Mental health seems to be a growing area of concern worldwide with the number of people suffering from mental health issues rapidly increasing. In South Africa, over 17 million people are reported to be suffering from mental illness and mental health problems. Those suffering from mental health problems are identified as a vulnerable group greatly depending on the social work intervention and service provision for recovery. As a result, social workers form part of the five core professional groups in the field of mental health worldwide. The provision of mental health services by social workers is subject to numerous realities that have a significant impact on their overall experiences in the field however there has been little to no research conducted on the experiences of social workers in providing mental health services. Therefore, the rationale of the present study was to address the identified knowledge gap in literature by conducting research specifically looking into the experiences of social workers in the provision of mental health services at Weskoppies mental health facility. The goal of the present study was to explore and describe the experiences of social workers in the provision of mental healthcare services specifically at Weskoppies mental health facility. The present study was qualitative and employed the instrumental case study design in order to generate an understanding of the experiences of social workers in providing mental health services through thick and rich descriptions of the cases studied. The ten (10) social workers who participated in the present study were purposively sampled using the following sampling criteria: the social worker had to be providing mental health services at Weskoppies mental health facility; be registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professionals (SACSSP) and be in possession of a recognised bachelor’s degree from a South African university; have six months or more experience in mental health; give consent to participate in the study and be able to speak and understand or converse in English. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews with an interview schedule were utilised to collect data from the participants. The research findings show that the absence of a clear set scope of practice for social workers providing mental health services results in role confusion and also in social workers being subject to tasks falling outside of their broad scope of social work practice (for example, accompanying patients to the ATM or collecting patient parcels at an institutional gate/entrance). The risks with such tasks are observably not covered in danger allowances as the research explains in detail in analysed findings. In addition to the above, a lack of resources was identified as the main challenge affecting the overall quality of social work service provision and interventions. The findings also indicate that there is a great gap in mental health content within the undergraduate social work degree and that the degree alone is inadequate in capacitating social workers to undertake effective practice in mental health. Supervision and workplace training seem to be effective measures in bridging the presenting gaps resulting from the undergraduate BSW degree. Recommendations include capacity building for social workers providing mental health services through the Inclusion of mental health modules in the undergraduate social work degree as well as the development of a clear set scope of practice for social workers providing mental health services. Key Concepts: Social Worker, Mental health, Mental health services, Mental illness, Mental healthcare user, Metal health facility, Weskoppies mental health facility, Experiences / Mini Dissertation (MSW (Health Care))-University of Pretoria, 2020. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW (Health Care) / Unrestricted

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This dissertation examines the historical forces that have rhetorically and discursively transformed suicide from a philosophical, legal, religious, and political issue into a primarily medical problem subsumed under the rhetorical banner of "mental health." In this dissertation, I examine the print press' articulation of the institutional belief that suicide is the act of irrational, mentally ill, disturbed, or otherwise impaired people in need of "prevention," "intervention," "help," and "care." What is said in the mainstream press about the self-inflicted deaths of U.S. residents---who are physically healthy, have caring friends and family, are relatively well-educated, have some measure of means, and, thus, are perceived by their peers as having everything to live for---speaks directly to the political nature of discussions about suicide and suicide prevention. Mainstream news media discussions of suicide tend to focus primarily on the mental health and "personal" problems of those who kill themselves, while suicide prevention is routinely represented as a fundamental right, a necessary public service, and a form of benevolence. What are the social, economic, political, and philosophical implications of representations of suicide and suicide prevention that ignore or downplay the specific lived reality of the people who commit suicide? Are there views of suicide that diverge from the dominant view of suicide as a health issue requiring professional medical solutions? And if there are, how does the mainstream press treat those ideas as rhetorical constructs? What can and cannot be said about suicide in the major media? Who speaks and who does not? Who are the people whose stories are told in the press? Why are these particular stories told? Does the wide-spread disapprobation of suicide in the U.S. limit understandings of suicide that do not privilege medical, psychiatric, and scientific explanations? What exactly is at stake in treating suicide and suicide prevention as political issues as well as mental health issues? By mapping the historical progression of the major ideological currents informing how this culture thinks and talks about suicide, this dissertation considers suicide's potentially subversive, political, and resistive nature.

In this article, the investigators present a new method using a deep learning approach to diagnose schizophrenia. In the experiment presented, the investigators have used a secondary dataset provided by National Institutes of Health. The aforementioned experimentation involves analyzing this dataset for existence of schizophrenia using traditional machine learning approaches such as logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest. This is followed by application of deep learning techniques using three hidden layers in the model. The results obtained indicate that deep learning provides state-of-the-art accuracy in diagnosing schizophrenia. Based on these observations, there is a possibility that deep learning may provide a paradigm shift in diagnosing schizophrenia.

The purpose of this study was to determine the national prevalence and correlates of currently diagnosed attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral problems, anxiety and depression among U.S. children aged 3–17 years. Data from the 2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) was analyzed. Parents/caregivers reported whether their children currently had each mental health condition. Chi square analyses and multivariate logistic regressions were utilized to examine the prevalence of conditions and assess independent associations based on selected sociodemographic characteristics. Weighted prevalence estimates were calculated for the study population (n = 26,572). The study found that 8.6% currently had ADHD, 6.9% currently had behavioral disorders, 8.0% currently had anxiety, 3.7% currently had depression and 16.1% had any of the four conditions. The prevalence of each disorder was higher for older age, Whites (except for behavioral disorders which were higher for Blacks), public insurance, single parent households, children living with non-parents, parent/caregiver mental/emotional health, and non-users of medical home when comparing individuals who had these disorders to those without the disorders. Condition-specific variations were observed. Children with public and private insurance, single parents/non-parents, mentally ill parents and not receiving care in a medical home were more likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders. These findings provide the latest data on a broad range of mental health disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents and show that these problems are prevalent which highlight the need for prevention and early intervention.

The use of restraints on adolescents during times of acute agitation and crisis can be medically necessary. Both chemical and interpersonal physical restraints have appropriate applications in such situations when properly executed by trained professionals as dictated by protocols developed by a physician or licensed practitioner. Physical side effects and risks to a child’s psyche are explored as well as factors which may artificially escalate a crisis, and thereby contribute to unwarranted or misguided restraints, such as caregiver motivations. As adolescents are still developing, even acute treatment plans should be framed with attention to risk to benefit ratio and long term planning. Due to the inherent risks to body and mind involved with both forms of restraints coupled with the propensity for risks associated with misapplication and improper technique, grave consideration must be taken when utilizing these methods with adolescents.

This inspiring resource presents theories, findings, and interventions from Positive Suicidology, an emerging strengths-based approach to suicide prevention. Its synthesis of positive psychology and suicidology theories offers a science-based framework for promoting wellbeing to complement or, if appropriate, replace traditional deficit-driven theories and therapies used in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Coverage reviews interpersonal, intrapersonal, and societal risk factors for suicide, and identifies protective factors, such as hope and resilience, that can be enhanced in therapy. From there, chapters detail a palette of approaches and applications of Positive Suicidology, from the powerful motivating forces described in Self-Determination Theory to meaning-building physical and social activities. Among the topics covered: Future-oriented constructs and their role in suicidal ideation and enactment. Gratitude as a protective factor for suicidal ideation and behavior: theory and evidence. Considering race and ethnicity in the use of positive psychological approaches to suicide. The Six R’s framework as mindfulness for suicide prevention. Community-based participatory research and empowerment for suicide prevention. Applied resiliency and suicide prevention: a strengths-based, risk-reduction framework. Psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, and health psychologists, as well as educators, clergy and healthcare professionals, will find A Positive Psychological Approach to Suicide an invaluable source of contemporary evidence-based strategies for their prevention and intervention efforts with suicidal clients. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1213/thumbnail.jpg

The delivery system of health care to Americans is in crisis. As costs continue to escalate, and as access to services deteriorates, an increasing number of individuals in need of physical and mental health care are experiencing difficulty accessing the necessary services. Changes in economic resources have resulted in quantitative shifts in mental health service delivery. A greater number of individuals seek mental health services as a result of the stress and anxiety created from a threatened or actual loss of financial stability. This increase in demand for service comes at a time when mental health programs are experiencing a decrease in resources which has resulted in reduced access to services. The emergency mental health service utilization patterns and client characteristics have changed during the same period of time that the overall mental health care delivery system has undergone transformation. However, the changes in mental health care have not necessarily evolved out of careful rational planning, but rather as a response to chaotic shifts in the mental health system at large. The purpose of this study was to gather data about access to these mental health outpatient services as they related to client diagnostic characteristics, system ability to provide the service needed, and ability of the service to meet the client's perceived need. The implications of the findings are clear. Access to services during a crisis was dependent upon system response, degree of psychopathology and a supportive environment. Any reform effort must include adequate crisis intervention and social services to meet the need of the changing population. Education for the general population and the professional would enhance understanding of the needs of the mentally ill and service availability.

Disparities in access to mental health care for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders continue to exist in the United States despite the creation of mental health policies seeking to improve access to care. As an integral element of healthcare system delivery, access is influenced by spatial (location) and non-spatial (sociodemographic) factors. Highlighting both spatial and non-spatial dimensions of access to mental healthcare, this study employed an innovative approach encompassing the geography of access and the integration of location analyses to bridge the gap between psychosocial dynamics and mental health services for improving cost-effective continuity of care. The aims were as follows: (1) a comprehensive investigation of mental health service accessibility and utilization using geographic information systems (GIS), (2) an examination of the concept of access to mental health care, and (3) a secondary analysis of data involving street networking to investigate whether accessibility (travel time) and selected sociodemographic variables correlated and predicted treatment adherence among adult patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The results from this study will inform future nursing and community interventions for outpatient follow-up care for individuals seeking mental health care services.

Research on management and administration in the mental health and human services fields has dealt with top management and has not provided useful information concerning the work experience of middle clinical managers. The purpose of this study was twofold; (a) to determine whether or not there are differences in the way clinicians and clinical managers perceive their job characteristics as measured by the Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham, 1980), and (b) to determine whether or not the power and affiliation needs of clinicians and clinical managers as measured by the Job Choice Decision-Making Exercise (Stahl & Harrell, 1981) affect those perceptions. Thirty-six clinicians and fifty-seven clinical managers were classified according to power and affiliation need strengths as measured by the Job Choice Decision-Making Exercise (Stahl & Harrell, 1981). Measures of each subject's perceptions of his or her core job dimensions were obtained with the Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham, 1980). Several interviews with clinical managers were conducted and demographic, occupational, and agency information was gathered. There were no significant differences between clinicians and clinical managers in this study in their perceptions of job skill variety, task identity, task significance, job autonomy, feedback from the job itself, and feedback from job agents. Clinical managers with high power needs and low affiliation needs were not significantly different than clinical managers with low power needs and high affiliation needs in their perceptions of their job characteristics. Also, clinicians with high power needs and low affiliation needs were not significantly different than clinicians with low power needs and high affiliation needs in their perceptions of their job characteristics. Contrary to prediction, clinical managers reported a significantly greater degree of dealing with others on the job than did clinicians. Also, a trend was discovered, suggesting that the perceived degree to which feedback is received from the job itself may be lower for the clinical managers in this study than for the clinicians. Implications for practice focused on the need for more specialized training, job redesign, improvements in connection with extrinsic motivational factors, and changes in management practices.