Articles

Satisfaction with primary care and mental health care among individuals with severe mental illness in a rural area: a seven-year follow-up study of a clinical cohort

Most studies of services for people with severe mental illness have been performed in cities. Our 7-year follow-up study aimed to investigate clinical course and satisfaction with services among individuals wi...

Authors: Torleif Ruud, Trond F. Aarre, Berit Boeskov, Per Ståle Husevåg, Rigmor Klepp, Synnøve Alet Kristiansen and Jorunn Sandvik

Beliefs and knowledge about post-traumatic stress disorder amongst resettled Afghan refugees in Australia

Resettled refugees are at high risk of trauma-related mental health problems, yet there is low uptake of mental health care in this population. Evidence suggests poor ‘mental health literacy’ (MHL) may be a ma...

Authors: Anisa Yaser, Shameran Slewa-Younan, Caroline A. Smith, Rebecca E. Olson, Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo and Jonathan Mond

Promotion, prevention and protection: interventions at the population- and community-levels for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

In addition to services within the health system, interventions at the population and community levels are also important for the promotion of mental health, primary prevention of mental, neurological and subs...

Authors: Inge Petersen, Sara Evans-Lacko, Maya Semrau, Margaret M. Barry, Dan Chisholm, Petra Gronholm, Catherine O. Egbe and Graham Thornicroft

Adaptation and validation of the short version WHOQOL-HIV in Ethiopia

Quality of life of patients is an important element in the evaluation of outcome of health care, social services and clinical trials. The WHOQOL instruments were originally developed for measurement of quality...

Authors: Markos Tesfaye, Mette Frahm Olsen, Girmay Medhin, Henrik Friis, Charlotte Hanlon and Lotte Holm

Managing mental illness in Ghana: the state of commonly prescribed psychotropic medicines

In Ghana, about 13 % of the adult population is estimated to be affected by mental health disorders of varying forms. In managing these patients, psychotropic medications are mostly employed. Since most of the...

Authors: Samuel Oppong, Irene A. Kretchy, Emelia P. Imbeah and Barima A. Afrane

Violent events, ward climate and ideas for violence prevention among nurses in psychiatric wards: a focus group study

Patient violence against nurses in their work environments is a widespread global concern, particularly in the field of mental health care. A high prevalence of violent events impacts the well-being of nurses ...

Authors: Tella Lantta, Minna Anttila, Raija Kontio, Clive E. Adams and Maritta Välimäki

A qualitative exploration of a family self-help mental health program in El Salvador

There is a significant gap in our knowledge regarding community-based self-help groups and their benefits for persons living with mental conditions and their family caregivers in low and middle income countrie...

Authors: Samuel V. Nickels, Nelson A. Flamenco Arvaiza and Myrna S. Rojas Valle

Towards understanding governance issues in integration of mental health into primary health care in Uganda

There is a growing burden of mental illness in low income countries. The situation is further worsened by the high poverty levels in these countries, resulting in difficult choices for their health sectors as ...

Authors: James Mugisha, Joshua Ssebunnya and Fred N. Kigozi

Barefoot therapists: barriers and facilitators to delivering maternal mental health care through peer volunteers in Pakistan: a qualitative study

Perinatal depression is a public health problem in low and middle income countries. Although effective psychosocial interventions exist, a major limitation to their scale up is the scarcity of mental health pr...

Authors: Najia Atif, Karina Lovell, Nusrat Husain, Siham Sikander, Vikram Patel and Atif Rahman

Mental health needs and services in the West Bank, Palestine

Palestine is a low income country with scarce resources, which is seeking independence. This paper discusses the high levels of mental health need found amongst Palestinian people, and examines services, educa...

Authors: Mohammad Marie, Ben Hannigan and Aled Jones

Annual acknowledgement of manuscript reviewers

With the proliferation of journals and the ever-increasing demands on the time and expertise of reviewers it has become increasingly difficult for editors to get high quality and timely reviews. On behalf of a...

Authors: Harry Minas

Bridging the gap: investigating challenges and way forward for intersectoral provision of psychosocial rehabilitation in South Africa

Intersectoral collaboration between government sectors such as Health and Social Development and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in communities is crucial for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PS...

Authors: Carrie Brooke-Sumner, Crick Lund and Inge Petersen

Involuntary psychiatric admission: how the patients are detected and the general practitioners’ expectations for hospitalization. An interview-based study

In Norway, it is usually GPs that refer patients to involuntary admission. A high proportion of such referrals come from out-of-hours clinics. Little is known about who first initiate the contact between the p...

Authors: Ketil Røtvold and Rolf Wynn

Novel implementation research designs for scaling up global mental health care: overcoming translational challenges to address the world’s leading cause of disability

Despite established knowledge that Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) bear the majority of the world’s burden of mental disorders, and more than a decade of efficacy research showing that the most common ...

Authors: Susan M. Meffert, Thomas C. Neylan, David A. Chambers and Helen Verdeli

The mental health and psychosocial impact of the Bougainville Crisis: a synthesis of available information

The Bougainville Crisis (1988–1997) was the largest armed conflict in the Pacific since WW-II. Despite this, there has been no assessment of the Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPS) impact of the war. The aim...

Authors: David Tierney, Paul Bolton, Barnabas Matanu, Lorraine Garasu, Essah Barnabas and Derrick Silove

Erratic electricity supply (Dumsor) and anxiety disorders among university students in Ghana: a cross sectional study

Ghana is currently experiencing electricity supply crisis that is believed to have some impact on the mental wellbeing of the population, especially among university students that have become increasingly depe...

Authors: Abdallah Ibrahim, Genevieve Cecilia Aryeetey, Emmanuel Asampong, Duah Dwomoh and Justice Nonvignon

Using a theory driven approach to develop and evaluate a complex mental health intervention: the friendship bench project in Zimbabwe

There is a paucity of data on how to deliver complex interventions that seek to reduce the treatment gap for mental disorders, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The need for well-documented protocols which c...

Authors: Dixon Chibanda, Ruth Verhey, Epiphany Munetsi, Frances M. Cowan and Crick Lund

Utilization of a mental health collaborative care model among patients who require interpreter services

Immigrants and refugees to the United States have a higher prevalence of depression compared to the general population and are less likely to receive adequate mental health services and treatment. Those with l...

Authors: Jane W. Njeru, Ramona S. DeJesus, Jennifer St. Sauver, Lila J. Rutten, Debra J. Jacobson, Patrick Wilson and Mark L. Wieland

Hospitalization of high and low inpatient service users before and after enrollment into Assertive Community Treatment teams: a naturalistic observational study

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is more successful in reducing hospitalization when baseline use is high. However, with a growing recovery-focus, ACT may be useful for people with severe mental illness who...

Authors: Hanne Clausen, Anne Landheim, Sigrun Odden, Jūratė Šaltytė Benth, Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang, Hanne Kilen Stuen, Helen Killaspy and Torleif Ruud

Neighborhood social capital and infant physical abuse: a population-based study in Japan

We sought to investigate the relationship between neighborhood social capital and infant physical abuse using a population-based sample of women with 4-month-old infants in Japan.

Authors: Takeo Fujiwara, Yui Yamaoka and Ichiro Kawachi

Integrating mental health into primary care for post-conflict populations: a pilot study

Mental health care in post-conflict settings is often not prioritized, despite its important public health role. There is a salient gap in integrating mental health into primary care, especially in post-confli...

Authors: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Anushka Adikari, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Buddhika Abeyrathna and Athula Sumathipala

More than just a bed: mental health service users’ experiences of self-referral admission

Several community mental health centres and mental hospitals in Norway now allow users with a diagnosis of severe mental illness to self-refer for admission. This give a group of service users who are well-kno...

Authors: Turid Møller Olsø, Camilla Buch Gudde, Inger Elise Opheim Moljord, Gretha Helen Evensen, Dag Øivind Antonsen and Lasse Eriksen

Perceptions and experiences of perinatal mental disorders in rural, predominantly ethnic minority communities in northern Vietnam

Preliminary research has suggested that perinatal mental disorders (PMDs), including post-partum depression, are prevalent in Vietnam. However the extent to which these disorders are recognized at the communit...

Authors: Daniel Abrams, Liem T. Nguyen, Jill Murphy, Younji (Angie) Lee, Nhu K. Tran and David Wiljer

Service user and family member perspectives on services for mental health, substance use/addiction, and violence: a qualitative study of their goals, experiences and recommendations

Mental health and substance use disorders (MSD) are significant public health concerns that often co-occur with violence. To improve services that address MSD and violence [MSD(V)], it is critical to understan...

Authors: Rebecca Haskell, Kathryn Graham, Sharon Bernards, Andrea Flynn and Samantha Wells

Treating symptoms or assisting human development: Can different environmental conditions affect personal development for patients with severe mental illness? A qualitative study

Recent research suggests that a basic anomaly in self-experience may be a core factor in patients with severe mental illnesses. Given the importance of sense of self, the traditional treatment of symptoms migh...

Authors: Arnhild Lauveng, Sidsel Tveiten, Tor-Johan Ekeland and Ruud Torleif

Erratum to: Consumers and their supporters’ perspectives on poor practice and the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: results from Australian focus groups

Authors: Lisa M. Brophy, Catherine E. Roper, Bridget E. Hamilton, Juan José Tellez and Bernadette M. McSherry

Consumers and their supporters’ perspectives on poor practice and the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: results from Australian focus groups

Seclusion and restraint are interventions currently permitted for use in mental health services to control or manage a person’s behaviour. In Australia, serious concerns about the use of such seclusion and res...

Authors: Lisa M. Brophy, Catherine E. Roper, Bridget E. Hamilton, Juan José Tellez and Bernadette M. McSherry

Policies on sexual expression in forensic psychiatric settings in different European countries

Sexual expression by forensic psychiatric patients is poorly researched.

Authors: Rajveer Tiwana, Stephanie McDonald and Birgit Völlm

Psychological distress is influenced by length of stay in resettled Iraqi refugees in Australia

Psychological distress has been well identified in recently resettled refugee groups; however, evidence on psychological distress over time is not conclusive. Australia has welcomed a large refugee population ...

Authors: Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo, Shameran Slewa-Younan, Mitchell Smith, Sandy Eagar and Glenn Stone

‘teen Mental Health First Aid’: a description of the program and an initial evaluation

Many adolescents have poor mental health literacy, stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness, and lack skills in providing optimal Mental Health First Aid to peers. These could be improved with...

Authors: Laura M. Hart, Robert J. Mason, Claire M. Kelly, Stefan Cvetkovski and Anthony F. Jorm

Comprehensive psychometric examination of the attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) in South Korea

The aim of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) on a group of university students, which would contribute to the evaluation of the ATT...

Authors: Nam-Ju Ji, Yeon-Pyo Hong and Weon-Young Lee

Overview of the mental health system in Mozambique: addressing the treatment gap with a task-shifting strategy in primary care

Mozambique has gradually changed its action on mental health (MH) from an asylum-centric care with long-term hospitalization to an innovative approach to community and primary care.

Authors: Palmira Fortunato dos Santos, Milton L. Wainberg, José Miguel Caldas-de-Almeida, Benedetto Saraceno and Jair de Jesus Mari

Closing the treatment gap for mental, neurological and substance use disorders by strengthening existing health care platforms: strategies for delivery and integration of evidence-based interventions

This paper outlines the main elements and features of a mental health care delivery platform and its delivery channels. These include evidence-based interventions that can be delivered via this platform as wel...

Authors: Rahul Shidhaye, Crick Lund and Dan Chisholm

Psychological distress and associated factors among prisoners in North West Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

Currently, mental health is an important public health problem and the leading cause of disability worldwide. Studies have shown that, mental illnesses are more common among the prison population than the gene...

Authors: Berihun Assefa Dachew, Abel Fekadu, Teresa Kisi, Nigussie Yigzaw and Telake Azale Bisetegn

Training frontline workforce on psychosis management: a prospective study of training effects

The care situation for persons experiencing severe mental illness is often complex and demands good coordination, communication, and interpersonal relationships among those involved from the primary and specia...

Authors: Tore Sørlie, Marit Borg, Karin B. Flage, Ole-Bjørn Kolbjørnsrud, Gunnar B. Haugen, Jūratė Šaltytė Benth and Torleif Ruud

Assessment of functioning in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder with the Mini-ICF-APP: a validation study in Italy

The aim of the study was to evaluate validity of the Italian Mini-ICF-APP (Mini-ICF Rating for Limitations of Activities and Participation in Psychological Disorders) in schizophrenia and related disorders.

Authors: Federica Pinna, Andrea Fiorillo, Massimo Tusconi, Beatrice Guiso and Bernardo Carpiniello

Tailoring interventions to implement recommendations for the treatment of elderly patients with depression: a qualitative study

To improve adherence to evidence-based recommendations, it is logical to identify determinants of practice and tailor interventions to address these. We have previously prioritised six recommendations to impro...

Authors: Eivind Aakhus, Ingeborg Granlund, Andrew D. Oxman and Signe A. Flottorp

Which deliberate self-poisoning patients are most likely to make high-lethality suicide attempts?

The risk/rescue rating scale (RRRS) assesses the lethality of a suicide attempt, which is defined as the probability of inflicting irreversible damage. We assessed the lethality of suicide attempts using the R...

Authors: Sang Hoon Oh, Han Joon Kim, Soo Hyun Kim, Young Min Kim and Kyu Nam Park

Specialist mental health services in England in 2014: overview of funding, access and levels of care

Since the economic recession began in 2008 anecdotal reports suggest that mental health services in England have experienced disinvestment, but published data to test this proposition are few.

Authors: Mary Docherty and Graham Thornicroft

Delayed identification and diagnosis of Huntington’s disease due to psychiatric symptoms

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that affects 2–9/100.000 of the general population. The usual onset is at around age 35–40 years, but there were cases with onset above 55 y...

Authors: Alina Mihaela Pascu, Petru Ifteni, Andreea Teodorescu, Victoria Burtea and Christoph U. Correll

Doing mental health care integration: a qualitative study of a new work role

Mental health care in Australia is fragmented and inaccessible for people experiencing severe and complex mental ill-health. Partners in Recovery is a Federal Government funded scheme that was designed to impr...

Authors: Jennifer Smith-Merry, Jim Gillespie, Nicola Hancock and Ivy Yen

Selection of depression measures for use among Vietnamese populations in primary care settings: a scoping review

Depression is an important and growing contributor to the burden of disease around the world and evidence suggests the experience of depression varies cross-culturally. Efforts to improve the integration of se...

Authors: Jill Murphy, Elliot M. Goldner, Charles H. Goldsmith, Pham Thi Oanh, William Zhu, Kitty K. Corbett and Vu Cong Nguyen

Mimicking family like attributes to enable a state of personal recovery for persons with mental illness in institutional care settings

The convergence between mental ill health and homelessness is well documented, but critical events that precipitate the downward spiral into homelessness, and promote personal recovery remain only partially ex...

Authors: Vandana Gopikumar, Kamala Easwaran, Mrinalini Ravi, Nirmal Jude and Joske Bunders

Monitoring and assessing the quality of care for youth: developing an audit tool using an expert consensus approach

The mental health needs of young people are often inadequately met by health services. Quality improvement approaches provide a framework for measuring, assessing and improving the quality of healthcare. Howev...

Authors: Stefanie Puszka, Tricia Nagel, Veronica Matthews, Diana Mosca, Rebecca Piovesan, Annapurna Nori and Ross Bailie

The Refugee-Mental Health Assessment Package (R-MHAP); rationale, development and first-stage testing amongst West Papuan refugees

Researchers and practitioners are concerned with a range of inter-related factors that impact on the mental health of refugees, including the traumatic events (TEs) of conflict, conditions of post-migration ad...

Authors: Alvin Kuowei Tay, Susan Rees, Jack Chen, Moses Kareth, Mohammed Mohsin and Derrick Silove

Stakeholder analysis of the Programme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME): baseline findings

The knowledge generated from evidence-based interventions in mental health systems research is seldom translated into policy and practice in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Stakeholder analysis is a po...

Authors: Amit Makan, Abebaw Fekadu, Vaibhav Murhar, Nagendra Luitel, Tasneem Kathree, Joshua Ssebunya and Crick Lund

Feasibility of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for traumatized children in Japan: a Pilot Study

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat children who have experienced traumatic events and suffer from trauma-related disorders. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in several randomiz...

Authors: Satomi Kameoka, Junko Yagi, Yoko Arai, Sachiko Nosaka, Azusa Saito, Wakako Miyake, Saeko Takada, Sayaka Yamamoto, Yasuko Asano, Eizaburo Tanaka and Nozomu Asukai

The virtual institution: cross-sectional length of stay in general adult and forensic psychiatry beds

Length of stay in psychiatric hospitals interests health service planners, economists and clinicians. At a systems level it is preferable to study general adult and forensic psychiatric beds together since the...

Authors: Anand Sharma, Warren Dunn, Clare O’Toole and Harry G Kennedy

Clinical supervision for clinical psychology students in Uganda: an initial qualitative exploration

Burn out in clinical psychologists working in low income countries has been reported. Clinical supervisory structures do not yet exist in Uganda. A way to decrease levels of burn out and increase quality of ca...

Authors: Jennifer Hall, Rosco Kasujja and Peter Oakes

Association between length of hospital stay and implementation of discharge planning in acute psychiatric inpatients in Japan

Japan has introduced an acute psychiatric care unit to the public healthcare insurance program, but its requirement of a shorter length of stay could lead to discharges without proper discharge planning. The a...

Authors: Miharu Nakanishi, Junko Niimura, Michika Tanoue, Motoe Yamamura, Toyoaki Hirata and Nozomu Asukai