Community Mental Health???New Approaches for Rural Areas Using Psychiatric Social Workers

Medical Care ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel Guillozet
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
New Approaches

scholarly journals The Greek Hybrid Version of the Assertive Community Treatment Model: A Perspective View between Challenges and Limitations

Psych ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-799
Author(s):  
Vaios Peritogiannis ◽  
Fotini Tsoli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Assertive Community Treatment ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Treatment ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Perspective View

The Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model of care has been long considered to be effective in the management of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in most Western countries. The implementation of the original ACT model may be particularly challenging in rural and remote communities with small and dispersed populations and lack of adequate mental health services. Rural programs may have to adapt the model and modify the ACT fidelity standards to accommodate these limitations, and this is the rationale for the introduction of more flexible, hybrid ACT models. In rural Greece, the so called Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) are well-established community mental health services. For patients with SMI that have difficulties engaging with treatment services, the new hybrid ACT model has been recently launched. The objective of this manuscript is to present the recently launched hybrid ACT model in rural areas in Greece and to explore the challenges and limitations in its implementation from the experience of a team of mental health professionals with ACT experience. Referral criteria have not been strictly set, but the number of previous relapses and hospitalizations is taken under consideration, as well as the history of poor treatment adherence and disengagement from mental health services. The main limitation in the implementation of the hybrid ACT service is that it has been introduced in several areas in the absence of a pre-existing community mental health service. This may impact referrals and limit focus on the difficult cases of patients with SMI, thus making the evaluation of the model inapplicable.

The Death of a Profession

1972 ◽  
Vol 120 (559) ◽  
pp. 647-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Hospital Service ◽  
Professional Skills ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Psychiatric Social Work

Psychiatric Social Work as a profession with its tradition, training and culture rooted in the Hospital Service, will in all probability soon cease to exist. It would appear that the imminent decease of this profession is not generally known or understood. This account, an expression of much personal regret, is also an attempt to give a background to the current situation. It pays tribute to the medical profession, without whom the Psychiatric Social Workers would never have acquired their specialization and expertise. It has been in hospitals and other allied settings that the Psychiatric Social Workers have practised their professional skills and had the opportunities to keep abreast of clinical progress and new approaches to mental health, so essential to teaching new generations.

scholarly journals Mental Healthcare Delivery in Rural Greece: A 10-year Account of a Mobile Mental Health Unit

2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 556-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaios Peritogiannis ◽  
Thiresia Manthopoulou ◽  
Afroditi Gogou ◽  
Venetsanos Mavreas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Primary Care System ◽  
Mobile Mental Health ◽  
Care System

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Patients living in rural and remote areas may have limited access to mental healthcare due to lack of facilities and socioeconomic reasons, and this is the case of rural areas in Eastern Europe countries. In Greece, community mental health service delivery in rural areas has been implemented through the development of the Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs). Methods: We present a 10-year account of the operation of the MMHU of the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia (MMHU I-T) and report on the impact of the service on mental health delivery in the catchment area. The MMHU I-T is a multidisciplinary community mental health team which delivers services in rural and mountainous areas of Northwest Greece. Results: The MMHU I-T has become an integral part of the local primary care system and is well known to the population of the catchment area. By the end of 2016, the majority of patients (60%) were self-referred or family-referred, compared to 24% in the first 2 years. Currently, the number of active patients is 293 (mean age 63 years, 49.5% are older adults), and the mean caseload for each member of the team is 36.6. A significant proportion of patients (28%) receive care with regular domiciliary visits, and the provision of home-based care was correlated with the age of the patients. Within the first 2 years of operation of the MMHU I-T hospitalizations of treatment, engaged patients were reduced significantly by 30.4%, whereas the treatment engagement rates of patients with psychotic disorders were 67.2% in 5 years. Conclusions: The MMHU I-T and other similar units in Greece are a successful paradigm of a low-cost service which promotes mental health in rural, remote, and deprived areas. This model of care may be informative for clinical practice and health policy given the ongoing recession and health budget cuts. It suggests that rural mental healthcare may be effectively delivered by integrating generic community mental health mobile teams into the primary care system.

scholarly journals Treatment Engagement of Psychotic Patients with a Mobile Mental Health Unit in Rural Areas in Greece: A Five-Year Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaios Peritogiannis ◽  
Athina Tatsioni ◽  
Nefeli Menti ◽  
Aikaterini Grammeniati ◽  
Vassiliki Fotopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Unit ◽  
Mobile Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Unit

Objectives. Treatment of psychotic disorders is impended by high rates of disengagement from mental health services and poor adherence to antipsychotic medication. This study examined the engagement rates of psychotic patients with a community mental health service during a 5-year period.Methods. The Mobile Mental Health Unit of Ioannina and Thesprotia (MMHU I-T) delivers services in remote, rural, mountainous areas using the resources of the primary care system. Clinical and demographic information for patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and related psychoses was obtained from the medical records of our unit.Results. A total of 74 psychotic patients initially engaged in treatment with our unit. In half of cases treatment was home-based. With the exclusion of patients who died or discharged, engagement rates were 67.2%. Statistical analysis was performed for 64 patients, and no differences were found between engaged and disengaged patients regarding clinical and demographic parameters. All engaged patients regularly refilled their antipsychotic prescriptions.Conclusion. Engagement rates in our study were comparable to previous research, involving urban settings and shorter follow-up duration. Community mental health teams may ensure treatment continuation for psychotic patients in deprived, remote areas. This is important for low-income countries, affected by economic crisis, such as Greece.

Social Workers as Members of Community Mental Health Teams for Older People: What Is the Added Value?

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Abendstern ◽  
Susan Tucker ◽  
Mark Wilberforce ◽  
Rowan Jasper ◽  
Christian Brand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Added Value

scholarly journals Perceptions of the social worker role in adult community mental health teams in England

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502092408
Author(s):  
Michele Abendstern ◽  
Jane Hughes ◽  
Mark Wilberforce ◽  
Karen Davies ◽  
Rosa Pitts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Model ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Community Mental Health Team ◽  
Mental Health Team ◽  
Health Team ◽  
The Social

There is a growing recognition of the importance of the social work contribution within community mental health services. However, although many texts describe what the mental health social work contribution should be, little empirical evidence exists about their role in practice and the difference it might make to service users. This qualitative study sought to articulate this contribution through the voices of social workers and their multidisciplinary colleagues via focus group discussions across four English Mental Health Trusts. These considered the impact of the social worker on the service user. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of three over-arching themes: social workers own perceptions of their contribution situated within the social model; the high value their colleagues placed on social work support and leadership in a range of situations and the concerns for service users if social workers were withdrawn from teams. Key findings were that social workers are the only professional group to lead on the social model; that this model enhances the whole teams’ practice and is required if service users are to be offered support that promotes long-term recovery and that without social workers, the community mental health team offer would be more transactional, less timely, with the potential for the loss of the service users’ voice. If social work is to make a full contribution to community mental health team practice, it must be clearly understood and provided with the support to enable social workers to operate to their full potential.

Mental Health Professionals' Attire

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 880-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mani Rajagopalan ◽  
Mario Santilli ◽  
David Powell ◽  
Megan Murphy ◽  
Marice O'brien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Case Manager ◽  
Case Managers ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Community Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Team ◽  
Mental Health Patients

Objective: Our aim was to obtain mental health patients' views on psychiatrists' and case managers' attire Methods: Eighty-six patients treated at a community mental health service were surveyed. Various types of commonly worn attire were listed. Respondents were asked to choose what they thought was most appropriate for their psychiatrist and case manager to wear. Results: Over 50% of respondents felt that psychiatrist or case manager dress was not an important issue. However, those who felt that it was preferred less formal attire. Conclusions: Psychiatrists and case managers in a community mental health team could consider adopting less formal attire. This conclusion is limited by the small sample and may be relevant to rural areas only. Further research is needed in urban centres. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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