This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization... more This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through supported housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach seeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community settings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychiatric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of participants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization... more This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through supported housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach seeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community settings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychiatric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of participants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
The study evaluated data from a sample of persons with severe psychotic disorders to determine wh... more The study evaluated data from a sample of persons with severe psychotic disorders to determine whether those with and without comorbid panic attacks differed in rates of comorbidity of other psychiatric disorders, in quality of life, and in rehabilitation outcomes. A total of 120 individuals with psychotic disorders were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, the General Health Questionnaire, the Global Assessment of Functioning scale, and several quality-of-life measures at baseline and four and a half months after they had participated in a social rehabilitation program. Multivariate analyses of variance and Pearson's chi square tests were used to compare baseline and follow-up scores between individuals who did and did not have panic attacks. Eighteen (15 percent) of the participants who had severe psychotic disorders also had panic attacks. Participants with this type of comorbidity had significantly higher rates of major depressive disorder, specific phobia, sedative abuse, polysubstance abuse, other substance abuse, and anorexia nervosa than participants who did not have panic attacks. Participants who had panic attacks also had poorer rehabilitative outcomes and poorer quality of life at baseline and at follow-up than participants who did not have panic attacks. These data are the first to show that comorbid panic attacks are associated with poorer rehabilitative outcomes and poorer quality of life among individuals with severe psychotic disorders than among those who have psychotic disorders without panic attacks. Panic attacks may be a valuable prognostic indicator among persons with psychotic disorders and may have implications for treatment and rehabilitation.
In the past, the term "chronic" referred to people who had serious mental illness and w... more In the past, the term "chronic" referred to people who had serious mental illness and who typically received long-term care in a state mental hospital. Although this term recently has fallen out of favor, we resurrect the term here, not to revive a demeaning euphemism, but rather to redefine it as the result of a poor person-environment fit between the complex and challenging needs of those with serious psychiatric disorders and a community-based service system that often is ill-equipped to treat them. Previous research indicates that recurrent acute hospitalizations and an inability to establish or maintain tenure in the community may be due to a disconnection from community-based services and supports, social isolation, and demoralization. One promising approach to addressing these issues is that of peer support. To illustrate the potential utility of peer support in improving person-environment fit and decreasing the chronicity of the subsample of people who continue to...
The objective of this study was to explore the meaning of recovery from the perspectives of consu... more The objective of this study was to explore the meaning of recovery from the perspectives of consumers receiving mental health services in Canada. Sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted with 54 mental health consumers in Montreal, Québec City and Waterloo-Guelph, Ontario. Two contrasting meanings of recovery emerged. The first definition strongly attached recovery to illness while the second definition linked recovery to self-determination and taking responsibility for life. The prominence of biomedical definitions of recovery suggests the need to find common ground between these two perspectives, if conceptualizations of recovery are to include the views of consumers who routinely experience the mental health system.
We describe an intervention aimed at improving the quality of care delivered by forensic clinicia... more We describe an intervention aimed at improving the quality of care delivered by forensic clinicians and at exposing them to the principles of client-centered care. Thirty-five forensic clinicians belonging to various professional disciplines participated in a day-long, multi-modal training developed with the help of former residents of a maximum-security forensic hospital. The main components of the training included a 1.5-hour simulation during which participants role-played being hospital residents, a video on discrimination, and a panel discussion with several of the former hospital residents. Participants rated the training as very relevant to their work, very worthy of being recommended to their peers, and as a profoundly positive and enriching experience. The benefits derived from the training included greater connectedness among the staff and better understanding of the patients' experiences. Factors that appear to have contributed to the success of the training sessions include administrative support, use of a multi-modal approach, and use of small groups.
This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization... more This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through supported housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach seeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community settings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychiatric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of participants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization... more This report describes the qualitative component of a large-scale study of supported socialization. Paralleling the recent advances made through supported housing, supported employment, and supported education, this approach seeks to increase the involvement of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in naturally occurring social and recreational activities in community settings of their choice. After a review of social relationships and psychiatric disability, we describe the Partnership Project and present findings from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of participants. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the community integration of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
The study evaluated data from a sample of persons with severe psychotic disorders to determine wh... more The study evaluated data from a sample of persons with severe psychotic disorders to determine whether those with and without comorbid panic attacks differed in rates of comorbidity of other psychiatric disorders, in quality of life, and in rehabilitation outcomes. A total of 120 individuals with psychotic disorders were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, the General Health Questionnaire, the Global Assessment of Functioning scale, and several quality-of-life measures at baseline and four and a half months after they had participated in a social rehabilitation program. Multivariate analyses of variance and Pearson's chi square tests were used to compare baseline and follow-up scores between individuals who did and did not have panic attacks. Eighteen (15 percent) of the participants who had severe psychotic disorders also had panic attacks. Participants with this type of comorbidity had significantly higher rates of major depressive disorder, specific phobia, sedative abuse, polysubstance abuse, other substance abuse, and anorexia nervosa than participants who did not have panic attacks. Participants who had panic attacks also had poorer rehabilitative outcomes and poorer quality of life at baseline and at follow-up than participants who did not have panic attacks. These data are the first to show that comorbid panic attacks are associated with poorer rehabilitative outcomes and poorer quality of life among individuals with severe psychotic disorders than among those who have psychotic disorders without panic attacks. Panic attacks may be a valuable prognostic indicator among persons with psychotic disorders and may have implications for treatment and rehabilitation.
In the past, the term "chronic" referred to people who had serious mental illness and w... more In the past, the term "chronic" referred to people who had serious mental illness and who typically received long-term care in a state mental hospital. Although this term recently has fallen out of favor, we resurrect the term here, not to revive a demeaning euphemism, but rather to redefine it as the result of a poor person-environment fit between the complex and challenging needs of those with serious psychiatric disorders and a community-based service system that often is ill-equipped to treat them. Previous research indicates that recurrent acute hospitalizations and an inability to establish or maintain tenure in the community may be due to a disconnection from community-based services and supports, social isolation, and demoralization. One promising approach to addressing these issues is that of peer support. To illustrate the potential utility of peer support in improving person-environment fit and decreasing the chronicity of the subsample of people who continue to...
The objective of this study was to explore the meaning of recovery from the perspectives of consu... more The objective of this study was to explore the meaning of recovery from the perspectives of consumers receiving mental health services in Canada. Sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted with 54 mental health consumers in Montreal, Québec City and Waterloo-Guelph, Ontario. Two contrasting meanings of recovery emerged. The first definition strongly attached recovery to illness while the second definition linked recovery to self-determination and taking responsibility for life. The prominence of biomedical definitions of recovery suggests the need to find common ground between these two perspectives, if conceptualizations of recovery are to include the views of consumers who routinely experience the mental health system.
We describe an intervention aimed at improving the quality of care delivered by forensic clinicia... more We describe an intervention aimed at improving the quality of care delivered by forensic clinicians and at exposing them to the principles of client-centered care. Thirty-five forensic clinicians belonging to various professional disciplines participated in a day-long, multi-modal training developed with the help of former residents of a maximum-security forensic hospital. The main components of the training included a 1.5-hour simulation during which participants role-played being hospital residents, a video on discrimination, and a panel discussion with several of the former hospital residents. Participants rated the training as very relevant to their work, very worthy of being recommended to their peers, and as a profoundly positive and enriching experience. The benefits derived from the training included greater connectedness among the staff and better understanding of the patients' experiences. Factors that appear to have contributed to the success of the training sessions include administrative support, use of a multi-modal approach, and use of small groups.
Uploads