The purpose of this study is to make a comparative survey of recreational programs in both federal and state mental institutions in Texas. The objective, in general, is to determine which of the two types of mental institutions makes available to patients the most well-rounded program of recreation, and to determine wherein recreational facilities and opportunities in both types of institutions may be improved.

Sociology has made many contributions to the study of mental illness. One of those contributions has been in the area of theory. Sociologists maintain that social variables such as age, social class, marital status, gender, and race are important in understanding mental illness and its treatment. Although sociologists agree that social variables are important in understanding mental illness, they are not always in agreement about the direction of the relationships. Labeling theorists claim that psychiatric symptoms do not differentiate those who seek treatment from those who do not. Instead, they believe that those who have the least amount of social power are most likely to be forced into treatment. Conversely, sociologists who are critical of labeling believe that there is a positive correlation between symptoms and mental health treatment. However, critics of labeling also maintain that social characteristics are related to treatment. Unlike labeling perspective theorists, critics of labeling claim that the greater the amount of social resources people have, the more likely they are to seek treatment. Besides these general perspectives, other sociologists have developed theories which are hybrids of the labeling and the critics of labeling. Former tests of these theoretical perspectives have utilized small, convenience samples. These studies have produced conflicting results. This work uses data from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study, a community sample, to test research questions from the labeling perspective, critics of labeling, and combined perspectives. Results provide mixed support for each perspective. Results vary by inpatient and outpatient treatment and by particular sector of treatment. / Ph. D.

Within the framework of ethnography, an inquiry was made into the many dimensions of psychological treatment and training in a psychiatric hospital, with particular reference to State Patients. Ethnography is the study of an intact cultural or social group based mainly on observations over a prolonged period of time in which the researcher is a participant. The multicultural aspects of the therapeutic community were also inquired into. Ethnographic data was collected and processed over a period of 16 years in three psychiatric hospitals, the main source of data gathered from Weskoppies Hospital in Pretoria. The ecosystemic psychotherapeutic perspective was used as a meta-model to describe eight therapeutic approaches in which intern-psychologists were trained. The hospital is described as a therapeutic community in which rehabilitation is a multi-professional responsibility. Each profession, or sub-culture, has its own framework and culture in which it works within the broader system of the psychiatric hospital. Ethical considerations and recommendations are levelled at the academic and practical aspects of clinical psychology, hospital management, and different levels of government. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with choosing mental health nursing as a career, and to explore the possible ways of improving recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. Quantitative, explorative descriptive research was conducted. Data collection was done by using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Three groups participated in the study: practicing mental health nurses (n=10), post-basic mental health nursing students (n=10) and final year basic nursing students (n=184). The findings revealed that basic nursing students do not intend to pursue a career in mental health nursing, and that there is an aging population of mental health nurses. The barriers to the mental health field include stigma, a poor working environment and inadequate career guidance. Marketing, policy and regulatory reforms, as well as positive work environments have been identified as strategies for improving the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. / Health Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Health Studies))

The purpose of this study was to explore alcohol use among psychiatric in-patients in a mental hospital in Ethiopia. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected through face to face structured interviews and a document analysis checklist. A researcher-modified interview-version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire was used to measure alcohol use. The study population comprised of 70 psychiatric in-patients. Data analysis showed that being male, living in an urban area, being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and having parents who drink alcohol had a statistical significant association with the alcohol use of the respondents. Respondents reported that it was difficult to abstain or stop using alcohol. They also felt discriminated against when forbidden by relatives to drink. It was alarming to find that thioridazine, which has been discontinued in most countries for the treatment of psychosis, was still being prescribed in Ethiopia. The study highlighted the need for health education to strengthen patients’ perceptions about the negative consequences of alcohol use. Care should be taken when prescribing psychotropic drugs such as thioridazine to psychiatric in-patients because of possible cardiotoxic effects. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Bakgrund:  Psykiatrisjuksköterskors yrkesidentitet upplevs som komplex och otydlig då den baseras både på sjuksköterskans egna värderingar om sig själv och sin yrkesroll samt på yttre förväntningar. Tidigare studier har visat att yrkesmässig handledning har betydelse för sjuksköterskors upplevelser av arbetstillfredsställelse. Forskningen är dock bristande gällande handledningens inverkan på psykiatrisjuksköterskors yrkesidentitet.  Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva psykiatrisjuksköterskors upplevelser av yrkesmässig handledning och dess betydelse för deras yrkesidentitet inom psykiatrisk heldygnsvård.               Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ design där åtta psykiatrisjuksköterskor intervjuades med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats.                     Resultat: Resultatet presenteras genom följande tre huvudkategorier och sorteras utifrån Imogene King´s systemteori: Att formas som psykiatrisjuksköterska – personligt system, Att sträva mot samma mål – interpersonellt system samt Handledningens betydelse för sjuksköterskeprofessionen – socialt system.  Diskussion: Resultatet diskuteras utifrån Imogene King´s systemteori samt relevant vetenskaplig forskning. / Background: The professional identity of psychiatric nurses is perceived as complex and obscure as it is based both on the nurse´s own values of herself and her professional role as well as on external expectations. Previous studies have shown that clinical supervision is significant for nurses´ experiences of work satisfaction. However, the research is insufficient concerning the impact of clinical supervision on the professional identities of psychiatric nurses.                      Aim: The aim of the study was to describe psychiatric nurses´ experiences of clinical supervision and it´s significance for their professional identity within psychiatric inpatient care units.                    Method: The study was carried out with a qualitative design where eight psychiatric nurses were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The results were analyzed through qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach.                 Results: The results are presented through the following three main categories and are sorted according to Imogene King´s theory of systems: To be formed as a psychiatric nurse – personal system, To aim for the same goal – interpersonal system and The significance of clinical supervision for the profession of nurses – social system. Discussions: The results are discussed according to Imogene King´s theory of systems as well as relevant scientific research.

In 1897 John Sibbald, Commissioner in Lunacy for Scotland, stated that ‘the construction of an asylum is a more interesting subject of study for the general reader than might be supposed.’ This thesis traces the development of the public asylum in Scotland from 1781 to 1930. By placing the institution in its wider social context it provides more than a historical account, exploring how the buildings functioned as well as giving an architectural analysis based on date, plan and style. Here the architecture represents more, and provides a physical expression of successive stages of public philanthropy and legislative changes during what was arguably one of the most rapidly evolving stages of history. At a time when few medical treatments were available, public asylum buildings created truly therapeutic environments, which allowed the mentally ill to live in relative peace and security. The thesis explores how public asylums in Scotland introduced the segregation or ‘classification’ of patients into separate needs-based groups under a system known as Moral Treatment. It focuses particularly on the evolving plan forms of these institutions from the earliest radial, prison-like structures to their development into self-sustaining village-style colonies and shows how the plan reflects new attitudes to treatment. While many have disappeared, the surviving Victorian and Edwardian mega-structures lie as haunting reminders of a largely forgotten era in Scottish psychiatry. Only a few of the original buildings are still in use today as specialist units, out-patient centres, and administrative offices for Scotland’s Health Boards. Others have been redeveloped as universities or luxury housing schemes, making use of the good-quality buildings and landscaping. Whatever their current use, public asylums stand today as an outward sign of the awakening of the Scottish people to the plight of the mentally ill in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Bakgrund: Stressrelaterad ohälsa inklusive utmattningssyndrom (UMS) ökar kraftigt. UMS innebär ett mänskligt lidande för de drabbade och en belastning för vårt samhälle. Det finns ännu ingen evidens för hur personer med UMS ska behandlas. Syfte: Att undersöka hur vårdpersonal kan stödja personer med UMS. Metod: Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes. Urvalet bestod av sju vårdgivare som alla arbetade med personer med UMS. Data analyserades utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys och med en induktiv ansats. Resultat: Det informanterna beskrev som stödjande för personer med UMS var att ge en vård utifrån personens behov, att arbeta för att stärka patientens egna förmågor, att ge möjlighet till en medveten närvaro, att skapa balans mellan aktivitet och vila samt att ge patienten och dennes närstående en ökad kunskap. Slutsats: Vårdpersonal kan stödja personer med UMS genom att ge en vård utifrån personens förutsättningar och sjukdomsfas. De stödjande insatserna ska vara personcentrerade och ha som syfte att ge kunskap och verktyg om hur personen kan hantera sin sjukdom. Samarbete mellan professioner är viktigt. Att inkludera psykiatrisjuksköterskan och/eller distriktssköterskan i vården för dessa personer skulle vara gynnsamt eftersom omvårdnad är en faktor som saknas i många fall. / Background: Stress-related ill-health including exhaustion syndrome is increasing sharply. Exhaustion syndrome means a human suffering for the affected and a burden for our society. There is no scientific evidence yet for how people with exhaustion syndrome should be treated. Aim: To investigate how healthcare professionals can support people with exhaustion syndrome. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The selection consisted of seven healthcare providers who all worked with people with exhaustion syndrome. The data was analyzed with a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Result: What the informants described as support for people with exhaustion syndrome was to provide a care based on the person's needs, to work to strengthen the patient's own abilities, to provide the opportunity for a conscious presence, to create a balance between activity and rest and to give the patient knowledge. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals can support people with exhaustion syndrome by providing a care based on the person's conditions and disease phase. The supportive efforts must be person-centered and have the purpose of providing knowledge and tools on how the person can handle their illness. Cooperation between professions is important. To include the psychiatric nurse and / or the district nurse in the care of these persons would be beneficial as in many cases nursing is a missing factor.

"It was the purpose of this study to examine the case records of sixty-six patients referred for history resources to the Social Service Department at the Florida State Hospital, from July 1, 1958 through June 30, 1959"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1960." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: James H. Williams, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references.