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Mental Health Diagnosis (mental + health_diagnosis)
Selected AbstractsYouth retention: Factors associated with treatment drop-out from youth alcohol and other drug treatmentDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2009RIA SCHRODER Abstract Introduction and Aims. This study examined factors associated with treatment drop-out among young people aged 13,19 years attending alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment. Design and Methods. Data were gathered from structured interviews (n = 79) and a clinical file search of 184 randomly selected young people who had attended youth specific AOD treatment services in Aotearoa, New Zealand during 2003 or 2004. Results. The median length of stay was 2.7 months for those attending day/residential services (n = 42) and 4.0 sessions for those attending outpatient services (n = 37) 16.7% of participants from day/residential services dropped out of treatment early (within the first month) and 32.4% of participants from outpatient treatment services dropped out of treatment early (before the third session). Fixed client characteristics, such as age, sex, ethnicity, substance use and mental health diagnoses were not found to be associated with treatment retention. Dynamic client characteristics, such as motivation to attend treatment and expectations about treatment outcomes and program characteristics, such as positive experiences with treatment staff and feeling involved in the treatment process were found to be associated with treatment retention. Discussion and Conclusions. The findings of this study support previous research indicating that fixed client characteristics are not sufficient to explain youth retention in AOD treatment. Of more use are dynamic client characteristics and program variables. These findings stress the potential for improving treatment retention by creating more youth appropriate services.[Schroder R, Sellman D, Frampton C, Deering D. Youth retention: Factors associated with treatment drop-out from youth alcohol and other drug treatment. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009] [source] A Study of the Utilization Patterns of an Elementary School,Based Health Clinic Over a 5-Year PeriodJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 7 2006Veda Johnson It involved a retrospective analysis of computer-based data for all patient visits during this study period. Results revealed high clinic utilization with an average of over 5 encounters for all users each year. The most frequent encounters by diagnostic category were respiratory followed by health supervision, skin disorders, and symptoms. There were no significant differences in most diagnostic categories in the number of patient encounters between the first and last year. There was a significant decrease in encounters for the categories of ear and injuries and poisonings and an increase in encounters for emotional conditions between the first and last year. A separate analysis of the encounter frequencies for users with chronic illnesses and emotional problems found the average number of encounters for users with chronic illnesses to be unpredictably less than for all users and for those with emotional or mental health diagnoses the encounters were considerably higher. Finally, an analysis of clinic users by insurance types revealed an unvarying distribution over of the study period. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(7):373-378) [source] Characteristics and comorbidity of drug and alcohol-related emergency department presentations detected by nursing triage textADDICTION, Issue 5 2010Devon Indig ABSTRACT Introduction This study used nursing triage text to detect drug- and alcohol-related emergency department (ED) presentations and describe their patient and service delivery characteristics. Methods Data were reviewed for all ED presentations from 2004 to 2006 (n = 263 937) from two hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Each record included two nursing triage free-text fields, which were searched for more than 100 drug-related and more than 60 alcohol-related terms. Adjusted odds ratios were used to compare the characteristics of drug and alcohol-related ED presentations with all other ED presentation types. Results Just over 5% of ED presentations were identified as alcohol-related and 2% as drug-related. The most prevalent drug-related ED presentations specified were related to amphetamines (18%), heroin (14%), cannabis (14%) and ecstasy (12%), while nearly half (43%) were drug unspecified. Polydrug use was mentioned in 25% of drug-related and 9% of alcohol-related ED presentations, with the highest rate of polydrug use among ecstasy-related (68%) presentations. Drug- and alcohol-related ED presentations were significantly more likely than other ED presentations to have a mental health diagnosis, with the highest rates found among cannabis-related (OR = 7.6) or amphetamine-related (OR = 7.5) presentations. Conclusion The ED provides an opportunity for early intervention for patients presenting with comorbid drug and alcohol and mental health problems. Further research is needed to assess the prevalence of drug and alcohol problems in ED patients with mental health problems and to develop effective interventions in that setting. [source] Powerlessness, marginalized identity, and silencing of health concerns: Voiced realities of women living with a mental health diagnosisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2009Susan Van Den Tillaart ABSTRACT Using a feminist qualitative approach, this study substantiated many earlier research findings that document how women with a mental health diagnosis experience unequal access to comprehensive health care compared to the general population. Accounts of this disparity are documented in the literature, yet the literature has failed to record or attend to the voices of those living with mental health challenges. In this paper, women living with a mental health diagnosis describe their experiences as they interface with the health-care system. The participating women's stories clearly relate the organizational and interpersonal challenges commonly faced when they seek health-care services. The stories include experiences of marginalized identity, powerlessness, and silencing of voiced health concerns. The women tell of encountered gaps in access to health care and incomplete health assessment, screening, and treatment. It becomes clear that personal and societal stigmatization related to the mental health diagnosis plays a significant role in these isolating and unsatisfactory experiences. Lastly, the women offer beginning ideas for change by suggesting starting points to eliminate the institutional and interpersonal obstacles or barriers to their wellness. The concerns raised demand attention, reconsideration, and change by those in the health-care system responsible for policy and practice. [source] Emotional response to the ano-genital examination of suspected sexual abuseJOURNAL OF FORENSIC NURSING, Issue 3 2009Gail Hornor RNC Abstract Introduction: Concerns have arisen among professionals working with children regarding potential emotional distress as a result of the ano-genital examination for suspected child sexual abuse. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare children's anxiety immediately preceding and immediately following the medical assessment of suspected child sexual abuse, including the ano-genital exam, and to examine demographic characteristics of those children reporting clinically significant anxiety. Method: In this descriptive study, children between the ages of 8 to 18 years of age requiring an ano-genital examination for concerns of suspected sexual abuse presenting to the Child Assessment Center of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital were asked to participate. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC-10) was utilized in the study. The MASC-10 was completed by the child before and after the physical exam for suspected sexual abuse. Results: Although most (86%) children gave history of sexual abuse during their forensic interview, the majority (83%) of children in this study did not report clinically significant anxiety before or after the child sexual abuse examination. Children reporting clinically significant anxiety were more likely to have a significant cognitive disability, give history of more invasive forms of sexual abuse, have a chronic medical diagnosis, have a prior mental health diagnosis, have an ano-genital exam requiring anal or genital cultures, and lack private/public medical insurance. Discussion: A brief assessment of child demographics should be solicited prior to exam. Children sharing demographic characteristics listed above may benefit from interventions to decrease anxiety regardless of provider ability to detect anxiety. [source] DSM-III and the revolution in the classification of mental illnessJOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, Issue 3 2005Rick Mayes A revolution occurred within the psychiatric profession in the early 1980s that rapidly transformed the theory and practice of mental health in the United States. In a very short period of time, mental illnesses were transformed from broad, etiologically defined entities that were continuous with normality to symptom-based, categorical diseases. The third edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) was responsible for this change. The paradigm shift in mental health diagnosis in the DSM-III was neither a product of growing scientific knowledge nor of increasing medicalization. Instead, its symptom-based diagnoses reflect a growing standardization of psychiatric diagnoses. This standardization was the product of many factors, including: (1) professional politics within the mental health community, (2) increased government involvement in mental health research and policymaking, (3) mounting pressure on psychiatrists from health insurers to demonstrate the effectiveness of their practices, and (4) the necessity of pharmaceutical companies to market their products to treat specific diseases. This article endeavors to explain the origins of DSM-III, the political struggles that generated it, and its long-term consequences for clinical diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in the United States. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Examining the Sexual Offenses of Female Juveniles: The Relevance of Childhood MaltreatmentAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2008Dominique Roe-Sepowitz MSW Research on female juvenile sex offenders is limited by small clinical samples. Little is known about the characteristics of female sexual offending and how it is related to child maltreatment. This study examines data from the case histories of 118 female juvenile sex offenders. In contrast to portrayals in previous research, this study shows that female sex offenders are not a homogeneous group. Findings also included differentiation between female juvenile sexual offenders with a history of child maltreatment and those without a history of child maltreatment. Female juvenile sex offenders who had a history of child maltreatment were more likely to have a current mental health diagnosis and experience clinical levels of anger-irritability and depression-anxiety than those without a history of child maltreatment. The impact of a history of sexual abuse for female juvenile sex offenders was found to be important with regard to higher levels of coercion of their sexual abuse victims. Important distinctions are highlighted that have implications for female-specific assessment, treatment, and prevention. [source] | |||||||||||||