Mentally Ill

Uvod: Podaci o stavovima prema mentalno
obolelim osobama u Crnoj Gori prilično su
oskudni. Razloge za to treba tražiti u činje-
nici da istraživači nemaju na raspolaganju
proverene instrumente. Polazeći od skale
stavova prema mentalno bolesnim koju su
razvili Martin Tejlor i Majkl Dir (CAMI)
napravljena je crnogorska verzija ove skale.
Cilj rada: Istraživanje je sprovedeno s na-
merom da se na uzorku crnogorske popula-
cije ispitaju osnovna svojstva modifikovane
CAMI skale, proveri njena višedimenzional-
nost i utvrde demografski korelati tih di-
menzija.
Metod rada: Dvesta osamdeset i sedam
ispitanika starih između 17 i 84 godina, iz
više crnogorskih mesta, popunjavalo je upit-
nik sa CAMI skalom stavova prema mental-
no obolelim. Njihovi odgovori su podvrgnu-
ti postupku ekstrakcije glavnih komponenti.
Uticaj nekih demografskih varijabli (pola,
obrazovanja, uzrasta) i dužeg kontakta sa
mentalno obolelim osobama na stav prema
mentalno bolesnim procenjivan je postup-
kom stepenaste regresije..
Rezultati: Analiza glavnih komponenata
(nakon Varimax rotacije) vodi zaključu o
postojanju pet dimenzija u stavovima prema
osobama koje su lečene od mentalnih bole-
sti: uvažavanje ljudskih prava obolelih i od-
bacivanje njihove stigmatizacije, distancira-
nje od mentalno obolelih, pozitivan odnos
prema ideji komunalne psihijatrije, isticanje
potrebe za blagonaklonim odnosom i tole-
rancijom i autoritarni odnos. Ovih pet fak-
tora objašnjavalo je 43% ukupne varijanse.
Koeficijent unutrašnje konzistentnosti cele
skale (Kronbahov alfa) iznosio je 0,87. Pol
(ženski) i duži kontakt sa mentalno oboleli-
ma bili su prediktori pozitivnijeg stava pre-
ma mentalno obolelima, dok je efekat obra-
zovanja bio slabo izražen.
Zaključak: Ova skala stavova prema
mentalno obolelim osobama može se kori-
stiti u daljim istraživanjima na crnogorskoj
teritoriji. Buduća istraživanja treba da se
usredsrede na ispitivanje stabilnosti faktor-
ske strukture skale, kao i na uticaj kolektivi-
stičkih vrednosti na stavove prema mental-
no obolelim.
Ključne riječi: Deinstitucionalizacija,
CAMI, predrasude, stigma

Psychiatric de-institutionalisation was characterised by the shift to community-based facilities.
Yet, institutional remnants still prevailed, even in new structures. The building stock was no
exception as it adapts slower than organizations and as architects had limited knowledge on
mental health (Brand, 1994; Norman, 2002). The lack of understanding regarding community
care, of evidence-based guidelines and of comprehensive briefs resulted in architectural
experimentation. New facilities often became smaller-scale total institutions, creating social
exclusion inside the community. Occasionally, social problems in new buildings were so severe
that those had to be demolished (Elderfield, 2002). The research investigated the spatial
mechanisms that created those community-based institutions, even when the best
architectural intentions were involved. It also aimed to identify the limitations of generic
architectural frameworks for specialised healthcare facilities such as mental health. The
research investigated 10 community-based facilities. 2/10 facilities were buildings considered
state of the art, by their awards and presentation in the architectural literature. These buildings
were compared to the rest according to their degree of institutionalization and user
satisfaction. Data were triangulated via architectural auditing of these buildings, the
development of a 215 point checklist and interviews of 65 residents and 50 staff. The
innovative aspects of the awarded facilities varied from the location to the layout and
architectural detailing. The architects’ original aim was to generate ideas and address the
complexities of psychiatric environment. Yet, both performed poorly in all aspects of
methodology. The research revealed the compromises that the buildings posed to clients’
safety and security, to their competence and to their personalization and choice. It
demonstrated the importance of user involvement from planning stage. Additionally, it
addressed the complexity of the subject and the need to develop scientific methodologies for
design that will provide the necessary knowledge -as opposed to subjective intuition- to
architects in order to unfold their creativity.

Mental illness incorporates a spectrum of diseases affecting a globally increasing population. Yet, society is still accepting the institutional concept of allocating the risk associated with mental illness to closed institutions. The allocation of closed institutions as the places of treating and caring for mental illness, prevents architecture as well as the rest of the design community of seeing mental health issues as part of a community integrated design concept. On the contrary, design for mental health could form part of a more active dialogue of incorporating the needs of mentally ill people in the broader discussion of accessibility and its implications. As this is a very big and complex topic, this paper will focus on one aspect of the architectural specifications: the buildings use, and how change of legislation towards more flexibility could affect the whole deinstitutionalization prospects of a context. It also includes a case study of the Hellenic mental health facilities planning legislation and how alterations on the change of use legislation for psychiatric facilities could affect their integration outcome.

The stigmatization of mentally ill patients has negative labelling, marginalization and exclusion of people simply because they have a mental illness. Stigma has negative consequences for the individual and his family, as well as for psychiatry as a profession and the entire community. Stigma weakens the mentally ill, reinforcing a sense of alienation, which has negative consequences on the course of the illness. The media can inform the public about the treatment of mentally ill patients by conveying correct information, who can then act positively towards improving the quality of treatment. Stigma and self-stigma create a feeling of low self-esteem and fear of rejection, due to which mentally ill people avoid the media and very rarely speak publicly about their illness. The realization of information rights is very delicate and it is reflected through two opposing but substantially equivalent human rights: 1. Right to information, 2. Right to privacy. Which of the two rights will ...

Mental crisis exerts a negative effect on somatic, psychological and social functioning of a mentally ill person. Mental disease is often accompanied by factors increasing the social exclusion and discrimination of patients. Another problem is deeply rooted stereotypes and prejudices functioning in the public opinion, according to which people who suffer from mental disorder are considered insane and often dangerous for society. In Poland, thanks to, amongst others, the ESF (The European Social Fund) funds, it is possible to finance and implement research concerning social exclusion and discrimination of people who have experienced a mental crisis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of social exclusion and discrimination of people suffering from mental disorders from the Lodz region on the basis of seven points scale assessing their personal, occupational, and social functioning. MATERIAL AND METHODS; The study included a group of 101 patients with mental disorders. Part...

The stigmatization of mentally ill patients has negative labelling, marginalization and exclusion of people simply because they have a mental illness. Stigma has negative consequences for the individual and his family, as well as for psychiatry as a profession and the entire community. Stigma weakens the mentally ill, reinforcing a sense of alienation, which has negative consequences on the course of the illness. The media can inform the public about the treatment of mentally ill patients by conveying correct information, who can then act positively towards improving the quality of treatment. Stigma and self-stigma create a feeling of low self-esteem and fear of rejection, due to which mentally ill people avoid the media and very rarely speak publicly about their illness. The realization of information rights is very delicate and it is reflected through two opposing but substantially equivalent human rights: 1. Right to information, 2. Right to privacy. Which of the two rights will ...

Occupational therapy, increased mortality and alcoholism: some pages of the history of the Ihren’s psychiatric hospital. The research is based on the source and historiographical materials which recreated part of the history of the one of the largest psychiatric hospitals of the Soviet Union. During the implementation of the study, the author used the following methods: historical-comparative, diachronic, logic, methods of analysis and synthesis, systematic, historical-typological and problem-chronological methods.As one of the leading conceptual frameworks of the article was taken the thesis of the French philosopher Dominique Colas about the existence of «party discipline» with a typical European institutions exercising power (psychiatry, school, army, etc) in the USSR . History of Ihren's mental hospital during the 1930s filled with the institutional changes, bureaucratic conflicts and periodic pressure on the staff to establish correct medical practices (from the point of view of the party authorities) . Due to the lack of documentary evidence for the «party – hospital» interaction it is difficult to find or reproduce important for researchers the «doctor – patient» ratio. In difficult times of the «Holodomor»  of 1932 – 1933s Ihren's colony filled with depleted mentally ill from another area and «socially parasitic element», which ultimately accounted for «the lion's share» of mortality statistics. Party check discovered not only one of the country's largest psychiatric hospitals, but also some abandoned provincial institution with alcoholism of the director and significant «hostile element». In an atmosphere of total bureaucracy had constant problems with supplies, which influenced the partial human bias treatment (the lack of underwear, overload of the patients, etc).  After all, it recreates more detailed way of story of the Ihren's hospital than the typical institutional background calculations. Modern historiography of Soviet psychiatry of the 1930s, in addition to institutional and party's pressures, has to consider figure of the patient. That is the sphere of research interest that should find a place of discourse where typical European psychiatry patient turns into a possible object for «punitive medicine» in the USSR. And favorite for party organs practice «therapy by work» should play in this process a main role.