<p> Mental illness can be debilitating and gravely affect the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with mental disorders. What is more, it is often difficult for individuals to manage their disorder while maintaining a good QoL and to work towards a recovery that encompasses all aspects of their lives. This content analysis of 23 scholarly articles attempted to collect as many influencing factors to QoL and recovery, both positive and negative. The results indicated that there are a variety of environmental, psychological, and social elements that affect QoL and recovery. Social support and social networks were cited most often as improving QoL and aiding in recovery while stigma was found hinder recovery and improved QoL. Additionally, it gathered information about different treatments, interventions, and resources used to treat mental disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a therapeutic intervention, was found to be a commonly used intervention. Recommendations for social work practice, policy, and future research regarding mental health are also presented in this analysis.</p>

<p>This dissertation provides readers with a general framework for understanding drug addiction from a Winnicottian perspective that can help clinicians to better understand and work with clients who struggle with drug addiction. The underlying purpose of developing such a framework is not to formulate a ?master theory? that is applicable to all cases of addiction or that claims to encompass all of the myriad facets of addiction?such an endeavor would prove impossible, reductionistic, and hubristic. Rather, this dissertation uses Winnicott?s theories to identify and explore emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and developmental components of addictive processes that are present in some?but not all?cases of addiction. Although etiological factors play a prominent role in this dissertation, I argue that a Winnicottian approach can help clinicians to work with clients regardless of how much is known about their pasts and illustrate that a Winnicottian perspective need not be reductionisitc. I developed this model by applying the insights gleaned from primary and secondary literature to a case study. More specifically, I analyze the case utilizing three especially prominent themes in Winnicott?s theory: being, aggression, and creativity. Doing so enabled me to conclude the following regarding addiction: From a Winnicottian perspective, an individual?s relationships with drugs of abuse are both interpersonal and regressive in nature and are founded upon the need to experience the personal aliveness that accompanies the actualization of one or more developmental potentials.

<p> The importance of investigating relationships between depression and mineral intake is necessary due to concerns over the mental health and nutrition status of the growing older adult population in America. Due to lack of research in this area, the development of nutrition therapies for depressed older adults with special consideration for minerals is hindered. This study explored whether mean depression scores significantly differed between quartile intake groups of selenium, magnesium, zinc, and copper in a nationally representative sample of older adults (<i>n</i> = 901) from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For all four minerals, those within the highest quartile of intake had significantly lower depression scores than those within the lowest quartile. Nutrition and mental health care professionals should be aware of a possible association between mineral intake and depression and emphasize healthy eating patterns and nutrient-dense diets to maintain optimal mental and physical functioning.</p>

<p> This study examined the relationships among stress, differentiation of self (DoS), and burnout in Child Protection Services (CPS) workers. Bowen defined DoS as the capacity of an individual to modulate emotional responses, stay calm in the midst of crisis, maintain emotional responses in highly charged situations, maintain a coherent sense of self, and maintain balance between independence and closeness within relationships. This nonexperimental correlational and comparative study sought to determine whether stress predicts burnout when controlling for DoS and whether DoS moderates the relationship between stress and burnout. Furthermore, the study examined the differences between male and female as well as novice and veteran CPS workers&rsquo; level of stress, DoS, and burnout. Data from a sample of 243 CPS workers showed that stress significantly predicted burnout when controlling for DoS, and DoS did not significantly moderate the relationship between stress and burnout. The results also found that there are no significant differences between male and female, novice and veteran workers&rsquo; level of stress, DoS, and burnout. A major finding was that the overall model for the domains of burnout showed stress and DoS to significantly predict emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Stress significantly positively predicted EE (<i>&beta;</i> = 0.56, <i>t</i> = 10.18, <i>p </i> &lt; .001), whereas DoS significantly negatively predicted EE (<i> &beta;</i> = -0.18, <i>t</i> = -3.22, <i>p</i> = .001). Stress significantly positively predicted DP (<i>&beta;</i> = 0.29, <i>t</i> = 4.53, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), whereas DoS significantly negatively predicted DP (<i>&beta;</i> = -0.24, <i> t</i> = -3.83, <i>p</i> &lt; .001). Stress significantly negatively predicted PA (<i>&beta;</i> = -0.24, <i>t</i> = -3.65, <i> p</i> &lt; .001), whereas DoS significantly positively predicted PA (<i> &beta;</i> = 0.21, <i>t</i> = 3.17, <i>p</i> = .002). In other words, those who reported high stress tend to have high level of EE and DP, and reduced PA. Conversely, those who reported high DoS tend to have low level of EE and DP, and higher PA. Despite limitations, the study sheds new light on the relationship between DoS and burnout and indicates the need for further research on the explicit role of Dos in predicting burnout. </p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis project was to write a grant proposal to make peer specialist trainings available in Orange County, California. The trainings will be funded by Mental Health Services Act&rsquo;s Workforce Education and Training funds and take place at the Recovery Education Institute, in the City of Orange. The trainings will be coordinated by Orange County Health Care Agency&rsquo;s Behavioral Health Services branch, using the Peer Employment Training program developed by Recovery Innovations, Inc. The trainings will help contribute to the development of the growing peer workforce in Orange County and increase the quality and efficacy of the peer support services provided. The implementation and/or submission of this grant proposal was not a requirement for the successful completion of this thesis project.</p>

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Childhood abuse and neglect, as suffered by in-patients of medium secure psychiatric hospitals, is an under-researched clinical variable within the literature. Associated study and work in this area is considered to be a core skill of the forensic mental health nurse (FMHN), as well as of other clinicians working in such hospitals. The study undertook an examination of childhood abuse and neglect in three medium secure units (n= 117), finding that 41% of the sample suffered abuse/neglect in childhood/adolescence. An examination of a wide range of patient characteristics in the units was also conducted, findings included observations of 94% of patients having committed a violent index offence, and 81.2% of patients being diagnosed with schizophrenia. A hypothesis test conducted on this data revealed a significant relationship between the gender of patients and abuse/neglect suffered in childhood. A further analysis of inter-rater reliability was undertaken, of FMHN's and Nurse Consultants against a Benchmark nurse, in rating the severity of abuse suffered by inpatients. This revealed findings of both fair to moderate, and poor agreement, between the nurses, Nurse Consultants and Benchmark nurse. Allied study of a range of clinicians knowledge and opinions concerning agreement or disagreement with statements related to concepts of abuse, mental disorder and violence revealed mixed results, dependent upon either a quantitative analysis indicating no variation amongst the clinician's, or qualitative analysis identifying some specific differences. The study overall has concluded that the use of a mixed methodology is beneficial to examining consistency of agreement, and knowledge and opinions, regarding clinical phenomena amongst clinicians. The study makes recommendations in terms of adjustments to forensic educational curricula and clinical practice, regarding inclusion of more, and improved, information concerning childhood abuse and neglect.