This paper evaluates the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions as a treatment option for patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobia. Diagnostic criteria and current treatment protocol options are summarized. Published literature reviews and case studies on mindfulness-based interventions were compiled and reviewed. Review of these publications showed that mindfulness-based interventions improve anxiety symptoms in patients with generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. There were mixed results in patients with panic disorder. Overall, mindfulness-based interventions are a viable treatment option on its own and as an adjunct treatment for patients with generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. They may be beneficial for patients with panic disorder and specific phobia patients.

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The purpose of this study was to elicit how mental health care users from a mixed ancestry group, otherwise called “Coloureds” at a Mental Health Clinic in an urban South African context, understood mental illness. “Coloured” peoples perceptions about mental illness in not well documented as few studies have addressed the needs of this population group in South Africa. The purpose was addressed within a closed questionnaire schedule using the Illness Perception Questionnaire - Mental Health, which was administered over a two month period, from 3rd June 2011 to 29th July 2011, using a non experimental, prospective, descriptive research design survey method. Data were collected by means of a self administered questionnaire and analysed by means of descriptive statistics. According to the statistician no confidence level was necessary as the instrument used was already tested to be valid and reliable. Since the study was descriptive, no comparative statistics were necessary.The analysed data revealed evidence of poor identification of mental illnesses. This could be a contributory factor to the inadequate adherence to treatment strategies and high re-hospitalization rates in this community. There was also a lack of collaboration between health workers and mental health care users and inadequate imparting of mental illness information by the mental health care practitioners. The positive results that have become evident in this study of good community support, good personal control of illness, a belief in the importance of taking medication and low stress levels, may be utilized effectively to empower this community with knowledge about mental illness. This may allow this community to assume responsibility and be supportive in the efforts to destigmatise mental illness and to ensure that community mental health care services move efficiently and effectively.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Wright Institute (Berkeley), 1981. / Includes bibliographical references.

People has different background of growth, living environment and work experience. Some of them can meet with the fact easily, but some have poor adaptation to the reality of the world and tends to be trapped in low tune and imbalance both physically and mentally. The results is likely to reduce the performance on the job and would have ill effect on the family mood, connection with coworkers and human relationship. The overall effect would be that the operation and performance of the whole organization will be impacted. Therefore, maintaining the physical and mental health of public servant is emerging as a key lesson for government institutions. In this Study, we tried to explore the understanding and satisfaction of public servants in Kaohsiung City Government toward the mental health measures as promoted by the City Government. ¡@¡@This Study targeted the employees and teachers of agencies and schools within the jurisdiction of Kaohsiung City Government. Method of research is basically relying on questionnaire survey, which is assisted with in-depth interview. The data obtained from the questionnaire survey are processed with SPSS for WINDOW V.10 package software and applied frequency distribution, means, standard difference, ANOVA and Scheffé Ex-Post Comparison for analysis. ¡@¡@It is understood from the conclusion of this Study that the employees of Kaohsiung City Government, female, age between 31 and 40, college graduated, married, recommended level rank, worked for 6 ¡V 10 years, non chief officer and working with administrative offices are better in the transmission of City Government¡¦s measures on mental health of employees, participation in activities and resources of consultation, or the overall understanding of the measures and satisfaction and needs are better than group of different attributes. ¡@¡@The suggestion Subsequent researcher may try with the satisfaction and factors of needs of government employees toward the mental health measures as implemented by City Government for comparison to find out their view and their attitude toward this issue.

The full experience of mental illness cannot be described in isolation from the context in which one lives, yet the internal physical manifestation of symptoms has been the focus of treatment in western cultures. The “recovery” paradigm is emerging as best-practice philosophy for mental health practice and represents a significant departure from existing standards thereby challenging mental health organizations to re-negotiate their relationship with the dominant bio-medical model. Despite the growing acceptance of recovery philosophy, literature exploring large-scale recovery-oriented organizational change is sparse. The purpose of this research was twofold; 1) to outline the steps taken by change agents within an organization embarking on recovery organizational change, and 2) to understand the experience, including successes and challenges associated with change. The qualitative data obtained from interviewing seventeen participants revealed the impact of organizational contextual factors, leadership and communication on recovery organizational change. Further, the data exposed the complexity of challenging preconceptions and practice when trying to adopt recovery approaches. The findings may guide other community based mental health organizations in their recovery journey.

Cognitive theory of depression predicts that the illness is associated with an information processing bias that interprets ambiguous information in a mood-congruent or depressive fashion. This negative interpretative bias may serve as a vulnerability factor or maintenance mechanism for a depressive illness. The majority of studies investigating such interpretative biases rely primarily on subjective experimental methodologies (eg., evaluative feedback and self-report) that are vulnerable to experimenter demand effects, response selection biases, and the influence of autobiographical memories. In addition, the results from these studies have been mixed, leading to no firm evidence for the existence of a depression-linked interpretative bias for ambiguous material. In order to avoid the limitations that have plagued subjective research, the present study utilised two of the most promising objective physiological measures of assessing interpretation: the Rapid Serial Viewing Presentation (RSVP) procedure and the affective modulation of the human eye blink reflex. The modified RSVP experiment recorded the reaction time of participants reading a textual scenario that was composed of an opening ambiguous sentence and various emotionally valenced continuations. Interpretation of the ambiguous sentence could be inferred from the reaction time as comprehension latency is inversely related to perceived plausibility. The affective modulation experiment recorded the blink amplitudes of participants startled while performing an imagery task. Blink amplitudes are augmented by negative stimuli and inhibited by hedonic stimuli. Thus, the affective interpretation of ambiguous stimuli could be inferred from the size of the recorded blink response. The results of both experiments did not support the predictions made by cognitive theory. There was no difference in the reaction time responses to the various textual stimuli between 2 depressed outpatients and healthy controls. However, antidepressant medication did have an influence upon the ability of patients to correctly judge the plausibility of the emotionally valenced continuation sentences. With regard to the eye blink experiment, there was also no difference between the depressed outpatients and the controls in terms of size of blink amplitude to the various categories of affective stimuli. Depressive, ambiguous, and distorted stimuli did not augment blink amplitudes in healthy controls or depressed patients without social anxiety disorder. However, depressed patients with a comorbid diagnosis of social anxiety disorder did react to the ambiguous stimuli in an aversive and anxious manner as indicated by increased blink amplitudes. This may be due to the social aspect of the experimental context, which engenders fears of evaluation and performance anxiety. The eye blink procedure can therefore be compromised by group selection, as the comorbidity of anxiety and depression can confound the investigation of depression-linked interpretative biases. In addition, the failure of depressive stimuli to augment blink amplitudes may render the procedure insensitive to the selection of such biases

Thesis (M.A.)--Villanova University, 2008. / Sociology & Criminal Justice Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M A(Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.