Personal Experience Of Mental Illness Research Articles

Samostigma med strokovnjaki na področju duševnega zdravja v Sloveniji

Public and self-stigma substantially hinder seeking of help during times of psychological distress. Stigma can occur during mental illness or be anticipated when mental illness is not yet present. An important and vulnerable group, but one that is often neglected, are professionals working in mental health field. Using a sample of mental health professionals from Slovenia (N = 93), we focused on the relationship between personal experiences of mental disorders and suicidal behavior and different types of anticipated self-stigma (mental illness and help-seeking self-stigma). About half of the participants (49%) had past or current experience of mental illness, and 56% of them sought help. One sixth of participants (16%) reported having had suicidal ideation in the past or currently, but only 20% sought help for this. Gender was not significantly related to any type of stigma. Age was negatively correlated with personal experience of mental illness and anticipated self-stigma of mental illness. Individuals with personal experiences of mental illness showed higher self-stigma of mental illness than individuals without such experiences. Self-stigma of mental illness correlated slightly with self-stigma in help-seeking. Based on the results we conclude that in mental health professionals, experiences with one’s own mental health issues are related to higher self-stigma of mental illness and this is related to higher self-stigma in help-seeking. Hence, specific interventions should be developed to destigmatize mental illness among professionals and promote help-seeking in this group. Further research is warranted.

Nurses' career choice and satisfaction with mental health transition-to-practice programs: A cross sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, there are consistent issues recruiting staff into the mental health nursing workforce. In Australia, recent efforts to expand the workforce include recruitment of a wider range of nurses in addition to new graduates into mental health transition-to-practice programs. Understanding the career motivations of nurses entering the field is an important element of recruitment and retention. To describe nurses' satisfaction with their mental health transition program and identify factors influencing their choice of mental health as a career. An online cross-sectional survey with questions on program satisfaction and career choice was responded to by n = 55 enrolled and registered nurses in a mental health transition program. Nurses reported overall high satisfaction with their program and identified increased time release for professional development and being supernumerary as necessary to support role development. Almost 25% of nurses reported personal experience of mental illness as an influence in choosing a mental health career. Mental health transition programs are important in recruitment and retention and need to be tailored to the needs of a wide range of nurses and include support for staff wellbeing. Tailored transition programs can help strengthen role clarity, and support staff retention.

Personal experience of mental illness and stigma

Personal experience of mental illness and stigma

The relationship between personal and interpersonal mental health experiences and stigma-related outcomes in Hong Kong

Previous research indicates that personal mental health experiences (e.g. one's current mental health status) and interpersonal mental health experiences (e.g. one's familiarity with someone with mental illness) are associated with stigma-related outcomes. These outcomes include knowledge, attitudes and desire for social distance from people with mental illness. To explore the extent to which current personal mental health status and familiarity with mental illness predict stigma-related outcomes in Hong Kong. Data were drawn from a larger research project examining mental well-being in Hong Kong citizens. Citizens (N = 1010) aged ≥18 years were surveyed between August and September 2021. Multiple regression analyses revealed that immediate family and friends showed better attitudinal outcomes and lower desire for social distance compared with people who did not know anyone with mental illness (all β > 1.00, all P < 0.05), whereas people with personal experience of mental illness showed higher prejudicial attitudes compared with people who did not know anyone with mental illness (β = -0.744, P = 0.016). Better current personal mental health predicted lower prejudicial attitudes (β = 0.488, P < 0.001) and mixed outcomes on different realms of mental health knowledge. Cultural concerns surrounding 'saving face' and emphasis on collectivistic values may explain the nonlinear relationship between personal and interpersonal mental health experiences and stigma-related outcomes. Future anti-stigma interventions should tailor their approaches to the needs of people with different levels of familiarity with mental illness and include efforts to support the mental health of the overall population.

Stigma towards patients with mental illness: An online survey of United States nurses.

People with mental illness experience significant health disparities, including morbidity and premature mortality. Evidence suggests that stigma is a contributing factor to these observed inequities. The tripartite conceptualization of stigma proposes that three problems underlie stigma: problems of knowledge (ignorance), attitudes (prejudice) and behaviour (discrimination). There is limited prior research concerning stigma towards mental illness among nurses in the United States (US). The aims of this study were to assess stigma among US nurses towards patients with mental illness, compare the stigma expressed by nurses working in medical/surgical settings with mental health settings, and identify factors associated with stigma. Participants were recruited online from national professional nursing organizations in the US. We collected demographic data and administered measures of mental health stigma and stigma-related mental health knowledge. Mental health nurses demonstrated comparatively lower levels of stigma and higher levels of knowledge than the medical/surgical nurses. Nursing speciality and personal contact with mental illness were the most significant predictors of stigma and knowledge. Knowledge was found to partially mediate the relationship between nursing speciality and stigma. We found support for the 'contact hypothesis', that is, having a personal experience of mental illness or a friend or family member who has a mental illness is associated with lower stigma towards mental illness. These findings support the development of contact-based and educational anti-stigma interventions for nurses in order to reduce stigma towards mental illness.

Anticipated Self and Public Stigma in Suicide Prevention Professionals.

BackgroundStigma about mental illness—both public and self—is one of the most important factors hindering help-seeking. Stigma can occur during an acute episode of mental illness or be anticipatory. One group affected by stigma, but often neglected, is mental health professionals. This study examined the anticipated form of mental-illness and help-seeking self-stigma and the anticipated form of public stigma of suicidal behavior among members of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. We hypothesized that suicidologists with a history of suicidality or mental illness would anticipate greater stigma from the public and self.MethodsThe study received ethical approval from the Commission for Medical Ethics of the Republic of Slovenia. Data from 83 participants who completed an online survey (February to May 2020) with informed consent were analyzed using path analysis. We tested a model predicting help-seeking self-stigma based on (i) personal experience of mental illness using anticipated self-stigma of mental illness as a mediating variable and (ii) history of suicidal behavior using anticipated public stigma of suicidal behavior as a mediating variable.ResultsPersonal experience of mental illness predicted anticipation of self-stigma of mental illness (β = 0.26). History of suicidality predicted anticipation of public stigma of suicidal behavior (β = 0.29). Anticipated self-stigma of mental illness proved to be a stronger predictor of help-seeking self-stigma (β = 0.40) than anticipated public stigma of suicidal behavior (β = 0.07).ConclusionsIt is important to intentionally support the mental health of suicide prevention professionals, as they are not immune to mental illness or various types of stigma. Because our sample was small and diverse, further research to better understand stigma concepts in this population is warranted.

Experience of clinical services shapes attitudes to mental health data sharing: findings from a UK-wide survey

BackgroundRoutinely-collected mental health data could deliver novel insights for mental health research. However, patients’ willingness to share their mental health data remains largely unknown. We investigated factors influencing likelihood of sharing these data for research purposes amongst people with and without experience of mental illness.MethodsWe collected responses from a diverse sample of UK National Health Service (NHS) users (n = 2187) of which about half (n = 1087) had lifetime experience of mental illness. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the influence of demographic factors, clinical service experience, and primary mental illness on willingness to share mental health data, contrasted against physical health data.ResultsThere was a high level of willingness to share mental (89.7%) and physical (92.8%) health data for research purposes. Higher levels of satisfaction with the NHS were associated with greater willingness to share mental health data. Furthermore, people with personal experience of mental illness were more willing than those without to share mental health data, once the variable of NHS satisfaction had been controlled for. Of the mental illnesses recorded, people with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorder or bipolar disorder were significantly more likely to share their mental health data than people without mental illness.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that positive experiences of health services and personal experience of mental illness are associated with greater willingness to share mental health data. NHS satisfaction is a potentially modifiable factor that could foster public support for increased use of NHS mental health data in research.

Subjective experiences of the first response to mental health crises in the community: a qualitative systematic review

ObjectiveTo review and synthesise qualitative studies that have explored subjective experiences of people with lived experience of mental health-related illness/crisis (MHC), their families and first responders.DesignA systematic review of qualitative...

Personal and professional influences on health visitors\u2019 family focused practice for maternal mental illness: a cross sectional study

BackgroundFamily focused practice (FFP) is an approach that recognises the inter-related needs of family members and recommends a continuum of activities to support families. While it is recognised that health visitors play a key role in supporting families when mothers have mental illness, there is limited understanding of health visitor’s family focused practice (FFP) in this context and its relationships with factors, such as, workload, training, skill and knowledge, and personal and professional experience. This paper examined the effect of health visitors’ interaction with the family, and personal and professional experience on their family focused practice.MethodsA cross sectional questionnaire (Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire) was distributed to 488 health visitors within community practice in Northern Ireland, with 230 choosing to take part. Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare family focused practice scores.ResultsResults found that health visitors who had face to face contact with partners and children (t(221) = 2.61, p = .01), and those that directly supported the partner (t(221) = 2.61, p = 0.01) had a significantly higher mean score of FFP, than those that did not. However, frequency of visits (daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) had no effect on family focused practice scores. Training also had a significant effect on family focused practice scores (F(2,221) = 4.841, p = 0.029). Analysis of variance revealed that personal experience of mental illness had a significant effect on scores (M = 97.58, p = 0.009), however variables such as, age, parental status, time since registration, and being in a specialist position had no effect.ConclusionsIn order for family focused practice to be effective, the quality, and content of visits and contact with family should be addressed, as opposed to a focus on the quantity of visits. However, in order for this to occur health visitors need to have appropriate support in their own right, with manageable caseloads and resources.

Co-development of a Best Practice Checklist for Mental Health Data Science: A Delphi Study.

Background: Mental health research is commonly affected by difficulties in recruiting and retaining participants, resulting in findings which are based on a sub-sample of those actually living with mental illness. Increasing the use of Big Data for mental health research, especially routinely-collected data, could improve this situation. However, steps to facilitate this must be enacted in collaboration with those who would provide the data - people with mental health conditions.Methods: We used the Delphi method to create a best practice checklist for mental health data science. Twenty participants with both expertise in data science and personal experience of mental illness worked together over three phases. In Phase 1, participants rated a list of 63 statements and added any statements or topics that were missing. Statements receiving a mean score of 5 or more (out of 7) were retained. These were then combined with the results of a rapid thematic analysis of participants' comments to produce a 14-item draft checklist, with each item split into two components: best practice now and best practice in the future. In Phase 2, participants indicated whether or not each item should remain in the checklist, and items that scored more than 50% endorsement were retained. In Phase 3 participants rated their satisfaction with the final checklist.Results: The final checklist was made up of 14 “best practice” items, with each item covering best practice now and best practice in the future. At the end of the three phases, 85% of participants were (very) satisfied with the two best practice checklists, with no participants expressing dissatisfaction.Conclusions: Increased stakeholder involvement is essential at every stage of mental health data science. The checklist produced through this work represents the views of people with experience of mental illness, and it is hoped that it will be used to facilitate trustworthy and innovative research which is inclusive of a wider range of individuals.

At home or in hospital: Home treatment and mental health stigma.

Background:Stigmatized attitudes towards people with mental illness may influence treatment choice for oneself and others.Aim:To gauge the attitudes of the UK general public towards treatment at home for mental illness and to assess the extent to which non-acceptability was related to stigmatized attitudes.Methods:Two hundred and two (101 female) people living in the UK completed an online (vignette) questionnaire in which we asked demographic details and personal experience of mental illness. To measure stigma, we used an adapted version of the Attitudes to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) with vignettes asking about treatment at home and using scales for social distance and poor expectations; participants also filled in the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS).Results:Participants did not evidence overall agreement with treatment at home for mental illness (i.e. >0; range = −16-to-+16, Mean (M) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.08, 1.80, p = .073), although they showed significant agreement with treatment at home should they experience mental illness themselves (range = −8-to-+8, M = 1.36, CI = 0.82, 1.89, p < .001). Acceptability for treatment at home differed according to specific mental illness considered (range = −4-to-+4); depression (M = 0.47, CI = 0.13, 0.81, p = .006) and alcohol abuse (M = 1.46, CI = 1.14,1.77, p < .001) were considered suitable for being treated at home but schizophrenia was not (M = −0.78, CI = −1.13,−0.43, p < .001). Multivariate analyses revealed that older age and attitudes indicating comfort with less social distance from people with mental illness were independently associated with treatment at home agreeability.Conclusions:Public acceptability of home treatment for mental illness remains ambivalent in the UK, most obviously when considering treatment approaches for individuals other than themselves and for people with schizophrenia. Disagreement with home treatment is particularly evident in younger people and those who prefer less social contact with people with mental illness.

Predictors of family focused practice among health visitors: A mixed methods study.

To determine what predicts health visitors' family-focused practice with mothers who have mental illness. To explore health visitors' experiences of family-focused practice and what factors, if any, enable and/or hinder it. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In Phase 1, a total of 230 health visitors, in five Health and Social Care Trusts in the UK were recruited using convenience sampling and completed the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire. Three multiple regression models were developed to test whether workload (Model I), professional knowledge (Model II) and health visitors' professional and personal experience (Model III) predicted their family-focused practice. In Phase 2, 10 health visitors, who completed the questionnaire, participated in semi-structured interviews to describe their experiences of family-focused practice. The data collection of the two phases was conducted from September 2017 - September 2018. Model III was significant. While personal experience of parenting was positively associated with family-focused practice, length registered as a health visitor and personal experience of mental illness was negatively associated. Qualitative findings suggested that increasing years of professional experience and personal experience of mental illness enabled health visitors to support mothers and their children, but not other adult family members, including partners. Limited skills and knowledge to support mothers with severe mental illness (i.e. schizophrenia) hindered family-focused practice. This study advances understanding of how health visitors' professional and personal experiences can influence their family-focused practice and highlights the importance of organizations promoting their capacity to support mothers with severe mental illness and to include mothers' partners. A clear understanding of factors affecting health visitors' capacity to engage in family-focused practice will help to inform policy, education and practice in health visiting; with potential to improve outcomes for the whole family.

Mental health literacy of ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder: a cross-cultural investigation

Background Mental health literacy (MHL) is linked to help-seeking behaviours. Although lay people are not always well aware of mental health conditions, few international campaigns and interventions have been developed to raise awareness across cultures. Aims To investigate MHL cross-culturally and to identify factors that are associated with MHL. Method Using an online survey, 506 participants (103 Greek, 108 UK, 146 USA, 149 other nationality) read and labelled five vignettes of individuals with Autism, ADHD, Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder and a healthy control. Factors influencing response, confidence and accuracy were compared across all participants, and the effect of various demographics on accurate labelling was compared between countries. Results Recognition rates were higher than in previous investigations: 75.5% of participants recognised the Healthy vignette, 71.1% ADHD, 61.7% Autism, 56.6% Schizophrenia and 31.6% Bipolar. MHL varied across different countries, with religion, language spoken, and education having the greatest effects. Personal experience of mental illness partially affected MHL. Conclusions MHL is relatively high for some mental health conditions, but public knowledge of other conditions is still poor. Factors influencing MHL vary across countries.

Evaluating mental health literacy in medical students in the United Kingdom

PurposeThere is urgent need to explore medical students’ understandings of mental illness to better support this high-risk group. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate mental health literacy in medical students using the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), and provide validation of the measure.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 251 participants were recruited from medical schools across the UK. Participants completed demographic details and the MHLS. This paper reports total MHLS scores and their relationships with demographics and experiences with mental illness.FindingsThe mean MHLS score was 127.69. MHL was significantly higher in females, and students in later years of study (p&lt;0.05). Over 40 per cent of respondents reported having personal experience of mental illness. This, as well as having a close friend or family member with a mental illness, was associated with higher MHL (p&lt;0.05).Originality/valueThis study is the first to use the MHLS and provide validation of this measure in medical students. Despite high rates of personal experience with mental health issues, medical students’ average MHLS scores were comparable to studies of non-medical student groups. Medical schools should aim to build students’ confidence in recognising and seeking help for mental health issues from the first year of medical training. MHL is a multi-faceted issue; further work is required to improve awareness of risk factors, to better understand why males demonstrate poorer MHL scores than females, and to work towards improving MHL in males.

The Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) data linkage service user and carer advisory group: creating and sustaining a successful patient and public involvement group to guide research in a complex area

BackgroundPatient and Public Involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has been shown to improve the quality and relevance of research. PPI in data linkage research is important in ensuring the legitimacy of future health informatics initiatives, but remains sparse and under-developed. This article describes the setting up and evaluation of a service user and carer advisory group with the aim of providing feedback and advice to researchers developing or making use of database linkages in the field of mental health.AimThe aim of this study is to describe the creation and formative evaluation of the service user and carer advisory group after a trial period of 12 months.MethodSix individuals were recruited to the group all of whom had personal experience of mental illness. A formative evaluation was conducted after a trial period of 12 months.ResultsEvaluation revealed that the group succeeded in promoting dialogue between service users/carers and researchers. Factors that contributed to the success of the group’s first year included the opportunity it provided for researchers to involve service users and carers in their projects, the training provided to group members, and the openness of researchers to receiving feedback from the group.ConclusionThe group encourages the incorporation of PPI in data linkage research which helps to ensure the legitimacy of data linkage practices and governance systems whilst also improving the quality and relevance of the research being conducted using linked data.

Mental health nurses' encounters with occupational health services.

Staff well-being is vital to the functioning of the UK National Health Service (NHS). Mental health nurses (MHNs) with personal experience of mental illness can offer a professionally and personally informed insight into the occupational health (OH) service offered by their employer. To investigate MHNs' views of OH provision in the NHS, based on their personal experience. A qualitative interview study using a purposive sample of MHNs with personal experience of mental illness. Twenty-seven MHNs met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified three themes: comparisons of 'relative expertise' between the mental health nurse and the OH clinician; concerns about 'being treated' by a service at their work; and 'returning to work'. OH provision in mental health settings must take account of the expertise of its staff. Further research, looking at NHS OH provision from the provider perspective is warranted.

Interwoven histories: Mental health nurses with experience of mental illness, qualitative findings from a mixed methods study.

The effects of mental health nurses' own experience of mental illness or being a carer have rarely been researched beyond the workplace setting. This study aimed to explore how the experience of mental illness affects mental health nurses' lives outside of and inside work. A sample of 26 mental health nurses with personal experience of mental illness took part in semistructured interviews. Data were analysed thematically using a six-phase approach. The analysis revealed the broad context of nurses' experiences of mental illness according to three interwoven themes: mental illness as part of family life; experience of accessing services; and life interwoven with mental illness. Participants typically described personal and familial experience of mental illness across their life course, with multiple causes and consequences. The findings suggest that nurses' lives outside of work should be taken into account when considering the impact of their personal experience of mental illness. Similarly being a nurse influences how mental illness is experienced. Treatment of nurses with mental illness should account for their nursing expertise whilst recognizing that the context for nurses' mental illness could be much broader than the effect of workplace stress.

The Italian Version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Healthcare Providers: Validation and Study on a Sample of Bachelor Students.

Prejudices on psychiatric disorders frequently turn into stigmatizating attitudes, also among health care providers. The Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) was introduced in 2012 to measure stigma. No Italian versions of this tool exist so far. We wanted to investigate stigma among healthcare students in Italy, and to prepare an Italian version of the scale. A multicentric, cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, and Dietistics students. The Italian version of the scale was obtained through back-translation. 561 students were enrolled, median age 21 years, IQR [20;23], 62.22% females (n = 349). 262 students declared having met subjetcs affected by psychiatric disorders during their training; 50 had one or more psychiatric disorders in their lives. The Italian version proved valid and reliable. Older students had lower stigma scores. No differences existed between stigma scores according to gender and personal experience of mental illness.

'Your experiences were your tools'. How personal experience of mental health problems informs mental health nursing practice.

Introduction 'Expertise by experience' is a highly valued element of service delivery in recovery-oriented mental health care, but is unacknowledged within the mental health nursing literature. Aim To explore the extent and influence of mental health professionals' personal experience of mental ill health on clinical practice. Method Twenty-seven mental health nurses with their own personal experience of mental ill health were interviewed about how their personal experience informed their mental health nursing practice, as part of a sequential mixed methods study. Results The influence of personal experience in nursing work was threefold: first, through overt disclosure; second, through the 'use of the self as a tool'; and third, through the formation of professional nursing identity. Discussion Mental health nurses' experience of mental illness was contextualized by other life experiences and by particular therapeutic relationships and clinical settings. In previous empirical studies, nurses have cited personal experience of mental illness as a motivator and an aspect of their identity. In this study, there was also an association between personal experience and enhanced nursing expertise. Implications for practice If drawing on personal experience is commonplace, then we must address the taboo of disclosure and debate the extent to which personal and professional boundaries are negotiated during clinical encounters.

Empathy and Mental Health Literacy

Background:There is growing literature on mental health literacy (MHL), but few studies have conducted research on anything more than demographic predictors of MHL. We believe that those who are more empathic would be more interested in and more knowledgeable about mental illnesses.Objective:This study was concerned to establish whether people who were more empathic would have higher MHL.Methods:The 129 volunteer, university panel, participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and were presented with 15 vignettes describing people with various mental disorders. Questions assessed participants' identification of the disorders and their perception of the life adjustment of each person.Key Results:The results showed that 3 of the 4 empathy subscales correlated with the MHL score. Results from correlation and regression analyses suggest that people who are more empathic, have studied psychology, and have had personal experience of mental illness demonstrate better MHL.Conclusions:As predicted, people with greater MHL had greater empathy, but this cross-sectional correlational study could not ascertain causal patterns. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(2):e31–e40.]Plain Language Summary:This study addressed whether people who are more empathic tend to be better informed about mental health issues because of their care for, interest in, and sympathy toward those with a range of mental illnesses. This was a questionnaire study and we did indeed find the relationship we thought may occur. However, we cannot be certain which caused which—do those who know more about mental illnesses and how common they are become more empathic or do those with greater empathy learn more about all aspects of mental illness?