Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons^™

Intellectual Disability In The Australian Aboriginal Population: A Critical Review, Ryan Yj Chong, Ritesh Bhandarkar

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objectives

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Indigenous population of Australia. Australian Aboriginal people represent a small percentage of the overall Australian population. However, this population group has a higher rate of Intellectual Disability when compared to the non-Indigenous Australian population.

This article aims to review the current literature regarding Intellectual Disability in the Australian Aboriginal Population, build on the current evidence base for Intellectual Disability specific to the Australian Aboriginal population, investigate if any changes to the evidence base have occurred, and identify areas where further research is required. This is in comparison to a literature review …

‘Missing The Target’ – A Critical Examination Of Policy Frameworks For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Inclusion Into The Allied Health Professions, Andrea Simpson, Tim Pitman

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

Objective

This paper focuses on critically examining the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in policy frameworks by regulatory health peak bodies against the backdrop of the Government’s response to the Closing the Gap (2020) report.

Method

Websites of ten allied health professional bodies were searched and analysed as policy as text.

Results

Of the ten professions examined, the search strategy identified 9 professions were signatories or co-signatories on Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) and three professions made mention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equity strategies to enter the profession as part of accreditation standards.

Conclusions

Professional bodies …

Rigor And Reproducibility In Research With Transcranial Electrical Stimulation: An Nimh-Sponsored Workshop, Marom Bikson, Andre Brunoni, Leigh Charvet, Vincent Clark, Leonardo Cohen, Zhi-De Deng, Jacek Dmochowski, Dylan Edwards, Flavio Frohlich, Emily Kappenman, Kelvin Lim, Colleen Loo, Antonio Mantovani, David Mcmullen, Lucas Parra, Michele Pearson, Jessica Richardson, Judith Rumsey, Pejman Sehatpour, David Sommers, Gozde Unal, Eric Wassermann, Adam Woods, Sarah Lisanby

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Neuropsychiatric disorders are a leading source of disability and require novel treatments that target mechanisms of disease. As such disorders are thought to result from aberrant neuronal circuit activity, neuromodulation approaches are of increasing interest given their potential for manipulating circuits directly. Low intensity transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) with direct currents (transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS) or alternating currents (transcranial alternating current stimulation, tACS) represent novel, safe, well-tolerated, and relatively inexpensive putative treatment modalities.

Objective

This report seeks to promote the science, technology and effective clinical applications of these modalities, identify research challenges, and suggest approaches for addressing these …

Metabolic Syndrome Among Schizophrenic Patients: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study In The Middle Belt Of Ghana, Angela Owusu-Ansah, Anto Berko Panyin, Christian Obirikorang, Christian Agyare, Emmanuel Acheampong, Simon Kwofie, Enoch Odame Anto, Emmanuella Nsenbah Batu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The study determined the prevalence ofMetS in patients with schizophrenia at the Psychiatric Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana. This comparative cross-sectional study recruited 348 schizophrenic patients comprising 236 antipsychotic-treated and 112 newly diagnosed treatment-na¨ıve patients. The MetS prevalence was assessed based on World Health Organization (WHO), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the National Cholesterol Education Programme, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. The overall prevalence of MetS was 14.1%, 20.4%, and 23.6% using NCEP ATP III, WHO, and IDF criteria, respectively, compared to 7.8%, 3.9%, and 2.2% reported in the generalGhanaian population.The prevalence …

Alexithymia In A Psychiatric Population: Stability And Relationship With Therapeutic Outcome, Lauren Mcgillivray

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alexithymia has been defined as a personality construct that involves difficulties identifying and describing feelings, as well as an externally oriented thinking style and impoverished fantasy life, which places individuals at risk for various psychopathologies. For psychiatric populations, it represents an obstacle to therapeutic success. Despite extensive research, there is no consensus on the prevalence rate of alexithymia in the general psychiatric population and no data on alexithymia prevalence in the Australian general psychiatric population. In addition, there is inconsistency in the literature regarding the role of alexithymia in therapeutic intervention and a lack of robust studies involving control or …

E-Help: Community Perspectives On Help-Seeking Using Electronic Forms Of Communication, Jacqueline D. Myles-Pallister

Theses : Honours

The provision of mental health services using telephones, the Internet, and mobile phones (e-help), has been widely recommended as part of a solution to closing the gap between high prevalence of mental illness and low rates of service uptake. However, little is known about how potential users of these services view them. To address this gap, three focus groups (N = 17, age 17 - 69 years) were conducted to explore general community perspectives on using e-help. Interpretative phenomenological analysis identified three themes with related subthemes: (1) awareness; (2) trust and feeling safe when seeking and using e-help; (3) it …

Behavioural Activation Treatment For Depression: A Review Of The Literature ; Effects Of A Brief Behavioural Activation Treatment On Activity Levels And Depression, Debra L. Bailey

Theses : Honours

Behavioural activation (BA) is an emergent psychological treatment for depression rooted in the tradition of behavioural theory. This paper discusses the manner in which BA arose as a result of the seminal Jacobson et al. (1996) study, which dismantled the behavioural and cognitive components of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). Published empirical studies examining the effectiveness of BA are reviewed and considerations for future research are offered. It is concluded that BA shows promise as a parsimonious, effective, and potentially cost-efficient psychological treatment for depression. However, more large-scale research is needed: in samples with low …

Depression, Rumination And Dependency In Relation To Age And Gender, Alison J. Lee

Theses : Honours

Extensive research has been carried out in the field of depression and its relation to age and gender. This article reviews relevant literature in the field of depression, rumination and dependency and the relationships of these to age and gender. It has been shown in numerous studies that depression, rumination and dependency are related and exist in comorbidity with each other. This article also reviews some of the research that has been conducted on age and gender with relation to rumination and dependency. It has been found in relation to rumination, dependency and depression that women are more susceptible than …

From Gps To Psychologists: The Patients' Perspective On Help-Seeking And Referral, Zdenka Bartova

Theses : Honours

The experience of living with psychological problems has a profound effect on an individual's life. For those actively seeking help, General Practitioners usually present the first point of contact. General Practitioners thus serve as gatekeepers who either decide to manage the individuals themselves and/or refer them to a mental health professional. The referral decision is part of a complex help-seeking process in which patients have to mediate their own understanding of their problems with that of the practitioner, all within the structural constraints of the current health care system. This literature review discusses constructs of mental illness and the impact …

Perceptions Of Psychological Injury In The Workplace, Richard Merrett

Theses : Honours

Work-related psychological injury has not only increased as a percentage of all injuries but also accounts for the greatest cost, both in duration of lost time and financially (National Occupational Health & Safety Commission [NOHSC], 2001; NOHSC, 2002). There are two major explanations as to why this might be. One explanation is that stigmatisation of psychological injury has reduced, resulting in increased reporting (Manton, 2004). The other major explanation is that workplaces are becoming more stressful environments, resulting in increased levels of psychological injury to employees (Kenny & Cooper, 2003). This review will investigate those potentially influential factors that relate …

Art Irritates Life-- And Vice Versa : An Exploration Of The Nature Of Dance And Its Effect On The Psychological Well-Being Of Ballet And Contemporary Dancers, Veronica Shum

Theses : Honours

Research into the psychology of theatrical dancers has indicated that as a group, dancers may be a high-risk population for psychological disorders. The majority of this research however, has only sampled ballet dancers. In consideration of the fact that contemporary dance is philosophically and aesthetically different from ballet, it is proposed that the experience of contemporary dancers may be different from that of ballet dancers and thus their psychological experience and potential problems may also be different. It is suggested, therefore, that results from studies on ballet dancers may not generalize to contemporary dancers. In support of this proposition, the …

The Lived Experience Of Men With A Postnatally Depressed Partner, Colela M. Browning

Theses : Honours

The aim of this study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of men living with a partner who has postnatal depression (PND). Family systems theory was used to provide a framework within which to evaluate men's relationships with immediate and extended family members. A semi-structured interview was used to understand the experiences and perceptions of seven men with partners who had PND. Schweitzer's (1997) phenomenological approach was used to explicate meaning and extract themes from the interview transcripts. Six major themes were identified from the data. These included changes in the division of labour, issues of self, altered family …

A Study Of The Cultural Appropriateness Of Service Delivery Models In The Australian Mental Health System, Mong L. Connell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study is an attempt to examine the cultural appropriateness of the mental health system in relation to the Vietnamese refugee community in Australia. Culture and mental health, as widely acknowledged in the field of transcultural psychiatry, are closely linked. No aspect of the diagnosis or treatment methods can be justified without reference to the cultural traditions of the mental health system and the client. In a country like Australia, where multiculturalism is a dominant feature of the society, the need is even greater in incorporating culture into every aspect of the mental health system, if it desires to provide …

Like A Banana Tree : Towards A Model Of Children In Disasters : An Exploration Of An Anthropological Problem, Jennie Anne Ricarda Marten

Theses : Honours

There is currently an emerging literature on the anthropology of disasters, and also an emergent literature on the new anthropology of childhood and children. Despite an extensive search, no significant body of literature on the anthropology of children in natural event based disasters could be found. A central focus of this thesis will be interrogate this gap through a documentary search, to ascertain what factors might influence the absence of children in the anthropology of disasters. To achieve this, the study defines and conceptualizes both the anthropology of disasters and the anthropology of children. Recent research shows that children are …

Auditory Hallucinations And The Presence Of Depression In Chronic Schizophrenia, Julie Proctor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exploratory study examined the predictive relationship among the dimensions of auditory hallucinations and the presence of depression in chronic schizophrenia. Forty seven out-patients from the Inner City Community Mental Health Service participated, all of whom had a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia and reported experiencing auditory hallucinations. The measures included the Calgary Rating Scale fur Schizophrenia, the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale, the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire and three questions relating to insight into auditory hallucinations from the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight-Expanded Edition. Consistent with other reports, the present study found a prevalence of depressive symptoms in over 40% …

An Identification Of The Core Variables That Assist People Diagnosed With Mental Illness In A Time Of Transition, Robyn M. Martin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study has sought to identify the core variables or factors that are utilised by people with a diagnosis of mental illness in a time of transition. The specific transition involved study participants exiting a non government community mental health agency. The variables of interest are those that assist individuals to cope during this time of change and transition. The specific transition involves participants leaving or exiting from a non government mental health agency that provides community based, psychosocial support. The study topic is located in the context of a formalised mental health system in the process of changing from …

General Practitioners And Depression In Older Adult Males : Ageism, Physical Problems And Treatment, Gary M. Duggan

Theses : Honours

Depression in older adults can have fatal consequences if undetected and not treated. Comparisons of studies are difficult because of the lack of methodical consistency. The literature is reviewed with regard to the definition, prevalence, consequences, recognition, treatment and prognosis of depression in relation to general practitioners (GPs) and with particularly regard to elderly males. The research indicates poor recognition and treatment of depression in older adults, despite the research indicating that older adults have a similar prognosis as younger adults, when the depression is treated. Factors influencing the detection of depression are included.

Living With Mental Illness: A Descriptive Study Of Individual Adult Experiences Of Living With Mental Illness In Zomba, Malawi, Ivy J. Lekera

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of mental illness in the adult Malawian context. Using the interpretive paradigm, content analysis was used to uncover the lived experiences of mental illness. This study was based on the philosophy that meaning of a phenomenon is best understood if studied within its specific context and within Parse's theoretical framework. Two to four per cent of the global population share the experience of mental illness, however, little is known of individual experiences within the Malawian context. Much of the literature has focused on the physiological aspects, causes, and therapies involved …