Serious Mental Illness Research Articles

Serious Mental Illness in Nursing Homes: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Federal Preadmission Screening Program

ABSTRACT The federal Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) program was enacted in the 1980s amid concerns surrounding the quality of nursing home (NH) care. This program is meant to serve as a tool to assist with level of care determinations for NH applicants with serious mental illness (SMI) and was intended to limit the growth in the number of NH residents with SMI. Despite this policy effort, the prevalence of SMI in NHs has continued to increase, and little is known about the mechanisms driving the heterogeneous and suboptimal administration of the PASRR program, absent routine evaluative efforts. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with state and national stakeholders to identify factors affecting PASRR program administration and NH care for residents with SMI. Stakeholders expressed concern regarding fragmentation, specifically lack of clarity in the value of assessments beyond a regulatory requirement. Additionally, they cited variable program administration as contributing to fragmented communication patterns and inconsistent training across jurisdictions. Given the number of people with SMI currently residing in NHs, policy and practice should take a person-centered approach to assess how PASRR can be better used to support resident needs.

Association of environmental and socioeconomic indicators with serious mental illness diagnoses identified from general practitioner practice data in England: A spatial Bayesian modelling study.

BackgroundThe evidence is sparse regarding the associations between serious mental illnesses (SMIs) prevalence and environmental factors in adulthood as well as the geographic distribution and variability of these associations. In this study, we evaluated the association between availability and proximity of green and blue space with SMI prevalence in England as a whole and in its major conurbations (Greater London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle).Methods and findingsWe carried out a retrospective analysis of routinely collected adult population (≥18 years) data at General Practitioner Practice (GPP) level. We used data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) on the prevalence of a diagnosis of SMI (schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses, and other patients on lithium therapy) at the level of GPP over the financial year April 2014 to March 2018. The number of GPPs included ranged between 7,492 (April 2017 to March 2018) to 7,997 (April 2014 to March 2015) and the number of patients ranged from 56,413,719 (April 2014 to March 2015) to 58,270,354 (April 2017 to March 2018). Data at GPP level were converted to the geographic hierarchy unit Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) level for analysis. LSOAs are a geographic unit for reporting small area statistics and have an average population of around 1,500 people. We employed a Bayesian spatial regression model to explore the association of SMI prevalence in England and its major conurbations (greater London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle) with environmental characteristics (green and blue space, flood risk areas, and air and noise pollution) and socioeconomic characteristics (age, ethnicity, and index of multiple deprivation (IMD)). We incorporated spatial random effects in our modelling to account for variation at multiple scales.Across England, the environmental characteristics associated with higher SMI prevalence at LSOA level were distance to public green space with a lake (prevalence ratio [95% credible interval]): 1.002 [1.001 to 1.003]), annual mean concentration of PM2.5 (1.014 [1.01 to 1.019]), and closeness to roads with noise levels above 75 dB (0.993 [0.992 to 0.995]). Higher SMI prevalence was also associated with a higher percentage of people above 24 years old (1.002 [1.002 to 1.003]), a higher percentage of ethnic minorities (1.002 [1.001 to 1.002]), and more deprived areas.Mean SMI prevalence at LSOA level in major conurbations mirrored the national associations with a few exceptions. In Birmingham, higher average SMI prevalence at LSOA level was positively associated with proximity to an urban green space with a lake (0.992 [0.99 to 0.998]). In Liverpool and Manchester, lower SMI prevalence was positively associated with road traffic noise ≥75 dB (1.012 [1.003 to 1.022]). In Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, there was a positive association of SMI prevalence with distance to flood zone 3 (land within flood zone 3 has ≥1% chance of flooding annually from rivers or ≥0.5% chance of flooding annually from the sea, when flood defences are ignored): Birmingham: 1.012 [1.000 to 1.023]; Liverpool and Manchester: 1.016 [1.006 to 1.026]. In contrast, in Leeds, there was a negative association between SMI prevalence and distance to flood zone 3 (0.959 [0.944 to 0.975]). A limitation of this study was because we used a cross-sectional approach, we are unable to make causal inferences about our findings or investigate the temporal relationship between outcome and risk factors. Another limitation was that individuals who are exclusively treated under specialist mental health care and not seen in primary care at all were not included in this analysis.ConclusionsOur study provides further evidence on the significance of socioeconomic associations in patterns of SMI but emphasises the additional importance of considering environmental characteristics alongside socioeconomic variables in understanding these patterns. In this study, we did not observe a significant association between green space and SMI prevalence, but we did identify an apparent association between green spaces with a lake and SMI prevalence. Deprivation, higher concentrations of air pollution, and higher proportion of ethnic minorities were associated with higher SMI prevalence, supporting a social-ecological approach to public health prevention. It also provides evidence of the significance of spatial analysis in revealing the importance of place and context in influencing area-based patterns of SMI.

Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation in people with serious mental illness in the general hospital setting

ObjectivePeople with serious mental illnesses (SMI) have an increased risk of stroke compared to the general population. This study aims to evaluate oral anticoagulation prescription trends in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with and without a comorbid SMI. MethodsAn open-source retrieval system for clinical data (CogStack) was used to identify a cohort of AF patients with SMI who ever had an inpatient admission to King's College Hospital from 2011 to 2020. A Natural Language Processing pipeline was used to calculate CHA2DS2-VASc and HASBLED risk scores from Electronic Health Records free text. Antithrombotic prescriptions of warfarin and Direct acting oral anti-coagulants (DOACs) (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, edoxaban) were extracted from discharge summaries. ResultsAmong patients included in the study (n = 16 916), 2.7% had a recorded co-morbid SMI diagnosis. Compared to non-SMI patients, those with SMI had significantly higher CHA2DS2-VASc (mean (SD): 5.3 (1.96) vs 4.7 (2.08), p < 0.001) and HASBLED scores (mean (SD): 3.2 (1.27) vs 2.5 (1.29), p < 0.001). Among AF patients having a CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2, those with co-morbid SMI were less likely than non-SMI patients to be prescribed an OAC (44% vs 54%, p < 0.001). However, there was no evidence of a significant difference between the two groups since 2019. ConclusionOver recent years, DOAC prescription rates have increased among AF patients with SMI in acute hospitals. More research is needed to confirm whether the introduction of DOACs has reduced OAC treatment gaps in people with serious mental illness and to assess whether the use of DOACs has improved health outcomes in this population.

Implications of Dietary Intake and Eating Behaviors for People with Serious Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study.

The impact of poor diet quality and nutritional inadequacies on mental health and mental illness has recently gained considerable attention in science. As the opinions and experiences of people living with serious mental illness on dietary issues are unknown, we aimed to understand the role of nutrition in a biopsychosocial approach. In total, 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people living with serious mental illness (SMI) in Australia, Germany and Austria, and a generic thematic analysis approach was applied. Four positive (positive effects on the body and mind, therapeutic effects in treating somatic illnesses, pleasure and opportunity for self-efficacy) and three negative (impairment related to mental illness and its treatment, perceived stigma and negative effects on the body and mind) implications of diet were identified. A key issue for most of the participants was the mental burden arising from their body weight. This might indicate that negative implications, such as guilt and stigma, were of primary importance for people with SMI when talking about their dietary behavior. In conclusion, diet-related support is urgently needed for people with SMI. However, especially participants from Germany and Austria reported that this is not yet widely available in mental health settings, leading to hopelessness and resignation.

Examining the effects of subjective and objective neurocognition on recovery within serious mental illness: the role of diagnostic disclosure

ABSTRACT Background Although living openly with psychosis or other serious mental illness (SMI) can be important for recovery, people often conceal this identity. Social-cognitive models of diagnostic concealment/disclosure posit that perception of symptoms (e.g. perceived neurocognitive symptoms), rather than objective symptoms, evokes concern regarding disclosure. The study aims to: 1) highlight fear of diagnostic disclosure (DD) as a recovery barrier; 2) examine whether perceived symptoms or subjective neurocognitive complaints (SNCS) are associated with greater fear of DD; and 3) determine whether fear of DD is a mechanism (mediator) through which SNCS impact recovery. Methods Fifty people experiencing SMI completed measures of recovery, fear of DD, SNCS and objective neurocognition. Three participants were excluded due to incomplete testing. Results To address Aim 1, correlations revealed negative associations for recovery with SNCS and fear of DD. SNCS and fear of DD were positively correlated. Better objective neurocognition was positively associated with SNCS, but not recovery. Consistent with Aims 2 and 3, SNCS were negatively associated with recovery via association with fear of DD. Discussion Results suggest fear of DD is associated with perceived difficulties, independent of actual functioning. Treatments targeting disclosure may hold promise for facilitating recovery.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 lockdown on a population with serious mental illness. A prospective cohort study.

IntroductionCOVID-19 has spread worldwide since its appearance at the end of 2019. In Spain, 99-day long home confinement was set from March 15th 2020. Previous studies about events requiring situations of isolation suggested that mental health problems may occur among the general population and, more specifically, vulnerable groups such as individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). This study aims to assess the psychological effect of confinement in patients with mental illness admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit.MethodIn this longitudinal study, IDER (State-Trait Depression Inventory) and STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) questionnaires were used at two different times (at the beginning and after the lockdown) of the pandemic to evaluate the depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively, in a population of patients who had been previously admitted to the Psychiatry Unit of the Basurto University Hospital.Results95 participants completed the IDER questionnaire in the first measurement, with a mean score of 24.56 (SD = 8.18) for state and 23.57 (SD = 8.14) for trait. In the case of STAI, the mean score was 27.86 (SD = 15.19) for the state and 30.49 (SD = 14.71) for the trait. No differences between the first and the second time were found in anxiety and depression levels. People with personality disorders presented high levels of anxiety.ConclusionsIndividuals with a personality disorder showed the highest scores in anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, strict confinement did not affect this population, despite the literature that evidences that the pandemic has worsened people's mental health with SMI.

Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in patients with serious mental illness.

Patients with serious mental illness (SMI) are at increased risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Despite this, OSA is frequently under-recognised in the psychiatric population. This study describes the results of OSA screening in SMI patients. Patients with SMI attending a metropolitan mental health clinic were screened for OSA using the OSA50, STOP-BANG Questionnaire (SBQ), Epworth Sleep Score (ESS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). They were then offered diagnostic sleep testing via ResMed ApneaLinkTM and polysomnography. Of the 65 patients recruited, 65% had a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 85% were on antipsychotic medications and the majority were obese. Approximately 50% of patients reported poor sleep quality via the PSQI, in contrast to 12% with elevated daytime sleepiness via the ESS. 46% of our cohort were at risk of OSA due to an elevated OSA50 or SBQ. Of the five patients who agreed to proceed to diagnostic sleep testing, three were diagnosed with OSA. A high proportion of patients with psychiatric illness are at risk of sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep dissatisfaction is high. The low uptake of sleep investigation requires improved patient engagement to improve OSA diagnosis in this high-risk group.

Total Metacognitive Capacity Predicts Competitive Employment Acquisition Across 6 Months in Adults With Serious Mental Illness Receiving Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.

Deficits in metacognitive capacity are common among people with serious mental illness (SMI), although there is a gap in knowledge regarding how these impairments predict later functioning, especially employment. This study aimed to prospectively examine the relationship between metacognitive capacity and 6-month competitive employment attainment in adults with SMI who were participating in a study testing a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention added to supported employment services. Sixty-seven participants with complete data at baseline and the 6-month follow-up comprised the sample. Data were analyzed using stepwise logistic regression covarying for work history and study assignment. Results indicate that total metacognitive capacity at baseline significantly predicted employment acquisition at 6 months; the final model correctly classified 83.3% of participants who obtained work. In conclusion, these findings suggest that better overall metacognitive capacity may be key for future work functioning. Thus, interventions that target metacognitive capacity may lead to enhancements in community outcomes.

Health status of young adults with serious mental illness enrolled in integrated care.

People with serious mental illness (SMI) are more likely to develop chronic health conditions and die prematurely. Timely identification of modifiable health risk factors may enable early intervention. We aimed to describe the physical health characteristics and service utilization of young people with SMI. Young people with SMI enrolled in an integrated community mental health clinic (CMHC) and primary care program were assessed for physical and mental health history and past year service utilization. A total of 122 participants, ages 16-35 (m=27.0 ± 5.0 years), half male, 78.3% White were assessed. Half smoked cigarettes, half had obesity, almost half (47.5%, n=56) had hypertension, and about a third had laboratory metabolic abnormalities. The group averaged 10.7 ± 5.1 h of sedentary behavior per day. Obesity was associated with high blood pressure, prediabetes, poor self-rated health abilities, sedentary behavior and low health satisfaction. Over half had been to the emergency department (ED) for a medical reason (55.0%, n=66) and 24.6% had been hospitalized for a health condition in the past year. Over half had a lifetime cardiovascular risk score indicating a 50-67% chance of having a cardiovascular event; simply quitting smoking would reduce the number with this risk by almost half. Most physical health diagnoses were not recorded in the CMHC record. Young people with SMI newly enrolled in integrated care had high rates of smoking, obesity, hypertension, and other cardio-metabolic abnormalities contributing to high risk for future disease. Research is needed to examine appealing, scalable interventions to improve health, reduce unnecessary medical care, and prevent disparate chronic disease in this group.

Does Bail Reform Decarcerate Mental Illness? Public Health Challenges for a Large County Jail System.

Although bail reform reduces jail census, whether or not its effects extend to incarcerated individuals with mental illness is unknown. Using a novel high-sensitivity measure of serious mental illness (SMI) from jail-based electronic health records, we conducted an interrupted time series analysis assessing the impact of Illinois bail reform on total jail registrations and the nested subset with SMI ± co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD). Compared with a decline in total jail registrations, admission of individuals with SMI ± SUD showed no decline. Consequently, the proportion of admissions involving SMI increased between 2015 and 2019 from 26% to 35%. Intentional efforts involving cooperation by the health, social services, and justice sectors are needed to translate the impact of bail reform onto the population experiencing SMI.

Improving Standards of Physical Health Care of Patients in Secure Mental Health Hospital

AimsEvidence suggests that individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) die up to twenty years prematurely compared to the average population without SMI with the main causes of death linked to preventable cardiovascular disease, respiratory failure, and endocrine disorders. This early mortality remains despite national efforts to recognise the issue and promote development of processes to enhance quality of physical health care in patients with SMI. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines (CG178) recommendation 1.5.3.5 states that healthcare professionals in secondary care should ensure individuals with SMI receive physical health checks from primary care. This idea may be suitable for patients in the community setting or those who undergo shorter hospital admissions, however the process of psychiatric rehabilitation in secure mental health hospitals is challenged by long average stays resulting in no access to routine primary care facilities. The aim of the project is to introduce tailored measures that would aid in delivering high quality physical health care to patients within secure mental health hospitals.MethodsRavenswood House Medium Secure Hospital supported a project to improve the physical health of individuals with SMI. An audit was completed to evaluate the assessment and management of baseline physical health measures that would have usually been completed in primary care as per the standards set out in NICE guidelines. The results showed that not all measures were being met and there was room for improvement.Based on these NICE recommendations, an annual health check template and a centralised documentation toolkit were implemented and integrated within a new Physical Health Care Pathway in collaboration with General Practitioners, Dentists, Physiotherapists and other Allied Healthcare professionals.ResultsFollowing implementation of the Physical Health Care Pathway, the number and quality of annual physical health checks in Ravenswood House Medium Secure Hospital increased resulting in significantly better-quality outcomes for patients by completing appropriate referrals and follow-up care.ConclusionThis collaborative approach of providing a high-quality physical health care was delivered in-house by arrangement with external healthcare practitioners. This pathway of providing care assisted us in overcoming several challenges faced within secure hospitals due to legal sanctions and related security protocols involving the patient group.

Addressing sexuality and intimate relations in community mental health services for people with serious mental illness: A qualitative study of mental health practitioners' experiences.

The literature on the experience of mental health providers (MHPs) working with people with serious mental illness (SMI) in community-based mental health programs related to sex, sexuality, and intimacy is scarce. The purpose of the present study was to explore the situations, thoughts, feelings, dilemmas, and challenges experienced by MHPs around these issues. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 MHPs working with people with SMI in six different community mental health programs in Israel. Four main themes emerged: (a) lack of professional training and skill sets to discuss clients' sexuality and intimacy issues, (b) ambivalence regarding the status and appropriateness of sexual relationships and intimacy as recovery-related goals, (c) discomfort discussing sexuality as a barrier to shared decision making and person-centered care, and (d) distinct programmatic and structural barriers to discussing and addressing needs and preferences related to sexuality and intimacy. The study highlights challenges experienced by MHPs working with people with SMI when confronted with sexual activities, relationships, and intimacy issues raised by service users. The development and implementation of trainings and resources designed to bolster MHPs' skill sets addressing sexuality and intimacy should be a priority for the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. MHPs who work with people with SMI in community-based settings often experience complex thoughts, feelings, dilemmas, and challenges related to clients' desire for or involvement in intimate and sexual relationships. Our study indicates a need to develop and implement stronger training and supervision to support MHPs to respond effectively to these complex situations and associated challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Cardiovascular Disease Risk in SMI Across Various Settings in a Semirural Area – a Study During COVID-19 Pandemic

AimsThe risk for cardiovascular-related death is predicted to be higher in individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) due to increased prevalence of common cardiac risk factors like smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, substance use and hyperlipidemia among them.MethodsThe aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the physical health of patients with SMI in various settings- acute inpatient, tertiary care hospital and community.We estimated the cardiovascular disease risk of schizophrenia patients with the aid of Framingham Risk Score (FRS) assessment tool, which can quantitatively predict both the heart age and 10-year CVD Risk percentage of patients aged ≥ 30 years. The clozapine to norclozapine ratio was compared with triglyceride levels, body weight, BMI, and fasting blood glucose in patients after treatment with clozapine. Southlake Regional Health Center's practice was compared with the national standards set by Diabetes Canada 2018 guidelines by conducting a clinical audit.68 non-diabetic, patients aged ≥ 30 years with all the risk factor records for FRS assessment were selected from a cohort of 183 patients registered in the schizophrenia clinic of Southlake Regional Health Centre. The data were collected from patient records from the 75 patients registered with Assertive Community Treatment Team in Georgina, Ontario.The sample size of the study on inpatients was 49 participants from the acute psychiatry ward consisting of 28 females and 21 males during the month of November 2021.ResultsMales, on average, were found to have an intermediate 10-year CVD risk (~11.2%; FRS total points: 11.27) in comparison to females who, on average, had a low 10-year CVD risk (~7.3%; FRS total points: 11.19). 26% of the patients using FRS were calculated to be at high risk and 28% with intermediate risk of developing a CVD. The average heart age of the sample patients was 60 years, which was 9 years higher than the total average age (51 years). The investigated biomarkers of Hemoglobin A1C, triglycerides, and glucose serum concentration were examined graphically, separated into categories of the ratio measurements of 0–2, 2–3, and 3+. For all biomarkers, lower values were more desirable. Triglycerides were the lowest in the 3+ ratio category. Hemoglobin A1C and glucose serum concentration were lowest in the 0–2 ratio category.100% of patients with diabetes had their blood sugar levels measured and 66.67% were referred to an endocrinologist. In patients without diabetes, 91.30% had their blood sugar levels measured, 39.13% had their HbA1C levels measured, and 6.52% had neither their HbA1C, nor their blood sugar levels measured.ConclusionCardiovascular complication can be one of the leading causes of death in the next 10 years among schizophrenia patients due to age, poor lifestyle choices, and current estimations via the FRS assessment tool. Further studies need to be conducted with a larger sample size and more recent data to examine any adverse lifestyle changes in schizophrenia patients during the pandemic, which could have negatively influenced their cardiovascular health. It is recommended that doctors weigh the risks vs benefits of prescribing clozapine to patients with high triglyceride levels.

Happiness, well-being, and recovery: Experiences of adults receiving psychiatric rehabilitation services.

Although recovery for people with serious mental illness (SMI) has received considerable attention, there is a research gap on the related topics of well-being and happiness-subjects that have been widely studied in the general population. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of happiness, well-being, and recovery from the perspectives of persons with SMI, and to examine similarities and differences among these constructs. This qualitative study used semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 30 adults with SMI to explore experiences of happiness, well-being, and recovery. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to generate themes related to each concept. Happiness was facilitated through relationships with natural and professional supports, engaging in meaningful activities that conferred a sense of accomplishment, using coping skills to reduce distress, engaging in recreational activities, and meeting basic material needs. Well-being was promoted through self-care activities and enhanced through relationships with professional supports. However, nearly one-fourth of participants expressed uncertainty about what well-being meant to them. Recovery was characterized as a process of overcoming illness or adversity through which personal control over symptoms and stressors is increased; recovery is also facilitated by supportive professional relationships. Most factors relating to the happiness of people with SMI are also factors that have been identified in theory and research as facilitating the happiness of the general population. Findings suggest that happiness should be considered an important new area of research, policy, and practice in the fields of psychiatric rehabilitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Remote digital phenotyping in serious mental illness: Focus on negative symptoms, mood symptoms, and self-awareness

The serious mental illness (SMI) phenotype is marked by several different symptom domains and biomedical challenges. The nature of SMI renders in-person assessment challenging, due to problems in event recall, response biases, lack of experience in real-world functional domains, and difficulties identifying informants. Digital strategies offer a promising alternative to in-person assessments and allow for remote delivery of cognitive and social cognitive assessments in addition to continuous momentary assessment of activities, moods, symptoms, expressions, experiences, and psychophysiological variables. Remote assessments of mood, emotion, behavior, cognition, and self-assessment have been successfully collected across various SMI conditions. Both active (paging and triggered observations of facial and vocal expressions) and passive (global positioning, actigraphy) methods have been deployed remotely, similarly to in-person assessments previously conducted in the laboratory. Advanced strategies in data analysis are used to examine this information and to guide the development of newer advances in assessment of phenotypic variation in SMI.

Digital Phenotyping Methods to Measure or Detect Social Behaviour in Patients With Serious Mental Illness (SMI): A Systematic Review. a Closer Look at Bipolar Disorder

AimsTo provide a fresh insight into the extent digital phenotyping methods have been employed to measure or detect social behaviour in patients with SMIs; with a closer look at those used in Bipolar Disorder (BD); to give findings on the validity, reliability, acceptability and tolerability of these digital phenotyping methods.MethodsUsing specified search terms relating to digital phenotyping metrics and terms related to SMIs, a thorough literature search strategy for studies was employed across the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, and PsychINFO - from inception to July 2021.Included studies employed digital phenotyping methods, collecting either passive, active or mixed-modal data, which in principle reported metrics representing social behaviour on patients with an SMI. Here we present a preliminary analysis of studies reporting results for patients with BD, with a particular focus on tolerability and acceptability.ResultsOf 4,646 records initially screened, a subgroup of 9 studies (n = 474) directly focusing on patients with BD are reported here. Across the studies, we find a modest adherence rate towards these applications by patients, ranging from 72.6% to 89.2%. Methods used by the studies include the frequency of phone calls and text messages, and self-reported and observer ratings of social and interpersonal functioning. The collection of such digital phenotyping data appears tolerable and acceptable to participants with BD, with patients reporting them to be supportive and only mildly intrusive.ConclusionOur preliminary analysis suggests that digital phenotyping of social behaviour may be acceptable and tolerable to participants with Bipolar Disorder. In an increasingly digital world, digital phenotyping methods of social behaviour may assist physicians with clinical assessment and prediction of clinical outcomes including relapse. Future analyses will assess the reliability and validity of the data that such methods yield, and their potential therapeutic value.

I feel frozen: Client perceptions of how posttraumatic stress disorder impacts employment.

Objective: There is evidence that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a hidden barrier to employment among individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) among whom PTSD is highly prevalent. This study aimed to explore how PTSD interferes with achieving employment outcomes among persons with SMI. Methods: Participants included 119 individuals with SMI and co-occurring PTSD receiving Supported Employment services. Responses to the question, "In what ways are PTSD symptoms interfering with your work during the past month?" were analyzed. Results: Six themes emerged: (a) I don't like being around people, (b) I feel frozen and unable to get started, (c) troubling negative affect, (d) mind is scattered and all over the place, (e) feeling fatigued all the time, and (f) flashbacks and triggers can happen whenever. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings provide insight into how PTSD symptoms impact work outcomes and suggest that there is a need for Supported Employment providers to screen clients for trauma exposure to identify those in need of additional support in order to improve work outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

QI: Improving Physical Healthcare Recording in a Mental Health Service for Homeless People – Working With KPI's

AimsAs a mental health team for homeless people, we are aware of poor health outcomes for our patients. They face the double-hit of chronic serious mental illness (SMI) and homelessness, reducing life expectancy. As outlined in guidance, “secondary care team should maintain… monitoring service user's physical health”. We aimed to improve recorded annual physical health checks according to Trust Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for weight; hypertension; diabetes; cholesterol; and screening for smoking, drugs and alcohol on SystmOne (e-patient record) in Westminster's Joint Homelessness Team's (JHT) caseload, with target of 90% by December 2021 set by Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Trust.MethodsUsing monthly physical health KPI reports to target uncompleted annual health checks for JHT's 135 patients. PDSA cycles were used over a six-month period from July 2021 – January 2022.Intervention 1: Using available GP data to pull across into our records, making use of existing information.Intervention 2: Dedicated clinical session from FY2 doctor to assess patients with missing physical health checks.Intervention 3: Specific teaching to whole MDT to increase awareness and uptake.Intervention 4: Designed our own reporting to give real-time rather than monthly reporting.Outcomes were measured from monthly Physical Health reports for the active caseload.ResultsAt baseline only 26.67% of patients had completed recorded health checks. Intervention 1 more than doubled our recordings to 54.17% over a 2-month period. Our second intervention further improved recorded physical health checks.The third intervention increased our recorded physical health checks to 82.35% over a 2-month period. Notably, at the beginning of our project 7 out of 135 patients, had no engagement in physical health check monitoring, this reduced to 1 after intervention 3.At the end of our fourth cycle, we had increased our recorded physical health checks to 83.93%.Overall, results show an improvement of 57.26%, or a relative increase of 3.15 times the amount of recorded physical health checks over 6 months.ConclusionAs a result of incorporating dedicated clinical time, teaching and real-time use of data, we have improved our recorded physical health checks. There is room for improvement with 16% of patients still with incomplete health checks and approximately 10% of patients without blood tests. Some of this is due to accessibility and engagement difficulties for people with SMI and entrenched rough-sleeping, with ongoing work being done.

Evaluation of Physical Health in an In-Patient Psychiatric Rehabilitation Setting

AimsThe mortality gap between patients with serious mental illness (SMI) and without is around 15–20 years. This has multiple contributing factors including poor physical health, side effects of antipsychotic medications and sub-optimal medical management. Presented here is a detailed cross-sectional study of physical health measures in an in-patient rehabilitation population in Scotland. Results are compared to national averages and clinical guidelines with the aims to a) benchmark physical health in this population and b) where possible improve physical health.MethodsPhysical health data including observations, blood tests, and investigations was collected ahead of detailed structured interviews and physical exams performed by a post-foundation doctor. These results were compared to recommendations for physical health monitoring from numerous national and government guidelines (SIGN, NICE, Scottish Government, Maudsley). Data were collected in 4 domains, 1) Indicators of physical health, 2) Engagement with physical health, 3) Concordance with guidelines and 4) Outcomes of reviews.ResultsData were collected from 57 of all 62 in-patients. 34 reported being generally happy with their health vs 15 unhappy. 42% were obese (compared to 28% of the general population), 84% were smokers (vs 16% in the local population) 16% were hypertensive, 22% had raised HbA1c, 50% had raised cholesterol, 47% had QRISK &gt;10%. 68% agreed to a full physical health review, 65% agreed to flu vaccination. Completed cancer screening uptake compared to the Scottish population was low; Cervical (30% vs 71%), Bowel (8% vs 59%), Breast (23% vs 72%), AAA (0% vs 84%). Patients were generally up to date in terms of recorded weight (100%), BP (98.2%), HR (98.2%) and lipids (89.4%), but not ECG's (61.4%) and Diabetes screening (59.6%). 17 referrals were made to medics/surgeons, 29 to MDT's, 24 medications started, 9 stopped and 27 changed, most commonly statins (12 patients), vitamin D (8 patients) and hypoglycemics (5 patients).ConclusionCardiovascular disease indicators were notably raised, uptake of screening was very poor and there were areas where the service didn't meet national guidelines. The number of referrals and medication changes suggest an unmet need within such services. The findings, if generalisable across similar populations, suggest that more can be done to address ongoing poor physical health in populations with SMI and indeed patient readiness to comply with physical health screening. Screening for key physical health parameters needs to be augmented by working to engage patients and following up with management plans for abnormalities found.

A Quality Improvement of the Identification of Obesity in Patients With Mental Health Morbidity and Referral to Weight Management Services

AimsA quality improvement project was undertaken to counteract obesity in patients with mental health morbidity. The exponential trend of increased antidepressant prescribing (SSRI, SNRI and anti-psychotic medication) has created a trend towards weight gain in patients. An audit of the Serious Mental Illness (SMI) register and depression registers was conducted in a population of 591 patients. Those patients identified as obese were offered referral to the local authority weight management services.MethodsPatients have a body weight and BMI calculation with their twice yearly mental health and medication review and those whose BMI met the obesity criteria were offered referral to the local authority for 12 weeks weight management services.ResultsOf the SMI and depression register 189 (32%) patients met the criteria for referral to the weight management program. Of these 154 (81%) patients accepted the local NHS weight management program, 35 (18%) of patients declined the NHS weight management program.ConclusionWeight gain is a known side effect of antidepressant medication SSRI and SNRIs and Anti psychotic medication resulting in increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular and metabolic disease. The QI program was undertaken to counteract these changes with referral to weight management services to address the weight gain the patients were experiencing.This quality improvement service was done to help patients across three surgeries lose weight in an effective and educational manner. We found a high rate of acceptability of referral to weight management services when offered as patients themselves were aware of the weight gain. A review of positive changes in the BMI after referral to the weight management program will be undertaken at 6 and 12 months to evaluate its acceptability and effectiveness. We advocate sensitive counselling of the risks of weight gain and regular monitoring of body weight throughout the span of the prescribing of these weight gaining agents.