Group items tagged

From the abstract: "the current study provides a n analysis of homeless and runaway youths' attitudes towards mental health servic es in order to identify possible factors t hat can assist service providers with understanding and increasing service engagement . V ariables examined included help seeking propensity, psychological openness , concern for mental health stigma, parental maltreat ment, street victimization and services n eeds assessment. The current study also examines the relationship between social support and attitudes toward mental health services. A comparison sample of housed youth was obtained in order to de termine if mental health attitudes are unique to homeless y outh. Fifty - six youth who identified as homeless were recruited through youth drop - in centers and a shelter in Northern California , and 97 housed youth were recruited from alternative community continuation schools in the same region . A nalys is of v ariance iii showed that homeless and housed groups did not differ significant ly on attitudes toward mental health services, help seeking propensity, psychological openness, and concern for mental health stigma . Additional f indings revealed that , for homeless youth, t he more perceived friend support , the more their concern for mental health stigma decreased and the more supportive individuals available , the more positive attitudes toward mental health services and help seeking propensity increased . Comparison of correl ations between homeless and housed groups revealed only one significant difference; the association between perceived family support and help seeking propensity was strongest for the housed group than for the homeless group . Results demonstrate d that home less youth and housed youth share similar attitudes toward mental health services , help seeking propensity, psychological openness, and c o ncern for mental health stigma. Mean scores obtained on these measures were comparable to the only existing study on

"Difficulties resolving conflict between identity and depressive symptoms may account for significant delays in seeking help for depression. The results have implications for predicting health behaviour and improving treatment uptake for depression, and may inform existing help-seeking models. "

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"The Child Mind Institute, dedicated to transforming mental health care for children everywhere, is waging war against the stigma, lack of awareness, and misinformation that cause so many children to miss out on treatments that can change their lives with its second annual national public education program, Speak Up for Kids. It will be held during National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, May 6-12, 2012."

"includes mental health statistics at the national and State levels from 35 different data sources. The report is organized into three sections: * People: the mental health status of the U.S. population and prevalence of mental illness; * Providers: providers and settings for mental health services, types of mental health services, and rates of utilization; * Payers: expenditures and sources of funding for mental health services"

" The American Psychiatric Association (APA) instituted a financial conflict of interest disclosure policy for the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The new disclosure policy has not been accompanied by a reduction in the financial conflicts of interest of DSM panel members. Transparency alone cannot mitigate the potential for bias and is an insufficient solution for protecting the integrity of the revision process. Gaps in APA's disclosure policy are identified and recommendations for more stringent safeguards are offered."

Are we doing more harm than good by exporting our diagnoses and remedies for mental illnesses? A new book - Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche - sets the agenda for a vital public discussion.

from the introduction: "his progress report outlines advances made to date to expand the quality and availability of mental health care services for active military service members, veterans, and their families. Highlights of the report include: Increasing the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line Building partnerships between the VA and community-based mental health providers Increasing the number of VA mental health providers and peer specialists Implementing a national suicide prevention campaign."

"Major depressive disorder is a common global disease that causes a significant societal burden. Most interventional studies of depression provide a limited assessment of the interventions on mortality and suicide risks. This study utilizes data from an observational registry of patients with major depressive disorder to determine the impact of intervention (vagus nerve stimulation or standard pharmacological/non-pharmacological therapy) and a latent factor, patient trajectory toward response, on mortality, suicide and suicidal ideation. A total of 636 patients were available for an intent-to-treat analysis of all-cause mortality, suicide and suicidal ideation. Patients treated with vagus nerve stimulation in addition to standard therapies experienced lower, but not statistically significant, all-cause mortality (vagus nerve stimulation 4.93 per 1,000 person-years vs. 10.02 per 1,000 patient years for treatment as usual) and suicide rates (vagus nerve stimulation 0.88 per 1,000 person-years vs. 1.61 per 1,000 patient years for treatment as usual). Treatment with vagus nerve stimulation produced a statistically lower relative risk of suicidal ideation 0.80, 95% confidence interval (0.68,0.95). Further, patients that responded to either treatment saw a 51% reduction in relative risk of suicidal behavior; relative risk and 95% confidence interval of 0.49 (0.41,0.58). In summary, we find that treatment with adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation can potentially lower the risk of all-cause mortality, suicide and suicide attempts."

Abstract"Objective To evaluate whether a new computerised cognitive behavioural therapy intervention (SPARX, Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts) could reduce depressive symptoms in help seeking adolescents as much or more than treatment as usual.Design Multicentre randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.Setting 24 primary healthcare sites in New Zealand (youth clinics, general practices, and school based counselling services).Participants 187 adolescents aged 12-19, seeking help for depressive symptoms, with no major risk of self harm and deemed in need of treatment by their primary healthcare clinicians: 94 were allocated to SPARX and 93 to treatment as usual.Interventions Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (SPARX) comprising seven modules delivered over a period of between four and seven weeks, versus treatment as usual comprising primarily face to face counselling delivered by trained counsellors and clinical psychologists.Outcomes The primary outcome was the change in score on the children's depression rating scale-revised."

The policies include mandatory screening for both disorders using validated tools, a learning collaborative and evaluations to promote quality improvement, and financial incentives to clinics achieving various service benchmarks. The department also offers training to help providers with various issues related to these policies.

The program also connects patients to other community resources and addresses health, social, and logistical barriers to care. The program significantly enhanced access to appropriate care and improved client understanding of their medical condition, resulting in enhanced health functioning and a significant decline in emergency department use and costs for nonemergent conditions.

From the abstract: "We conducted systematic literature searches in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase up to November 2012, and identified additional studies through earlier meta-analyses and the references of included studies. We identified 198 studies, including 15,118 adult patients with depression, and coded moderator variables. Each of the seven psychotherapeutic interventions was superior to a waitlist control condition with moderate to large effects (range d = −0.62 to d = −0.92). Relative effects of different psychotherapeutic interventions on depressive symptoms were absent to small (range d = 0.01 to d = −0.30). Interpersonal therapy was significantly more effective than supportive therapy (d = −0.30, 95% credibility interval [CrI] [−0.54 to −0.05]). Moderator analysis showed that patient characteristics had no influence on treatment effects, but identified aspects of study quality and sample size as effect modifiers. Smaller effects were found in studies of at least moderate (Δd = 0.29 [−0.01 to 0.58]; p = 0.063) and large size (Δd = 0.33 [0.08 to 0.61]; p = 0.012) and those that had adequate outcome assessment (Δd = 0.38 [−0.06 to 0.87]; p = 0.100). Stepwise restriction of analyses by sample size showed robust effects for cognitive-behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, and problem-solving therapy (all d>0.46) compared to waitlist. Empirical evidence from large studies was unavailable or limited for other psychotherapeutic interventions."

not an independent review/approval process for mh drugs

Self-compassion is essential from the beginning of the recovery process. Once you admit that you have a problem, you likely start to see all of the problems you caused in a different light. Find out how self-compassion can be the best tool in Rehab for Teens' latest blog.

A guide prepared by the National Resource Center for Youth Development

There is increasing interest in online collaborative learning tools in health education, to reduce costs, and to offer alternative communication opportunities. Patients and students often have extensive experience of using the Internet for health information and support, and many health organisations are increasingly trying out online tools, while many healthcare professionals are unused to, and have reservations about, online interaction. ... In this article we address two main research questions: 1. How did MHPs and MHSUs interact on an online collaborative forum? 2. What helped or hindered collaborative learning in this online medical education context? "