Perceptions Of Mental Health Professionals Research Articles

Perceptions of Mental Health Professionals on Nutritional Psychiatry as an Adjunct Treatment in Mainstream Psychiatric Settings in New South Wales, Australia.

Background Nutritional psychiatry refers to the practice of using food, or nutrition, as alternative or complementary treatment for mental health disorders. It is a growing area of research that has shown links between the biological processes in the gut and how the food we consume can impact cognitive function, which then can impact our mood and behaviour. However, there is a lack of understanding on the knowledge and education of nutritional psychiatry in mental health clinicians, and further, how nutritional psychiatry, if at all, is practised in psychiatric clinical settings. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the perceptions, knowledge, and education of mental health professionals within the state of New South Wales, Australia regarding their clinical practice and knowledge of nutritional psychiatry. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered structured questionnaire created by the authors was successfully completed by 40 mental health professionals (mental health nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, medical officers, and other allied health workers) who were working in New South Wales, Australia. 49 questionnaires were attempted with nine excluded due to these being predominantly incomplete, including demographic data only or empty,ensuring integrity of the remaining data and analysis. The questionnaire aimed to uncover their perceptions, knowledge, and education in nutritional psychiatry and its role in mental health settings. The questionnaire included 16 questions that covered various themes such as the frequency and importance of discussing nutrition with patients, nutrition referrals for issues regarding nutrition, the value of including nutritional psychiatry in their clinical practice, and clinician training and willingness to train or gain further education in nutritional psychiatry. Data was analysed through a series of frequency tables to categorise patterns and identify patternsthrough the use of descriptive statistics in our analysis of the distribution of attitudes and practicesamong mental health professionals regarding nutritional psychiatry. Results A total of 40 mental health clinicians successfully completed the survey and their results were analysed. The results suggest that most clinicians (85% to 93%) recognised the importance of nutrition in mental health, however, revealed variousbarriers which hinderedtheir clinical practice such as a lack of time, knowledge, and access to nutritional services. Further, 54% of clinicians rated their knowledge of nutritional psychiatry as low, however, 92% revealed that they would attend nutritional psychiatry training if given the opportunity. Additionally, the clinicians reported varied levels of education in nutrition, with 43% reporting no education at all on nutrition in their preclinical studies. Conclusions Clinicians recognise the importance of nutrition in mental health settings, but revealed lack of time, knowledge, and nutritional services as barriers in clinical practice. Further, clinicians reported a lack of pre-clinical education on nutrition together with an overwhelming interest in engaging with nutritional psychiatry education if it were made available. These conclusions provide important insights for higher education and health policy.

“Made a world of a difference”: mental health services in incarcerated settings

The consequences of incarceration on currently and formerly confined individuals has been well documented. However, the loved ones of those incarcerated are an often-overlooked population. Specifically, the mental health challenges of those with an incarcerated loved one are often disregarded. By interviewing members of an online support group on Facebook, this study aims to amplify the voices of individuals with an incarcerated loved one and understand their perception of mental health professionals, for both themselves, as well as their incarcerated loved one through their lived experience. The theme, mental health services, encompassed the codes of repercussions, beneficial, lack of treatment, needing therapy, and efficacy. Each code will be discussed in-depth, with limitations and future directions included.

Shortages of medicines in a psychiatric hospital in Cyprus

Abstract Background The incidence of drug shortages has surged in recent years and it poses a major threat to public health worldwide. It can also downgrade the quality of care provided to patients. Data concerning shortages pertinent to mental health care are scarce, while treatment continuity is vital to avert disease recurrence and deterioration of patients’ mental health. Objective The scope of this study is to elucidate the attitudes and perceptions of mental health professionals regarding drug shortages in Cyprus in a tertiary health institute, through a specially designed questionnaire. Results The most frequently reported effects of psychiatric drug shortages were the impaired efficacy of the alternative therapeutic regimen, re-admission of patients, delays in care provision and increased frequency of adverse events. Concerning the loss of working hours in managing drug shortages, the majority responded that they dedicate 1 to 5 working hours to this per week. Informing the patient about alternative medication and the ongoing shortages were the first strategies to minimise the effects of shortages, as attested by 74% and 72% of responders, respectively. The proposed solutions for drug shortages included thorough investigation of the root causes, the elaboration of an e-based database, drawing up a national annual report and assuming legal responsibility of pharmaceutical companies. Drug shortages constitute an important burden in the field of mental health care in Cyprus. Given the serious impact of the problem and the externalities of mental health disorders, appropriate measures must be swiftly taken to ensure timely and effective administration of the appropriate therapeutic regimen.

Religious leaders’ trust in mental health professionals

ABSTRACT Religious leaders are often the first recourse for people facing mental health challenges. Efforts have been made to understand faith leaders’ mental health literacy, but little is known about the extent to which faith leaders trust mental health professionals, which likely influences their referral practices. To address this gap, this paper examines faith leaders’ perceptions of mental health professionals using data from interviews with leaders of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Sikh communities in Texas and the mid-Atlantic region conducted between 2017 and 2019 (n = 67). Analysis shows that when asked about the extent to which they would trust their members to the care of mental health professionals, faith leaders adopt one of four orientations (1) Unqualified trust; (2) Conditional trust; (3) Distrust and (4) Dismissal. The paper elaborates on each of these four orientations and leaders’ rationales for them, followed by implications for faith leaders and mental health professionals.

Barriers to Cooperation With Family Members in Psychiatric Care in Turkey: Perspectives of Health Professionals and Family Caregivers.

Cooperation between families of individuals with mental illnesses and mental health professionals is very important for the quality of mental health care, and there are many barriers to the establishment of cooperation between mental health professionals and families. It is highly important to identify/define barriers to cooperation between families and health professionals from a cultural perspective. The present study was aimed at identifying barriers to cooperation between mental health professionals and families from the perspectives of mental health professionals and family caregivers in Turkey. In the sample of this descriptive qualitative study, 12 family caregivers and 11 health professionals were included. The results of the study indicated seven themes regarding the perceptions of family caregivers and mental health professionals. The themes related to perceptions of family caregivers about barriers are as follows: "learning the process by living," the perception of "my patient comes first," and the perception of "being neglected." The themes related to perceptions of mental health professionals about barriers are as follows: "lack of collaboration within the team," "family itself as a barrier," and "lack of education about working with families." The common theme mentioned by both groups included the "patient-oriented service understanding." The results obtained from this study are believed to be a guide for planning and implementing interventions to eliminate the barriers defined from the perspectives of both mental health professionals and family caregivers. Both mental health professionals and family caregivers need psychosocial interventions for strengthening "family cooperation."

A percepção da desinstitucionalização pelos profissionais da saúde mental na práxis no Centro de Atenção Psicossocial no contexto brasileiro

A Reforma Psiquiátrica trouxe mudança de paradigma na atenção psicossocial com relação aos processos de reorganização do modelo assistencial e às práticas cotidianas nos serviços substitutivos. Considerando a interdisciplinaridade como estratégia importante para a organização do trabalho nos Centros de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS) torna-se relevante descrever, contextualizar e elucidar as percepções dos profissionais de saúde mental acerca da desinstitucionalização e as experiências vivenciadas no cuidado aos usuários atendidos nesse novo modelo assistencial. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratório-descritiva de campo, com abordagem qualitativa fenomenológica. Utilizou-se a entrevista fenomenológica para coleta de dados. Para análise dos dados, foi utilizado o método de Clark Moustakas e interpretação no referencial de Maurice Merleau-Ponty. O estudo foi aprovado no Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). As categorias encontradas foram intituladas: 1ª) Os sentidos da desinstitucionalização para os profissionais do CAPS, e 2ª) A desinstitucionalização da existência humana do paciente. Na pesquisa descrevemos as percepções da equipe do CAPS e a interdisciplinaridade dos profissionais no desempenho dessa equipe no cotidiano, mostrando a importância dessa troca de saberes, opiniões e percepções entre os profissionais, na forma de cuidado mais humanizado, percebendo a singularidade e as possibilidades dos usuários inseridos no novo modelo assistencial que precisam ressignificar sua existência e reaprender a conviver em sociedade.

Addressing the existential dimension in treatment settings: Mental health professionals’ and healthcare chaplains’ attitudes, practices, understanding and perceptions of value

Research has shown that addressing and integrating the existential dimension in treatment settings reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Healthcare chaplains are key personnel in this practice. A nationwide, cross-sectional survey influenced by a mixed-methods approach was used to examine the attitudes, practices, understanding and perceptions of mental health professionals, including healthcare chaplains, regarding the value of addressing the existential dimension in treatment programmes. The existential group practice was led by the healthcare chaplains as an integrated part of specialist mental health services. A positive and open attitude towards addressing the existential dimension was identified among the informants. Despite this, a small gap between attitude and practice was reported. Existential, religious and spiritual concerns are reported as part of the existential dimension and as relevant topics to be discussed in specialist mental health services. The findings indicate that the existential group practice could have a positive influence on the co-leaders’ competence to address existential, religious and spiritual concerns; however, this should be further investigated.

Estigma e violência na percepção dos profissionais de saúde mental de uma unidade psiquiátrica em hospital geral

Resumo Introdução O artigo em questão é fruto de uma pesquisa no âmbito da saúde mental, em um dos dispositivos potencializados após a década de 1990. Objetivo A investigação teve como objetivo geral compreender a percepção dos profissionais de saúde mental, atuantes em uma Unidade Psiquiátrica de Hospital Geral, sobre os termos estigma e violência. Método Trata-se de pesquisa exploratória, descritivo-analítica com abordagem qualitativa. Teve como campo a Unidade de Internação Psiquiátrica de um Hospital Geral Universitário, no município do Rio de Janeiro. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram 06 profissionais de saúde mental. Após a liberação dos Comitês de Ética, autorização da direção e o preenchimento dos Termos de Consentimento, o passo posterior envolveu as entrevistas semiestruturadas. Optou-se pela análise de conteúdo para trabalhar os dados obtidos. Resultados Enquanto alguns profissionais demonstraram desconhecer o significado de estigma, o termo violência foi exemplificado através de conceituações e aproximações com a realidade social. As diversas falas sobre a violência simbólica ganharam destaque. Ao mencioná-la, reconheceram que determinadas práticas junto aos pacientes, ainda que não agreguem violências de ordem física, reproduzem a estigmatização, que repercute na violência psicológica e nas negligências. Conclusão Ainda que a mudança no cuidado tenha se estabelecido, faz-se necessário o conhecimento do processo da violência e estigmatização nas práticas atuais, dado que tais fenômenos podem agravar o sofrimento existente.

Family resilience and chemical dependency: perception of mental health professionals.

To learn the perception of health professionals from the Psychosocial Attention Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs regarding the resilience attributes that are critical to family members of psychoactive substance dependents. A qualitative descriptive study conducted from February to May 2016, using a focus group technique for data collection. In total, 15 professionals participated in the study: 13 health professionals and two administrative professionals. The statements were recorded and transcribed, and these data were analyzed using the technique of thematic content analysis. Health professionals recognize the family resilience attributes needed for efficient and assertive communication, as well as organizational patterns and facilitating family strengths, factors that contribute to improved family relationship and family functionality. This study contributed to a perspective of clinical intervention with family members that is not limited to the negative aspects of family relationship and life, such as fragility and family dysfunction.

Social Workers' Perceptions of the Association Between Role Playing Games and Psychopathology.

• The perception of mental health professionals toward role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons is understudied. • Social Workers' perception was measured in regard to the connection between use of RPGs and DSM-IV-TR psychopathology. • Greater knowledge of RPGs was found to be associated with lower perception of the connection between use of RPGs and DSM-IV-TR psychopathology.

Family of older adults with mental disorder: perception of mental health professionals.

to understand the perceptions of healthcare professionals of the Psychosocial Care Centers regarding the family of older adults with mental disorders. study of a Qualitative Case conducted with 12 healthcare professionals from a Psychosocial Care Center, with a convenient and exhaustive sample. Conducting semi-structured interviews to collect data, which were analyzed with the Content Analysis technique. the following categories stood out: "Family exhaustion and deterioration in the perception of the healthcare professional" and "The abandonment of older adults by family members and their distancing in the perception of the healthcare professional." culpability of older adults and penalization of the family were verified by healthcare professionals. To bring awareness about the difficulties faced in the attempt to bring the family closer to the healthcare service, it is necessary to analyze the care given to the older adult and to overcome challenges in the effective construction of the bond between family, healthcare user and mental health service.

Professionals' views on mental health service users' education: challenges and support.

Introduction Studies show the importance of providing support for mental health service users' (MHSUs') education. However, none of these studies explored this support in the community mental health centre setting. The range of MHSUs' educational activities identified in this study varied from participation in courses at the mental health centres to independent studies at different levels of education outside the centres. Aim (1) How do mental health professionals perceive the challenges that may limit service users' potential when they apply for, and complete, their education? (2) How do the professionals describe the methods of rehabilitation aimed at supporting the service users in achieving their educational goals? Method The data were collected from 14 mental health professionals using focus group interviews. Inductive content analysis was then performed. Results Professionals perceive that the predominance of disease and marginalization may be barriers to MHSUs' success in education. Strengthening the MHSUs' internal resources, creating a supportive environment with professional expertise available and service user-centred education appeared to support the MHSUs' educational achievements. Our findings confirm previous knowledge of a recovery-oriented approach to support MHSUs' education. However, professionals' views on this topic in the context of community mental health centres have not been investigated previously. Discussion Professionals perceive that a recovery-oriented approach to rehabilitation may support MHSUs in their educational efforts. Implications for practice A recovery-oriented approach should be adopted by all levels of the community mental health centres. MHSUs and professionals need to have a shared opinion on the definition of recovery orientation. This requires mutual discussion and a more active involvement of MHSUs in the design of their own rehabilitation process.

Public perceptions of mental health professionals: stigma by association?

Background: Existing research has identified the phenomenon of associative stigma, but has not robustly illustrated that any stigmatisation of mental health professionals (MHPs) stems from association with clients.Aim: To examine whether public perceptions of MHPs mirror ideas about service users.Method: A mixed-methods approach incorporated statistical analysis of questionnaire results and thematic analysis of focus group transcripts. A convenience sample (N = 260) completed the questionnaire, rating “typical” target professionals (some treating specified mental health conditions) on semantic differential scales. Three focus groups (N = 15) triangulated questionnaire findings.Results: Mirroring mental illness stereotypes, questionnaire participants rated counsellors and psychiatrists as more eccentric and unpredictable than GPs. Professionals specialising in treating substance abuse and schizophrenia were rated as less empathetic, agreeable, predictable and conventional than those treating depression, reflecting differing representations of these conditions. Specialists in depression and schizophrenia were rated as more withdrawn than those treating substance abuse. Focus group participants postulated that mental health problems may cause or result from mental health employment.Conclusion: MHPs seem stigmatised by association with clients. Future research should elucidate the origins of stigma to safeguard professionals’ and clients’ well-being.

Perception of Suicide Risk in Mental Health Professionals.

This study employed an independent-groups design (4 conditions) to investigate possible biases in the suicide risk perception of mental health professionals. Four hundred participants comprising doctors, nurses and social workers viewed a vignette describing a fictitious patient with a long-term mental illness. The case was presented as being drawn from a sample of twenty similar clinical case reports, of which 10 were associated with an outcome of suicide. The participant tasks were (i) to decide whether the presented vignette was one of those cases or not, and (ii) to provide an assessment of confidence in that decision. The 4 conditions were used to investigate whether the presence of an associated face, and the nature of the emotional state expressed by that face, affected the response profile. In fact, there were no significant differences between conditions, but there was a significant bias across all conditions towards associating the vignette with suicide, despite the base rate being pre-determined at 50%. The bias was more pronounced in doctors and in male respondents. Moreover, many participants indicated substantial confidence in their decisions. The results are discussed in terms of availability bias and over-confidence bias.

Perceptions of mental healthcare professionals regarding inpatient therapy programmes for adolescents in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

ObjectivesThe study aimed to explore and describe the perceptions of mental health professionals with experience working in psychiatric hospitals regarding inpatient therapy programmes for adolescents.MethodsThe study followed a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. The research population included various mental healthcare professionals with experience working at psychiatric hospitals in the Eastern Cape. Purposive sampling was utilised and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Tesch's eight steps of data analysis were followed and Lincoln and Guba's model of trustworthiness was utilised.ResultsTwo main themes emerged from the research. The first considered the unique skills and contributions of mental healthcare professionals to an adolescent programme. The second theme acknowledged the need for adolescent therapy programmes to be holistically structured in order to be effective.ConclusionsThe findings showed that inter-professional collaboration is an important aspect of successful inpatient adolescent therapy programmes. Such programmes benefit from the involvement of a wide variety of professionals. However, professionals who are part of a multi-professional team need to be suitably skilled and prepared to meet the needs of the adolescent. Professionals working in therapy programmes for adolescents should have certain personal attributes that make them suitable for working with adolescents. An adolescent inpatient therapy programme requires a team leader or a coordinator to lead the programme to ensure its success. Continuous assessment of each adolescent is essential. Therapy should take place in an adolescent-friendly environment and should be structured yet flexible. The involvement of the adolescents’ families is critical, and the programme should be designed with the family in mind. Group therapy is a major component of an adolescent therapy programme and individual therapy is also an important aspect of the programme. Finally, adolescents should only take part in the programme for a short time to avoid institutionalisation.

Barriers to mental health service use among distressed family caregivers of lung cancer patients.

Although family caregivers of patients with lung and other cancers show high rates of psychological distress, they underuse mental health services. This qualitative study aimed to identify barriers to mental health service use among 21 distressed family caregivers of lung cancer patients. Caregivers had not received mental health services during the patient's initial months of care at a comprehensive cancer centre in New York City. Thematic analysis of interview data was framed by Andersen's model of health service use and Corrigan's stigma theory. Results of our analysis expand Andersen's model by providing a description of need variables (e.g. psychiatric symptoms), enabling factors (e.g. finances), and psychosocial factors associated with caregivers' non-use of mental health services. Regarding psychosocial factors, caregivers expressed negative perceptions of mental health professionals and a desire for independent management of emotional concerns. Additionally, caregivers perceived a conflict between mental health service use and the caregiving role (e.g. prioritising the patient's needs). Although caregivers denied stigma associated with service use, their anticipated negative self-perceptions if they were to use services suggest that stigma may have influenced their decision to not seek services. Findings suggest that interventions to improve caregivers' uptake of mental health services should address perceived barriers.

Correlates of Perceived Helpfulness of Mental Health Professionals Following Disclosure of Sexual Assault

A diverse sample of more than 365 adult sexual assault survivors, recruited from college and community sources, was surveyed about sexual assault experiences, post-assault factors, and perceived helpfulness of and satisfaction with mental health professionals. Regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with perceived helpfulness of and satisfaction with mental health professionals. Older age, higher posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), greater control over recovery, and more emotional support reactions were associated with positive perceptions of mental health professionals. Stranger offenders, greater resistance during assault, high victim post-assault upset, and blaming social reactions from others were associated with negative perceptions of mental health professionals.

Clergy: A partner in rural mental health?

Recent trends in rural mental health demonstrate increasing utilization of religious clergy for mental health service delivery. Services provided by clergy are an attractive solution to many of the barriers to rural mental health, such as the lack of accessibility, availability, and anonymity associated with services in rural areas. The religious orientation is another factor that influences the appeal to seek services for a mental health related problem from a clergy member in place of a mental health professional. Perceptions of mental health professionals, fear of judgment, and desire to incorporate religion into the therapeutic process have contributed to the demand on clergy to provide increasing amounts of therapy. Clergy report feeling inadequate and lacking in the skills needed to delivery therapy and appropriate services for mental health related issues. Collaboration between clergy and mental health professionals' may begin to bridge the gap between the two professions while insuring that the best possible services are delivered. Language: en

A qualitative study of orthognathic patients’ perceptions of referral to a mental health professional: Part 1—questionnaire development

The aim of this study was to develop a measure to assess orthognathic patients' perceptions of referral to a mental health professional. Prospective qualitative study. UCLH Foundation Trust. The study was divided into two parts. The first phase involved developing a patient-centred questionnaire by carrying out semi-structured interviews with 10 orthognathic patients and 10 clinicians involved in orthognathic treatment provision. The transcripts from these interviews were then analysed using the N6 software package for qualitative research and thematic content analysis was carried out. As key themes and theories of patients' perceptions of referral to a mental health professional began to emerge from the data, this directed the source of further interviews, allowing exploration and validation of all theories. When new themes ceased to arise, it was assumed that data saturation was reached, and no further interviews were undertaken. A questionnaire was then developed using the key themes from the interviews and this was piloted. Analysis of the interviews revealed that patient views could be divided into two main themes: service provision and perceptions of mental health professionals. These themes were incorporated into a questionnaire. A new measure of patients' perceptions of referral to a mental health professional is presented.

Perceptions of mental health professionals and family caregivers about their collaborative relationships: A factor analytic study

This study investigated collaboration between mental health professionals and family caregivers by examining perceptions of their routine relationships. Independent samples of professionals (N = 240) and family caregivers of adults with severe mental illness (N = 270) responded to items developed to measure 14 facets of collaboration. Principal component analyses and standard multiple regressions were performed. Five components, accounting for 55% of the variance, were identified in professionals' perceptions of collaboration whereas two components, accounting for 56% of the variance, were identified in family caregivers' perceptions. Components capturing the behaviours and attitudes of the other party were the best predictors of both family caregiver and professional perceptions of overall collaboration. The results suggest that relatively simple collaboration models can describe routine professional–caregiver interactions, although professionals possess a more differentiated concept of collaboration than family caregivers. Unexpectedly, both professionals and caregivers tended to attribute responsibility for collaboration to the other party. Training programs in which mental health professionals and family caregivers jointly learn the best ways to work together may be valuable.