Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Social Support: The Experience Of Social Support By Acute-Care Psychiatric In-Patients, Patricia Van Katwyk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is an exploratory-descriptive study which assesses the social support experienced by acute-care, uncertified psychiatric in-patients. A focus group of in-patients was formed in a provincial psychiatric hospital. The group was co-facilitated by the researcher and a research assistant. The purpose of the focus group was to generate questions which were then used to create a questionnaire about social support. The focus group-generated questionnaire, along with the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, was given to 13 other acute-care in-patients at the same hospital. The data were coded and analyzed. By exploring the in-patients' experience of social support, this research project gives …

[Introduction To] Mental Health Among Elderly Native Americans, James L. Narduzzi

Bookshelf

Providing mental health services to the elderly generally and particularly to elderly Native Americans has been an issue of some concern for the last several decades. Despite this rise in concern for the mental health of elderly Americans, however, the fact remains that public decisions are made based on inadequate data. As Birren and Renner state: "A major problem has been that our knowledge of the mental health problems and the frequency of psychiatric disturbances in the elderly has a weak information base." When on turns to minority elderly in general and elderly Native Americans in particular, the data base …

Mental Health Crises As A Regional Problem, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Mental health crises are often presented and thought about as individual problems, activities going on only within the minds of individuals. This presentation considers mental health crisis as a regional problem. It discusses the four county region of North Central West Virginia which is the catchment area for Valley Community Mental Health Center. It is based on a study conducted by the author of the need for a revised and integrated crisis management system for the region.

The Effect Of The Provision Of Certain Treatment Programs On Length Of Stay For 1370 Commitments, Brooks Benjamin Roll

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Habitual Dysfunctional Behaviors, Carole Ryan Serena

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The suggestion that habitual dysfunctional behavior disorders (HDBs) have a common underlying cluster of addictive characteristics and dynamics is new. A broad research base which would support this theory has not kept current with clinical In order successes. In order to address the need for relevant research, an anonymous cross sectional study was designed to identify, describe and compare variables associated with 15 habitual dysfunctional behaviors (HDBs) in a sample (N =176) from a broad spectrum of socioeconomic groups.

People reporting two different HDBs (alcohol and food-related behaviors) were compared to those not reporting any HDBs on levels of four …

The Mmpi-2 Clinical Scales And Clinical Diagnosis: Differentiating Between Schizophrenic And Bipolar-Manic Disorders, Laura M. Volkmann

Graduate Theses

The validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) clinical scales in differentiating schizophrenia and bipolar-manic disorders was evaluated in terms of MMPI-2 congruence with psychiatric hospital treatment team diagnoses. From a pool of 286 MMPI-2 profiles, valid profiles were obtained on 5 schizophrenia (paranoid type) inpatients and 5 bipolar-manic disordered psychiatric inpatients and were assessed by using each of four MMPI profile classification methods. Overall, the rate of agreement between treatment team diagnosis and the MMPI profile classification methods for both the schizophrenia (paranoid type) and bipolar-manic disordered groups was inconclusive. The results suggest that the MMPI-2 is of …

The Manufacture Of Dependency: Shelterization Revisited, Kostas Gounis

New England Journal of Public Policy

Emergency shelters have been the most comprehensive and enduring response to homelessness in the United States, with New York City leading the way since the early 1980s. Shelters have emerged as a hybrid between a degraded type of "public housing" and a new form of "institutionalization." The persistence of shelter dependency, or "shelterization," is an intractable problem that frustrates policymakers and service providers. Popular among certain circles of professional pathologists is the view that shelterization is a form of "adaptation" to the violent, anomic, and generally antisocial environment of the shelter. This explanation of shelter dependency is theoretically flawed and …

The Pendulum Swings: How Changes In Federal And State Policy Have Affected The Status Of Homeless People With Mental Illness In Ohio, Kim Bryant

New England Journal of Public Policy

Public policy in the problem areas of homelessness and mental illness has been reactive, rather than proactive, for the past thirty to forty years. As a result of this approach, federal and state policies have swung, like a pendulum, from one extreme to the other, taking the homeless mentally ill population on a most difficult ride. Public policies concerning these issues must become proactive, even if it means a complete overhauling of federal and state social service systems. Only with proactive policies will mentally ill individuals, and all people, have the housing, food, and health care they need, and the …

Classification And Its Risks: How Psychiatric Status Contributes To Homelessness Policy, Anne M. Lovell

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines the extent to which psychiatric classification in public policy research contributes to the equation of homelessness and mental illness. Surveys that measure psychiatric status of homeless persons are reviewed to understand whether they contribute to biased rates of mental illness among homeless persons. The relationship between psychiatric classification and the concept of need is examined and alternatives to current classification are proposed. Classification is discussed particularly in relation to policies of segmentation for "single" homeless adults.

Victimization And Homelessness: Cause And Effect, Pamela J. Fischer

New England Journal of Public Policy

The literature on the contemporary homeless population is reviewed to examine the association of victimization with homelessness. Although few studies have specifically focused on victimization, findings derived from studies investigating pathways to homelessness, prevalence of health, mental health, and substance-use disorders, and demographic profiles and life histories suggest that victimization both causes homelessness and is an outcome of losing housing. Causal sequences ending in homelessness most frequently involve domestic violence, which mainly affects women, although other types of abuse may extrude individuals from their established housing. Once they become homeless, the risk of violence escalates for people living on the …

The Needs Of Hartford's Homeless Mentally Ill, Steven Kessler

New England Journal of Public Policy

A state budget deficit in Connecticut threatens the closing of state mental hospitals and holds the potential of displacing chronically mentally ill patients into homelessness. This article explores the historical association between deinstitutionalization of patients from mental hospitals and subsequent homelessness. One third to two thirds of homeless individuals are mentally ill and require intensive, specific, and targeted responses by the community to end their homelessness. Trends in the care of the chronically mentally ill and the conditions of those who are homeless in Connecticut are explored. Model treatment programs are discussed to suggest possible actions, and recommendations that would …

Aggressive Outreach To Homeless Mentally Ill People, Ellen Nasper, Melissa Curry, Elizabeth Omara-Otunnu

New England Journal of Public Policy

Historically, people with chronic mental illnesses have been particularly at risk for homelessness. In 1984, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health (DMH) articulated policy to insure housing for mentally ill persons. One facet of that policy is to increase mental health services to homeless people. The Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center has addressed this need through the formation of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). This article describes the development, organization, clinical work, and future of HOT. The team is run jointly by the Mental Health Center (funded through DMH) and Family Service-Woodfield, a United Way-funded agency that provides case …

Mentally Ill Persons In Emergency And Specialized Shelters: Satisfaction And Distress, Russell K. Schutt, Stephen M. Goldfinger

New England Journal of Public Policy

Emergency and specialized mental health shelters represent different service philosophies and are meant to appeal to different segments of the homeless and homeless mentally ill population. This article describes the different characteristics and needs of users of emergency and specialized mental health shelters for homeless persons in Boston. Service satisfaction is described in relation to these characteristics and needs as well as in terms of shelter type. Implications are identified for social and mental health service policies for the homeless.

Program Design And Clinical Operation Of Two National Va Initiatives For Homeless Mentally Ill Veterans, Robert Rosenheck, Catherine A. Leda, Peggy Gallup

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1987, in response to reports of large numbers of veterans among America's homeless, the Department of Veterans Affairs established two new national health care initiatives, which have seen over 40,000 homeless veterans since their inception. We present here evaluation and treatment data on a sample of 14,000 of them. Because of differences in their design, the two programs vary in the degree to which they emphasize community outreach, homelessness prevention, and the provision of aftercare services to patients discharged from other VA programs. In spite of these differences, veterans treated in the two programs have similar health care problems …

The New England Shelter For Homeless Veterans: A Unique Approach, Ken Smith, James M. Yates

New England Journal of Public Policy

It has been estimated that veterans comprise one third of the homeless population. To combat this national disgrace, many small veterans' groups have been formed nationwide to serve their homeless "brothers" in such settings as shelters, group homes, and outreach centers.

A Boston group, the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, based its New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans on the simple but powerful concept of veteran helping veteran. The shelter created a program to accomplish three important functions: providing the basic necessities of a bed, a meal, clothing, and a hot shower; rehabilitating the veterans by offering various activities to comfort and …

Ending Homelessness Among Mentally Disabled People, Steven A. Hitov

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines some of the many shortcomings of the mental health system operated by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) and explores the impact of that system on single homeless individuals who suffer from some form of serious or long-term mental disability. To afford that discussion context, however, the article first briefly examines those forces which have, and have not, significantly contributed to the large number of mentally disabled homeless persons. It suggests certain changes, including a shift in departmental focus from hospitals to community services and the creation of a housing subsidy system exclusively for DMH clients, …

The Kindred Bonds Of Mentally Ill Homeless Persons, Richard C. Tessler, Gail M. Gamache, Peter H. Rossi, Anthony F. Lehman, Howard H. Goldman

New England Journal of Public Policy

While the unraveling of the kinship bond has long been suspected to play a role in the epidemiology of homelessness, the connection between kinship and homelessness has been little studied. Based on a normative analysis of the role of family structure in response to adversity, this article explores the impact of the amount and quality of kinship ties on episodes of homelessness experienced by discharged psychiatric patients in Ohio. Survey data derived from personal interviews with both former patients and their kin indicate more strain in relations with kin of the homeless than the nonhomeless. The strain in the kinship …

Housing, Community Support, And Homelessness: Emerging Policy In Mental Health Systems, Paul J. Carling

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article summarizes the dramatic changes in public policy through which public mental health systems are attempting to meet the housing and community support needs of persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses, including those who are homeless. It traces the historical approach to meeting these needs through defining people principally as patients and providing some combination of psychotropic medications, outpatient therapy, and structured, supervised quasi-institutional settings such as group homes, shelters, and segregated single-room-occupancy, or board-and-care facilities. A transition phase in public policy has emphasized defining these individuals essentially as service recipients who need greater or lesser amounts of …

Suicide And Justice, Arthur J. Jacobson

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/1 Magazine, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special magazine edition of the College Heights Herald:

• Poore, Chris. Silent Escape – Amy Deputy, Bulimia

A Comparison Of A Mentally Ill Individual's Right To Refuse Medication Under The United States And The New York State Constitutions, William M. Brooks

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Care Policy: Where Are We Going?, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Omb Watch

Gerontology Institute Publications

Millions of Americans suffer from physical or mental conditions that make it difficult for them to live fully independent lives. These are the frail elderly, disabled and chronically ill persons of all ages, and many mentally ill or mentally retarded persons. They need help to manage daily activities, whether they live in their own homes or in nursing homes.

Such care can be extremely expensive, since it often must be provided for many years, even a lifetime. Today, those costs are met largely by the individuals themselves or by their families and by public programs for low-income persons.

For many …

Effects Of Ro 15-4513 On Schedule-Induced Ethanol Intake In Rats And Schedule-Maintained Responding In Pigeons, Dawn D. Delaney

Dissertations

The partial inverse benzodiazepine receptor agonist, Ro 15-4513, is a recently synthesized compound with the ability to antagonize some of the biochemical and behavioral effects of low to moderate doses of ethanol and related CNS depressants. The present investigations sought to explore further the behavioral actions of Ro 15-4513. In Experiment 1, the effects of acute (0.6-5.4 mg/kg) and chronic (5.4 mg/kg) administrations of Ro 15-4513 on rats' schedule-induced consumption of water and 8% ethanol solution were examined. Acute and chronic administrations of Ro 15-4513 slightly reduced consumption of both liquids. No selective effects on ethanol consumption were observed.

In …

Introducing The Living With Illness Group: A Specialized Treatment For Patients With Chronic Schizophrenic Conditions, Thomas G. Plante, Stephanie L. Pinder, David Howe

Psychology

This paper introduces a specialized psychotherapy/psychoeducational group treatment for patients with chronic psychotic symptoms who receive only partial benefit from psychotropic medications, psychotherapy, and milieu/activities therapy. The goal of the group is to assist patients to accurately identify the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that are dysfunctional symptoms of their disability and then use the functional aspects of their brain as well as learned coping strategies to compensate for their disability. The group format, philosophy, procedures, and typical topics of discussion are detailed.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Psychiatric Symptom Expression Using Langner's Twenty-Two Item Index, Robert Nishimoto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An analysis of psychiatric symptom response using Langner's twentytwo item index was conducted across three cultural settings. Respondents were Anglo-American, Vietnamese Chinese, and Mexican. Some similarities did exist in response patterns and in those symptom items highly correlated with the total psychiatric screening score. Close examination revealed between-group differences indicating that not all twenty-two items were valid indicators of psychological disorder across cultures. The study highlights issues in the development and use of symptom checklists to measure and assess mental health constructs across cultures.

On The Excessive Saving Of Objects: An Exploratory Study, Deborah Ann Montana Almer

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Response To "Two Puzzles", Carl E. Schneider

Book Chapters

In his stimulating paper, Professor Mnookin suggests that the legal issue of neonatal euthanasia may be seen in terms of two puzzles: First, what accounts for the ''striking dichotomy between the law on the books, which apparently outlaws such conduct, and the law in action, which apparently permits it"? Second, why has "the treatment of severely handicapped newborns . . . evoked such a violent storm in the last few years"? Professor Mnookin resolves the first puzzle by suggesting that the ''dichotomy between the law on the books and the law in action may serve as a pragmatic, although not …

Report Of The Commissioner's Task Force On Self-Destructive Behaviors And Teen Suicide, Department Of Mental Health And Mental Retardation

Maine Collection

Report of the Commissioner's Task Force on Self-Destructive Behaviors and Teen Suicide.

Susan B. Parker, Commissioner - Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Augusta, Maine (December 1987).

Contents: Foreward / Task Force Members / Introduction / Characteristics of Self-Destructive Teens / Factors Contributing to Self-Destructive Behaviors / Findings and Recommendations / References

Nazi Doctors, Psychology, And Evil, University Faculty Senate

CUNY UFS Publications

University Faculty Senate, Annual Dinner Meeting, Dec. 16, 1986

V. .Dessert/Guest Lecturer: Distinguished Professor Robert J. Lifton -"Nazi Doctors, Psychology, and Evil." Professor Lifton was appointed to John Jay College, the Graduate School and University Center, and the CUNY Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

This talk was produced and distributed after the meeting Minutes.

Can Mental Health Professionals Predict Judicial Decisionmaking? Constitutional And Tort Liability Aspects Of The Right Of The Institutionalized Mentally Disabled To Refuse Treatment: On The Cutting Edge, Michael L. Perlin

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.