The religious component of acute hospital treatment

A clinically trained chaplain working part time in an acute psychiatric day hospital unit affords patients an opportunity to explore the religious dimension of their lives and educates staff about how to address patients' religious beliefs and incorporate them into treatment and discharge planning. The chaplain meets individually with patients at their request, is coleader with a mental health professional of a patients' group that discusses way of enriching one's life, and participates in clinical team meetings. During the first 12 months of the program, a pastoral consultation was requested by 59 percent of patients who were offered one at admission. About another 10 percent sought consultation later or attended the patient group. By incorporating a religious component in acute treatment programs, mental health care facilities can serve the broader purpose of increasing collaboration with religious and other groups in the community and expand the resources available to the patient at discharge.     

One-year follow-up of a multiple-family-group intervention for Chinese families of patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: This study tested the effectiveness of a mutual support multiple-family-group intervention for schizophrenia in terms of improvements in patients' psychosocial functioning, use of mental health services, and rehospitalization compared with a psychoeducation intervention and standard care. METHODS: A controlled trial was conducted in a sample of 96 Chinese families who were caring for a relative with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. The families were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mutual support (N=32), psychoeducation (N=33), and standard care (N=31). The interventions were delivered at two psychiatric outpatient clinics over a six-month period. The mutual support and psychoeducation interventions consisted of 12 group sessions every two weeks, each lasting about two hours. The mutual support group was a peer-led group designed to provide information, emotional support, and coping skills for caregiving in stages. The psychoeducation group was a professional-led group designed to educate families about the biological basis of schizophrenia and treatment and to improve illness management and coping skills. The standard care group and the other two groups received routine psychiatric outpatient care during the intervention. Data analyses of multiple outcomes over one-year follow-up were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses of variance showed that the mutual support intervention was associated with consistently greater improvements in patients' functioning and rehospitalization and stable use of mental health services over the follow-up period compared with the other two interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides evidence that mutual support groups can be an effective family intervention for Chinese persons with mental illness in terms of improving patients' functioning and hospitalization without increasing their use of mental health services.     

Psychiatric reform in Russia

OBJECTIVE: To describe the mental health care system in Russia against the background of rapid social, economic and political change since the late 1980s. METHOD: Indicators of social stress and deteriorating population mental health and official data on service provision are presented. RESULTS: In the current system of psychiatric care dispensaries take a central position. Key issues of the discussion on mental health care include ways of coping with social stress disorders, strategies to redefine psychiatric rehabilitation in a changed social-economic context and steps towards strengthening social support networks for people with mental illness. Following political abuse of psychiatry, professionals have had to face justified and unjustified accusations, and been faced with a general challenge to their role. CONCLUSION: Tackling problems of social stress, the integration of mental health care in the general medical care system and the building-up of general hospital in-patient psychiatric units are of strategic importance.     

Factors influencing nurse-patient interaction in the acute psychiatric setting: an exploratory investigation

Nurse-patient interaction in acute psychiatric in-patient facilities has been the subject of much discussion in the literature and remains a contentious issue. How and why nurses interact with patients in the acute care setting requires definition within the current dynamic environment of mental health service provision. Factors which impact on the manner in which nurses care for patients also require investigation. This article presents the findings of a collaborative research study that investigates factors that influence nurse-patient interaction in the acute psychiatric setting. Ten nurses on the study ward were given opportunity, through semi-structured interviews, to outline and describe the factors perceived to influence nurse-patient interaction. Factors identified as influencing interaction included the ward environment, something always comes up, nurses' attributes, patient factors, instrumental support and focus of nursing. Issues which emerged from the study provide managers and clinical nurses with an opportunity for generating new possibilities for nurse-patient interaction. However, these issues must be addressed in a sensitive way that takes into account the complex and dynamic nature of acute care settings.     

Eating disorders and health insurance understanding and overcoming obstacles to treatment

Eating disorders are complex in cause and course, with biomedical, psychiatric, and psychosocial components. To maximize the likelihood of recovery, patients require skillful and coordinated care from various health care professionals, including medical professionals, mental health professionals, and nutritionists. All too often, at some point in treatment, clinicians discover that their patients' health insurance status has been compromised or that further treatment is denied because of maximization of mental health benefits. It is important for patients, families, and health care professionals to understand the health insurance issues that are involved in the treatment of eating disorders and learn strategies that may help to overcome the obstacles that these issues present.     

Families' perceptions of burden of care for chronic mentally ill relatives

Eighty-six family caregivers participated in small group interviews about their experience of burden in caring for mentally ill relatives. Families experienced profound burdens as a result of their interactions with the mental health care system, particularly in negotiating crisis situations; acting as patient advocates and case managers; obtaining adequate community resources, continuity of care, and information; dealing with legal barriers; and communicating with mental health professionals. Recommended methods of reducing family burden and improving the care of the mentally ill who reside in the community are family education, inclusion of the family in treatment decisions, changes in current mental health laws, redirection in professional training, and development of mobile crisis teams.     

Collaboration Between Mental Health Professionals and Family Physicians: A Survey of New Jersey Family Physicians

Background: Mental health problems are frequent in primary care, and there are many barriers to their detection and treatment. Clinical research protocols that include close collaboration between mental health professionals and primary care physicians have been found to be beneficial. This study explores the opinions of community family physicians regarding mental health professionals working directly in the primary care office.Method: Members of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians (N = 709) were sent a 25-item questionnaire about collaboration with mental health professionals. Three mailings were sent, with a 62% response rate. The surveys were mailed between May and July 1999.Results: Of family physicians included in the analysis, 13.5% reported having an in-office mental health professional. Of those who did not, 60.2% responded that they would consider having one. Compared with physicians who would not consider having an in-office mental health professional, physicians with a mental health professional and those without an in-office mental health professional but who would consider one were statistically more likely (p < .01) to respond that an in-office mental health professional would result in increased use of mental health services, improved acceptance of referrals to mental health professionals, and improved detection and treatment of mental health problems.Conclusion: Although few family physicians have an in-office mental health professional, many more would consider this arrangement and recognize the potential benefits of such collaboration.     

Mental health services under a U.S. national health insurance plan

Sometime during the 1990s, the U.S. Congress could enact legislation that would establish universal access to basic hospital and physician services and, later, create a national health insurance plan. The author explores the potential effect of these programs on state psychiatric facilities; short-term acute psychiatric care facilities, including those under for-profit ownership; mental health professionals; and delivery of patient care. Each year about 63 million uninsured Americans would be eligible for basic health care under a universal access program, and mentally ill patients who are now unable to afford care would then be eligible for limited mental health services. National health insurance, enacted after the universal-access approach fails, is likely to support the current trend of proportionately more ambulatory and less inpatient mental health care. Wealthy Americans are likely to use the national health insurance system but may also use private mental health services, thereby perpetuating the current pluralistic health care delivery system.     

An interdisciplinary psychoeducation program for schizophrenic patients and their families in an acute care setting

A psychoeducation program in an acute care inpatient psychiatric setting involves schizophrenic patients and their families in a range of educational interventions that are responsive to their particular strengths and vulnerabilities. Patients receive one-on-one instruction about their illness from a psychiatrist and the nursing staff and learn community living skills in classes and tutorials conducted by occupational therapists. Families discuss ways of coping with the patients' illness in a series of meetings with a social worker, and they attend workshops led by a team of clinicians and an administrator, who advise them of current perspectives on the illness and its management and about how to negotiate the mental health system. A mental health library keeps staff, family, and patients abreast of recent literature about schizophrenia. The authors believe the program prepares patients to live in the community better than do programs whose goals are limited to symptom reduction or crisis intervention.     

Psychological distress among latino family caregivers of adults with schizophrenia: the roles of burden and stigma

OBJECTIVE: Little research has focused on the mental health of Latino caregivers with a relative with schizophrenia, despite data showing that up to three-quarters of Latino persons with schizophrenia live with their families. This study examined the relation between caregivers' mental health and perceived burden and stigma and characteristics of the patient and caregiver. METHODS: Interviews were conducted in the language of preference (Spanish or English) in Wisconsin, California, and Texas with 85 Latinos caring for an adult with schizophrenia. Measures included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, the Zarit Burden Scale, and the Greenley Stigma Scale. RESULTS: General population studies of Mexican Americans have found that between 12% and 18% meet the cutoff for being at risk of depression; however, 40% of the sample met this criterion. Younger caregiver age, lower levels of caregivers' education, and higher levels of the patients' mental illness symptoms were predictive of higher levels of caregivers' depressive symptoms. Caregivers' perceived burden mediated the relation between patients' psychiatric symptoms and caregivers' depression. Caregivers' perceived stigma was significantly related to caregivers' depressive symptoms, even when the analyses statistically adjusted for psychiatric symptoms and demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: The high rates of depressive symptoms among Latino families caring for a relative with schizophrenia suggest that interventions should include attention to the mental health and recovery of family caregivers in addition to the patient's recovery. Younger Latino caregivers and those with lower levels of education are particularly at risk of depression.     

Perspectives of psychiatric care in Leipzig--deinstitutionalization from the viewpoint of neurologist/psychiatrist in private practice and the work of consortium of community psychiatric services

Two perspectives of mental health care in Leipzig are outlined. Critical aspects of deinstitutionalization are discussed from the point of view of an office-based Nervenarzt (neurologist and psychiatrist). The limitations of office-based practice in providing care for the severely mentally ill (SMI) are described, i.e. lack of a multidisciplinary community mental health team, community psychiatric nursing and social work back-up in particular. Residential service and nursing homes are often under-staffed and ill-prepared for caring for people with SMI. A second view-point describes the Verbund Gemeindenahe Psychiatrie, a community psychiatric service for the just under 500,000 population of Leipzig in seven community mental health centers each combining day hospital, out-patient clinics and multidisciplinary community psychiatric care. This service is unique in Saxony and well accepted by service users and professionals.     

Collaboration between general practitioners and mental health care professionals: a qualitative study

Background

Collaboration between general practice and mental health care has been recognised as necessary to provide good quality healthcare services to people with mental health problems. Several studies indicate that collaboration often is poor, with the result that patient' needs for coordinated services are not sufficiently met, and that resources are inefficiently used. An increasing number of mental health care workers should improve mental health services, but may complicate collaboration and coordination between mental health workers and other professionals in the treatment chain. The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate strengths and weaknesses in today's collaboration, and to suggest improvements in the interaction between General Practitioners (GPs) and specialised mental health service.

Methods

This paper presents a qualitative focus group study with data drawn from six groups and eight group sessions with 28 health professionals (10 GPs, 12 nurses, and 6 physicians doing post-doctoral training in psychiatry), all working in the same region and assumed to make professional contact with each other.

Results

GPs and mental health professionals shared each others expressions of strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for improvement in today's collaboration. Strengths in today's collaboration were related to common consultations between GPs and mental health professionals, and when GPs were able to receive advice about diagnostic treatment dilemmas. Weaknesses were related to the GPs' possibility to meet mental health professionals, and lack of mutual knowledge in mental health services. The results describe experiences and importance of interpersonal knowledge, mutual accessibility and familiarity with existing systems and resources. There is an agreement between GPs and mental health professionals that services will improve with shared knowledge about patients through systematic collaborative services, direct cell-phone lines to mental health professionals and allocated times for telephone consultation.

Conclusions

GPs and mental health professionals experience collaboration as important. GPs are the gate-keepers to specialised health care, and lack of collaboration seems to create problems for GPs, mental health professionals, and for the patients. Suggestions for improvement included identification of situations that could increase mutual knowledge, and make it easier for GPs to reach the right mental health care professional when needed.     

Psychiatry across borders

To gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting mental health professionals throughout the world, the author sent a brief questionnaire to psychiatric leaders in a diverse group of countries. Questions focused on patient care issues, education, and delivery systems. Responses from 13 countries indicated universal concern about the cost of psychiatric care and how it is delivered. Most countries consider health care a national responsibility and provide some form of universal insurance coverage. There is a lack of uniformity in resource distribution and use as well as in standards of care for acute and chronic patients. ICD-9 is the diagnostic classification system used in almost all responding countries, but use of DSM-III is increasing. The author emphasizes the importance of considering national differences and similarities in the delivery of psychiatric services so that professionals around the world can learn from each other's experiences.     

Staff in mental health agencies: coping with the dual challenges as providers with psychiatric disabilities

As persons with psychiatric disabilities have moved into provider positions in mental health they have developed coping skills to help maintain themselves in their jobs. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 12 service providers with psychiatric disabilities who identified the coping strategies that helped them in managing their dual roles. These coping methods were grouped together into categories of personal factors that included attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors, and external factors, meaning formal and informal supports.     

Identifying risk factors and key strategies in linkage to outpatient psychiatric care

OBJECTIVE: The substantial failure of psychiatric patients to engage in outpatient specialty mental health care after an acute hospitalization at a time when managed care companies and others increasingly hold hospitals accountable for outcomes underscores the importance of identifying patients at high risk for not completing referrals. This study explored patient risk factors for not completing referrals and examined the success of several interventions targeted to achieving linkage with outpatient care. METHOD: A clinically detailed, structured form was used in abstracting information from the medical records of 229 inpatients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis. Clinicians and staff at outpatient programs were contacted to determine whether patients completed their referrals. RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds (65%) of the patients failed to attend scheduled or rescheduled initial outpatient mental health appointments after a hospital discharge. At high risk for unsuccessful linkage to outpatient care were patients with a persistent mental illness and those who had no prior public psychiatric hospitalization, were admitted involuntarily, and had longer lengths of stay. Controlling for risk factors, three clinical interventions used during the hospital stay more than tripled the odds of successful linkage to outpatient care: communication about patients' discharge plans between inpatient staff and outpatient clinicians, patients' starting outpatient programs before discharge, and family involvement during the hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Effective clinical bridging strategies can be used to avoid unnecessary gaps in the delivery of psychiatric services. Incorporating these strategies into routine care would enhance continuity of care, especially for some high-risk patients.     

The administration of school-based mental health services.

Challenges and proposed solutions in the administration of school-based mental health services have been addressed. Differences depend on whether the services are provided by the mental health component of an SBHC or by an ISBMHP. Seven common elements relevant in developing and administering school-based mental health services, whether in an SBHC or ISBMHP, have been identified: funding, assessment and resources, program structure, staffing and training, partnership and collaboration, quality assurance, and evaluation. How these elements are addressed varies from school district to indivdual school to individual principal to agencies providing services to specific clinicians. One of the most important lessons learned is that the ecosystem of each school is different; one size does not fit all. When external agencies enter a school, they are in the best case guests, in the worst case foreigners or invaders. Agencies and their clinicians must be respectful, adaptable, flexible, and competent professionals. With such attributes, the chance for an effective collaboration is enhanced. Contributions of school-based mental health services to the child and adolescent mental health delivery system include (1) access to services for disadvantaged and underserved youth, (2) system-wide collaboration, (3) prevention of acute psychiatric intervention, (4) gate-keeper role for more acute or specialized care, (5) systematic program evaluation in a "naturalistic" setting, (6) professional training in working with a range of systems and cultures, and (7) outreach and community-based care. With the emphasis on partnership and collaboration, school-based programs have the potential to benefit the children and families, schools, communities, and managed care organizations. The provision of access and early intervention is cost effective in the long run, and findings indicate that school-based mental health service is as effective as that of a central clinic. With the emphasis on collaboration, partnership, and bridging systems and cultures, the provision of school-based mental health care may be able to offer tools and experience to create integrated systems of care. This is a reciprocal process and an ongoing dialectic, however. Providers and planners of a school-based mental health programs, schools, and managed-care leaders can learn from one another, and all have major contributions to make to the overall delivery system. Schools and mental health service providers contribute knowledge and skills in working with this population; managed care organizations bring administrative and fiscal expertise and a focus on and mandate for quality and cost-effective care. For-profit and not-for-profit agencies must enter into a dialogue to educate and understand each other so that they may become collaborators in the underutilized service for children and youth.     

Recent developments in the Grenada mental health program

The activities of a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals during their initial year of work to upgrade the mental health system in the English-speaking Caribbean nation of Grenada are described. Improvement of services at the islands only psychiatric hospital received top priority. The team helped Grenadian staff to sharpen basic techniques of active treatment, which included assessment of psychiatric symptoms, development of treatment plans, and intervention with patients. Maintenance of medical records was improved, procedures for medication and seclusion were standardized, weekly ward rounds were routinized, and regular staff meetings were urged. Among the obstacles faced by the team in implementing these changes were staffs delayed acceptance of collaborative interdisciplinary team-work, as well as shortages of money and personnel.     

Primary care physicians' experience with mental health consultation

A total of 684 primary care physicians in Wisconsin participated in a survey designed to explore their experiences of consulting with and referring patients to mental health care professionals. The respondents indicated that they had only moderate access to mental health care professionals, and even less access when a patient was covered by Medicare or Medicaid or had no insurance. Physicians in group practices that included at least one mental health professional reported having better access to care than those in practices that did not include mental health services. Perceived access to mental health care services was not related to community size or to a managed care setting.