Perceptions Of Mental Illness Research Articles

Psychology and the historical power–body conjunction: Foucault’s different view of the history and philosophy of psychology

By changing his primary concepts—abstraction, alienation, dream, morale, and power—Foucault changed his perception of mental illness and the history and philosophy of psychology throughout his career. Nevertheless, despite conceptual changes, it seems that Nietzsche’s genealogical view of knowledge and the historical power–body conjunction runs like a red thread through Foucault’s works as early as 1961. This article highlights Foucault’s coherent and divergent views on the history and philosophy of psychology and their effects on his theories, findings, and contributions.

Somali Refugees’ Perceptions of Mental Illness

Nearly 13% of the U.S. population is comprised of foreign-born individuals, with Somalis constituting one of the largest resettled groups. Research suggests that, among Somali refugees, rates of mental illness are high. Yet research shows Somalis underutilize mental health services. Understanding their perceptions of mental illness and its cures may help practitioners to design more effective treatments for this population. Thus, this pilot study investigated Somali refugees’ perceptions of mental illness and its treatments. Using purposive sampling, this qualitative study interviewed 20 Somali refugees using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative analysis yielded participants’ perceptions of mental illness through their descriptions of physical symptoms accompanying mental illness, the stigma of mental illness, causes of mental illness, medical and non-medical treatments for mental illness, spirit possession causing mental illness, and the Qur’an as treatment for mental illness. Such information may help practitioners in the United States approach Somali clients in the most culturally coherent manner.

Psychiatrist Forwards Understanding of Islam, MH Care for Muslim Women

Psychiatrist Forwards Understanding of Islam, MH Care for Muslim Women

Problematic identities in the novels of Alessandro Perissinotto

This article proposes an analysis of characterization in the narrative production of Alessandro Perissinotto. In particular, it aims to establish a relation between the construction of problematic identities and implications of socio-historical relevance. The increasing difficulty of dealing with individual identity in narrative suggests a comparison with Italy’s shared memory and several contemporary topics of social interest. Such psychological conditions as the Electra complex, burnout, bipolar disorder, and the projection of one’s personality on a doppelgänger evince the difficulties of the study of identity in the contemporary novel. The internal struggle of the character overlaps with social perceptions of mental illness, drug addiction, and recent immigration, as well as the legacy of fascism and terrorism on today’s Italy.

Mad, bad, and dangerous to know: psychiatric illness in film and theatre

AimsTo describe and discuss the portrayal of psychiatric illness in film and theatre.MethodA review of psychiatric literature on psychiatric illness and stigma was carried out. This was combined with a review of selected films and plays. The dramatic function of mental illness, and the manner of its portrayal, were considered in a discursive manner.ResultsFrom Ancient Greek theatre to modern film, psychiatric illness has been used to exemplify “otherness”. This has frequently had connotations of danger and violence, either to others or to societal norms. Occasionally psychiatric illness is depicted as transformative, or an understandable reaction to an insane environment, and there is a trend towards more nuanced depictions of mental illness. However, the disproportionate association of mental illness with violence and danger is reflected in the public's perception of mental illness, and contributes to self-stigmatisation.ConclusionOngoing communication between psychiatry, service users and the arts may help to challenge the stereotype of “mad, bad and dangerous to know”.

Understanding Service Utilization Disparities and Depression in Latinos: The Role of Fatalismo.

Research demonstrates a disparity between need and utilization of mental health services for Latinos. Cultural variations in perceptions of mental illness may be partially responsible for this discrepancy. Past research with Latinos has shown links between fatalismo, a cultural value similar to external locus of control, and both depression and lower service utilization in medical care, while links to psychiatric care have not been investigated. The current study therefore aimed to explore the associations between fatalismo, depression, and past year mental health service utilization by Latinos. A community sample of 83 Latino adults were recruited during local cultural events. Participants completed self-report measures of depression, fatalism, and past year service utilization. Analyses using structural equation modeling showed fatalismo was directly negatively related to past year medical service utilization (β=-.35). In contrast, the link between fatalismo and past year mental health service utilization was mediated by self-reported depressive symptoms (indirect β=.19, p<.001). We conclude that while fatalismo is associated with depression in Latinos, other barriers likely serve as more salient deterrents of service utilization.

Wearing the Label of Mental Illness: Community-Based Participatory Action Research of Mental Illness Stigma

Stigma remains an impediment to seeking and receiving the requisite care for mental illness. To enhance a local National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) affiliate’s understanding of community members’ perceptions of mental illness and its associated stigma, a community-based participatory action research study was conducted. The study addressed the following research question: how do community members understand and experience the stigma associated with mental illness? Twenty-two participant-researchers wore mental illness labeled T-shirts around the local community, recorded their observations and reflections of this experience and recruited twenty-two community members for semi-structured interviews about mental illness stigma. Domain analysis of the interviews revealed community members’ understandings of (1) sources of stigma, (2) impacts of stigma, (3) conceptualizations of stigma and (4) pathways to change stigma. Findings were presented to members of the local NAMI affiliate as well as other community members. Practical implications, specific to the community of interest, are discussed.

The impact of a mental health teaching programme on rural and urban secondary school students’ perceptions of mental illness in southwest Nigeria

ObjectiveAvailable evidence suggests that children hold negative views about mental illness. Studies show that it is possible for schools and mental health services to jointly undertake child and adolescent mental health promotion. This study aimed to assess the impact of a school based mental health awareness programme aimed at increasing mental health literacy and reducing negative views about persons with mental illness.MethodsA total of 154 secondary school students in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, were allocated into an intervention and a control group. Students in the intervention group received a three-hour mental health awareness session. All students completed a pre-, immediate post, and six month post-intervention questionnaire on their views about mental health and illness.ResultsThere was a significant difference in the mean knowledge scores between the intervention and the control group post-intervention, but no significant differences in attitude and social distance scores.ConclusionBrief training workshops appear able to produce small but positive changes in the mental health knowledge of young Nigerians.

The Effects of Sociocultural Factors and Perceptions of Mental Illness on Indirect Disclosure Preferences

This study examined the effects of sociocultural factors and perceptions of mental illness on preferences for indirect disclosure. We surveyed 354 college students from China and the U.S. The results indicated that (a) males and members of the collectivistic culture reported more stigmatized attitudes; (b) stigma endorsement was positively associated with preferences for indirectness; and (c) males, members of the collectivistic culture, and individuals without previous interpersonal contact with someone with a mental illness were more likely to recommend an indirect disclosure strategy. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering how sociocultural factors can affect individuals’ preferences for disclosing stigmatized identities.

Effects of military operational tour on perceptions of mental illness and offending

Purpose:To further understanding of attitudes towards mental illness and perceived likelihood of crime for soldiers returning from military duty.Method:An attitudinal survey was undertaken and analysed to compare attitudes towards mental illness and crime using data gathered from military and non-military personnel.Results:Statistical analyses demonstrated significant differences in attitudes held by military and non-military personnel with regard to the causes of mental illness and the need for support services, and the likelihoods of soldiers being affected by mental illness and offending following military duty.Conclusion:Whilst some significant differences in attitudes were found, overall the results suggest there to be little or no effect of military occupation or operational tour experience on attitudes towards mental illness and offending.

Treatment planning: A key milestone to prevent treatment dropout in adolescents with borderline personality disorder.

The aim of this study was to gain a broader appreciation of processes involved in treatment dropout in adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A constructivist grounded theory was chosen using a multiple-case research design with three embedded levels of analysis (adolescent, parent, and care setting). Theoretical sampling and the different stages of analysis specific to grounded theory were performed according to the iterative process of constant comparative analysis. Twelve cases were examined (nine dropouts among adolescents with BPD and for the purpose of falsification, one dropout of suicidal adolescent without BPD and two completed treatments among adolescents with BPD). To document the cases, three groups of informants were recruited (adolescents, parents, and therapists involved in the treatment) and 34 interviews were conducted. Psychological characteristics, perception of mental illness and mental health care, and help-seeking context were the specific treatment dropout vulnerabilities identified in adolescents with BPD and in their parents. However, their disengagement became an issue only when care-setting response--including mitigation of accessibility problems, adaptation of services to needs of adolescents with BPD, preparation for treatment, and concern for clinicians' disposition to treat--was ill-suited to these treatment dropout vulnerabilities. Treatment planning proves to be a key milestone to properly engage adolescents with BPD and their parent. Systematic assessment of treatment dropout vulnerabilities before the intervention plan is laid out could foster better-suited responses of the care setting thus decreasing the incidence of treatment discontinuation in adolescents with BPD. Treatment dropout vulnerabilities specific to adolescents with BPD and their parents can be detected before the beginning of treatment. Premature treatment termination may be prevented if the care setting considers these vulnerabilities at treatment planning. Fears and negative reaction to treatment can be attenuated if the reasons behind the therapeutic orientation are explained and if the adolescent understand how the treatment will affect his condition. Concerns for autonomy of the adolescent, parental help-seeking context as well as ensuring that the clinician has the skills, interest, and motivation to work with the family may have a positive effect on families' commitment to treatment.

“Tangled wires in the head”: older migrant Chinese's perception of mental illness in Britain

In this article, the authors explored Cantonese-speaking older Chinese migrants knowledge, attitudes and expectations regarding mental illness. They obtained verbatim data from semi-structured interviews with eight participants recruited from London-based Chinese and church communities in Britain. They analyzed the data using the principles of Grounded Theory and in-depth content analysis. They examined cultural idioms in participants' accounts. Findings suggested that Western diagnostic categories of mental illness were alien to participants. They had a culturally constructed way of defining and characterizing mental illness. Participants used idioms of ‘nerve’, ‘mood’, ‘behavior’, ‘personality’, ‘normal life’, ‘compassion’ and the idiom of ‘others’ to construct an alternative world for stigma management. They erected an invisible but permeable barrier to limit access to their normal world. The role of traditional Chinese culture of Confucianism was significant in shaping perceptions and conceptions of mental illness. This article offered another perspective on the alternative world of Chinese migrants' cultural understandings of mental illness, an area with limited understanding at present. The authors discussed important implications for future research and social policy.

Client participation in mental health: shifting positions in decision-making

Individuals with severe mental illness have often been perceived by themselves and others as stigmatised and unable to make decisions about their lives. However, perceptions of mental illness and health care have experienced significant changes; as a result, community-, consumer- and recovery-based approaches have been developed. The aim of this article is to deepen our understanding about client participation as interactive and shifting positioning work. It examines how a client constructs him/herself as a decision-maker and how others support or hinder that position. The study is based on 25 mental health client interviews. Findings are reported in three sections that examine: (1) restricted participation; (2) supported participation; and (3) independent participation. It is argued that, when dealing with client participation in mental health, we need to focus on the subtle discursive practices by which clients perform positioning and are given positions. The findings provide a basis for discussing client participation as relational and interactive phenomena. Client participation is bound by client–practitioner interaction as well as by discursive practices. For the client to participate, he/she first needs to accomplish participant positioning, become an actor with a voice and be able to make decisions and choices. This is a crucial (but not easily accomplished) precondition of client participation.

Perceptions of Mental Illness and Related Stigma Among Vietnamese Populations: Findings from a Mixed Method Study

Mental-illness-related (MIR) stigma is recognized as a major barrier to health care. Yet very little is known about mental illness and stigma among Vietnamese populations, or how emigration and acculturation processes might affect traditional views. Focus group discussions were conducted with Vietnamese Americans in New Orleans (Louisiana) and Vietnamese nationals in Bui Chu (Vietnam), who shared historical and cultural backgrounds, in 2010 to assess differences in their perceptions of mental illness and stigma. Results show several significant differences in mental illness perceptions between Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese nationals, while MIR stigma seemed prevalent and understanding of mental illness was low among both groups.

The impact of an educational mental health intervention on adolescents' perceptions of mental illness

Nowadays, in many countries, mental health care is primarily community based. Community perceptions of mental illness are an essential issue for the quality of life of people with mental health problems and the promotion of mental health in general. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents' perceptions of mental illness and to examine the extent to which those perceptions changed after an educational mental health intervention. The data were collected twice, before and after the educational mental health intervention. Fifty-nine pupils from two Greek secondary schools were individually interviewed, and data were analyzed by inductive content analysis. The findings show that adolescents can provide a rich description of mental illness in a multidimensional way. After the intervention, they provide different descriptions, identify various forms of mental illness and express opinions on what mentally ill people need and how they should be treated. It is concluded that mental health educational interventions in schools can be effective in changing adolescents' perceptions towards mental illness.

Perceptions of mental illness among Muslim general practitioners in South Africa.

Mental health literacy on the part of medical practitioners is an important component of mental healthcare. General practitioners (GPs) are typically the first doctors consulted by a person who is ill. Exploration of their perceptions regarding mental illness, aetiological issues and treatment is important. To investigate perceptions of mental illness in a sample of ten South African Muslim GPs (five male, five female) in the Lenasia area (Johannesburg, South Africa). Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with each GP. The questionnaire encompassed 37 questions relating to the context in which the GPs practised, perceptions of mental illness, understanding of religion and culture, and treatment of mental illness (including aspects of spiritual illness). Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. Six dominant themes were identified, namely GPs' understanding of mental illness and its causation; stigma, secrecy and somatisation; the beneficial effects of religion in mental illnesses; perceptions of spiritual illnesses; collaboration with traditional healers; and collaboration with psychiatrists and psychologists. Greater awareness regarding the stigmatisation of mental illness is needed. Furthermore, it is important that healthcare professionals have an understanding of religious and cultural taxonomies of illness as well as the use of traditional healing as a mode of treatment. Participants identified a need for increased collaboration between healthcare professionals, including traditional healers.

Beyond attributions: Understanding public stigma of mental illness with the common sense model.

The present study applied the common sense model (i.e., cause, controllability, timeline, consequences, and illness coherence) to understand public attitudes toward mental illness and help-seeking intention and to examine the mediating role of perceived controllability between causal attributions with public attitudes and help seeking. Based on a randomized household sample of 941 Chinese community adults in Hong Kong, results of the structural equation modeling demonstrated that people who endorsed cultural lay beliefs tended to perceive the course of mental illness as less controllable, whereas those with psychosocial attributions see its course as more controllable. The more people perceived the course of mental illness as less controllable, more chronic, and incomprehensible, the lower was their acceptance and the greater was mental illness stigma. Furthermore, those who perceived mental illness with dire consequences were more likely to feel greater stigma and social distance. Conversely, when people were more accepting, they were more likely to seek help for psychological services and felt a shorter social distance. The common sense model provides a multidimensional framework in understanding public's mental illness perceptions and stigma. Not only should biopsychosocial determinants of mental illness be advocated to the public, cultural myths toward mental illness must be debunked.

Theatre, Society, and Stigma: Mental Illness on Stage

The paper describes an approach to theatre as an educational intervention in society linking the artist, the psychiatrist, and social groups with an interest in mental illness. An exploration of narratives and diagnostic criteria from psychiatric case studies led to the creation of two dramatic monologues focusing on awareness and impact of bipolar disorder on intimate personal relationships, particularly on the evolving transactional roles between the partner/caregiver and partner/patient. The paper argues that devised performance based on themes and characters that emerge from within the field of psychiatry may be used to address perceptions of mental illness and stigma for general community audiences. It concludes that psychiatrically informed material can be successfully translated into original dramatic performances to address current educational and social issues and raise social awareness in thought-provoking and stimulating ways to members of the public.

Service provision for autism in mainland China: Preliminary mapping of service pathways

Few data on healthcare services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are available from mainland China. This article is based on findings from 69 semi-structured interviews with parents of children with ASC in three intervention centres. The respondents are from 19 regions in mainland China. A service-mapping questionnaire containing 50 questions is developed and used as an interview schedule for service mapping. The pathway to diagnosis and intervention for children with ASC is presented according to parents' experience. The findings report considerable delay along the pathway which may be partly due to the under-developed service system. Several cultural issues are identified which may also contribute to the delay, such as the perception of mental illness, folk beliefs equating delayed development of language skills in early childhood with future high intelligence, and the state-imposed one-child policy. Delays in recognising ASC and a lack of support are also considered to be associated with the considerable financial burden placed on parents of children with ASC in mainland China.

Exploring the role of Islam in perceptions of mental illness in a sample of Muslim psychiatrists based in Johannesburg

Exploring the role of Islam in perceptions of mental illness in a sample of Muslim psychiatrists based in Johannesburg