Mental Health Professional Service Research Articles

The association between self-knowledge from Islamic perspective and mental health among Iranian female students

This study aimed to relate self-knowledge to mental health (from Islamic perspective), and compare it among the female students. Using the Morgan table, we selected 379 students from four universities, namely alzahra University, a single-sex university, the University of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University, and Kharazmi University. The samples were selected randomly by applying a stratified sampling method. We utilized two instruments: Islamic self-knowledge and general mental health questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient, independent samples t-test, and linear regression analysis using SPSS version 25. The results showed that there were significant association between self-knowledge and mental health. However, there were no significant differences between the female students of humanities and sciences, whether from the point of self-knowledge or mental health. The results also showed no significant differences between the students of alzahra University and the female students of the other three universities in self-knowledge and mental health. In each case, the results are compared to Islamic viewpoints (Quran, Hadith, and Quotations from various Islamic thinkers) as well as the psychological viewpoints of Maslow and Rogers. Our findings underline the importance of enhancing self-knowledge among female university students as a protective factor against mental health outcomes (substance abuse, depression, and anxiety) Moreover, Faith based strategies are known to be effective, more accessible than mental health professional services and will carry less stigma in the target community.

Barriers and facilitators of older adults for professional mental health help-seeking: a systematic review

BackgroundOlder adults are at an increased risk for mental health issues, yet they are less likely to seek professional help. This systematic review aims to identify and summarize literature on the barriers and facilitators that older adults face when seeking professional mental health help.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted using multiple databases including PubMed-Medline, EMBASE, ProQuest central, CINAHL and Scopus to identify relevant studies published between 2010 and 2021 that focused on barriers and/or facilitators to seeking help for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among older adults aged 65 years or older. Studies’ risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and results of studies were synthesized guided by the methodological framework of Rodgers and colleagues.ResultsA total of eight cross-sectional studies, from Australia, United States, Mexico, Netherlands, and Malaysia met the inclusion criteria for this review. Included studies reported that the majority of their participants had anxiety or depression, yet they exhibited a preference for informal mental health help over professional help. Stigma, negative beliefs about mental health professional services, and cost were the most reported barriers. Main reported facilitators were prior positive experience with mental health services and high socioeconomic status.ConclusionOlder adults are in need of interventions normalizing mental health help seeking and ensuring these services are accessible in terms of costs. This should be the focus of policy makers, healthcare providers, and public health practitioners working with older adults.Protocol registrationPROSPERO 2021 CRD42021238853.

Perawatan Kolaborasi untuk Kesehatan Mental Perinatal: Tinjauan Literatur

Factors that enhance women's experience in health care during the perinatal period are providing opportunities to develop interrelated relationships with professional health care. The services provided are high-quality information for women, families, and health professionals. Collaborative practice can also reduce complications, hospital care, health team conflicts, and mortality rates. General patients report higher satisfaction, better service, and better health outcomes. In the health sector, collaborative practice can improve patient and health team satisfaction, reduce the duration of care, reduce maintenance costs, reduce the incidence of self-defense, and reduce outpatient visits. Objective: The literature of this review is to summarize collaborative care for perinatal mental health. Method: This study is a journal publication with a literature summary, and article search using comparative studies of computerized databases (PubMed and BMC). Results: In improving mental health care services Collaboration between health care institutions, general practitioners, and mental health professional services is needed. Access to mental health care is inadequate, this is because perinatal health care providers are not sufficient to make initial preparations, referrals, complaints about aspects of maternal emotional care, and psychological services only benefit a portion of the population. Conclusion: The main problem of this collaboration is the knowledge of doctors and general nurses on perinatal maternal mental health problems, poor supervision systems, inadequate information systems, and clinical technology. Collaboration between professionals in the health and health sector as well as adequate health program policy support, as well as increasing shared awareness will improve mental health for mothers in the perinatal period.

Suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi university students: Prevalence and risk factors

BackgroundBangladeshi university students are considered to be highly suicide-prone compared to other populations and cohorts. However, no prior epidemiological studies have assessed the suicidality (i.e., past-year suicidal ideation [SI], lifetime suicide plan [SP], and lifetime suicide attempt [SA]) among Bangladeshi students, including the variables such as past-year stressful life events and family mental health history. This is arguably a major knowledge gap in the country. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence and associated risk factors for suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi university students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing a convenience sampling method among a total of 1844 university students between October and November 2019. Data were collected based on the information related to socio-demographics, perceived health-related questions, past-year stressful life events, family mental health history, and suicidal behaviors (i.e., SI, SP, and SA). Chi-square tests and binary logistic regressions were used to analyze the data utilizing SPSS statistical software.ResultsThe prevalence of past-year suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide plans, and suicide attempts were 13.4%, 6.0%, and 4.4%, respectively. Females reported significantly higher suicidal behavior than males (i.e., 20.6% vs.10.2% SI; 9% vs. 4.6% SP; and 6.4% vs.3.6% SA). Risk factors for SI were being female, year of academic study, residing in an urban area, using psychoactive substances, experiencing both past year physical and mental illness, experiencing any type of stressful past-year life events, experiencing campus ragging (i.e., senior students abusing, humiliating and/or harassing freshers or more junior students), experiencing family mental illness history, and having family suicide attempt history. SP was associated with several factors including being female, year of academic study, using psychoactive substance, experiencing both past-year physical and mental illness, and experiencing any type of stressful past-year life events. Risk factors for SA were being female, year of academic study, using psychoactive substances, experiencing past-year mental illness, experiencing any type of stressful past-year life events, and having family suicide attempt history.ConclusionsUniversity students appear to be a vulnerable group for experiencing suicidal behaviors. The present findings warrant rigorous action and early intervention programs such as counseling and other mental health professional services by university authorities. Longitudinal studies are highly recommended involving countrywide representative samples.

Perceived barriers on utilization of mental health services among adults in Dodoma Municipality – Tanzania

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to determine perceived barriers to utilization of mental health services among adults in Dodoma Municipality, Tanzania. To improve the use of mental health services, identifying related perceived barriers is a key step.Design/methodology/approach– A concurrent mixed method model was used. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews (n=152) using a structured survey questionnaire. In addition in-depth interviews were conducted (n=10). The quantitative data were analyzed by using Epi info version 2002. Content analysis was used for analyzing qualitative data.Findings– The majority of respondents opted to use modern mental health facilities for mental illness treatment. They also used spiritual healing and other forms traditional methods including herbal medicines. The most frequently identified causes of mental illness were: drug abuse, being cursed and witchcraft, demons or evil spirit possession. The reported significant perceived barriers were stigma, economic, lack of transport, witchcraft, lack of awareness of mental health services, unemployment, and negative believes about professional cure.Originality/value– The option for mental health service utilization is influenced by the existing barriers on community and clients’ perception. There is a need for mental health professionals and policy makers to integrate mental health into primary care. Mutual sharing of knowledge between mental health professionals and tradition healers is warranted. Further research on the attitudes toward mental health professional services and on effectiveness of traditional healers’ services is indicated.

Decreased mental health care utilization following a psychosocial intervention in caregivers of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

Caregivers are known to experience increased morbidity when compared to noncaregivers. Does an intervention targeting caregiver distress affect their health care utilization? One hundred forty-eight caregivers of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or a psychoeducation, paced respiration, and relaxation (PEPRR) intervention. Assessments of caregivers’ service utilization were collected at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post-transplant. During the first 30 days after patient transplant, caregiver medical and mental health professional service use decreased while support group attendance peaked. Mixed model regressions showed a significant decrease in mental health service use by the PEPRR group (P=0.001). At six months caregivers in TAU had predicted marginal probabilities of mental health services utilization over 10 times as high as caregivers in PEPRR (18.1% vs 1.5%). Groups failed to differ in medical service (P=0.861) or support group (P=0.067) use. We can conclude that participation in PEPRR compared to TAU was associated with reduced mental health service utilization. Caregiver psychosocial support services are critical to improve caregiver outcomes.

Decreased mental health care utilization following a psychosocial intervention in caregivers of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

Caregivers are known to experience increased morbidity when compared to noncaregivers. Does an intervention targeting caregiver distress affect their health care utilization? One hundred forty-eight caregivers of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or a psychoeducation, paced respiration, and relaxation (PEPRR) intervention. Assessments of caregivers' service utilization were collected at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post-transplant. During the first 30 days after patient transplant, caregiver medical and mental health professional service use decreased while support group attendance peaked. Mixed model regressions showed a significant decrease in mental health service use by the PEPRR group (P=0.001). At six months caregivers in TAU had predicted marginal probabilities of mental health services utilization over 10 times as high as caregivers in PEPRR (18.1% vs 1.5%). Groups failed to differ in medical service (P=0.861) or support group (P=0.067) use. We can conclude that participation in PEPRR compared to TAU was associated with reduced mental health service utilization. Caregiver psychosocial support services are critical to improve caregiver outcomes.

How to Engage Young People: Lessons from Lowell, MA

As a part of its collaboration with the Born This Way Foundation, the Berkman Center is publishing a series of papers that synthesize existing peer-reviewed research or equivalent scholarship and provide research-grounded insight to the variety of stakeholders working on issues related to youth empowerment and action towards creating a kinder, braver world. This series, called the The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series (danah boyd, John Palfrey, and Dena Sacco, editors), is presented by the Born This Way Foundation & the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and supported by the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This set of papers involves topics related to the Role of Youth Organizations and Youth Movements for Social Change.A youth organization’s success depends on young people’s participation within the local community. Many of the issues facing young people today reflect a poor engagement with community politics, cultural identity formation, and risk-taking behaviors based on that identity formation. The Teen Block was founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1990 with the goal of addressing these issues. Since that time, it has served over 8,000 young people, integrating social, behavioral, mental, and physical health. The city of Lowell rose during the Industrial Revolution, where it marked history with technological, social, and economic advances with textile factories and millworker unions. However, its economy fell and it quickly gained a reputation for urban decay, notable for being the setting of movies such as The Fighter where Christian Bale plays a local celebrity famous for being a drug addict. The median household income in Lowell is about 25 percent less than the statewide average. About a quarter of Lowell’s population of 106,000 was born outside the United States, and nearly half the population speaks a language other than English at home. The city of Lowell has a high population of marginalized young people, mostly of recent immigrant descent. The teen pregnancy rate of Lowell is the tenth highest in Massachusetts; gang violence has caused significant rifts in the community; and, considerable health disparities persist among Lowell’s ethnic groups. The Teen Block serves approximately 80 young people annually, aged 12-20 years old. Many of them are first or second generation Americans. 80 percent are Asian, 10 percent are African, 5 percent are Latino, and 5 percent are classified as ‘Other.’ Members are recruited through high school and referred from the community, sometimes through the justice department. These teens are at risk for teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancies, poverty, high school dropout, low educational attainment, alcohol and drug abuse, and the lure of gang activity. Because many Lowell youth are from refugee families, they are also affected by things like having been in refugee camps as young children, the challenges of adapting to a new country and/or culture, generational conflict between children and their immigrant and refugee parents, and second generation trauma for adolescent children of Southeast Asian and African refugee parents suffering from torture and trauma under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and oppressive regimes and war in African countries, respectively. The Teen Block is a department of the Lowell Community Health Center, through which it has access to medical and mental health professional services. It relies on this organizational structure, its staff, and a youth development model for engaging young people in their communities. Activities in the Teen Block are based on best practices and evidence-based research as well as on self-conducted needs assessments. Since the Teen Block was founded, Lowell has experienced an 18 percent decline in teen births. Adults who were former members have returned to help sustain its structure through volunteering, grant writing, and employment. Teen Block youth go onto higher education, obtain jobs, and contribute meaningfully to the art communities of Lowell.

Perceptions of African American Christians' Attitudes Toward Religious Help-Seeking: Results of an Exploratory Study

That religion has been a significant component of life in most African American communities for generations is a fact that has been firmly established in popular and scholarly literature alike. An accompanying reticence among members of this community to utilize the services of mental health professionals for serious personal/mental health issues for numerous, valid reasons has also been documented. Yet, what remains unknown is whether or not the historical reliance on the indigenous supports of the Black Church continues unabated or if the community is trending away from religious help-seeking. This paper presents initial findings from an exploratory study designed to assess the perceptions of African American Christians about help-seeking within the religious community.

Valuation of Services Offered by Mental Health Professionals in Swat Team Members: A Study of the Lubbock, Texas Swat Team

Special weapons and tactics teams (hereafter referred to as SWAT), which typically include negotiation teams and officers with special training, often deal with the mentally ill in crisis situations. There has been a trend in the United States to use mental health professionals as either consultants or negotiators when dealing with this population (Butler et al. 1993). This has created a new field of practice for mental health professionals, but this area has received limited attention in scholarly journals because the use of deadly force is not a topic that many researchers readily discuss and research (Clark et al. 2000). Little research has been directed toward examining the relationships and interactions between law enforcement and mental health systems/professionals (Casey et al. 1992; Keilitz and Roesch 1992; Steadman 1992). Not much thought has been given to the interaction between law enforcement and mental health systems (Coggins and Pynchon 1998). Decades ago, federal and state agencies started to recognize the possible benefits of using mental health professionals as consultants to SWAT teams. Since that recognition, many law enforcement agencies have not only considered the possible benefits of using mental health professionals but have actually started using them as consultants to the negotiation team (Fuselier 1989). Existing evidence suggests that the use of mental health professionals in law enforcement is beneficial (Wolff et al. 1997). Typically, interactions between the mental health system and law enforcement involve using mental health professionals as consultants or as on-scene advisors to negotiation teams (Deane et al. 1999; Finn 1989; Hammer and van Zandt 1994; Olivero 1990). Although limited, the research in this area suggests that mental health professionals can make important contributions to the field of law enforcement, particularly in/during crisis situations involving SWAT teams. Many of the studies that examined the interactions between SWAT teams and the mental health system have limitations. Few studies, if any, have examined the value placed on the contributions of mental health professionals by SWAT team members. Previous literature has only studied the negotiators or team leaders of SWAT teams and their use of mental health professional services in crisis situations. Variables like rank, age, and previous experience with mental health professionals on-and off the job have not been examined to address whether they make a difference in the value placed on the contributions of SWAT team consultants. Nonetheless, there is a need to examine factors that might influence the acceptance by SWAT team members of the services provided by mental health professionals.

Emergency psychiatry: critical incident stress management: II. Developing a team.

Team development Needs and resource assessment Before developing a critical incident stress management program in your emergency department, you must ascertain whether it is warranted. Determining the need for a program may involve several steps—interviewing employees, reviewing past records and incidents, reviewing the literature, and employing a consultant trained in critical incident stress management to conduct a more formal needs assessment (2). One important consideration is the size of the hospital and the volume of the emergency department. A hospital that treats fewer than 25,000 patients a year probably could not effectively maintain an independent team, given the small number of critical incidents likely to occur in such a setting. No empirically based guidelines are available, but if only one or two critical incidents occur per year, then a team devoted solely to serving the department seems unwarranted. In such cases, a critical incident stress management program might best be implemented as a collaborative effort among several emergency departments and other departments or among other departments throughout the hospital, with each providing resources and personnel.

The primary care provider's view.

To take advantage of the services of mental health professionals, primary care physicians must improve their flexibility, communication, and teamwork. All parties must be willing to surrender a measure of autonomy and control, but the result is worth the effort.

Values and Policy: The Case of legal Services

This study examines the value systems of a sample of over three hundred respondents to determine differences between those who use the services of an attorney and those who do not. Using a modification of the Rokeach Value Survey, it is found that those people who use legal services are more apt to value more highly than do those who do not use lawyers. This finding seems to contradict the work of Phillips (1963) who found that those who value self-reliance are more apt to shun the services of mental health professionals. It is suggested that lawyers may function as aids to those who value independence highly and psychiatrists for those who do not. This study casts doubts on simpler models of the delivery of legal services based on traditional marketing approaches.