scholarly journals Priority clinic access or outreach to provide Sexual and Reproductive healthcare for people with mental illness?

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S346-S347
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Rose ◽  
Elana Covshoff ◽  
Rudiger Pittrof ◽  
Usha Kumar ◽  
Elizabeth Rose

AimsTo compare two sexual and reproductive health (SRH) clinical pathways (a priority appointment at a mainstream SRH clinic versus assertive community outreach), and to explore how each improves access to care for people with psychotic mental illness, severe addictions and/or learning disability.MethodObservational, descriptive study of two clinical access pathways within SHRINE (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Inclusion and Empowerment), a specialist SRH programme to improve SRH care for severely marginalised people.The SHRINE programme delivers effective, ethical, accessible and user-centred SRH care for people with severe addiction, serious mental illness and/or learning disability in the deprived inner London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. These individuals often find accessing conventional SRH clinics very difficult. SHRINE clients can self-refer but most of them are referred by their health or social worker.Clients or referrers indicate their preferred pathway: priority appointment at the mainstream clinic or assertive community outreach. The priority appointment pathway at Camberwell Sexual Health Centre (CSHC) is as flexible as possible, with minimal waiting times, reminders, invitation to bring a friend or care worker and active follow-up of non-attenders via key workers. Assertive community outreach can be in an addiction clinic, postnatal ward, mental health centre, psychiatric ward, outpatient clinic, homeless hostel or the client's home.Time allocation for outreach and priority appointment-based care was 8 and 4 hours per week respectively. Care in both pathways was provided by senior doctors. Content of care was similar but facility for provision of gynaecological care including cervical smears and investigations for abnormal uterine bleeding e.g. pelvic ultrasound scans and endometrial biopsies were only available in the mainstream clinic setting at CSHC.ResultFrom May 2016 to December 2020 SHRINE received 1367 referrals from 125+ teams. We offered 1591 first or follow-up appointments of which 1369 (86%) were attended. A total of 1153 (84%) of our patient contacts occurred in the outreach setting where 93% the appointments were attended. Of the 358 appointments at CSHC 316 (60%) were attended.ConclusionMaking clinic access as simple and convenient as possible is not a sufficient strategy to meet the SRH needs of marginalised people. To enable them to realise their human right to sexual and reproductive health we need to leave our clinics and meet our clients where they are. A combined model of outreach and priority access clinic pathways is essential for provision of SRH care for people with mental illness.

Author(s):  
Luca Pingani ◽  
Sara Evans-Lacko ◽  
Sandra Coriani ◽  
Silvia Ferrari ◽  
Maria Filosa ◽  
...  

The primary aim is to describe the changes in the knowledge of mental health conditions, the attitudes toward the mentally ill, and the intended behaviour towards people with mental illness among the entire student population of the third year of a degree course in Psychology. A total of 570 students attended a seminar on stigma towards mental illness and were invited to complete an online survey which collected data on sociodemographic characteristics and three validated questionnaires evaluating different aspects of stigma at three different time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one year follow up). A total of 253 students (44.39%) completed the questionnaires at t0, t1, and t2. The mean age of the sample was 23.7 (SD = ±5.89), and 86.96% (n = 220) were females. Between t0 and t1, a statistically significant improvement was observed for all three outcomes, while the intended behaviour outcome was no longer significant between t1 and t2 (Z = −0.70; p = 0.48). Females and who participated live at the seminar maintained a significant knowledge of mental illness and a better attitude toward community mental health care. The effects of the seminar focused on reducing stigma tended to diminish over time at one year follow-up, particular in relation to intended behaviour.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Emily Dema ◽  
Andrew J Copas ◽  
Soazig Clifton ◽  
Anne Conolly ◽  
Margaret Blake ◽  
...  

Background: Britain’s National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) have been undertaken decennially since 1990 and provide a key data source underpinning sexual and reproductive health (SRH) policy. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of sexual lifestyles, triggering an urgent need for population-level data on sexual behaviour, relationships, and service use at a time when gold-standard in-person, household-based surveys with probability sampling were not feasible. We designed the Natsal-COVID study to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s SRH and assessed the sample representativeness. Methods: Natsal-COVID Wave 1 data collection was conducted four months (29/7-10/8/2020) after the announcement of Britain’s first national lockdown (23/03/2020). This was an online web-panel survey administered by survey research company, Ipsos MORI. Eligible participants were resident in Britain, aged 18-59 years, and the sample included a boost of those aged 18-29. Questions covered participants’ sexual behaviour, relationships, and SRH service use. Quotas and weighting were used to achieve a quasi-representative sample of the British general population. Participants meeting criteria of interest and agreeing to recontact were selected for qualitative follow-up interviews. Comparisons were made with contemporaneous national probability surveys and Natsal-3 (2010-12) to understand bias. Results: 6,654 participants completed the survey and 45 completed follow-up interviews. The weighted Natsal-COVID sample was similar to the general population in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, rurality, and, among sexually-active participants, numbers of sexual partners in the past year. However, the sample was more educated, contained more sexually-inexperienced people, and included more people in poorer health. Conclusions: Natsal-COVID Wave 1 rapidly collected quasi-representative population data to enable evaluation of the early population-level impact of COVID-19 and lockdown measures on SRH in Britain and inform policy. Although sampling was less representative than the decennial Natsals, Natsal-COVID will complement national surveillance data and Natsal-4 (planned for 2022).


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 2061-2070 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. C. Lee ◽  
D. F. Hermens ◽  
J. Scott ◽  
B. O'Dea ◽  
N. Glozier ◽  
...  

BackgroundOptimizing functional recovery in young individuals with severe mental illness constitutes a major healthcare priority. The current study sought to quantify the cognitive and clinical factors underpinning academic and vocational engagement in a transdiagnostic and prospective youth mental health cohort. The primary outcome measure was ‘not in education, employment or training’ (‘NEET’) status.MethodA clinical sample of psychiatric out-patients aged 15–25 years (n = 163) was assessed at two time points, on average, 24 months apart. Functional status, and clinical and neuropsychological data were collected. Bayesian structural equation modelling was used to confirm the factor structure of predictors and cross-lagged effects at follow-up.ResultsIndividually, NEET status, cognitive dysfunction and negative symptoms at baseline were predictive of NEET status at follow-up (p < 0.05). Baseline cognitive functioning was the only predictor of follow-up NEET status in the multivariate Bayesian model, while controlling for baseline NEET status. For every 1 s.d. deficit in cognition, the probability of being disengaged at follow-up increased by 40% (95% credible interval 19–58%). Baseline NEET status predicted poorer negative symptoms at follow-up (β = 0.24, 95% credible interval 0.04–0.43).ConclusionsDisengagement with education, employment or training (i.e. being NEET) was reported in about one in four members of this cohort. The initial level of cognitive functioning was the strongest determinant of future NEET status, whereas being academically or vocationally engaged had an impact on future negative symptomatology. If replicated, these findings support the need to develop early interventions that target cognitive phenotypes transdiagnostically.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002580242110669
Author(s):  
Howard Ryland ◽  
Louise Davies ◽  
Jeremy Kenney-Herbert ◽  
Michael Kingham ◽  
Mayura Deshpande

Forensic mental health services in high income countries are typically high cost and low volume, providing care to people with mental illness, personality disorders, learning disability and autism deemed to pose a risk to others. Research into how forensic mental health services work as a whole system is limited. Such research is urgently needed to guide policy makers and ensure that services operate effectively.


CMAJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. E576-E585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Latimer ◽  
Daniel Rabouin ◽  
Zhirong Cao ◽  
Angela Ly ◽  
Guido Powell ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geri Donenberg ◽  
Katherine G. Merrill ◽  
Millicent Atujuna ◽  
Erin Emerson ◽  
Bethany Bray ◽  
...  

Abstract Background South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) report significant mental distress and sexual and reproductive health concerns. Mental health problems and trauma symptoms are consistently associated with sexual and reproductive health behavior. Despite their intersection, few interventions address them simultaneously or engage female caregivers (FC) as collaborators. This study presents findings from a pilot test of an empirically supported culturally adapted family-based HIV-prevention program, Informed Motivated Aware and Responsible Adolescents and Adults- South Africa (IMARA-SA), on AGYW anxiety, depression, and trauma. Methods Sixty 15–19-year-old AGYW (mean age = 17.1 years) and their FC from outside Cape Town were randomized to IMARA-SA or a health promotion control program. AGYW reported their anxiety using the GAD-7, depression using the PHQ-9, and trauma using the PC-PTSD-5 at baseline and follow-up (6–10 months post). Both interventions were delivered by Xhosa-speaking Black South African women in groups over 2 days for approximately 10 h. We examined intervention effects using zero-inflated negative binomial regression for anxiety, multinomial logistic regression for depression, and logistic regression for trauma. Results At baseline, groups did not differ in demographic characteristics but AGYW randomized to IMARA-SA had higher depression scores than controls (p = 0.04) and a greater proportion screened positive for PTSD (p = .07). Controlling for baseline mental health scores, AGYW who received IMARA-SA compared to controls had significantly fewer anxiety symptoms at follow-up (adjusted incidence rate ratio for count model = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.29–0.99, p = 0.05), were less likely to report at least one depressive symptom relative to no symptoms (relative risk ratio = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.95, p = 0.04), and were less likely to report symptoms of PTSD relative to no symptoms, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Mental health is implicated in risky sexual behavior, and reducing emotional distress can mitigate exposure to poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. This pilot study yielded promising findings for the mental health impact of IMARA-SA, justifying replication in a larger randomized trial. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Number NCT04758390, accepted 17/02/2021.


Author(s):  
Ikenna J. Nwakamma ◽  
Carol S. Talla ◽  
Stephanie E. Kei ◽  
Genevieve C. Okoro ◽  
Godwin Asuquo ◽  
...  

Background/Objectives: Demand creation for uptake of HIV and sexual reproductive health (HIV/SRH) services among adolescents and young people (AYP) in Nigeria is challenging. This study compares the reach, and utilization patterns, and factors that drive the patterns of utilization of HIV/SRH services by AYP in mobile outreach service centers and health care facilities in Nigeria's capital city. Methods: Data were obtained from service exit surveys and HIV/SRH service utilization records in selected health facilities and mobile testing outreaches from January to April 2018. The service providers were provided a checklist to capture key information during their interaction with their AYP clients. Data were captured with Microsoft Excel, imported to and analysed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 16. Results: Community-based mobile outreaches reached a significantly higher proportion of participants, with 88% of them from the community HIV testing points. Among the participants in the SRH service utilization assessment, 20 (15%) and 142 (19%) voluntarily asked for SRH-related information in the health facility and mobile outreach respectively; 53 (40%), and 224 (30%) accepted offer of SRH counselling in the health facility and mobile outreach respectively. There were significant differences in the waiting time for testing and waiting time for result collection at the mobile testing posts and the health facilities. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: AYP friendly mobile community outreach model shows more promise in terms of reach and also seems to encourage voluntary request for HIV/SRH services among AYP. The costs and waiting times favor the mobile outreach model; however, the quality in terms of personnel and environment was an issue of concern. Hospitals are not providing friendly environments that encourage voluntary uptake of HIV/SRH services by AYPs. A model for AYPs should prioritize community based and friendly services with well-trained personnel in order to build the confidence of AYPs for improved SRH seeking behaviors. Key words: • HIV • Sexual and reproductive Health • Adolescents and Young People • Preferences • Mobile outreaches services • Health facility testing • Abuja Nigeria   Copyright © 2019 Nwakamma et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.affect economic and health promotion.


1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 466-469
Author(s):  
Margaret Semple ◽  
David Brown ◽  
Elizabeth Irvine

Of 299 referrals to the Dundee general psychiatry liaison service over a six month period, deliberate self-harm (DSH) was the reason in 83%. An overdose was used in 94%, and alcohol misuse occurred in 56% of DSH episodes. Fifty-two per cent of referrals were followed up by the general psychiatry service; 31% of these were admitted directly to a psychiatric ward, 10% on a compulsory basis. At follow-up, 23% remained in contact with the Dundee psychiatric service. Twenty-three per cent of all patients referred to the Area Alcohol Service (AAS) were in contact with it six months later. Clearly, liaison psychiatry has a role in detection and management of significant mental disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolin M. Doll ◽  
Chantal Michel ◽  
Marlene Rosen ◽  
Naweed Osman ◽  
Benno G. Schimmelmann ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The majority of people with mental illness do not seek help at all or only with significant delay. To reduce help-seeking barriers for people with mental illness, it is therefore important to understand factors predicting help-seeking. Thus, we prospectively examined potential predictors of help-seeking behaviour among people with mental health problems (N = 307) over 3 years. Methods Of the participants of a 3-year follow-up of a larger community study (response rate: 66.4%), data of 307 (56.6%) persons with any mental health problems (age-at-baseline: 16–40 years) entered a structural equation model of the influence of help-seeking, stigma, help-seeking attitudes, functional impairments, age and sex at baseline on subsequent help-seeking for mental health problems. Results Functional impairment at baseline was the strongest predictor of follow-up help-seeking in the model. Help-seeking at baseline was the second-strongest predictor of subsequent help-seeking, which was less likely when help-seeking for mental health problems was assumed to be embarrassing. Personal and perceived stigma, and help-seeking intentions had no direct effect on help-seeking. Conclusions With only 22.5% of persons with mental health problems seeking any help for these, there was a clear treatment gap. Functional deficits were the strongest mediator of help-seeking, indicating that help is only sought when mental health problems have become more severe. Earlier help-seeking seemed to be mostly impeded by anticipated stigma towards help-seeking for mental health problems. Thus, factors or beliefs conveying such anticipated stigma should be studied longitudinally in more detail to be able to establish low-threshold services in future.


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