<p> Auditory hallucinations or hearing voices is one symptom that individuals with schizophrenia may experience. Although the majority of people with schizophrenia may hear voices, the vast majority of voice hearers do not have schizophrenia. </p><p> This study interviewed 15 voice hearers residing in and around Long Beach, California. Each voice hearer participated in an in-depth interview to explore how they perceive their voices and to gather voice hearers' recommendations for mental health professionals.</p><p> The present study found that many voice hearers expressed a desire for mental health professionals and social workers just to "listen" to them without asserting opinions and judgment. This study also discusses social stigma as a treatment barrier to individuals who hear voices. The findings in this study suggest that more education on voice hearing is needed within the field of social work and mental health.</p>

<p> Evidence suggests that there is a link between higher than average rates of depressive symptoms and student participation in athletics. Various factors many student athletes face typically contribute to depression and depressive symptoms among this population. Such factors include balancing roles, sustaining injuries, overtraining, joining a new team, striving to achieve perfection, experiencing a sense of split identities, and even age and gender, among others. The literature suggests that due to the factors surrounding student athletes' roles, individuals in this population are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, including feelings of hopelessness and emotional problems, than their non-athlete counterparts. The literature also examines the phenomenon of student athletes developing a "Superman" complex and seeking to solve their depressive symptoms on their own, usually with alcohol or substance abuse. While in-school counseling services are suggested, there must be a greater focus on preventing the increasing prevalence of depressive symptoms among the student athlete population.</p>

<p> This dissertation is a phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of adult daughters who perceive their mothers to have struggled with a mental illness throughout their childhood, adolescence, or even into adulthood. An extensive review of the literature showed a noticeable dearth in the existing literature regarding the lived experiences of adult daughters who experienced maternal mental illness first-hand. Qualitative face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight female participants in an effort to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of their retrospective account of living with a mother who is mentally ill. Of particular interest was creating a space for the women to re-tell their stories and to identify ways in which their own relationship with their mothers has had a trans-generational effect on the relationship and parenting styles with their own children. Several thematic patterns were obtained from the interviews including parentification (mothering the mother), minimization of the mother's mental illness, and feelings of anger, sadness, embarrassment that came up as the daughters dealt with the impact of maternal psychopathology. The stories told by these women will hopefully contribute to the existing literature on attachment, maternal mental illness, and the subsequent impact on parenting practices.</p>

<p> From the perspective of acculturation stress theory, the historical background of Iranian immigrants is visited in this dissertation, as well as different types of acculturation strategies that are being utilized by immigrants. This research study addresses the impacts of inadequate access to and underutilization of mental health services on the psychosocial wellbeing of Iranian families, and the lack of appropriate interventions due to ongoing stress, such as economic hardships. Furthermore, the usefulness of several inexpensive and accessible stress-reduction techniques in reestablishing psychophysiological relaxation is examined. It is noted that, in spite of their long history, such techniques are not widely recognized as effective coping skills in response to stress-inducing immigration experiences. In addition, the relaxation qualities of music are reviewed, revealing consistent therapeutic effects and significant relaxation responses elicited in the listeners. The purpose of this applied research study was to develop a proposed Hindustani music-assisted multimodal guided relaxation intervention designed to lower stress and particularly, acculturation stress experienced by Iranian families. An evaluation of the program's efficacy by validity judges concluded that this program is potentially effective for inducing relaxation responses in the listeners.</p>

<p> Psychiatric illnesses can sometimes lead to behavioral outbursts that need to be addressed quickly to deescalate potentially explosive situations. Nurses are in a unique position to respond to such outbursts by calling for a rapid response team. Nurses who are part of the rapid response team should be well-informed of their roles and responsibilities in managing aggressive and violent behavior. The purpose of this project was to explore RN's and LPN's knowledge and perceptions of a rapid response team in a psychiatric facility. The Iowa model of evidence-based practice provided the framework to integrate theory into practice to improve care. A quantitative descriptive design was implemented with a convenience sample of nurses using a 4-part questionnaire. Of the 64 surveys distributed on 5 wards, 59 were completed for a response rate of 92%. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze nurse responses to demographic data and background data. A Chi-square statistic was calculated to investigate the relationship between RN and LPN responses to the Likert Agreement Scale; no significant difference in responses was found. Open-ended questions allowed nurses to comment on their role and position during a code. The comments were sorted into categories of reoccurring themes. Results suggested that nurses need to understand signs of behavioral escalation and strategies to deescalate a potentially volatile patient. Nurses commented that knowledge during a code, reasons for calling a code, and good communication skills are essential in code situations. Findings from this project can benefit nurses who work psychiatric emergencies by underscoring the need to development of psychiatric rapid response teams and to update current standards of inpatient care.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a program that would deliver 3 years of mental health services to a charter school. The school selected for this project was Youth Opportunities High School (YOHS) in Watts, California. The program developed was Mental Health for Youth Opportunities (MHYO). MHYO was designed to provide one full-time, bilingual, master of social work (MSW) practitioner to YOHS for 3 years. The assigned practitioner will be responsible for individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and enrichment services. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> Substance abuse in the United States continues to be a serious topic of concern. However, the efficacy of various substance abuse treatment methods remains inconclusive. As the current literature review has returned no comprehensive recommendations for all types of substance abuse, further empirical studies are merited. The aim of the present study is to investigate the long-term effects of 12-Step group therapy on abstinence rates of heroin addicts. Data from the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research 2258 was analyzed to gain insight into the predictive relationship between 12-Step attendance and abstinence rates; the implication is that future meta-analytic studies may help indicate the most appropriate treatments for specific substance abuse disorders. The hypothesis that 12-Step attendance is a predictive factor for abstinence in this population was supported. Practical implications and future directions were discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to design a 2-year program aimed at addressing the mental health needs of veterans transitioning from deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom to civilian life. The program will address prodromal symptoms of psychosis. With the prevalence of psychotic features in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the veteran population is particularly at risk. The program will offer individual and group therapies to assist in symptom management and will utilize case management supportive services to assist in addressing additional needs that the participants may have that hinder help seeking activities, such as housing and substance abuse referrals. The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health was selected as the funding source for this grant. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p>The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to develop a school mental health program. An extensive literature review was performed to investigate the best way to provide culturally competent services to children and families. A search was conducted to locate an appropriate funder for a school mental health program that will attempt to close the gap between student mental health needs in Catholic schools. The program will employ a staff who will provide case management, individual and group mental health services to students and families in a low-income Catholic school in the city of Santa Ana, California. The goal of the proposed program will be to develop and implement preventive approaches to improve the students' mental health, academic achievement and social competence. Actual submission and/or funding of the grant proposal was not required for successful completion of this project. </p>

<p> Research on homelessness has tended to be divided theoretically between looking at personal pathology and emphasizing structural forces, but both have focused on street and shelter life. While there is a growing consensus in Anthropology that research should place homelessness within structural context, homelessness continues to be framed within the discourse of medicalization. This discourse continues into supportive housing programs for the formerly homeless, an area that has not yet been focused on much in research.</p><p> Based on ethnographic research conducted at Lamp Community in Los Angeles, California this thesis examines the continuity of struggle and vulnerability that continues even once the homeless are placed in supportive housing. It explores how this vulnerability has structural origins and how various levels of subjective and objective violence play out in the course of people's lives to maintain that vulnerability. By reuniting the issues of extreme poverty and homelessness, current measures to address homelessness are called into question.</p>