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Ford A, De Togni G, Erikainen S, Filipe AM, Pickersgill M, Sturdy S, Swallow J, Young I. How and why to use 'vulnerability': an interdisciplinary analysis of disease risk, indeterminacy and normality. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2024; 50:125-134. [PMID: 37696602 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2023-012683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, 'vulnerability' has been getting more traction in theoretical, professional and popular spaces as an alternative or complement to the concept of risk. As a group of science and technology studies scholars with different disciplinary orientations yet a shared concern with biomedicine, self and society, we investigate how vulnerability has become a salient and even dominant idiom for discussing disease and disease risk. We argue that this is at least partly due to an inherent indeterminacy in what 'vulnerability' means and does, both within and across different discourses. Through a review of feminist and disability theory, and a discussion of how vulnerability and disease both get recruited into a binary conceptualisation of normal versus abnormal, we argue that vulnerability's indeterminacy is, in fact, its strength, and that it should be used differently than risk. Using COVID-19 management in the UK as an illustration of the current ambivalence and ambiguity in how vulnerability versus risk is applied, we suggest that instead of being codified or quantified, as it has started to be in some biomedical and public health applications, vulnerability and its remedies should be determined in conjunction with affected communities and in ways that are polyvalent, flexible and nuanced. The concept of vulnerability encapsulates an important precept: we must recognise inequality as undesirable while not attempting to 'solve' it in deterministic ways. Rather than becoming fixed into labels, unidirectional causalities or top-down universalising metrics, vulnerability could be used to insist on relational, context-specific understandings of disease and disease risk-in line with contemporary social justice movements that require non-hierarchical and non-universal approaches to problems and solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ford
- Centre for Biomedicine Self and Society, The University of Edinburgh Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Giulia De Togni
- Centre for Biomedicine Self and Society, The University of Edinburgh Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sonja Erikainen
- Department of Sociology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Martyn Pickersgill
- Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Steve Sturdy
- School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh College of Humanities and Social Science, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Julia Swallow
- Centre for Biomedicine Self and Society, The University of Edinburgh Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ingrid Young
- Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Yang JMK, Vaiphei K, Siliya M, Mkandawire T, Dolman C, Heron J, Wilson S, Yaresheemi S, Kitney D, Bailey L, Apsey C, Liwimbi O, Stewart R, Thippeswamy H, Jones I, Chorwe-Sungani G, Chandra P, Di Florio A. Postpartum psychosis: a public involvement perspective across three continents. Arch Womens Ment Health 2023; 26:831-837. [PMID: 37615717 PMCID: PMC10632256 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-023-01347-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency that is currently not represented in diagnostic systems, to the detriment of people with lived experience. Engaging with stakeholders offers an important avenue to improve clinical practice and make research more impactful, by providing perspectives based on first-hand, expert experience. There is a paucity of reports on stakeholders' engagement in psychiatry. Activities have thus far been limited to Western countries and there are few reports on postpartum psychosis. We report the results of public involvement activities (in the form of discussion groups) with key stakeholders in India, Malawi and the UK. These discussions centred around the clinical picture of postpartum psychosis and the terminologies used to describe these episodes. Seven major areas were highlighted: how postpartum psychosis is handled within services, common symptoms and characteristics, impact of episode, barriers to care, non-medical approaches, terminology and research areas of interest. According to the discussions, postpartum psychosis presents similarly across countries, although there are differences in access to services, approaches to mental health and terminologies used within and across countries. With this understanding comes the foundation for cross-cultural assessment, service improvement and a stakeholder-informed research agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Mei Kay Yang
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kimneihat Vaiphei
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | | | | | - Clare Dolman
- Section of Women's Mental Health, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Bipolar UK, 32 Cubitt Street, London, UK
| | - Jessica Heron
- Action on Postpartum Psychosis, Institute of Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Sally Wilson
- Action on Postpartum Psychosis, PO Box 137, Swansea, UK
| | - Shivanand Yaresheemi
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Danielle Kitney
- National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Leah Bailey
- National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Chloe Apsey
- National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Robert Stewart
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Harish Thippeswamy
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ian Jones
- National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Prabha Chandra
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Arianna Di Florio
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
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Ndambo MK, Pickersgill M, Bunn C, Stewart RC, Umar E, Nyasulu M, McIntosh AM, Manda-Taylor L. Maternal mental health research in Malawi: Community and healthcare provider perspectives on acceptability and ethicality. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 3:100213. [PMID: 38045108 PMCID: PMC10311285 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal mental health (MMH) is recognised as globally significant. The prevalence of depression and factors associated with its onset among perinatal women in Malawi has been previously reported, and the need for further research in this domain is underscored. Yet, there is little published scholarship regarding the acceptability and ethicality of MMH research to women and community representatives. The study reported here sought to address this in Malawi by engaging with communities and healthcare providers in the districts where MMH research was being planned. Qualitative data was collected in Lilongwe and Karonga districts through 20 focus group discussions and 40 in-depth interviews with community representatives and healthcare providers from January through April 2021. All focus groups and interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim (in local languages Chichewa and Tumbuka), translated into English, and examined through thematic content analysis. Participants' accounts suggest that biopsychosocial MMH research could be broadly acceptable within the communities sampled, with acceptability framed in part through prior encounters with biomedical and public health research and care in these regions, alongside broader understandings of the import of MMH. Willingness and consent to participate do not depend on specifically biomedical understandings of MMH, but rather on familiarity with individuals regarded as living with mental ill-health. However, the data further suggest some 'therapeutic misconceptions' about MMH research, with implications for how investigations in this area are presented by researchers when recruiting and working with participants. Further studies are needed to explore whether accounts of the acceptability and ethicality of MMH research shift and change during and following research encounters. Such studies will enhance the production of granular recommendations for further augmenting the ethicality of biomedical and public health research and researchers' responsibilities to participants and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martyn Pickersgill
- Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Bunn
- Malawi Epidemiology Intervention Research Unit, Malawi
- School of Social and Political Sciences, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Robert C. Stewart
- Malawi Epidemiology Intervention Research Unit, Malawi
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Eric Umar
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi
| | | | - Andrew M. McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Lucinda Manda-Taylor
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi
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Lawrie S, Hanlon C, Manda-Taylor L, Knapp M, Pickersgill M, Stewart RC, Ahrens J, Allardyce J, Amos A, Bauer A, Breuer E, Chasweka D, Chidzalo K, Gondwe S, Jain S, Kokota D, Kulisewa K, Liwimbi O, MacBeth A, Mkandawire T, Sefasi A, Sibande W, Udedi M, Umar E. Psychosis Recovery Orientation in Malawi by Improving Services and Engagement (PROMISE) protocol. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293370. [PMID: 38032862 PMCID: PMC10688724 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Malawi has a population of around 20 million people and is one of the world's most economically deprived nations. Severe mental illness (largely comprising psychoses and severe mood disorders) is managed by a very small number of staff in four tertiary facilities, aided by clinical officers and nurses in general hospitals and clinics. Given these constraints, psychosis is largely undetected and untreated, with a median duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) of around six years. Our aim is to work with people with lived experience (PWLE), caregivers, local communities and health leaders to develop acceptable and sustainable psychosis detection and management systems to increase psychosis awareness, reduce DUP, and to improve the health and lives of people with psychosis in Malawi. We will use the UK Medical Research Council guidance for developing and evaluating complex interventions, including qualitative work to explore diverse perspectives around psychosis detection, management, and outcomes, augmented by co-design with PWLE, and underpinned by a Theory of Change. Planned deliverables include a readily usable management blueprint encompassing education and community supports, with an integrated care pathway that includes Primary Health Centre clinics and District Mental Health Teams. PWLE and caregivers will be closely involved throughout to ensure that the interventions are shaped by the communities concerned. The effect of the interventions will be assessed with a quasi-experimental sequential implementation in three regions, in terms of DUP reduction, symptom remission, functional recovery and PWLE / caregiver impact, with quality of life as the primary outcome. As the study team is focused on long-term impact, we recognise the importance of having embedded, robust evaluation of the programme as a whole. We will therefore evaluate implementation processes and outcomes, and cost-effectiveness, to demonstrate the value of this approach to the Ministry of Health, and to encourage longer-term adoption across Malawi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Lawrie
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Hanlon
- Centre for Global Mental Health, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Lucinda Manda-Taylor
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Martin Knapp
- Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martyn Pickersgill
- Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Robert C. Stewart
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jen Ahrens
- Tower Hamlets Early Intervention Service, East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Allardyce
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Action Amos
- Pan African Network for Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities (PANPPD), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Annette Bauer
- Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
| | - Erica Breuer
- College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Dennis Chasweka
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kate Chidzalo
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Saulos Gondwe
- Saint John of God (SJOG) Hospital Services, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Sumeet Jain
- School of Social & Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Demoubly Kokota
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Kazione Kulisewa
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Olive Liwimbi
- Zomba Mental Hospital, Ministry of Health, Zomba, Malawi
| | - Angus MacBeth
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Thandiwe Mkandawire
- Mental Health Users and Carers Association (MeHUCA), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Anthony Sefasi
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Wakumanya Sibande
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Michael Udedi
- Curative and Medical Rehabilitation Services Directorate, Ministry of Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
- African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Eric Umar
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
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