Self-realization and existential psychotherapy

The aim of this thesis is to analyze mental health care in Australia from a social justice and human rights perspective, in order to demonstrate that social justice as a philosophical manifestation of justice and fairness, is an essential ingredient in the theory and practice of mental health care. It is contended that the needs of the mentally ill would be most appropriately answered by the utilization of a Natural Law model, based on Finnis's Natural Law theory. The Scope of the Thesis.The needs and care of the mentally ill are discussed, together with the treatment meted out to these vulnerable members of society since, approximately, the year 1800. Neither the criminally insane, nor the intellectually disabled are included in this discourse. Each group of people merits a thesis on its own: criminal insanity requires a debate to include the history, psychiatric and legal approaches to the subject, and current management of the insane. The intellectually disabled are not mentally ill; their ability to function as all round, naturally competent individuals is diminished by an inadequacy and/or impairment of their intellectual capacities. The needs of these two groups are far too broad and demanding to be included within the current thesis. Rationale for the Timeframe The timeframe, 1800 until 2004, has been established because it approximates to the transition from the end of the Classical through the Modern Age to the Post Modern Age, together with the predominance of Enlightenment philosophical theories, and the development of a scientific approach to medicine. Further, many politico-economic and social changes were taking place, associated with the Industrial Revolution. All are shown to have affected the introduction of asylumdom, and the institutionalization of those unable to participate actively in the industrial workforce.;Of significant importance to the development of institutionalization for such marginal groups is the philosophy of Jeremy Bentham. Bentham espoused Classical Utilitarianism which will be shown to believe that the ultimate standard of utility is not the individual's happiness but the greatest amount of happiness altogether. The thesis will demonstrate that this philosophical view prevailed from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, with Benthamism influencing the sequestration of the unemployable into institutional life. Development of the Thesis.The thesis is developed against a background of prevailing philosophical, and other changes as stated above, including the medicalization of mental illness and the development of psychiatry as a branch of medicine. There is manifestation of many social injustices to those incarcerated in the asylum in all three countries under consideration: England, USA, and Australia. It is demonstrated that social justice and human rights of their work forces were disregarded by many employers at the time of the Industrial Revolution. Such values were, therefore, unlikely to prevail with regard to the mentally ill. Asylumdom continued with few changes in its practices until after World War II. It is shown that the predominance of post Enlightenment theories, together with further politico-economic, social and pharmaceutical revolutionary change followed the Second World War. Encouraged also by the founding of the United Nations and World Health Organizations as well as provision of the Declaration of Human Rights, circumstances led to the process of de-institutionalization of the mentally ill. The latter were decanted with apparently unseemly haste into a community ill prepared for such a change, and with little evidence of infra- structure to support the move. Need to conduct a National Inquiry. There was, then, a need to investigate what was now an overt issue of mental health care.;The two subsequent inquiries by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council, (AHMAC) and the Burdekin Report, both focused on social justice issues, and addressed epidemiological, economic, sociological and justice considerations. Within the thesis, both investigations are critiqued against a Natural Law model, using Finnis's Natural Law theory. It is demonstrated that contrary to Enlightenment principles of social justice as described by Miller, such a theory is eminently practical, and answers the needs of all members of the community, providing not merely 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number' but the common good of all Conclusion. Evidence shows that such a Natural Law theory is required to give a firm foundation to the needs of the mentally ill, especially at a time when relativism, economic rationalism and negative aspects of globalization prevail. Without such a basis the mentally ill are left insecure, uncertain and adrift in a world uncaring of their plight, while all the earnest exhortations espoused by Reports remain platitudes, subject to the whims of whatever government is in power. Our responsibilities to all our fellow human beings demand better from us than this.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to qualitatively evaluate the impact of therapeutic horticulture (TH) on social integration for people who have mental health problems.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative grounded theory approach captured the perceptions about TH from people with mental health problems. Data were collected using semi-structured focus group and interviews from a purposive sample (n=7) and were analysed using a constant comparative approach.FindingsFour key themes emerged from the analysis: “a space to grow”, “seeing the person”, “learning about each other through nature” and “connecting to nature and others”. The findings suggest that TH enabled participants to integrate socially, engage with nature and develop confidence.Research limitations/implicationsTH is a potential approach that can help combat social isolation. The findings from this research have implications for people working towards supporting people who are socially excluded. However, this was a pilot study with a small sample size of seven people with mental health problems, whilst four key themes emerged, the saturation of concepts rather than the sample size were saturated to provide an emic perspective of the phenomena.Practical implicationsTH provides a person centred approach that enables people with mental health problems to re-engage and connect with their fellow human beings. Using TH could help improve the public health and well-being of local communities through re-connecting people to the environment and reduce social isolation.Social implicationsTH embody the principles of empowerment, person centeredness and can support people with mental health problems to integrate socially.Originality/valueThere is limited evidence about the influence that TH have on mental health and social integration. The use of TH is an area that is gathering evidence and this small study highlights the perceived potential benefits of this approach.

Nature experiences may have a positive impact on mental health. Innovative alternatives, such as immersive virtual reality (iVR), can have similar effects. In previous studies on embodying a tree in virtual reality, connectedness to nature has been induced in healthy participants and shown to be influenced by compassion. Compassion and empathy, however, can be altered in psychiatric disorders, leading to impaired relationships with fellow human beings. The potential effect of nature experiences in iVR on compassion, empathy, and nature connectedness in mental health disorders has not yet been investigated. This study aims to examine the development of nature connectedness, compassion, empathy, and individual symptom load in patients with depression (n=20), schizophrenia (n=20), and healthy controls (n=20), measured pre and post 1 session of virtual embodying a rainforest tree. We conducted an explorative clinical trial, comparing 3 groups (depression, schizophrenia, and healthy control), using repeated measures ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. Effect sizes (ηp2) and 95% CIs were reported where applicable. We assessed the impact of iVR-exposure on nature connectedness, empathy, compassion, individual symptoms, spirituality, cybersickness, presence, and virtual body ownership. Electrodermal activity was measured to capture physiological correlates of emotional arousal. Individual symptom load decreased significantly through the experience of embodying a growing tree in iVR in both patient groups (F1,38=40.93, ηp2=0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.67; P<.001). All groups benefited equally from the iVR experience regarding a change in nature connectedness (F1,57=100.12, ηp2=0.637, 95% CI 0.48-0.74; P<.001) and compassion (F1,57=12.86, ηp2=0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.36; P<.001). The change in empathy did not differ significantly between the 3 groups. The analysis of electrodermal activity during iVR showed significantly higher nonspecific skin conductance response numbers than at the beginning of the iVR (2-tailed t53=4.40, mean difference=2.38, 95% CI 1.30-3.46; P<.001). Changes in compassion were predicted by spirituality (β=-0.35, 2-tailed t59=-2.89, ηp2=0.13, 95% CI 0.01-0.30; P=.005) and virtual body ownership (β=0.29, 2-tailed t59=2.15, ηp2=0.08, 95% CI 0.00-0.23; P=.04) but not by the feeling of presence. Our results indicate that virtually embodying a tree seems to have a positive effect on individual symptoms. Patients with depression and schizophrenia were able to receive an iVR-based intervention and benefited from the experience. Our results provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of virtual body ownership of nature, a specific affordance of iVR, thereby laying the groundwork for future innovative body psychotherapy interventions for individuals with mental health disorders. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06446856; https://tinyurl.com/nhjar26p.

IntroductionParent-child relationships significantly influence psychological and social development, with lasting effects on mental health. Warm and supportive relationships are linked to higher emotional well-being, while neglectful or strict parenting increases the risk of mental disorders [1]. Even non-abusive but conflictual relationships can raise the risk of psychological issues in adulthood [2][3], and stable family bonds contribute to resilience in facing life challenges [4][5].ObjectivesThis study aims to explore and assess the impact of parent-child relationships on mental well-being in adulthood.Methods This study uses a Google Forms questionnaire with six sections to assess the impact of parent-child relationships on mental well-being in adulthood. Univariate analysis was conducted in Excel, and multivariate analysis, including a logistic regression model, was performed in R Studio to measure this impact.ResultsApproximately 65% of participants who reported a warm parental relationship exhibit high mental well-being in adulthood. In contrast, 45% of those who experienced frequent parental conflicts report symptoms of psychological disorders. Among participants who experienced neglect in their parental relationships, 55% developed signs of anxiety in adulthood, while 40% show increased resilience to challenges when family relationships during childhood were stable and secureConclusionsThe parent-child relationship plays a crucial role in mental health in adulthood. Warm and stable relationships are associated with increased emotional well-being and better resilience in facing challenges. In contrast, relationships marked by neglect or conflict increase the risk of long-term psychological disorders. These findings highlight the importance of the family environment for psychological development and the prevention of mental health issues.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Evidence‐based electroconvulsive therapy

A Paradigm Shift: Healing, Quality of Life, and a Professional Choice

Mental health is a universal issue nowadays, and poor mental health is detrimental to any individual's optimal health and well-being. Instead of keeping up with mental health, most civilization encounters the opposite continuum of mental health, a.k.a. mental illness. Unfortunately, mental health issues are more intense during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on public organizations and public servants more severe while rendering their social services to the Malaysian citizens despite the danger of the pandemic to them and their family’s well-being. Hence to cure the disease, manifold ways and means are presented. Most public servants are Malay Muslims and hence recommended treatments are originated from Islam teachings, thus proposing the Islamic Mental Health model to improve their mental health during this intense situation is proper. The model emphasizes on fulfilling the deeds of habluminallah and habluminannas. Habluminannas complements habluminallah as the formation of a complete mental health model from Islamic perspective. Habluminallah focuses on the person's relationship to his Creator, while habluminannas focuses on the person's relationship with others. These two types of morals, that is morals to Allah (habluminallah) which is indicated by the command that Muslims must establish a good relationship with Allah by not associating Allah with others and Muslims also must show morals toward fellow human beings (habluminannas) shown by the command to do good to both parents, close relatives, orphans, poor people, near neighbors and distant neighbors, peers, people on the way, and servants. Habluminallah and habluminannas are two sides of a coin that cannot be separated. The two are the foundation of comprehensive mental health in Islam. So Islam encourages its people to practice both worshiping of the Creator as well as encourages social relations, such as paying attention to the fates of the weak. Even if referred to the pillars of Islam, there is a combination of habluminallah and habluminannas, a combination of vertical and horizontal relations.

A number of laypeople will be more than happy to say that they know when someone is suffering from mental illness and that they know abnormal behavior when they see it. They purport to be experts on abnormal psychology, with the ability to recognize and perhaps even diagnose abnormality in their fellow human beings. Of course, many of these individuals are incorrect. Here is an example.

Psychiatric disorders are syndromes or patterns of psychological behavior of a person that according to clinically are so meaningful and specifically related to the symptoms of suffering (distress) in important human functions. Sufistic education is a human effort to develop innate potential, both physical and spiritual, by prioritizing the inner, not outside, aspects or by using Sufism materials, where there are aspects related to morality, both moralities with Allah, the Prophet, with fellow human beings as well as for the entire creation of God. This research is a qualitative descriptive study with a background in UPT Halfway House, Bandung City Social Service. This research describes the application of Sufistic approach methods to overcome mental disorders at UPT Halfway House, Bandung City Social Service. Through this approach, although not a significant change, there is a change in good behavior from the client.

Suicide and attempted suicide are still surrounded by feelings of guilt, shame, fear and unease. These acts are often incorrectly perceived as being predestined and impossible to prevent. Suicide among men in the 15–44 age group is the most common cause of death in Sweden. For females in the same age group, suicide is the second most common cause of death after tumours. A suicidal act is not only a drastic example of difficulties in coping with the hardships of life and mental problems, but it is also a frequent indicator of how the health care and public health systems and ordinary fellow human beings fail to respond in an adequate manner to suicidal people. The responses encountered by suicidal individuals seeking care are a measure of quality, not only of medical and psychological care services, but also of the psychosocial conditions in society. Ambiguous attitudes towards preventive measures and the persistent taboo surrounding suicide, as well as the attitude that suicide is a human right, make suicide-preventive activities necessary. In 1993, the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) stated that a country wishing to embark on active efforts to prevent suicide needs to have a national programme, as well as an institution for activities of this kind.

With Politics and Mental Illness, The More Things Change. . .

Time to Orgasm in Women in a Monogamous Stable Heterosexual Relationship

1 - What is an animal model of a neuropsychiatric disorder?

This study explored the views of 241 patients with schizophrenia about their own disorder. Patients' knowledge of their diagnosis, confidence that they will be well again, and perception of limitations in their own life as a result of the disorder were explored in relation to patients' opinions about the social consequences of schizophrenia. Study results were presented to participants, and suggestions were collected regarding how these study results should be used. Seventy-two respondents (30%) reported that a psychiatrist told them that they have schizophrenia. Respondents who were confident that they would be well again had a lower duration of contact with psychiatric services and a less pronounced perception of affective and social difficulties related to schizophrenia. Respondents who did not feel limited in their life by the disorder reported less social distance and more optimism about the usefulness of treatments. Participatory studies may provide ideas for a more constructive interaction between patients and professionals.

BackgroundThis longitudinal study classified groups of children experiencing different trajectories of student-teacher relationship quality over the transition from preschool into school, and determined the strength of the association between different student-teacher relationship trajectories and childhood mental health problems in the second year of primary school.MethodsA community sample of 460 Australian children were assessed in preschool (age 4), the first school year (age 5), and second school year (age 6). Teachers at all three assessments reported on student-teacher relationship quality with the Student Teacher Relationship Scale. When the children were at preschool and in their second school year, parents and teachers rated children’s mental health problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.ResultsLatent-class growth modelling identified two trajectories of student-teacher relationship quality: (1) a stable-high student-teacher relationship quality and (2) a moderate/declining student-teacher relationship quality trajectory. Generalised linear models found that after adjusting for family demographic characteristics, having a stable high quality student-teacher relationship trajectory was associated with fewer parent-rated and teacher-rated total mental health problems, and fewer conduct, hyperactivity, and peer problems, and greater prosocial behaviour at age 6. A stable high quality trajectory was also associated with fewer teacher-rated, but not parent-rated emotional symptoms. These effects remained after adjustment for levels of mental health problems at age 4.ConclusionsFindings suggest that early intervention and prevention strategies that focus on building stable high quality student-teacher relationships during preschool and children’s transition into formal schooling, may help reduce rates of childhood mental health problems during the early school years.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40359-014-0027-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.