Director of the Epilepsy Information Service–Psychiatric Social Worker, 45 years’ experience, USA

This chapter assesses the experience of a Psychiatric Social Worker with patients with seizures. Having operated a nationwide Epilepsy Information Service in the USA since the 1970s, the Psychiatric Social Worker has talked with hundreds of thousands of persons with seizures and non-epileptic seizures, and a number who have both diagnoses. There was one patient in particular who was a frequent caller to the Epilepsy Information Service. His seizures were uncontrolled and he was seeking a better answer for his seizures. The patient was followed by a general neurologist who had explored every option to find a medicine that worked. The Psychiatric Social Worker then suggested that he talk with his doctor about referral to a comprehensive epilepsy center for monitoring to see if surgery might be an option or perhaps enrollment in a clinical trial of a new anticonvulsant. Later, he was seen by a Psychologist in whom he confided that he had been sexually abused as a child. The Psychologist informed him in an angry and impatient manner that he was having pseudoseizures, which made him feel violated once again and thus led him to depression. This case vividly portrays the importance of how the diagnosis is relayed and the power of words in these crucial situations.

Who is a psychiatric social worker anyway?: A burning debate in India

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 defined various mental health professional which including "Psychiatric Social Worker” which hasten an ongoing debate on the qualification of a Psychiatric Social Worker. This write up will critically discuss some of the issues related to this debate. Since it is deemed necessary to have an open and inclusive perspective for the profession to practice efficiently and effectively in a very competitive contemporary era; where many other disciplines are competing not only to excel in the field practice but also on the ground of grabbing opportunities like employment, getting prominence, having policies in their favour, consuming maximum share of available resources and getting remuneration other. Keywords: Psychiatric social work, India, Mental Health Act

Psychiatric Social Work Program in Rural Community: A multi- sectoral initiative

Background: Community based programmes with the combined focus on promotive and curative aspects are the planned objective of interventions and services organised by psychiatric social workers in a rural community for identification and treatment linkage provision for mental health problems. Aim of the Study: The aim of the survey is to find out the mental health related problems in the rural community and to provide psychiatric social work services in the rural community by providing linkages to community based psychiatric extension services. Methods:  This research cum intervention program used a survey method, with the universe of the study consisting of all the persons residing in Samardoloni village in Sootea Block, in Sonitpur district of Assam. People, who are permanent members of their respective household of Samardoloni village, formed the sample for the present study. Household survey was done with data being collected through the semi-structured tool for socio-demographic data and clinical information. Psychiatric social work programme was conducted in the community for awareness' and de-stigmatization of mental illness. Results: In the survey, 271 households were assessed and it was found that in the surveyed  village, forty-seven (47) persons were identified as having mental illness and other related problems; eleven (11) persons were having Epilepsy ,thirteen(13) persons had Psychosis, eight (8) persons had Somatization disorder , five (5) persons had Child related psychiatric disorder and ten(10) people were having substance related disorders. Awareness program on mental health and illness was conducted in the community at three levels. First, at the Community-level, sensitization for acceptance and de-stigmatizations of mental illness, secondly, at the School-level, addressing various problems of child and adolescents for teachers and children, and thirdly, at the group level, targeted knowledge and information was given to the persons identified with mental disorders during the survey and were further motivated to access treatment at the local PHC where psychiatric treatment was available. Conclusion: Psychiatric social worker services can address various mental health issues through inter-sectoral collaboration with local rural functionaries. Focused activities for various groups can be useful at community-level for identifications, acceptance, de-stigmatization of mental illness and providing psychosocial care in the community. The role of a psychiatric social worker as a networker for linkage building and coordinating is emphasized apart from being a researcher and as an interventionist in psychiatric social work. Initiative resulted in treatment accession for 37 patients of the 47 identified. Community participation formed an integral component in mobilizing and utilizing community members and for early identification and linkage provision for treatment. The initiative impacted  inter-sectoral systems to plan, coordinate, assess, educate, counsel and link- up and sustain within the community resources. Keys words: Community, psychiatric social work, mental illness

A Doctor Looks at the Psychiatric Social Worker

In this speech delivered to a class of psychiatric social workers, Winnicott gives a personal and specialized account of the value and importance of the psychiatric social worker to the kind of work he does as a doctor, analyst and consultant to provide for children with special social needs.

Liao, Rong-li

Rong-li Liao (1936–2010) was a psychiatric social worker and educator. He was a professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the National Taiwan University from 1970 to 1996 and helped to organize the Medical Social Work Association of R. O. C. (Taiwan).

Rapoport, Lydia

Lydia Rapoport (1923–1971) was a psychiatric social worker at the University of Chicago hospitals and Jewish Children's Bureau, and on faculty at University of California, Berkeley. Her most important contribution to social work practice was crisis intervention and short-term therapy.