Mental Health Workshop Research Articles

The Existence of the Quarter Life Crisis Phenomenon in Young Adults on Post-Covid-19 Mental Health in Parepare City Communities

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of Quarter Life Crisis among young adults in Parepare City before and after the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health. This ex-post facto research involved young adults without permanent jobs in Parepare City. A purposive sampling technique was employed, with a total sample of 300 respondents. The study results indicate a significant effect of Quarter Life Crisis on Covid-19 prevention (Sig. 0.002 < 0.005) and on mental health (Sig. 0.014 < 0.05). A mental health workshop is proposed as an intervention to assist individuals experiencing a Quarter Life Crisis.

Improving Skills and Knowledge: Adapting a Core Competencies Suicide Risk Assessment Training Program to Support Mental Health Professionals in Hungary

Introduction Competency and skill-based education and assessment have become increasingly significant in mental health professional training. The conventional approach of acquiring knowledge is now being supplemented by emphasizing practical skills and implementing best practices that prove effective in the field. This emphasis on competencies is particularly apparent in the instruction regarding suicide risk evaluation and management. Cramer and colleagues have identified ten core competencies essential for working with patients at risk of suicide and developed a training material (Cramer et al. 2013, Train. Educ. Prof. Psychol; 1 1-11).Objectives We aim to tailor Cramer et al.’s training program to the Hungarian setting and assess its efficacy among mental health experts, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and social workers. Additionally, we aim to validate the Suicide Prevention and Assessment - Competency Assessment Form (SCAF-R), which comprises a ten-item survey to measure the ten core competencies’ levels with Likert scales and textual ratings by observers. Through this training program, we aim to offer mental health professionals an educational framework to enhance their skills in evaluating and managing suicide risk. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive approach to suicide risk assessment and better equip professionals to handle this emotionally difficult clinical task.Methods We have created a Hungarian version of the core competencies training material tailored to the culture. We are assessing changes in attitudes towards suicide behavior and prevention by administering pre- and post-training psychometric measures, such as Willingness to Intervene against Suicide (WISE), Suicide Behavior Attitude Questionnaire (SBAQ), Attitudes Toward Suicide Prevention Scale (ASP), and Suicide Competency Assessment Form - Revised (SCAF-R). A quantitative analysis will be performed on the responses. The research was approved by Péterfy Hospital’s Institutional Review Board (IRB): approval number 07-2023.ResultsThe questionnaires’ results will be summarized with standard statistical methods.ConclusionsImproving mental health education in healthcare with up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based best practices is a top priority. Enhancing skills and knowledge can lower clinicians’ anxiety in this emotionally challenging and burdensome task. There is a high demand for mental health workshop training among healthcare workers in both undergraduate and post-graduate education. We expect positive changes in attitude and self-perceived competencies in participants.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Experimental Therapeutics: Opportunities and Challenges Stemming From the National Institute of Mental Health Workshop on Novel Target Discovery and Psychosocial Intervention Development.

There has been slow progress in the development of interventions that prevent and/or reduce mental-health morbidity and mortality. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) launched an experimental-therapeutics initiative with the goal of accelerating the development of effective interventions. The emphasis is on interventions designed to engage a target mechanism. A target mechanism is a process (e.g., behavioral, neurobiological) proposed to underlie change in a defined clinical endpoint and through change in which an intervention exerts its effect. This article is based on discussions from an NIMH workshop conducted in February 2020 and subsequent conversations among researchers using this approach. We discuss the components of an experimental-therapeutics approach such as clinical-outcome selection, target definition and measurement, intervention design and selection, and implementation of a team-science strategy. We emphasize the important contributions of different constituencies (e.g., patients, caregivers, providers) in deriving hypotheses about novel target mechanisms. We highlight strategies for target-mechanism identification using published and hypothetical examples. We consider the decision-making dilemmas that arise with different patterns of results in purported mechanisms and clinical outcomes. We end with considerations of the practical challenges of this approach and the implications for future directions of this initiative.

Community-based mental health prevention strategy with older adults

The purpose of this study was to characterize the components required for the implementation of a community-based intervention strategy for mental health prevention in older adults in a poor neighborhood in the city of Temuco. The sample of the qualitative study was composed of 15 older adults, 2 neighborhood leaders, and 2 psychosocial interveners who have been working in the sector. The design corresponds to a case study, and semi-structured interviews guided by a guideline of topics and participant observation in activities carried out with older adults in a mental health and self-care workshop were used in the production of data. The data were interpreted through content analysis. The results show that the form of aging is characterized by loneliness and feelings of sadness, including in some cases tensions derived from family dynamics. There is also economic precariousness and difficulty in accessing health services. During the pandemic, they had to face various situations that increased their feelings of loneliness and helplessness. On the other hand, the results show that neighborhood strategies to support the elderly operate on a contingency basis, and are of an assistance type. On the other hand, there is little presence of services and interventions by professional teams of public policy programs focused on this population group. Among the priority needs of the people interviewed are social contact, breaking the routine, participating in collective recreational activities aimed at sharing with others, and developing workshops with external professionals that allow them to learn. In relation to the strategies that can contribute to a community-based intervention, the need for workshop-type group activities is identified, with a horizontal and close treatment of the professionals who dynamize them. These should be held regularly (weekly), with a personalized call, including the use of participatory and playful strategies and the possibility of developing handicrafts. The workshops are understood by the elderly as a space for socialization, mutual support and learning. According to the findings of the research, these workshops should be complemented with interventions and resources that promote healthy lifestyles and resources to adequately meet the needs of the elderly.

小児・思春期「メンタルヘルスワークショップ」開催報告

不登校など精神的な診療を必要とする小児患者が増加し，その背景には発達障害や愛着障害を抱える事例が増えている．小児の精神的な診療において必須の発達障害や愛着障害などの知識を持つ必要があると考え，今回，小児・思春期領域のメンタルヘルスワークショップを開催した．開催後には学習者が学んだ内容を活かして実践を試みる様子がみられたため，プライマリ・ケア領域のメンタルヘルス分野の新しい教育取組として報告する．

Combination outreach and wellness intervention for distressed rural veterans: results of a multimethod pilot study.

We partnered with veteran-serving nonprofits in order to identify distressed rural veterans and provide them with a mental health workshop in community-based settings. Community organizations helped recruit veterans and provided space for 1-day (5-h) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group workshops conducted in rural locations. Qualitative interviews were conducted at 1- and 3-months post-intervention to assess acceptability. Quantitative measures were conducted at baseline, 1- and 3-months post-intervention to measure effectiveness. We successfully engaged community partners throughout every stage of the research and delivered workshops to thirty-one veterans in rural community-based locations. Veterans appreciated the structure, content, and environment of the workshops; most implemented ACT skills into their daily lives and some initiated new treatment following workshop participation. Quantitative measures showed improvements in functioning (Cohen's d ranging from .27 to .40), reintegration (Cohen's d = .45), meaning and purpose (Cohen's d = .40), and reductions in distress (Cohen's d ranging from .28 to .40) 3-months following workshop participation. Collaborating with rural veteran-serving nonprofit organizations holds promise for engaging hard-to-reach distressed veterans in mental health care.

Mental health night: A peer-led initiative.

We describe a peer-led mental health (MH) workshop that was held at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (Niagara Regional Campus) in collaboration with Student Affairs. Workshop aims included facilitating discussions among peers and engaging in case-based learning about MH experiences in medical school. Post-workshop, attendees reported increased comfort in talking to classmates about personal MH, recognizing MH crises, and asking for help from peers. We believe that engaging medical learners in MH discussions early on in medical education is critical, and that peer-led workshops may aid in decreasing future MH difficulties and burnout. Due to the low-cost of holding peer-led workshops, this event could be easily replicated at other training sites.

Peer support: A medical student-driven mental health workshop.

Peer support: A medical student-driven mental health workshop.

Psoriasis and Mental Health Workshop Report: Exploring the Links between Psychosocial Factors, Psoriasis, Neuroinflammation and Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

Psoriasis is a systemic, relapsing, inflammatory disease associated with serious comorbidities including mood problems and/or unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Cutaneous and systemic abnormalities in innate and acquired immunity play a role in its pathogenesis. The exact pathogenetic mechanism remains elusive. Evidence is accumulating that TNF-alpha, IL-17 and IL-23 signalling are highly relevant as targeting these pathways reduces disease activity. Evidence suggests a strong link between psoriasis and depression in adults. The International Psoriasis Council (IPC) held a roundtable event, “Psoriasis and Mental Health”, in Barcelona, Spain which focused on the presence of depression and suicidality, plus the role of neuroinflammation in psoriasis, sleep disruption and the impact of depression on cardiovascular disease outcomes. We summarize here the expert presentations to provide additional insight into the understanding of psychiatric comorbidities of psoriasis and of the impact of chronic, systemic inflammation on neuro- and cardiovascular outcomes. the associations between psoriasis and other psychiatric comorbidities are still controversial and warrant further attention.

Examination of the Effects of the Stress Self-evaluation System and Mental Health Workshop on Teachers' Burnout

Examination of the Effects of the Stress Self-evaluation System and Mental Health Workshop on Teachers' Burnout

Effects of Mental Health and Trauma Counselling Module towards the Competency of Mental Health and Trauma Counselling Practices

This study aims to examine the effect of Mental Health and Trauma Counselling (MHTC) module toward counsellors’ competency in handling mental health and trauma counselling among school counselling teachers. In addition, this study also examines the effect of MHTC module towards sub constructs’ competencies namely knowledge, skills and awareness based on three demographic aspects that are related to subjects such as sex, age and level of experience of attending MHTC workshop. Quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test treatment group design was used in this study. The sample consists of 48 high school counselling teachers (14 males and 34 females) selected using purposive sampling within Selangor and Perak. Mental Health and Trauma Counselling Skills Instruments (MHTCSI) which contains three sub constructs competencies namely knowledge, skills and awareness are used in this study. Quantitative data of experimental study are analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics of mean, percentage and standard deviation and inferential statistical of t-test were used to analyze the data. The results show that MHTC module is found to be descriptively effective for enhancing the counsellor’s competency and sub constructs’ competencies, namely knowledge, skills and awareness based upon gender, age and level of experience of handling mental health and trauma counselling. The findings by inference using paired sample t-tests have proven that there are significant differences in pre-test and post-test for construct competency [t (47) = -13,865, p <.05] and sub construct’ competencies of knowledge [t (47) = -12,197, p <.05], skills [t (47) = -10,592, p <.05] and awareness [t (47) = -10,392, p <.05]. Based on the results, this study shows that mental health and trauma counselling workshop has successfully enhanced the counsellors’ competency and all sub variables’ competencies such as knowledge, skills and awareness. The implications of this study would directly enhance the efficiency of counselling practices and counsellor education in the context of mental health, especially in the field of trauma counselling among school counselling teachers.

An evaluation of participation in a schools-based youth mental health peer education training programme

AbstractThe use of peer education has been well documented within the discipline of health promotion, but not within the youth mental health domain. This paper describes an evaluation of an innovative schools-based peer education training programme that involved preparing young people to deliver a mental health workshop to their peers. Participants (n = 30) were recruited from five post-primary schools in Ireland. After each training session (n = 4), participants completed a questionnaire assessing their reactions to training. Participants also completed measures of self-esteem, help-seeking, mental health knowledge and skills at their first and final training session, and at the end of the programme. Significant changes in participants’ presentation skills, mental health knowledge and beliefs about help-seeking were observed. Participants also reported that training was well facilitated and well timed. Overall, findings indicate participation in a schools-based mental health peer education training progr...

Concise Review: Progress and Challenges in Using Human Stem Cells for Biological and Therapeutics Discovery: Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

In facing the daunting challenge of using human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to study complex neural circuit disorders such as schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, a 2012 National Institute of Mental Health workshop produced a set of recommendations to advance basic research and engage industry in cell-based studies of neuropsychiatric disorders. This review describes progress in meeting these recommendations, including the development of novel tools, strides in recapitulating relevant cell and tissue types, insights into the genetic basis of these disorders that permit integration of risk-associated gene regulatory networks with cell/circuit phenotypes, and promising findings of patient-control differences using cell-based assays. However, numerous challenges are still being addressed, requiring further technological development, approaches to resolve disease heterogeneity, and collaborative structures for investigators of different disciplines. Additionally, since data obtained so far is on small sample sizes, replication in larger sample sets is needed. A number of individual success stories point to a path forward in developing assays to translate discovery science to therapeutics development.

Evaluación de la Aplicación Piloto de una Intervención Preventiva de Salud Mental en la Escuela: Variaciones en la Desadaptación Escolar y en la Disfunción Psicosocial Adolescente

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a pilot preventive mental health workshop on adolescents attending 8 schools in the district of Lo Espejo, located in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, who participated in the nationwide program “Habilidades para la Vida II” during 2011. The study sought to explore the effects of the application of this 6-month preventive intervention on the adolescents’ school maladjustment (SM) and psychosocial dysfunction (PD) variables. A pre-experimental study with no control group and with pre- and post-intervention measurements was designed. Purposive intensity sampling was used to select 65 adolescents of both sexes attending 7th grade at the time of the intervention. The analysis considered repeated measures ANOVA and t-tests for related samples. The results showed that the intervention reduced the level of the risk factors associated with SM; however, it was not effective in modifying the adolescents’ PD.

G161(P) Creating a mental health workshop for secondary school children

BackgroundIn the UK 1 in 10 children aged 5–16 has a mental health disorder, and 80,000 young children and adolescents are living with severe depression. Despite published evidence highlighting the...

Expressing one’s feelings and listening to others increases emotional intelligence: a pilot study of Asian medical students

BackgroundThere has been considerable interest in Emotional Intelligence (EI) in undergraduate medical education, with respect to student selection and admissions, health and well-being and academic performance. EI is a significant component of the physician-patient relationship. The emotional well-being of the physician is, therefore, a significant component in patient care. The aim is to examine the measurement of TEIQue-SF in Asian medical students and to explore how the practice of listening to the feelings of others and expressing one’s own feelings influences an individual’s EI, set in the context of the emotional well-being of a medical practitioner.MethodsA group of 183 international undergraduate medical students attended a half-day workshop (WS) about mental-health and well-being. They completed a self-reported measure of EI on three occasions, pre- and post-workshop, and a 1-year follow-up.ResultThe reliability of TEIQue-SF was high and the reliabilities of its four factors were acceptable. There were strong correlations between the TEIQue-SF and personality traits. A paired t-test indicated significant positive changes after the WS for all students (n=181, p= .014), male students (n=78, p= .015) and non-Japanese students (n=112, p= .007), but a repeated measures analysis showed that one year post-workshop there were significant positive changes for all students (n=55, p= .034), female students (n=31, p= .007), especially Japanese female students (n=13, p= .023). Moreover, 80% of the students reported that they were more attentive listeners, and 60% agreed that they were more confident in dealing with emotional issues, both within themselves and in others, as a result of the workshop.ConclusionThis study found the measurement of TEIQue-SF is appropriate and reliable to use for Asian medical students. The mental health workshop was helpful to develop medical students’ EI but showed different results for gender and nationality. The immediate impact on the emotional awareness of individuals was particularly significant for male students and the non-Japanese group. The impact over the long term was notable for the significant increase in EI for females and Japanese. Japanese female students were more conscious about emotionality. Emotion-driven communication exercises might strongly influence the development of students’ EI over a year.

Rainbow Beneath the Sky: Mental Health Help for Chinese Americans

<i>Rainbow Beneath the Sky</i>: Mental Health Help for Chinese Americans

Negative Symptoms and Social Cognition: Identifying Targets for Psychological Interventions

How to improve treatment for negative symptoms is a continuing topic of debate. Suggestions have been made to advance psychological understanding of negative symptoms by focusing on the social cognitive processes involved in symptom formation and maintenance. Following the recommendations by the National Institute of Mental Health workshop on social cognition in schizophrenia, this study investigated associations between negative symptoms and various aspects of social cognition including Theory of Mind (ToM), attribution, empathy, self-esteem, and interpersonal self-concepts in 75 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 75 healthy controls. Negative symptoms were significantly associated with difficulties in ToM, less readiness to be empathic, lower self-esteem, less self-serving bias, negative self-concepts related to interpersonal abilities, and dysfunctional acceptance beliefs. Different aspects of social cognition were mildly to moderately correlated and interacted in their impact on negative symptoms: Difficulties in ToM were associated with negative symptoms in persons with low but not in persons with medium or high levels of self-esteem. Taken together, the social cognition variables and their hypothesized interaction explained 39% of the variance in negative symptoms after controlling for neurocognition and depression. The results highlight the relevance of self-concepts related to social abilities, dysfunctional beliefs, and global self-worth alone and in interaction with ToM deficits for negative symptoms and thereby provide a helpful basis for advancing psychosocial interventions.

Integrating Statistical and Clinical Research Elements in Intervention-Related Grant Applications: Summary From an NIMH Workshop

The authors summarize points for consideration generated in a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) workshop convened to provide an opportunity for reviewers from different disciplines-specifically clinical researchers and statisticians-to discuss how their differing and complementary expertise can be well integrated in the review of intervention-related grant applications. A 1-day workshop was convened in October, 2004. The workshop featured panel presentations on key topics followed by interactive discussion. This article summarizes the workshop and subsequent discussions, which centered on topics including weighting the statistics/data analysis elements of an application in the assessment of the application's overall merit; the level of statistical sophistication appropriate to different stages of research and for different funding mechanisms; some key considerations in the design and analysis portions of applications; appropriate statistical methods for addressing essential questions posed by an application; and the role of the statistician in the application's development, study conduct, and interpretation and dissemination of results. A number of key elements crucial to the construction and review of grant applications were identified. It was acknowledged that intervention-related studies unavoidably involve trade-offs. Reviewers are helped when applications acknowledge such trade-offs and provide good rationale for their choices. Clear linkage among the design, aims, hypotheses, and data analysis plan and avoidance of disconnections among these elements also strengthens applications. The authors identify multiple points to consider when constructing intervention-related grant applications. The points are presented here as questions and do not reflect institute policy or comprise a list of best practices, but rather represent points for consideration.

Comparison of Diagnostic Guidelines for Juvenile Bipolar Disorder

The purpose of the present paper was to compare currently available diagnostic guidelines for juvenile bipolar disorder with respect to utility in research and clinical practice. A systematic search of psychiatric, medical and psychological databases was conducted using the terms 'juvenile bipolar disorder', 'paediatric bipolar disorder' and 'guidelines'. Three main sets of guidelines issued by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (UK), The National Institute of Mental Health (USA) and Child Psychiatric Workshop (USA) were found. There were key differences in the recommendations made by each regarding the diagnosis and symptomatic presentation of juvenile bipolar disorder. Although the diagnosis of juvenile bipolar disorder is gaining increased recognition, its definition remains controversial. It is recommended that clinicians and researchers need to develop diagnostic guidelines that have clinical salience and can be used for future research by incorporating key features of those that are currently available.