same time, these exchanges aim at the establishment of new forms of sociality and at a fairer and more inclusive videogame industry.

scholarly journals Seeking Deep Relations in a Precarious Industry: Addressing Mental Health through Independent Videogame Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 152747642110256
Author(s):  
Paolo Ruffino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Commercial Success ◽  
Professional Networking ◽  
Videogame Industry ◽  
Mental Wellness ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Impostor Syndrome ◽  
The Invisible

Anxiety, depression, burnout and impostor syndrome are frequently reported among those who work in the videogame industry, and are exacerbated among independents and freelancers. The article draws on interviews with four London-based independent videogame developers who have engaged with the production of videogames about mental health. The article argues that conceiving, producing and releasing these games is understood by their makers as a strategy to establish relations with consumers, participants and other developers that could break the invisible barriers that prevent dialogs around mental wellness. More than being concerned with the outcome of their work or its commercial success, developers seek relations with other game workers and players through the process of making, researching, testing, and showing their videogames. The development of videogames about mental health is interpreted by the participants as facilitating exchanges of autobiographical experiences that are otherwise regulated by the norms of professional networking.

scholarly journals B.05 The importance of mental health in improving quality of life in transition-aged patients with epilepsy

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (s1) ◽  
pp. S11
Author(s):  
KC Mabilangan ◽  
S Healy ◽  
T Fantaneanu ◽  
S Whiting
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Aged Patients ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Transition Clinic ◽  
Elevated Rate ◽  
The Individual

Background: Growing evidence has that a suggested that mental health strongly influences quality of life (QoL) in adolescents with epilepsy. In addition, research has suggested that these mental health issues are associated with increased seizure burden and worsened health outcomes. Despite this, and the elevated rate of mental health issues in this population, seizure control tends to be the dominant or sole concern for treating physicians. Methods: In order to look at potential predictors of QoL in adolescents we looked at seizure related data, demographic variables, and comorbid conditions in 70 adolescents with epilepsy aged 14 to 18 (M= 16.3l; 37 males, 33 females) enrolled into an epilepsy transition clinic. Results: Regression analysis found that mental health remained a significant and independent predictor of QoL even when other significant seizure related variables were accounted for (t(58)= -3.44, p= .001). Furthermore, when looking at the individual subscales of patient QoL (e.g., memory, social support, stigma), mental health was consistently found to be the strongest correlate. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that in order to ensure the best outcomes for transition-aged adolescents with epilepsy, it is important to not only manage and treat seizures, but also to assess and treat mental health issues.

‘Fansens’ are waving through a window: Exploring the Dear Evan Hansen fan phenomenon

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrod Walczer ◽  
Derek E. Baird
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Online Support ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Digital Methods ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Dear Evan Hansen (DEH) is a social media-centric musical that has been widely celebrated by a show-specific online fan community, known as ‘Fansens’, on Instagram and Tumblr, having won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2017. The growth of this fandom, on these platforms, is unique as Fansens have adopted plot points and thematic elements from the musical relating to how social media affects social anxiety, depression and suicide to create fan art and fanfictions that, in turn, result in a community of care on social media where fans can discuss their own encounters with social anxiety, teen suicide and cyberbullying. Though most Fansens would not have been able to see the musical performed on Broadway or live in-person, their fanfictions, personal posts and fan art reflect and refract the difficulties that young people have with mental health, social anxiety and suicide. Using both digital methods and post-structuralist textual analysis, this article analyses numerous fan cultural artefacts collected from DEH-specific hash-tagged posts on Tumblr and Instagram. In doing so, this article provides a new perspective on the role that fan communities, their artefacts, their use of digital medi, and their fan activist and upstanding techniques can play in providing avenues of self-care and modelling positive online support for those dealing with mental health issues.

scholarly journals Mental health implications of COVID-19 pandemic and its response in India

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402095076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrija Roy ◽  
Arvind Kumar Singh ◽  
Shree Mishra ◽  
Aravinda Chinnadurai ◽  
Arun Mitra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Introduction: Mental health concerns and treatment usually take a backseat when the limited resources are geared for pandemic containment. In this global humanitarian crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues have been reported from all over the world. Objectives: In this study, we attempt to review the prevailing mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic through global experiences, and reactive strategies established in mental health care with special reference to the Indian context. By performing a rapid synthesis of available evidence, we aim to propose a conceptual and recommendation framework for mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A search of the PubMed electronic database and google scholar were undertaken using the search terms ‘novel coronavirus’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘nCoV’, SARS-CoV-2, ‘mental health’, ‘psychiatry’, ‘psychology’, ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’ and ‘stress’ in various permutations and combinations. Published journals, magazines and newspaper articles, official webpages and independent websites of various institutions and non-government organizations, verified social media portals were compiled. Results: The major mental health issues reported were stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, denial, anger and fear. Children and older people, frontline workers, people with existing mental health illnesses were among the vulnerable in this context. COVID-19 related suicides have also been increasingly common. Globally, measures have been taken to address mental health issues through the use of guidelines and intervention strategies. The role of social media has also been immense in this context. State-specific intervention strategies, telepsychiatry consultations, toll free number specific for psychological and behavioral issues have been issued by the Government of India. Conclusion: Keeping a positive approach, developing vulnerable-group-specific need-based interventions with proper risk communication strategies and keeping at par with the evolving epidemiology of COVID-19 would be instrumental in guiding the planning and prioritization of mental health care resources to serve the most vulnerable.

scholarly journals What could we learn from SARS when facing the mental health issues related to the COVID-19 outbreak? A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nian-Sheng Tzeng ◽  
Chi-Hsiang Chung ◽  
Chuan-Chia Chang ◽  
Hsin-An Chang ◽  
Yu-Chen Kao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Abstract There were several studies about the psychiatric and mental health issues related to the severe adult respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, however, the association between SARS and the overall risk of psychiatric disorders and suicides has, as yet, to be studied in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to examine as to whether SARS is associated with the risk of psychiatric disorders and suicide. A total of 285 patients with SARS and 2850 controls without SARS (1:10) matched for sex, age, insurance premium, comorbidities, residential regions, level of medical care, and index date were selected between February 25 and June 15, 2003 from the Inpatient Database Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. During the 12-year follow-up, in which 79 in the SARS cohort and 340 in the control group developed psychiatric disorders or suicide (4047.41 vs. 1535.32 per 100,000 person-years). Fine and Gray’s survival analysis revealed that the SARS cohort was associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and suicide, and the adjusted subdistribution HR (sHR) was 2.805 (95% CI: 2.182–3.605, p < 0.001) for psychiatric disorders and suicide. The SARS cohort was associated with anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder/acute stress disorder (PTSD/ASD), and suicide. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the SARS group was associated with anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, PTSD/ASD, and suicide after the individuals with a diagnosis of psychiatric disorders and suicide were excluded within the first year, and with anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, while those in the first five years were excluded. In conclusion, SARS was associated with the increased risk of psychiatric disorders and suicide.

scholarly journals Mental Health /Depression at Workplaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (SPL1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asrenee AB. Razak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Job Related Stress

There is an increasing trend of mental health issues in Malaysia. 1 in 3 Malaysian aged over 16 years old is at risk of having a mental health problem, and the trend is on the rise. The burden of mental health disorders on health and productivity, however, has long been underestimated. It is partly due to the cultural stigma attached to mental disorders. The recent 2018 Malaysia's Healthiest Workplace survey reported that more than half of employees in the survey have been affected by job-related stress such as burnout, anxiety, depression, and could lead to suicide. The serious consequences of these mental health issues not only affecting the individual but also lead to negative impacts on the productivity and performance of the company. On the other hand, workplaces that promote good mental health, and support people with mental disorders are more likely to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity as well as could benefit from associated economic gains. It is crucial for the workplace to integrate mental health intervention in their health and wellbeing strategy.  Among the useful intervention is mindfulness training. Mindfulness is not only proven to reduce the work stress but also teaches the employees to appreciate life and positively cope with their job demands. This presentation outlines the benefits of mindfulness and how it can be applied in daily life.

scholarly journals Strengthening the Voice of Those with Mental Health Issues: A Community Approach to Developing a Mental Health Identification System

Social Work ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-223
Author(s):  
Andrew Quinn ◽  
Mary Otteson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Identification System ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Community Approach ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Voice

Abstract This article describes how an action research approach was used to involve a community of individuals with mental health issues and their support systems in the development and adoption of a mental health identification (ID) card. The intent of the card was to provide individuals with mental health issues a way to communicate and manage the idiosyncratic nature of their behaviors. A credit card–size ID card was developed that has the individual’s picture, address, diagnosis, idiosyncratic behaviors, best approach with the individual when those behaviors are present, medications, allergies, and emergency contact information. Benefits and concerns about the ID system in regard to the cardholder, card recipients, the provision of consent, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, and the balancing of reducing and increasing stigmas and stereotypes emerged throughout the process. In the end, the ID card has come to be seen as a social justice mechanism that allows for communication and awareness for those with mental health issues.

scholarly journals The rise of opioid overdose: Is availability of Naloxone within the community the answer we need?

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
Thalia MacMillan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Increase Rate ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Individual

Rates of substance use and overdose are continually on the rise within our communities. Recent events highlight the increase rate of opioid overdose in particular and reflect current trends of a two-fold increase in such an event. Opioids are problematic as they can be prescribed legally or gained illegally. Symptoms of opioid overdose can be reversed with the provision of naloxone. Rising prices for naloxone may prevent organizations from carrying large quantities of it, which is problematic given recent events. As there is no typical presentation of opioid addiction or those with concurrent mental health issues, the influence or effect of each on the individual and with each other should be examined in their entirety. Different types of treatment are examined, as well as several of the strengths and limitations of ea

scholarly journals Factors Contributing to Filicide-Suicide: Differences Between Male and Female Perpetrators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Murfree ◽  
Laura Schwab-Reese ◽  
Andrea L. DeMaria
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
The Individual

Background: One-quarter of homicide-suicide deaths in the U.S. are children. Filicide-suicide, a subset of homicide-suicide involving parent or caregiver perpetrators, is the most common form of homicide-suicide involving children. While these incidents have significant impacts, relatively few studies examine modifiable factors that contribute to these incidents.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of circumstances and contributing factors for filicide-suicide deaths, focusing on the individual and interpersonal differences between male and female perpetrators.Participants: This study utilized data from the National Violent Deaths Reporting System (NVDRS), which included 76 filicide-suicide incidents reported to NVDRS in 32 U.S. states between 2013-2015.Methods: We conducted a qualitative content analysis, which was grounded in the Marzuk et al. (1992) framework. We reviewed the filicide-suicide narratives and engaged in conversations about codes or themes that emerged for the filicide-suicide narratives. Additional codes were added as needed, and narratives were retroactively coded to ensure codes were consistently applied.Results: Relationship conflict and mental health issues were common among male and female perpetrators, but the manifestation of these factors differed greatly. For female perpetrators, relationship conflict, mental health issues, and children’s chronic health issues commonly co-occurred. In contrast, relationship conflict, history of violence, and consequences of violence (e.g., legal issues, job problems) more commonly co-occurred among male perpetrators. Conclusion: Filicide-suicides are preventable acts of violence with numerous contributing factors. Our findings highlight the need for prevention efforts to be grounded in these interpersonal experiences, particularly the differences between male and female perpetrators differences.

How to create a resilient workforce

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Treatment Plans ◽  
Increase Productivity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over 40 Years

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to help HR professionals to create a resilience workforce and increase productivity. Design/methodology/approach Viewpoint article. Findings While becoming more resilient is a personal journey and the individual is responsible for focussing on their thoughts and feelings and examining their actions and responses during stressful periods, employers and HR professionals can also support the individual at an organisational level to help them become happier and perform better. Originality/value With over 40 years’ experience, Cardinal Clinic is dedicated to helping people struggling with mental health issues by providing treatment plans tailored to each patient’s needs to help them on their road to recovery. Cardinal Corporate was launched to help businesses support staff members dealing with mental health issues and implement strategies to ensure the overall well-being of their teams.

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