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This study aims to compare the social support among patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals.

Using convince sampling, the authors recruited 80 patients (schizophrenia, n = 40; methamphetamine dependency, n = 40) and their companions (healthy individuals, n = 40) who were referred to a psychiatric hospital in a cross-sectional study in Sari, Iran. In in-person interviews, the authors collected data on demographic characteristics and measured social support using a standardized questionnaire.

The three groups were similar regarding age and marital status, but different in gender distribution (p = 0.001). The average social support score was 58.0 in the schizophrenia group and 42.3 in the methamphetamine-dependent group, both significantly lower than 63.6 in the healthy group (p = 0.001). The social support scores in schizophrenia and methamphetamine-dependent groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy group across all subgroups of gender (p < 0.04), age (p < 0.05) and marital status (p < 0.001). The methamphetamine-dependent group had the lowest score overall and across all demographic groups and social support subdomains.

This study had two main limitations. First, the study samples were from one city and one hospital in the north of Iran and so may not be generalizable to other population and settings. Second, the authors did not study the causes or predictors of low social support like social stigma which should be studied in future studies.

Despite the limitations, this study found low social support for people diagnosed with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency. Intervention to increase social support for them, especially for those with substance use, is required.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-stigma reduction programme on self-stigma.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted from November 2017 to December 2018 with 278 people diagnosed with schizophrenia (PDwS). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a self-stigma reduction programme (psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy and social skills training) or treatment as usual.

PDwS in the intervention group experienced a greater reduction in the level of self-stigma (20.19 vs −0.62; p < 0.001) at post-intervention and (37.35 vs −0.66; p < 0.001) at six-month follow-up.

The first RCT examines the problem and implements intervention in middle east country. Also, the authors have conducted high-quality RCT.

Goal setting is a crucial aspect of client-centered practice in occupational therapy (OT) for mental health conditions. However, it remains to be seen how goal-setting has been delivered in mental health, particularly the OT process. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the nature and extent of goal setting delivered in mental health and informed OT practice.

The authors followed the guidelines of Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and searched three databases using key search terms: “mental disorder,” “goal setting,” and “occupational therapy” and their synonyms.

After excluding duplicate records, the authors initially screened 883 records and resulted in 20 records in total after the screening process. Most of the identified articles used goal-setting delivered by both a health professional and a client (n = 14), and focused on people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n = 13), but three interventions were delivered by occupational therapists. Further research needs on goal-setting in mental health OT, exploring the reliability and validity of different goal-setting strategies and investigating the effectiveness of goal-setting for promoting behavior change and client engagement across various mental health conditions and settings.

The scoping review has some limitations, such as not investigating the validity and reliability of goal-setting strategies identified, and excluding conference papers and non-English articles.

This scoping review presents a mapping of how goal-setting has been delivered in mental health and informed OT practice. The findings suggest limited research in OT and highlight the need for more studies to address the evidence gap in individualized client-centered OT.

Literature regarding recovery has focussed on diagnoses such as schizophrenia, with few papers focussing on borderline personality disorder (BPD). This is a significant area in need of change because a lack of research concentrating on recovery from BPD could be seen to perpetuate the view that recovery from this condition may not be possible. Recovery Colleges (RCs) in the UK began in 2009and aim to offer co-produced and co-facilitated psychoeducational courses to encourage recovery and enable people to develop skills and knowledge so they become experts in the self-management of their difficulties. Given the gaps within the recovery literature, it is unclear how Recovery Colleges can support recovery for people diagnosed with BPD. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a Recovery College course for people diagnosed with BPD.

Using participatory methods, this paper aims to explore the question of what personal recovery looks like for people with BPD and how this may prove useful in developing future practice in RCs. Qualitative feedback data was collected from 51 managing intense emotions courses delivered to 309 students using a patient reported experience measure between Autumn 2015 and Autumn 2021.

The results of this study indicate that people with BPD can experience recovery, whilst still experiencing symptoms, as long as they receive appropriate co-produced, recovery-orientated support and services.

Further research in this area could help shape future clinical practice by embedding a recovery-focussed programme into community services.

Literature regarding recovery has focussed on diagnoses such as schizophrenia withfew papers focussing on BPD. This is an area in need of change because a lack of research on recovery from BPD could be seen to perpetuate the view that recovery from this condition may not be possible. RCs offer co-produced and co-facilitated psychoeducational courses around recovery, enabling people to develop skills and knowledge to become experts in the self-management of their difficulties. Given the gaps within the recovery literature it is unclear how RCs can support recovery for this group of service users.

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing research on stigma in Arab countries.

A rapid review approach was used, leveraging the Scopus database to identify relevant articles. This streamlined method allows for timely assessments of the current state of knowledge, identifies research gaps and is particularly relevant given the social and cultural dynamics in Arab countries.

This study identified a growing interest in stigma-related topics in Arab countries, with a notable increase in the number of publications and citations over the past decade. Research focused on various aspects of stigma, including mental health, HIV, COVID-19 and diverse health conditions, shedding light on the prevalent challenges faced by different populations. Additionally, comparative studies highlighted the influence of culture and gender on the expression of stigma in the region.

To combat stigma in Arab countries, this study suggests the need for culturally sensitive interventions, integration of mental health services into health-care systems and the development of public health campaigns. These measures should be designed to protect vulnerable populations and prioritize educational initiatives for both the younger generation and health-care professionals.

Reducing stigma in Arab countries is crucial for fostering greater social cohesion, equality and overall well-being. The study underscores the importance of collaborations to adapt successful strategies to the unique Arab context.

This paper fills a crucial research gap by investigating stigma in Arab countries, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive interventions, education integration and international collaboration to combat it effectively.

The main aim of this paper is to provide a living tribute of lived expert by experience and researcher Andrew Voyce.

Andrew provided the author with a list of names of people he might approach to write a tribute on his behalf.

The accounts describe the influence that Andrew has had both as an educator and as a trusted colleague for the people approached.

In many ways, the voices of people with mental health problems have been marginalised. Few mental health journals, with only some exceptions, encourage lived experience contributions.

The mental health agenda continues to be dominated by professional groups. The remarkable individuals who continually battle with serious mental illness are often lost in official discourses.

Despite the fact that the topic of mental health is now much more in the public domain, research tells us that the most effective anti-stigma strategy is contact with sufferers.

The archivist Dr Anna Sexton co-produced one of the few mental health archives that only featured people with lived experience. Andrew was one of the four people featured in it. This account “showcases” the work of this remarkable man.

This paper aims to focus on the involvement of mental healthcare professionals in a co-design process of a digital healthcare platform. Many people with severe mental disorders need constant support and monitoring, and with long waiting lists and scarce resources in mental healthcare, there is a dire need for innovative digital solutions to counteract those issues. This paper elaborates on a co-design process of a digital platform and mobile app designed for people with mental disorders. The platform primarily considers two perspectives: i) the patients and ii) the healthcare professionals.

This paper is based on canonical action research, where the co-design involvement with 13 healthcare professionals is analyzed and their interactions with three primary scenarios are focused.

The main contribution of this paper is three co-design principles: i) clarity and information accessibility regarding the patient's side, ii) efficiency and flexibility when it comes to the healthcare professional's side and iii) a notification function in the mobile application.

The theoretical contribution is the conceptualization of the three co-design principles that others can use when designing digital platforms in healthcare in general and psychiatric care in particular. The practical contributions are firstly outlined through the co-design process itself, where scenarios to guide the work are used, and secondly, the improvements made in the digital platform derived from the results of the co-design process.

The purpose of this study is to describe peer support work in a men’s mental health unit from a lived experience and service user’s perspective. The intertwining of process (a lived experience perspective) and subject (the therapeutic value of peer support) leads to greater knowledge and insight into peer support for people with mental health problems.

This service user narrative draws on the extracts from a reflective journal of interactions and conversations with people with mental health problems as well as feedback from service users and staff about the value of peer support. These methods allow a first-person, service user’s, reflective and narrative account of peer support work.

Peer support work, particularly hearing voices sessions, are found to be highly therapeutic and worthwhile. They promote insight and create feelings of safety and hope in what can sometimes be a frightening and hostile ward environment. Peer support provides emotional and practical support. Sharing stories and experiences of mental illness with people leads to trust, feelings of being valued, heard and accepted as well as better experiences of care and being seen as a person first. Due to their shared experiences, peer support workers are able to befriend people with mental health problems on the ward. Peer support work bridges the gap and vacuum of care between people with mental health problems and staff. It compensates for understaffing to provide more holistic and person-centred care and support.

Lived experience/ service user perspectives and narratives on peer support are rare, particularly in a hospital setting. This article provides a rich, perhaps overlooked and hidden narrative on the nature of peer support work. People with mental health problems, like Ben, are often excluded from society, health and social care, education, employment and research. This narrative opens up a pathway to understanding peer support from a service user perspective.

Evidence suggests supported living can improve functioning and reduce need. However, its lack of a clear definition has presented significant challenges to establishing a definitive evaluation of its efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a defined model of supported living using in terms of reductions made to aspects of clinical and social recovery.

A naturalistic, non-controlled assessment was conducting using using the Camberwell Assessment of Need Clinical Scale with a sample of adults with severe and enduring mental illness residing with a UK-based mental health company at 1 of 12 UK locations.

Analysis regarding preliminary outcomes relating to health and social need is presented with comparison between admission and six-months post-admission (N = 90). Additional analysis relating to outcomes at 12 months is also provided (N = 39). Significant outcomes are noted at both timepoints in terms of reducing unmet need and levels of formal and informal help given/required during tenancy.

The findings support that, even in the absence of clinical recovery, opportunities exist to make meaningful and valuable improvements to unmet need and functional independence, with implications for clinical practice in the context of supported living.

The findings provide encouraging early indications of the benefits of the model in making meaningful reductions to functional and psychological needs in individuals with severe and enduring mental illness.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception of the mental health problems of the homeless population in a high-income country (Luxembourg) by social service providers and to develop proposals for better inclusion of homeless people into the mental health services and homeless people with mental health issues into society.

The study was of qualitative design and conducted using a semi-structured interview method (in person). The semi-structured interviews (seven participants) were conducted to analyse the challenges, practice approaches and prospects of stakeholders or decision-makers working in housing exclusion and homelessness. A secondary thematic analysis of this content regarding mental health issues was performed.

Three main themes in the social providers’ perception were identified related to mental health and homelessness: the general view on the mental health problems of homeless people (accent on substance use disorders [SUDs], overshadowing of other mental health conditions by the SUDs); the positive impact of housing and social services on the mental health of the homeless per se (role of social rhythms, social connectedness and multidisciplinary approach are emphasised); and the need for improvement of mental health services in the country (need for the long-term timely continuing mental health support and recognition of the importance of complex intersectional and multidisciplinary solutions).

Mental health themes were not the primary focus while research was planned and conducted. They were revealed as results of secondary qualitative data analysis. Therefore, additional mental health-focused mixed methods research is needed to verify the conclusions. The paper is written on the results of the research project “Social Housing and Homelessness” (SOHOME), implemented at the University of Luxembourg with the financial support of the Fonds National de la Recherche of Luxembourg (FNR12626464). The sponsor had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data or the preparation of the paper.

The study brings together different perspectives from social workers, stakeholders and decision-makers. The results show that there are cross-field connections between homelessness and mental health that require specialised and coordinated services. The first existing approaches seem to be promising in their continuation but need to be promoted by social policy.

To promote social cohesion in the Luxembourgish society and also to include one of the most vulnerable people, the study points to the importance of the link between homelessness and compromised mental health. Appropriate support and service provision as well as social and affordable housing play a central role.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind, revealing several social work stakeholders’ perspective on the mental health of homeless people in Luxembourg.