Perspectives Of Mental Health Professionals Research Articles

Crisis responders in Sri Lanka: Exploring impact and treatment considerations through the perspectives of mental health professionals

Purpose – South Asian mental health professionals were invited to identify influences on mental health symptom severity among responders during crisis events in Sri Lanka. Further consideration was given to the treatment that could be applied to improve the mental wellbeing of such individuals. Methodology – Twenty-nine mental health professionals (14 civilian and 15 military based) completed a semi-structured interview that incorporated a guided discussion on the mental health experiences observed in crisis responders. Key findings – Thematic Analysis was conducted, yielding two categories. The first understanding from mental health professionals of the impact of trauma that crisis responders in Sri Lanka can experience providing 10 themes capturing the diversity of impact on mental health and social structures. The second category was effective intervention for crisis mental health responders and yielded two main themes. A number of subthemes underpinned each theme across the two categories. Originality – The current study is one of the first to explore mental health symptomology and treatment considerations for crisis responders in a South Asian sample, through the perspective of mental health responders.

Challenges and opportunities for improving mental health care and preventing suicide among people living with HIV: Perspectives of mental health professionals in Tanzania.

People living with HIV (PLWH) experience unique stressors that contribute to emotional distress, and PLWH are more than twice as likely to die by suicide when compared to the general population. In countries like Tanzania, there is a relatively high burden of HIV but few resources to support mental health needs. To gain a better understanding of mental health challenges experienced by PLWH in northern Tanzania and identify opportunities for intervention, we interviewed 12 mental health professionals working in the Kilimanjaro region. Thematic analysis was used to explore drivers and impacts of emotional distress, community influences on mental health, and gaps and barriers to existing mental health care. Perspectives from mental health workers highlight the compounding effects of stress related to HIV status, family conflict, finances, and other social challenges, which can lead to poor HIV treatment outcomes and suicidal ideation. Cultural beliefs and stigma surrounding both mental health and HIV limit care-seeking behavior for mental health issues. Those who do seek care often encounter barriers related to poor mental health infrastructure, including a lack of providers, limited financial resources, and little integration into other health services. There is a clear need for investment in the mental health care system, as well as interventions to improve knowledge and perceptions of mental health and comprehensively address stressors. We describe feedback on a proposed telehealth counseling intervention integrated into routine HIV services, which shows strong potential to mitigate barriers to mental health treatment, reduce suicidal ideation, and support the wellbeing of PLWH.

The quality traits of artificial intelligence operations in predicting mental healthcare professionals’ perceptions: A case study in the psychotherapy division

<p>As advancements in healthcare technologies continue to emerge, the integration of AI-Technology has brought about significant transformations in various healthcare sectors. While substantial advancements have been made in applying AI to enhance physical health, its implementation in the field of mental health is still in its early stages. This descriptive study aims to address this gap by exploring the perspectives of mental health professionals (MHPs) on the acceptance and utilization of AI technology. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was utilized to assess MHPs’ attitudes and beliefs towards AI implementation in psychotherapeutic practices. The sample was compromised of 349 MHPs. The findings reveal the task characteristic (TC) domain as the most influential domain, followed by Performance expectancy (PE), Behavioural intentions (BI), Personal innovativeness in IT (PT), Social influence (SI), Effort expectancy (EE), Perceived substitution crisis (PSC), Technology characteristic (TECH), and Initial trust (IT). The study also identifies statistically significant differences in AI usage based on gender variable, with females demonstrating a higher level of AI usage in comparison to males. Furthermore, the study highlights diverse applications of AI in the field of mental health, including AI-assisted assessments (AAA), chatbots for psychotherapy support (CPS), and data analytics for personalized treatment recommendations (DAPTR). By incorporating mental healthcare professionals’ (MHPs) perspectives, this research significantly contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the acceptance and utilization of AI technology in psychotherapy. The findings offer valuable insights into MHPs’ perceptions, concerns, and perceived advantages associated with integrating AI technology within clinical settings in the field of mental health.</p>

Facilitators and Challenges of Integrating Experts by Experience Activity in Mental Health Services: Experiences from Finland

This qualitative study examines the facilitators and challenges of integrating Experts by Experience (EbyE) activity in mental health services in the public sector from the perspective of mental health professionals and trained EbyE. The research data consist of four focus group interviews conducted in one hospital district in Finland. In the hospital district, EbyE activity is an established working model in mental health services. The professional focus groups had 9, and the EbyE focus groups had 13 participants. The data were analysed using abductive content analysis. The experiences of professionals and EbyE emphasised the successful integration of EbyE activity. The identified facilitators of integration included an organisational culture that values EbyE activity, facilitating operating structures, and extensive implementation and utilization of EbyE activities. Despite successful integration, certain challenges were described with regard to actors and practices. The findings indicate that the hospital district has overcome many of the obstacles to the integration identified in previous studies. The findings highlight the role of effectively implemented, organised EbyE activity.

Factors that determine mental health professionals’ decision to support home-based video consultations – A qualitative study

IntroductionUsing videoconferencing for consulting with patients in the mental health services has been shown in interventions to be similarly effective as when meeting in person. In practice, it often makes more sense to use video consultations with patients in a more flexible way than interventions permit. The aim of this study was to investigate what constitutes a professional video consultation from the perspectives of mental health professionals and explore what is of importance for the establishment and realization of video consultations in practice.Materials and methodsA Grounded Theory methodology approach based on Corbin and Strauss was used. Data collection consisted of participant observations of introductory events followed by individual interviews with mental health professionals who had used video consultations with patients.FindingsMental health professionals believed that a professional video consultation was one that was not inferior to an in-person consultation but offered something else, such as more and easier access, accommodating patients’ needs and wishes. At the same time, it should not interfere with the treatment quality, e.g., by hampering communication and therapeutic tasks. The expected treatment quality was based on an individual assessment of the patient and varied from clinician to clinician. The implementation process and support which the organization provided affected the clinicians’ attitudes as well as the clinicians’ experiences and hence how the clinicians assessed the quality of the service.ConclusionPerceived usefulness, patient demands, and close IT support will positively impact the establishment and realization of video consultations whereas high workload and technical problems would hamper it.

Chatbots to Support Young Adults’ Mental Health: An Exploratory Study of Acceptability

Despite the prevalence of mental health conditions, stigma, lack of awareness, and limited resources impede access to care, creating a need to improve mental health support. The recent surge in scientific and commercial interest in conversational agents and their potential to improve diagnosis and treatment seems a potentially fruitful area in this respect, particularly for young adults who widely use such systems in other contexts. Yet, there is little research that considers the acceptability of conversational agents in mental health. This study, therefore, presents three research activities that explore whether conversational agents and, in particular, chatbots can be an acceptable solution in mental healthcare for young adults. First, a survey of young adults (in a university setting) provides an understanding of the landscape of mental health in this age group and of their views around mental health technology, including chatbots. Second, a literature review synthesises current evidence relating to the acceptability of mental health conversational agents and points to future research priorities. Third, interviews with counsellors who work with young adults, supported by a chatbot prototype and user-centred design techniques, reveal the perceived benefits and potential roles of mental health chatbots from the perspective of mental health professionals, while suggesting preconditions for the acceptability of the technology. Taken together, these research activities: provide evidence that chatbots are an acceptable solution to offering mental health support for young adults; identify specific challenges relating to both the technology and environment; and argue for the application of user-centred approaches during development of mental health chatbots and more systematic and rigorous evaluations of the resulting solutions.

Educational preparedness to care for transgender and gender diverse adults: Perspectives of mental health professionals

Ensuring that mental health professionals are appropriately trained to provide affirming and sensitive care to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adults is one mechanism that may reduce the marginalization sometimes experienced by TGD adults in mental health contexts. In this study, mental health professionals (n = 142) completed an online survey documenting the sources and types of training received to provide TGD-sensitive care; and, shared a self-assessment of their comfort, competence, and ability to provide TGD-sensitive care. Findings revealed that the majority of the mental health professionals in the study (approximately 81%) received specific training to work with TGD clients from a variety of sources. These mental health professionals also self-reported high levels of comfort, competence, and ability to offer TGD-sensitive care which were statistically significantly associated with the number of hours of TGD-specific training they had received.

Factors influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders from the perspective of mental health professionals

BackgroundMedication adherence is a common issue influenced by various factors among patients with severe mental disorders worldwide. However, most literature to date has been primarily quantitative and has focused on medication adherence issue from the perspective of patients or their caregivers. Moreover, research focused on medication adherence issue in China is scarce. Present study aims to explore the influential factors of medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders form the perspective of mental health professionals in Hunan Province, China.MethodsA qualitative study was performed in Hunan Province, China with 31 mental health professionals recruited from October to November 2017. And semi-structured interviews or focus group interviews were conducted along with audio recordings of all interviews. Interview transcripts were then coded and analyzed in Nvivo software with standard qualitative approaches.ResultsThree major themes influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders were identified as: (1) attitudes towards mental disorder/treatment; (2) inadequate aftercare; (3) resource shortages.ConclusionsThis qualitative study identified the factors influencing medication adherence among patients with severe mental disorders in China. As a locally driven research study, it provides practical advice on medication adherence promotion for mental health workers and suggests culturally tailored models that improve the management of patients with severe mental disorders in order to reduce economic burden on individual and societal level.

Challenges in providing ethically competent health care to incarcerated older adults with mental illness: a qualitative study exploring mental health professionals\u2019 perspectives in Canada

BackgroundThe population of incarcerated older adults is the fastest growing demographic in prisons. Older persons in custody have poorer health as compared with those in the community. The unmet and complex health care needs of incarcerated older adults with mental illness raise justice, safety, dignity and fairness in care as ethical concerns. As there exists research gap to better understand these concerns, the current study aimed at exploring the perspectives of mental health professionals on challenges in delivering ethically competent care to mentally ill incarcerated older adults in Canada.MethodsThirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2017 and November 2018 with prison mental health professionals in Canada who were selected using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively to generate themes.ResultsThe results were distilled into three main categories and seven subcategories that related to ethical issues in the provision of health care for mentally ill incarcerated older adults. The main categories included imprisoned older persons with special care needs, lack of resources, and the peer-support program.ConclusionsResults of this study showed that existing practices of care of mentally ill incarcerated older adults are characterised by challenges that increase their vulnerability to worse health conditions. It is imperative for local authorities, policy makers and representatives to prepare for and respond to the challenges that compromise ethically competent health care for, and healthy ageing of, mentally ill incarcerated older adults.

Professionals harnessing experiential knowledge in Dutch mental health settings

PurposeThis study aims to explore the perspectives of mental health professionals who are in a process of integrating their own experiential knowledge in their professional role. This study considers implications for identity, dilemmas and challenges within the broader organization, when bringing experiential knowledge to practice.Design/methodology/approachAs part of a participatory action research approach, qualitative methods have been used, such as in-depth interviews, discussions and observations during training and project team.FindingsThe actual use of experiential knowledge by mental health care professionals in their work affected four levels: their personal–professional development; the relation with service users; the relation with colleagues; and their position in the organization.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of its limited context, this study may lack generalisability and further research with regard to psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as perceptions from users, is desirable.Social implicationsAccording to this study, social change starts from a bottom-up movement and synchronously should be facilitated by top-down policy. A dialogue with academic mental health professionals seems crucial to integrate this source of knowledge. Active collaboration with peer workers and supervisors is desired as well.Originality/valueProfessionals with lived experiences play an important role in working recovery-oriented, demonstrating bravery and resilience. Having dealt with mental health distress, they risked stigma and rejections when introducing this as a type of knowledge in current mental health service culture. Next to trainings to facilitate the personal–professional process, investments in the entire organization are needed to transform governance, policy and ethics.

From relationship to therapeutic alliance with adolescents and young adults at risk of psychotic transition: The perspective of mental health professionals. An exploratory study

Introduction: Psychotic disorders usually begin during adolescence or early adulthood. The first psychotic symptoms are said to be attenuated in their prodromal phase. It is essential to identify them and initiate follow-up as early as possible to limit the severity of symptoms or even prevent a psychotic transition. However, there is still some uncertainty about the progression of symptoms. The aim of this exploratory study was to show the difficulties that surround the construction of a therapeutic alliance in this context.Methodology: The method adopted was a field survey.Results: Uncertainty about the development of disorders and their worsening and the fact that they are assessed by evaluating the patient's functional weaknesses led professionals to develop a relationship based on knowledge that is acquired empirically and that is in line with a phenomenological approach. Thus, professionals mobilized dynamic and interactive communication techniques to try to forge a therapeutic alliance.Conclusion: It has been shown that professionals seek to build a therapeutic alliance with young people presenting an uncertain evolution toward psychosis using a phenomenological, personalized, and pragmatic logic.

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."

The right to die: Perspectives of mental health professionals in malta

IntroductionIn their professional work, mental health professionals are continually working with individuals in distress, who may express a wish to end their lives.ObjectivesTo understand the perspectives of mental health professionals towards a person’s right to die.MethodsA mixed-method technique was used: Stage 1 involved a validated online questionnaire sent to all professionals working within the public mental health services in Malta. Stage 2 consisted of a multidisciplinary discussion between six professionals asked to hypothetically manage a terminally ill patient requesting physician-assisted suicide. Thematic analysis was subsequently applied.ResultsThe majority of mental health professionals disagreed with allowing a person to commit suicide, even in situations of crippling debt, overwhelming despair and family dishonour. Terminal illness elicited a varied response (Figure 1)Older professionals and spiritual beliefs negatively impacted acceptability of suicide (Figure 2).The discussion revealed that professionals would assess individuals requesting to end their lives, with the aim of treating any mental illness and determining mental capacity. Figure 3 highlights factors explored during the assessment. Greatest emphasis is ultimately placed on individual autonomy.ConclusionsMental health professionals consider autonomy and self-determination as imperative in evaluating a person’s right to die. Professionals agreed that, after a comprehensive psychiatric assessment and within a regulatory legal framework, they would not impede a person with terminal illness to request physician-assisted suicide, provided that one is acting autonomously. The majority would however conscientiously object to actively assisting the terminal patient in ending one’s life, since this is deemed contradictory to their professional vow of non-maleficence.

Professional perspectives on providing recovery-oriented services in Taiwan: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe experiences of professionals in well-established recovery-oriented programs are valuable for professionals in similar practice settings. This study explored professionals’ experiences with providing recovery-oriented services in community psychiatric rehabilitation organizations.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 professionals from five recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation organizations in Taiwan. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data analysis.ResultsThe analyses documented three main themes with 13 subthemes. Recovery-oriented service implementation included seven subthemes: Enabling clients to set their own goals and make decisions, using a strengths-based approach, establishing partnerships with clients, improving individuals’ self-acceptance, encouraging community participation, seeking family, peer, and organizational support, and building team collaboration. Problems with implementing recovery-oriented services included limited policy and organizational support, a lack of understanding of recovery among professionals, stigma, clients’ lack of motivation or self-confidence in their own ability to achieve recovery, and passive or overprotective family members. Strategies to resolve implementation problems included policy changes and organizational support, improving the recovery competence and confidence of professionals, and family and public education.ConclusionsTo date, this is the first known study examining the perspectives of mental health professionals who have experience implementing recovery-oriented services in Asia. The participants identified family collaboration, anti-stigma efforts, and changes in policy and attitudes as critical to successful implementation and delivery of recovery-oriented services.

Mental health services for individuals at risk of suicide in Peru: Attitudes and perspectives of mental health professionals.

Mental Health professionals often have to deal with at-risk individuals in crises and lack specialized training on suicide risk assessment and intervention. This study examined mental health professionals' attitudes toward at-risk individuals and their perceptions of the quality of training and treatment available for assessing and intervening with this population. A total of 32 mental health professionals (13 psychiatrists, 16 psychologists, 2 psychiatric nurses; 1 social assistant) from highly vulnerable communities in Lima, Peru discussed their perceptions in four focus groups conducted by the authors. Participants reported glaring deficiencies in all areas explored including training, knowledge and skills regarding suicide assessment and management. In addition, using ground theory analysis, three domains of findings emerged representing barriers and facilitators of treatment engagement, risk and protective factors of suicide and pros and cons of the current mental health care system including micro-, mezzo- and macro-level factors. The most frequently identified barrier was the perception that suicide is illegal; facilitator was family involvement; risk factor was poor parenting; protective factor was religious beliefs; pro of mental health care system was establishment of community-based services and con of mental health care system was lack of access to psychiatrists. The lack of specialized training available in the institutions that are designed to prepare mental health professionals for working with at-risk individuals is notable and has a direct and known impact self-identified by helping professionals. The need and desire for targeted training is palpable and essential to address growing rates of suicide, particularly among youth, in Peru.

Recovery services and expectation of consumers and mental health professionals in community-based residential facilities of Ghana

BackgroundIn the past decades, considerable global attention has been drawn to recovery services that seek to promote the personal recovery journey of consumers with mental illness. However, in most settings, including Ghana, limited empirical studies have attempted to explore, from the perspectives of Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) and consumers, the effectiveness of recovery services and expectation towards the recovery. This study, therefore, explored consumers’ and MHPs perspectives concerning recovery services and expectations towards recovery in two community-based residential facilities in Ghana.MethodsA qualitative method, involving in-depth interviews and observations, were used to collect data from 24 participants (5 MHPs and 19 consumers). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe study identified three global themes and nine organizing themes. The global themes were recovery services offered to consumers, expectation regarding personal recovery and challenges in achieving recovery. The study found that recovery services were expected to improve the internal and external recovery processes of consumers. The internal recovery process was independent living whilst the external recovery process were management of illness, economic empowerment and social inclusion. Several systemic and consumer-related factors influenced consumers’ and MHPs expectation concerning the recovery journey.ConclusionThe study concludes that the government should prioritize the use of recovery services through policies, financial incentives, infrastructure support, and adequate training of MHPs.

Problems with treatment of COVID-19 (+) patientwith psychiatric disorder – a case report

The COVID-19 pandemic has put an unusual strain on medical staff across the globe. Psychiatric disorders and their effect on patients’ behavior turn the management of coronavirus disease into an even more of a challenging task. In this paper we present a case report of a COVID-19-positive patient suffering from organic mental disorders and alcohol dependence syndrome, thus shedding some light on a perspective of mental health professionals working in a psychiatric hospital setting, transformed into an infectious diseases unit designated solely to cover treatment of SARS-COV-2 infected patients with mental disorders, on problems and issues arising during provision of immediate healthcare in psychiatry departments in today’s pandemic-stricken world. We believe that our experience from such an endeavor could prove invaluable for other mental health specialists and therefore sharing it seems especially timely and valid.

Therapeutic interventions with child survivors of sibling sexual abuse: The professionals’ perspective

Sibling sexual abuse (SSA) is a continuum of childhood sexual behaviors that do not fit age-appropriate curiosity. SSA may be the most prevalent, longest lasting form of intrafamilial sexual abuse - and the least reported, studied and treated. This exploratory qualitative study examined the experience of intervention with SSA survivors from the perspective of mental health professionals, and explored their major therapeutic challenges. The sample consisted of 20 Jewish Israeli mental health professionals working in private clinics or public social welfare services who had experience with SSA. Semi-structured interviews focusing on the characteristics of SSA events, perceptions about the effects of abuse, intervention priorities and therapeutic challenges compared to other types of child abuse. Professionals working with SSA survivors are preoccupied with the need to provide them with physical and emotional protection, as well as to help them process the abuse narrative. They also find themselves dealing with survivors who do not experience themselves as victims despite external evidence of abuse, or with the need to reconcile their perception of the sexual relationship as mutual, as opposed to the formal requirement to differentiate between "offender" and "victim". In either case, the reality of these survivors can be just as painful as in other SSA cases. The complexity of SSA calls for unique intervention skills, including working with survivor narratives that do not fit the victim/offender dichotomy on one hand and that do not minimize the potentially harsh consequences of SSA on the other.

Acceptability of screening for mental health difficulties in primary schools: a survey of UK parents

BackgroundMany children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties (MHD) do not access care, often due to inadequate identification. Schools have a unique potential to improve early identification; however, evidence is limited regarding the acceptability of school-based identification programmes. This study aimed to examine parents’ beliefs about the acceptability of school-wide MHD screening in primary schools.MethodsWe collaborated with experts in school-based mental health to develop a questionnaire to measure parental attitudes toward school-wide MHD screening. The questionnaire contained 13 items relating to acceptability; three open-text boxes for comments on harms, benefits, and screening in general; and four questions that captured demographic information. Parents of children attending four primary schools in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk completed the questionnaire. We calculated counts, percentages, and means for each statement, and analysed responses to open-ended questions using content analysis.ResultsTwo hundred ninety parents returned the questionnaire across the four schools (61% response rate). In the 260 questionnaires analysed, a total of 254 parents (98%) believed that it is important to identify MHD early in life, and 251 (97%) believed that schools have an important role in promoting pupils’ emotional health. The majority of parents (N = 213; 82%) thought that screening would be helpful, although 34 parents (13%) thought that screening would be harmful. Perceived harms of screening included inaccurate identification, stigmatisation, and low availability of follow-up care. There was no clear consensus regarding how to obtain consent or provide feedback of screening results. There were no significant differences in responses according to ethnicity, gender, age, or school.ConclusionsResults suggest that most parents within the socio-demographic context of our study will accept MHD screening within primary schools, and that school-based screening is viable from the perspective of parents. The comments provided about potential harms as well as suggestions for programme delivery are relevant to inform the development and evaluation of acceptable and sustainable school-based identification models. Implementation and scale-up of such programmes will require further understanding of the perspectives of mental health professionals, school staff, and the general public as well as further evaluation against the established standards for identification programmes.

Modeling Relationships Involving Perceived Recovery Orientation of Mental Health Teams Among Quebec Mental Health Professionals

While mental health (MH) services are expected to support client recovery, very little is known about services provided by MH teams in relation to this goal. This study explored relationships between a comprehensive collection of team effectiveness variables and the perspectives of MH professionals regarding the recovery orientation of their teams. A model developed by path analysis revealed eight team-related variables that were significantly and positively associated with recovery-oriented teams: primary care versus specialized MH services; greater proportions of clients with severe mental disorders or with suicide ideation on caseloads; knowledge sharing and knowledge production among team members; team climate; work role performance; and trust in coworkers. Results underline the importance of building knowledge and professional competence on MH teams, and the need for a positive team climate that offers flexibility and innovation for addressing the complex needs of people in MH recovery living in the community.