Mental health nurses' attitudes towards severe perinatal mental illness

Title.  Mental health nurses' attitudes towards severe perinatal mental illness.
Aim.  This paper reports on a study exploring the experiences and attitudes of generic mental health nurses towards care of women with severe mental illness during the perinatal period.
Background.  Severe mental disorder in the perinatal period is a global public health concern. However, there are concerns that mental health nurses other than dedicated perinatal mental health teams may lack knowledge, skills and experience in caring for such disorders, because of their low prevalence.
Methods.  Sixteen generic Registered Mental Nurses working in public adult mental health services participated in three focus groups during 2007.
Findings.  Participants did not perceive any difference between symptoms during perinatal and non-perinatal periods. There were mixed attitudes towards caring for women with severe mental illness in the perinatal period. Fear and anxiety was expressed by the nurses when caring or feeling responsible for the babies of clients. Lack of communication between professional groups and decreased clinical decision-making following the introduction of the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale caused frustration. Confidence was displayed when working with known and trusted colleagues.
Conclusion.  Generic mental health nurses would benefit from more education on perinatal mental health and there may be a need for them to be supported by specialist perinatal mental health practitioners.     

Engaging women at risk for poor perinatal mental health outcomes: A mixed‐methods study

Risk factors for poor perinatal mental health are well known. Psychosocial assessment and depression screening during the perinatal period aim to identify women at risk for poor perinatal outcomes. Early intervention programmes are known to improve the mental health outcomes of women and infants. Key to any intervention is initial and ongoing engagement in the therapeutic process. This mixed‐methods study reports the proportion of women who engage/do not engage with services and their characteristics, as well as the strategies clinicians use to engage women. Data were collected by reviewing medical records, interviewing perinatal and infant mental health (PIMH) clinicians, their managers, key stakeholders, and women service users. Analyses identified that most (71.3%) women referred engaged with the PIMH service. Themes related to non‐engagement are ‘time to rethink’ and ‘stigma’. Themes reflecting the engagement strategies used by PIMH clinicians are initial engagement: ‘back to basics’ and ‘building trust’, therapeutic engagement: ‘making myself useful’, engagement at discharge: ‘woman or clinician led’, and models that facilitate engagement.     

Experiences of intensive home treatment for a mental health crisis during the perinatal period: A UK qualitative study

Some women with severe perinatal mental health difficulties in England are cared for by acute home treatment services, known as Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs), which provide short‐term home‐based treatment for adults experiencing a mental health crisis. Intensive home treatment has been trialed in a number of countries, but it is not known how well suited it is to the needs of perinatal women. This qualitative study aimed to explore how women and practitioners experience the provision of intensive home treatment for perinatal mental health problems. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with women who had received intensive home treatment in the perinatal period (n = 15), and focus groups were held with practitioners working in CRTs or in specialist perinatal mental health services (3 groups, n = 25). Data were analysed thematically. Women commonly found intensive home treatment problematic, experiencing it as intrusive and heavily risk‐focused, with poor staff continuity and little tailoring to the perinatal context. However, women valued emotional support when provided, particularly when it had a perinatal focus, sometimes based on practitioners sharing their own experiences. Some women also appreciated avoiding hospital admission, but choice was often limited. Practitioners reported a lack of perinatal training among CRT staff and described difficulties tailoring treatment to perinatal women’s needs. Currently, intensive home treatment, as offered by CRTs, may not be well suited to women with perinatal mental health difficulties. Findings suggest a need to develop community crisis responses that are better tailored to the needs of this population.     

Evaluating the clinical efficacy of a primary care-focused, nurse-led, consultation liaison model for perinatal mental health

In Australia, perinatal mental illness is common, although poorly identified and treated. Improved perinatal mental health depends on service provision models that reflect a focus on promotion, prevention, and early intervention, while facilitating improved referral pathways between primary health and specialist mental health services. In 2008, a contemporary community-based model of mental health service provision was developed as an alternative to the pre-existing hospital-based service model. The model is delivered primarily by mental health nurses using a consultation liaison framework. It provides for specialist mental health assessment and brief intervention in collaboration with the general practitioner, who remains the primary health provider. It also aims to raise community awareness and build capacity for the management of perinatal disorders in the primary care sector. Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the model, and the improvement in access for primary health providers and women, was conducted at 2 years from its implementation. Clinical effectiveness was evaluated by using comparative data from the Edinburgh Depression Scale and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, and the results demonstrated clinical efficacy. Improved attendance rates indicated that women preferred this community-based service model as an alternative to the pre-existing service model.     

Computerized mental health assessment in integrative health clinics: a cross-sectional study using structured interview

Computerized mental health assessment is gaining popularity. It enables the standardization of assessment of clinical problems, increases the capacity to collect sensitive or confidential information, facilitates personal assessment at one's own pace, and offers rapid screening of mental health status. The use of computer technology to conduct mental health assessment was an initiative proposed for two nurse-led integrative health clinics affiliated to a University in Hong Kong. It was intended to provide an efficient screening for depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and problem gambling common in the primary health-care settings to facilitate early intervention. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of using a computerized health assessment kiosk to perform mental health assessment. The assessment items were derived from an abbreviated World Health Organization Mental Disorders Checklist and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Criteria for Pathological Gambling. The study involved an opportunity sample of 31 subjects who volunteered to complete the computerized mental health assessment during their waiting time in the clinics. The results showed that most subjects had positive feelings about using a computer to perform a mental health assessment and had increased understanding of their mental health. Suggestions made to improve computerized mental health assessments included touch screen, voice instructions, and enlarged print font size.     

Hospitalized mental health patients and oral health

The purpose of this review of the literature is to present a contemporary perspective related to the nursing care of hospitalized mental health patients who have risk of developing oral health issues. Mental illness is a major health concern worldwide. Compounding this health issue, mental health patients/clients demonstrate avoidant behaviours related to oral health, and the symptoms of mental illness can be a compounding factor. Oral health and oral inflammatory disease are the result of lifestyle and behaviour and mental disorders affect both lifestyle and behaviour. The search used the search terms oral health AND nursing AND mental illness AND Published Date 2005 to 2010. For those who experience mental illness oral health assessment is not routinely practised by clinicians. The importance of special attention to dental problems for people with mental disorders has also been stressed by researchers since the lifespan of people with serious mental disorders is shortened compared to the general population. Oral health care is an important part of treatment. Routine oral care for hospitalized patients is imperative, and this is usually the responsibility of nurses without sufficient knowledge in oral care or comprehensive protocols to follow.     

Enhancing oral health for better mental health: Exploring the views of mental health professionals

The association between oral health, self‐esteem and quality of life is well established yet there is limited research on the impact of addressing the poor oral health of people living with mental health disorders. Greater consideration is warranted on how enhancing oral health in the course of mental healthcare might reduce the burden of a person's ill health. The role of mental health professionals is important in this regard yet uncertainty persists about the role these providers can and should play in promoting oral health care for people with mental health disorders. This qualitative study explored the issue of oral health and mental health with community based mental health professionals in Perth, Western Australia. It examined their views on the oral health status and experiences of their clients, and the different and alternative ways to improve access to care, knowledge and preventative regimens. Findings indicated participants’ ambivalence, reluctance and lack of training in raising oral health issues, despite its acknowledged importance, indicating a siloed approach to care. Findings offer an opportunity to reflect on whether a more integrated approach to oral health care for people with mental health disorders would improve health outcomes.     

空巢老人心理健康评估工具研究进展

空巢老人在生命周期及家庭周期转型过程中的心理健康问题日渐凸显,心理健康的评估是心理健康维护与促进的基础性工作。对空巢老人心理健康的评估工具进行了综述,以期为准确评价空巢老人心理健康问题,制定科学的心理干预策略提供理论依据。     

Evaluating services for women with serious and ongoing mental health problems: developing an appropriate research method

Despite an increase in the literature on women with less disabling or transitory mental health problems, there is little relating to women with serious and ongoing difficulties. In considering the means by which the needs of this population might be studied, tension arises over methodology. Research comparing the clinical, functional and service use characteristics of women and men might demonstrate their different mental health problems but would neither elucidate women's particular needs nor examine the social reasons for this difference. A feminist methodology would, however, offer a means of exploring the experiences of women, a framework for understanding sex differences, and generate findings that would be beneficial to women. The present study gives an insight into ways in which the exploration of sex differences can be combined with a study of women for women without compromising the relevance and impact of the findings.