Understanding Of Mental Illness Research Articles

“For me I see MINE to be a family sickness” – consumers understanding and perception of the etiology of mental illness in community-based residential facilities in Ghana

ABSTRACT This paper explores consumers’ understanding and perception of the etiology of mental illness in community-based residential facilities in Ghana. Qualitative data involving in-depth interviews were used to collect data from 15 consumers of mental health services from two residential facilities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The study showed that mental illness is generally constructed within the medical and religious-cultural notion. The religious-cultural construction aligned mental illness to Ghanaian belief systems (supernatural forces, spirituality and traditional belief) and cultural practices (social norms and values) whilst the medical construction ascribed the etiology to biological, emotional and substance abuse issues. Although consumers had a positive perception of mental illness, they were doubtful about the presence of illness. The study concludes that the combination of medical, social and religious-cultural constructs and understanding of mental illness should be integrated into advocacy and awareness programmes to better educate consumers and clinicians.

Role of accredited social health activists in treatment of persons with severe mental illness in the community.

Role of accredited social health activists in treatment of persons with severe mental illness in the community.

The status and stigma consequences of mental illness labels, deviant behavior, and fear

Despite the breadth of research on mental illness, there remains some ambivalence about the distinct and combined effects of mental illness labels and deviant behavior for stigma and status. To examine the effects of mental illness labels and deviant behavior on stigma and status, we use experimental methods. Because fear is tightly linked with understandings of mental illness, we also consider the role of fear in these processes. We find that absent behavioral descriptions, mental illness labels do not affect status; however, deviant behavior that is and is not labeled as a mental illness decreases status. Neither deviant behavior nor mental illness labels independently affect stigma; however, compared to unlabeled deviant behavior, deviant behavior that is labeled as a mental illness either increases or decreases stigma for fear-inducing and fear-neutral behavior, respectively. In summary, the effects of mental illness labels appear to depend on behavioral connotations, including fear.

CONFIRMATION BIAS & PSYCHOEDUCATION WITH RELATION TO MENTAL ILLNESS

The article aims to review the present understanding of cognitive biases and how they play a role in the understanding of mental illnesses. The paper explores the effect of conformation bias in a collectivistic society and how psychoeducation can play a role in forwarding research backed and data-driven mental healthcare.

My sibling's mental illness: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiences of having an adult sibling with a mental illness in semi-rural South Africa.

BackgroundWhen there is a lack of resources in the community to support deinstitutionalisation, the siblings of an individual with a mental illness are the ones who are the most affected and vulnerable. Nevertheless, sibling care work is still largely unacknowledged in the mental health sector in low- and middle-income countries.AimThis article describes and interprets the lived experiences of ‘black’ isiXhosa-speaking individuals having a sibling with a mental illness, to shed light on how mental health professionals might support and sustain the involvement of individuals in the treatment and care of their sibling.SettingThe study was conducted in a semi-rural town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.MethodsThe study employed a qualitative research design using interpretative phenomenological analysis as the research method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed.ResultsThe findings present interview extracts which give voice to participants’ experiences of financial burden, social burden and stigma, and of engaging with psychiatric treatment while providing care for their mentally ill sibling. Findings also highlight the positive aspects of caring for a sibling with a mental illness.ConclusionThis study specifically highlights the gendered nature of care work and siblings’ increased understanding of mental illness by virtue of their relationship with their brother or sister, thereby possibly pointing to sibling relationships as valuable relational resources for challenging stigma. The study findings suggest that calls for greater cooperation between healing belief systems should include dialogue with western religious belief systems alongside traditional healing belief systems.

Think Family, Think Relationship: Factors Influencing Stronger Professional Relationships with Parents Diagnosed with a Mental Illness. A Qualitative Study

Abstract This qualitative study explored how professionals and parents with mental illness experience their relationships with each other, what aspects of interaction promote a constructive relationship and the role of wider organisational and systemic factors. A purposive sample of 30 adult mental health and children’s services professionals, and 21 parents completed semi-structured interviews. Professionals’ transparent, non-judgemental, empathetic and positive approach and ability to form partnerships and to share power with parents were keys in building trusting relationships with them. Professionals’ capacity to use limited self-disclosure of their own personal experiences (i.e. parenting) enabled them to develop constructive relationships with parents. Equally, important was parents’ willingness to form partnerships with professionals and to accept a whole family approach to service delivery. Professionals’ limited understanding of mental illness and focus on administration hindered their relationships with parents. An understanding of what constitutes a constructive relationship between professionals and parents and how it develops may help professionals to reflect upon how they engage parents and to do it well. It may also assist organisations to develop the necessary structures and resources to create the conditions for promoting constructive engagement between professionals and parents.

Magico-religious Beliefs Stigma and Help-seeking Behaviour among the Caregivers of Persons with Schizophrenia

Background: The cultural and traditional aspects of caregivers of people with mental illness have been seen widely, where the faith healers are the immediate source for treatment. Due to poor understanding of mental illness and stigma among caregivers, people often seek traditional help than modern medical treatment. Aim: To assess the Magico-religious beliefs, stigma and help seeking behaviour among the caregivers of persons with schizophrenia. Methods and Materials: Descriptive research design was used. Seventy caregivers of persons with schizophrenia attending the outpatient department of LGBRIMH, Tezpur, Assam were purposefully taken for the study. Socio-demographic datasheet, Family Interview Schedule (stigma section), Super Natural Attitude Questionnaire and General Help Seeking Questionnaire were administered. Results: Prevalence of the stigma was 100%. The majority (80%) of care giver's locality and community believe in Jadu Tona, 75.7% have performed puja/ritual/jhad-phook, 72.9% visited or consulted faith healer, 67.1% talk about or believe in bhoot pret, Jadu Tona (65.7%), Opari kasar (64.3%), 68.6% believed that performing puja/rituals/jhad-phook can change patient's behaviour. Majority 57.6% care giver showed high help-seeking behaviour while 42.4% showed low help-seeking behaviour. Majority of the caregivers seek help from the parents (5.47±1.20). Conclusion: Supernatural beliefs and stigma found to be common among the caregivers of persons with schizophrenia. Caregivers have higher help-seeking behaviour from informal groups than formal groups.

\u201cCrazy person is crazy person. It doesn\u2019t differentiate\u201d: an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community

BackgroundMental health conditions have been shown to disproportionately affect those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Somali communities globally have relatively high levels of mental illness, but low levels of mental health service use, with numerous barriers to care identified.This study was conducted in an established UK Somali community in the South West of England and aimed to explore community beliefs and views about the causes of mental illness, treatment for mental illness, and access to medical services in general. Participants were asked about how mental health and illness are understood and conceptualised, along with the cultural meaning of mental illness and its manifestations in relation to men, women and young people.DesignUsing a community-based participatory research design, in partnership with local Somali community organisations, the research team conducted four focus groups with a total of 23 participants aged over 18. Open-ended questions were used to facilitate discussion. Transcripts were analysed thematically.ResultsThe participants discussed the role of migration and associated stress from the civil war and how that could contribute to mental illness.Participants tended to view the symptoms of mental illness as physical manifestations such as headaches and to describe a strong community stigma where those with mental health conditions were viewed as “crazy” by others. Barriers to accessing healthcare included language barriers, waiting times and a mistrust of doctors. Various ideas for improvements were discussed, including ideas to reduce stigma and ideas for community initiatives.ConclusionCultural considerations and reducing stigma are vital in improving understanding of mental illness and improving access to mental health services, along with building relationships and trust between the Somali community and health care workers.

Social Disconnection in Late Life Mental Illness – Commentary From the National Institute of Mental Health

Social Disconnection in Late Life Mental Illness – Commentary From the National Institute of Mental Health

In Case You Haven't Heard…

The Carter Center, a global leader in mental health, announced July 15 the eight U.S. recipients of the 2020–21 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. The group includes a nonprofit news leader, local reporters, freelance journalists and the inaugural Benjamin von Sternenfels Rosenthal Grantee for Mental Health Investigative Journalism. Beginning in September, fellows will pursue innovative mental health journalism projects during the yearlong, nonresidential fellowship, a news release stated. The projects tackle some of society's biggest behavioral health challenges and seek to strengthen reporting, drive change in their communities and help reduce stigma through storytelling. The fellowships challenge recipients to delve deeper into learning about a mental health issue to ensure the public gets reliable information about mental illnesses. “The Carter Center has worked for more than two decades to develop a cohort of journalists who can have a significant impact on the public's understanding of mental illnesses,” said former First Lady and Carter Center co‐founder Rosalynn Carter. “These journalists are making important contributions to lifting some of the stigma associated with mental health issues.”

Stigma among Saudi Youth: Across-sectional Study on Secondary and Intermediate School Adolescent Attitudes towards Serious Mental Illness in Taif City 2019

Background: Stigma is a fundamental barrier to individuals seeking out mental health treatment in the Middle East. The impact of stigma may be amplified if the engagement in and utilization of mental health services for psychosis further stigmatizes individuals and their families Stigma toward mentally ill individuals acts as a barrier to accessing care and receiving treatment. Stigma experienced from family members is pervasive. Moreover, social disapproval and devaluation of families with mentally ill individuals are an important concern. This holds true particularly with regards to marriage, marital separation and divorce. Psychic symptoms, unlike somatic symptoms, are construed as socially disadvantageous. Thus, somatization of psychiatric disorders is widespread. Negative attitudes towards mental illness are influenced by culture and affect people’s behavior differently depending on their cultural background. This is not to say that younger people have no stigma towards the mentally ill. Attitudes towards various aspects of mental illness, including its conceptualization and stigma towards the mentally ill are thought to form at an early age. The most urgent problem of mental health care in is the lack of personal and financial resources. Thus, mental health professionals are mostly located in urban areas. This increases the barriers to seek help and contributes to the stigmatization of the mentally ill. Aim of the study: This study aims to explore the dimensions of stigma and social tolerance and examine its correlates in the younger, population of Taif city. Method: cross sectional study conducted at secondary and intermediate schools at Taif city in 2019. Sample population consists the participants were youths aged 14-18 years old residing and studying in Taif at the time of data collection. Our total participants were (400) .Results: The Mean+ SD age of the sample was (16.923±1.582). Regarding of age was (13-32) and regarding the gender were 225 (57.7%) participants were male while females was (42.3%). most of the sample is shown secondary education was (89.2%) while preparatory was (10.8%) most of participant were Saudi nationality was(95.6%) a significant relation between age and Physical danger, Class thinking, Personal space where respectively (P-value=0.032, 0.000, 0.029) and r Respectively (0.108, 0.183.), Non-Saudi students had higher for contact with mentally ill individuals compared with Saudi students. Conclusion: We propose the following initiatives to reduce stigma toward mental illness in the KSA: (a) Health education to families to enable them to support their affected relatives, (b) Increase cooperation between psychiatrists and faith healers and (c) Health education programs to the young people in schools to increase their awareness and understanding of mental illnesses and to combat negative stereotypes.

A Music Assignment to Develop Pharmacy Students’ Empathy Toward People with Opioid Use Disorder

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of using music to assist pharmacy students in developing empathy toward patients with opioid use disorder. Methods. Students were given an extra credit assignment as part of an elective course in neuropsychiatry. Students were to listen to the autobiographical album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, about the life of rock music star Nikki Sixx and his struggles with heroin addiction. They were then required to write a reflection about how the lyrics and music from the album affected their personal views on persons with opioid use disorder. Results. Eighteen of 25 students in the course completed the assignment. Students' response to the assignment was universally positive. Many commented on their previous views that opioid use was a choice and a problem for law enforcement to manage. Students stated how their perspectives changed significantly after listening to the music and developing an appreciation for the symptoms and problems related to opioid use disorder and attempts to abstain. Many students remarked how the musical accompaniment to the lyrics and narration helped shape their emotional response.Conclusion. Health professions students often have difficulty understanding mental illnesses, including substance use disorders. Music can be used to enhance student's empathy toward patients with mental health and substance use disorders. Music and other art forms may be especially useful when teaching subject matter related to the affective domain.

Integrated Effects of Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesions and Impoverished Social-Environmental Rearing on Endophenotypes of Mental Illness and Addiction Vulnerability

A wide range of mental illnesses show high rates of addiction comorbidities regardless of their genetic, neurodevelopmental, and/or adverse-environmental etiologies. Understanding how the spectrum of mental illnesses produce addiction vulnerability will be key to discovering more effective preventions and integrated treatments for adults with addiction and dual diagnosis comorbidities. A population of 131 rats containing a spectrum of etiological mental illness models and degrees of severity was experimentally generated by crossing neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHL; n = 68) or controls (SHAM-operated; n = 63) with adolescent rearing in environmentally/socially enriched (ENR; n = 66) or impoverished (IMP; n = 65) conditions. This population was divided into 2 experiments: first, examining NVHL and IMP effects on novelty and mild stress-induced locomotion across 3 adolescent ages; second, looking at initial cocaine reactivity and long-term cocaine behavioral sensitization in adulthood. NVHL and IMP-environmental conditions independently produced remarkably similar and robustly significant abnormalities of hyperreactivity to novelty, mild stress, and long-term cocaine sensitization. The combined NVHL-IMP groups showed the most severe phenotypes across the board, so that the mental illness and addiction vulnerability phenotypes increased together in severity in a consistent stepwise progression from the healthiest rats to those with the greatest loading of etiological models. These findings add weight to our understanding of mental illness and addiction vulnerability as brain disorders that are biologically and developmentally unified in ways that transcend etiological causes, and yet co-intensify with increased loading of etiological conditions. Combining neurodevelopmental and adverse-environmental models of mental illness may provide an approach to identifying and therapeutically targeting cortical-striatal-limbic network mechanisms that generate addiction and dual diagnosis diseases.

Attitudes of Psychiatry Residents in Canadian Universities toward Neuroscience and Its Implication in Psychiatric Practice.

Despite recent advances in neuroscience highlighting its potential applications in the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders, the training of psychiatrists in neuroscience is lacking. However, it is not clear to what extent Canadian trainees are interested in further learning and using neuroscience in their daily clinical practice. This study explored the attitudes of Canadian psychiatry trainees with regard to neuroscience education and training by asking them to assess their own understanding of neuroscience and the perceived relevance of neuroscience knowledge to effective psychiatric practice. An online questionnaire was sent to psychiatry residents at Canadian universities. This questionnaire consisted of self-assessments of neuroscience knowledge, attitudes toward neuroscience education, preferences in learning modalities, and interest in specific neuroscience topics. One hundred and eleven psychiatry residents from psychiatry residency programs at Canadian universities responded to this survey. Participants represented trainees from all 5 years of residency. Almost half of all trainees (49.0%) reported their knowledge of neuroscience to be either "inadequate" or "less than adequate," and only 14.7% of trainees reported that they feel "comfortable" or "very comfortable" discussing neuroscience findings with their patients. 63.7% of Canadian trainees rated the quantity of neuroscience education in their residency program as either less than adequate or inadequate, and 46.1% rated the quality of their neuroscience education as "poor" or "very poor." The vast majority of participants (>70%) felt that additional neuroscience education would be moderately-to-hugely helpful in finding personalized treatments, discovering future treatments, destigmatizing patients with psychiatric illness, and understanding mental illness. Canadian trainees generally feel that their neuroscience knowledge and the neuroscience education they receive during their psychiatry residencies is inadequate. However, as the first step for any change, the majority of future Canadian psychiatrists are very motivated and have a positive attitude toward neuroscience learning.

Physiotherapists' views about providing physiotherapy services to people with severe and persistent mental illness: a mixed methods study.

What perceptions do physiotherapists have about their role in managing the physical health of people with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI)? What are the barriers to treating physical health conditions in this clinical population, and what enablers may improve access to physiotherapy services? Mixed-methods research design combining focus groups, interviews and an online survey. Eighty-eight Australian registered physiotherapists: 31 in the focus groups and interviews (mean age 32 years, 68% female) and 57 in the survey (mean age 38 years, 86% female). Focus groups and interviews explored participants' understanding of mental illness; their role in managing the physical health of people with SPMI; and the barriers and enablers to service delivery. Key themes were derived using an inductive approach. The survey was used to determine physiotherapists' attitudes and knowledge regarding mental illness; perceived role of physiotherapy in mental health; and need for professional development in the mental health area. Participant characteristics and survey information were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative and quantitative results were confirmatory. Participants indicated that physiotherapists can play a role in the management of physical health conditions in people with SPMI. Participants also stated that such treatment was part of their job, given the extensive evidence that physiotherapy interventions are effective for the comorbidities that are common among people with SPMI. Barriers included: limited education about and confidence in how to manage people with SPMI; health system structure; and stigmatisation of people with SPMI. Physiotherapists are ideally poised to become leaders in managing the physical health of people with SPMI. To improve the physical health in this important yet overlooked population, it is recommended that: physiotherapists take up general mental health training opportunities; undergraduate physiotherapy education increases content in this clinical area; physiotherapy-specific professional development opportunities are developed further; and health system barriers are addressed.

Mental health attitudes among Middle Eastern/North African individuals in the United States

ABSTRACT Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) individuals may have heightened risk for developing mental health problems due to unique cultural stressors. However, traditional cultural and religious practices and beliefs socialised within the family environment may reduce the likelihood of seeking mental health services. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the intersection of cultural, religious, and mental health attitudes among MENA individuals. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with MENA adults who had received therapy services (N = 13) and were analysed for emergent themes. Respondents reported lack of understanding of mental illness within their communities, and prominent levels of perceived and self-stigma. Families and religious practices/beliefs played an important role in responding to mental illness. Results suggest that incorporating psychoeducation and community awareness campaigns alongside religious services may help to reduce barriers to receiving mental health treatment.

You shall bury him: burial, suicide and the development of Catholic law and theology

Whether physician-assisted dying should be legalised is a major debate in medical ethics and much has been written on it from both secular and religious perspectives. Less, however, has been...

A Qualitative Analysis of the Portrayal of Young People and Psychosis in Australian News Reports

ABSTRACT News media plays an influential role in shaping society’s understanding of mental illness and can promote perspectives ranging from those that promote help-seeking behaviour to stigmatised associations with attributes such as danger and violence. Stigma has been found to have significant negative impacts on people with psychosis. No existing studies have explored how young people with psychosis are represented in newspapers. Targeting this gap, this study analysed news articles relating to youth psychosis to determine the types of discourses used. We searched the ProQuest Australia and New Zealand Newsstream database (2011-2016) for Australian newspaper articles related to young people and psychosis. Qualitative analysis was used to identify content and these were arranged into key themes. The recurring themes evident in the 27 articles linked youth psychosis to illicit drug use, violence and professional infighting about treatment options, and thus promoted significantly stigmatised perspectives of youth psychosis. Acknowledgement of these stigmatised discourses is important for encouraging responsible media reporting and for understanding the social messages impacting on treatment and help-seeking by young people. We discuss the conflicted role of journalists in presenting information about mental illness and recommend development of a more solutions-focused approach to reporting in this area.

David A. Hamburg (1925-2019).

Renowned physician-psychiatrist and humanitarian

The abiding relevance of mouse models of rare mutations to psychiatric neuroscience and therapeutics

Studies using powerful family-based designs aided by large scale case-control studies, have been instrumental in cracking the genetic complexity of the disease, identifying rare and highly penetrant risk mutations and providing a handle on experimentally tractable model systems. Mouse models of rare mutations, paired with analysis of homologous cognitive and sensory processing deficits and state-of-the-art neuroscience methods to manipulate and record neuronal activity have started providing unprecedented insights into pathogenic mechanisms and building the foundation of a new biological framework for understanding mental illness. A number of important principles are emerging, namely that degradation of the computational mechanisms underlying the ordered activity and plasticity of both local and long-range neuronal assemblies, the building blocks necessary for stable cognition and perception, might be the inevitable consequence and the common point of convergence of the vastly heterogeneous genetic liability, manifesting as defective internally- or stimulus-driven neuronal activation patterns and triggering the constellation of schizophrenia symptoms. Animal models of rare mutations have the unique potential to help us move from “which” (gene) to “how”, “where” and “when” computational regimes of neural ensembles are affected. Linking these variables should improve our understanding of how symptoms emerge and how diagnostic boundaries are established at a circuit level. Eventually, a better understanding of pathophysiological trajectories at the level of neural circuitry in mice, aided by basic human experimental biology, should guide the development of new therapeutics targeting either altered circuitry itself or the underlying biological pathways.