Recovery from severe mental illness in Québec: The role of culture and place

Geopsychiatry from below: Exploratory review and preliminary analysis

BACKGROUND

This contribution advances claims about 'geopsychiatry from below', attending to how 'voices' with lived experience of mental ill-health speak about 'the geo' or, more specifically, 'place and space'.

AIMS

To explore relevant interdisciplinary literature for academic research, scholarship and commentary containing voices of experience speaking about the geo.

METHODS

An 'indicative' and 'facilitative' review of relevant transdisciplinary literature in arts and humanities and social science, alongside an exploratory workshop where materials are analysed and relationships detected and, provisionally, mapped.

RESULTS

The literature review discloses no coherent body of studies into the geo from below, but rather a fragmented amalgam of materials-field observations, primary quotes and occasional elaborations-that are rarely the direct focus of inquiry (except in some contributions by academic geographers). Combining the literature review and the workshop analysis, an outline series of prompts are developed for relating 'Kinds of Places', their associated 'Affective Qualities' and actual spaces and places on the ground.

CONCLUSIONS

This study signals what a geopsychiatry from below might entail, providing important foundations for future transdisciplinary work on 'the geo' and mental (ill-)health.

The experience of healthcare professionals implementing recovery-oriented practice in mental health inpatient units: A qualitative evidence synthesis

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The principles of personal recovery are primarily applied in outpatient and community settings as these settings provide continuity of care and recovery-based community programs supporting consumers' recovery journey. A range of healthcare professionals are involved in the care of people within mental health in-patient units, including nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers. The integration of recovery-oriented care in mental health inpatient units may be impaired by a lack of confidence among mental health professionals. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Developing hope and a safe place is an integral part of recovery-oriented practice within mental health inpatient units. Instilling connectedness is a relevant recovery principle; however, there may be greater barriers in mental health settings which traditionally prioritise safety and risk mitigation practices to prevent perceived harmful behaviours. Staff workload and inadequate understanding of recovery concepts present challenges to promoting recovery-oriented care in everyday practice. Using strength-based practice is critical in promoting a safe space for consumers by providing psychosocial interventions and person-centred care. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The provision of recovery-oriented practice requires adopting a collaborative approach that places a strong emphasis on the involvement of consumers and their families. Empowering mental health professionals to believe that recovery-oriented practice is possible in mental health inpatient units is crucial. Mental health professionals need to create a safe environment and positive relationships through respect and empathy for consumers and their family members. ABSTRACT: Introduction Recovery-oriented practice underpins an individual's personal recovery. Mental health nurses are required to adopt a recovery-oriented approach. Globally, a paucity of literature exists on mental health professionals' experience of recovery-oriented practice in mental health inpatient units. Aim The aim of this synthesis was to explore the experiences of healthcare professionals regarding recovery-oriented care in mental health inpatient units by appraising and synthesising existing qualitative research. Method Three databases, including MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched between 2000 and 2021. Data were extracted and synthesised using thematic integrative analysis. The quality of included studies was assessed with the CASP Critical Appraisal Checklist. Results Ten qualitative research projects met the inclusion criteria. Four themes were identified (i) developing a safe and hopeful space, (ii) promoting a healing space, (iii) instilling connectedness and (iv) challenges to realising recovery-oriented care. Discussion Mental healthcare professionals perceived the principles of recovery-oriented care to be positive and include: therapeutic space, holistic care and person-centred care. Nevertheless, findings revealed limited knowledge and uncertainty of the recovery concept to be key barriers that may hinder implementation into practice. Implications for Practice Recovery-oriented practice must underpin consumer and family engagement, treatment choices and continuity of care to facilitate consumer's personal recovery.

Development of family resource indicators for people with schizophrenic disorder in community by modified Delphi method in Beijing, China

INTRODUCTION

Most people with schizophrenia in China are supported by their family members in community. The patient's family is confronted with severe care burden and pressure, which directly affects the caregiver's own health and social life, and indirectly affects the patient's rehabilitation. Adequate family resources can reduce the burden and pressure on families. But there is an absence of systematic family resource indicators for people with schizophrenic disorder in China.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to develop a set of family resource indicators for people with schizophrenic disorder in China.

DESIGN

Preliminary family resource indicators were generated and refined by literature review and an expert consultation meeting. Two rounds of email-based Delphi survey were carried out to identify family resource indicators.

SETTING

Two rounds of email-based Delphi survey were performed from July to September 2021 in Beijing, China.

PARTICIPANTS

There were 15 mental health doctors from community health service centres and four psychiatrists from tertiary hospitals, and two primary care researchers from universities in the first and second rounds Delphi survey.

RESULTS

All the 21 experts participated in both rounds of Delphi survey. A total of 46 indicators achieved consensus for inclusion in the final set of indicators after two rounds of Delphi survey. The final set of indicators was grouped into 10 domains: financial support (three indicators), psychological and spiritual support (eight indicators), medical treatment (three indicators), information and education (three indicators), structural support (two indicators), external family resources included social resources (five indicators), cultural resources (two indicators), economic resources (seven indicators), environmental resources (four indicators) and medical resources (nine indicators).

CONCLUSIONS

A set of 46 family resource indicators for people with schizophrenic disorder in community was identified by an iterative Delphi process in Beijing, China. However, the indicators still need to be validated by testing in further studies.

Factors associated with personal recovery among psychiatric nursing home residents

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT?: Poor recovery will cause harm to the quality of life and well-being of residents and that the scope of influence includes the self, family and society. No study to date has investigated empowerment and the other multiple factors associated with personal recovery among psychiatric nursing home residents. WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The factors associated with personal recovery are empowerment, social support and global functioning. This pioneer study contributes new evidence that personal recovery is mainly predicted by empowerment, social support and global function, with empowerment exhibiting the highest predictive value. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Strengthening empowerment in mental health nursing may contribute more to the personal recovery of psychiatric nursing home residents than improving global function or social support. Mental health professionals should shift to empowerment-oriented care to improve individuals' personal recovery, such as offering more opportunities to achieve autonomy, encouraging individuals' involvement in decision-making and promoting individuals' motivation for achieving their goals. ABSTRACT: Introduction Individuals diagnosed with mental illness have a need for recovery. No study to date has investigated empowerment and the other multiple factors associated with personal recovery among psychiatric nursing home residents. Aim The study aimed to identify the factors associated with personal recovery among psychiatric nursing home residents. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with convenience sampling. Participants were recruited from a psychiatric nursing home in Northern Taiwan between April and June 2018. Data were collected through self-reported, structured questionnaires with verified reliability and validity. Descriptive and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. The present study followed the STROBE guidelines. Results The study included 158 participants. The factors associated with recovery according to bivariate associations were religious belief, psychotic symptoms, global function, social support and empowerment. In the hierarchical regression, empowerment, social support and global function were the main predictive factors of recovery, with the explained variation reaching 40.8%. Empowerment exhibited the highest predictive value for the recovery. Implications for clinical practice Strengthening empowerment in mental health nursing may contribute more to the personal recovery of psychiatric nursing home residents than improving global function or social support.

Towards cultural landscapes of care

This paper sets out a theoretical agenda for Cultural Landscapes of Care. It highlights the importance of engaging the cultural vectors within different 'care-ful geographies', in order to highlight the role of culture as both a lens of knowing a meaningful way of life, and a critical hermeneutic. Through revisiting discussions around everyday practices of care, both in this journal and elsewhere, we outline a research agenda that re-engages culture with inquiries into the relations between place and care, including spatialities of care, ethics and justice. We call for a shift to thinking with culture and its moral dimensions in order to make sense of the tensions, ambiguities and boundaries of care marked by austerity, neoliberalism and globalisation. We therefore coin the term 'cultural landscapes of care' to advance an agenda that is contextually and culturally sensitive, and committed to understanding what good care means in diverse trans-local contexts. Gathering together the papers in this collection, we show how culture 'filters' through meaningful everyday care practices. We argue for an understanding of culture as a toolkit and a condition for ethical encounters of care. Thus, we translate situated examples of caring experiences into a global standpoint of care-ful geography.

"Mending fractured personalities": A photography-based cultural study of recovery from mental distress in Romania

This study explored the lived experiences and meanings of recovery from mental distress from the perspective of mental health service users in Romania, along with investigating cultural particularities of recovery in this country. Research in this area is essential in the context of Romania's mental health reform marked by a transition from institutionalised mental health services to a recovery-based approach, and profound social and economic changes during the post-communist era. Subscribing to the recovery framework, this study employed a qualitative phenomenological design involving 15 adults with mental health problems purposively recruited from a community day centre in Romania. The phenomenological background was enriched with elements of participatory photography to elicit subjective experiences and meanings of recovery. The outcome of this study was a better understanding of recovery in Romanian adults living with mental distress, as a complex and multi-layered phenomenon. Three key themes were identified through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: awakening, healing, and reconstructing life. The findings add to the current recovery models by showing that recovery cannot be fully understood unless situated in a socio-political, cultural, and historical context. Implications for mental health practice in Romania are discussed and directions for future research are recommended.

The Contribution to Stress Recovery and Attention Restoration Potential of Exposure to Urban Green Spaces in Low-Density Residential Areas

This study assessed the contributions of urban green spaces on mental health with joint consideration of people's physiological and psychological responses. The psychological and physiological responses of participants aged between 22 and 28, who visited green spaces in a low-density area of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, were measured using Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) methods and biometric wearable sensing devices, respectively. Results showed that exposure to green space led to significant changes in PRS, electrodermal activity (EDA), facial electromyography (EMG), respiration sensor (RESP), and photoplethysmography (PPG), while there is no significant impact on skin temperature (SKT). Additionally, psychological and physiological responses were highly consistent and correlated (R < 0.8). The results also indicated that green spaces with high plant species richness, a water landscape, bumpy ground, cultural landscape, and without roadways presented a high performance on stress recovery and attention restoration. At the same time, the influence of openness was negligible in the low-density area. The study provides planners and landscape designers with specific guidance for implementing urban green spaces to improve mental health in low-density residential areas.

Nature doesn't judge you - how urban nature supports young people's mental health and wellbeing in a diverse UK city

Reviewed research reveals a lack of young people's voices articulating if and how urban nature supports their mental health and wellbeing. This paper presents qualitative research with young multi-ethnic urban residents living in a northern UK city and offers an important counter-narrative to the pervasive notion of childhood nature-deficit disorder. Using interviews and creative arts workshops, we explored the value of urban nature for the mental health and wellbeing of 24 young people aged 17-27 years, 9 of whom had lived experience of mental health difficulties. Trees, water, open spaces and views were frequently experienced nature typologies offering benefits. Deteriorating landscapes, young people's shifting identities and perceived time pressures disrupted support. Young people expressed how urban nature encounters were experienced as accepting and relational, offering a: stronger sense of self; feelings of escape; connection and care with the human and non-human world.