Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Jan 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialAnxiety, bulimia, drug and alcohol addiction, depression, and schizophrenia: what do you think about their aetiology, dangerousness, social distance, and treatment? A latent class analysis approach.
Mental illness stigma is a serious societal problem and a critical impediment to treatment seeking for mentally ill people. To improve the understanding of mental illness stigma, this study focuses on the simultaneous analysis of people's aetiological beliefs, attitudes (i.e. perceived dangerousness and social distance), and recommended treatments related to several mental disorders by devising an over-arching latent structure that could explain the relations among these variables. ⋯ Beyond the general appraisal of mental illness an individual might have, the results generally point to the acknowledgement of the specific features of different diagnostic categories. The implications of the present results are discussed in the framework of a better understanding of mental illness stigma.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialHousing First improves subjective quality of life among homeless adults with mental illness: 12-month findings from a randomized controlled trial in Vancouver, British Columbia.
This study used an experimental design to examine longitudinal changes in subjective quality of life (QoL) among homeless adults with mental illness after assignment to different types of supported housing or to treatment as usual (TAU, no housing or supports through the study). We hypothesized that subjective QoL would improve over time among participants assigned to supported housing as compared to TAU, regardless of the type of supported housing received or participants' level of need. ⋯ Despite multiple health and social challenges faced by homeless individuals with mental illness, HF in both scattered-site and congregate models results in significantly greater perceived QoL as compared to individuals who do not receive HF even after a relatively short period of time.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Jun 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe effects of celebrity suicide on copycat suicide attempt: a multi-center observational study.
The effect of celebrity suicides on copycat suicide attempts is not well known. Our objective was to determine the association between celebrity suicide and copycat suicide attempts. ⋯ From a prediction model using a 4-year nationwide ED database, ED visits for suicide attempts or self injury increased following the announcements of celebrity suicides.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · May 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialViews of service users and providers on joint crisis plans: single blind randomized controlled trial.
We report participants' and case managers' use of and views on the value of Joint Crisis Plans (JCPs), shown to reduce compulsory hospitalisation and violence. ⋯ The best supported hypothesis was that participants felt more in control of their mental health problem. Together with the previously reported outcomes, this suggests JCPs empower their holders to obtain their preferred care and treatment in a crisis. Further research is needed to more clearly identify the mechanisms of action of JCPs and how their initial positive impact can be sustained.
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Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol · Oct 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialDay hospital vs. home treatment--a comparison of illness severity and costs.
Acute home treatment services, providing short-term intensive input as an alternative to in-patient admission, have been recommended by the Department of Health as part of a spectrum of care. The lack of research evidence for such services is in contrast to acute day hospital care which has been better researched, but not widely adopted. This paper compares the patients treated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of day hospital vs. in-patient care with patients treated several years later in the home treatment service which developed from the original acute day hospital. ⋯ Extending the remit of an acute day hospital to provide 24-h care and a choice of treatment location is associated with an increase in the severity of illness treated. The impact on costs is unclear and the total cost of the new service may not be significantly less than in-patient care. The results need to be interpreted with caution because of differences in recruitment methods.