Peer support in mental health services: Familiar and brand new

In recent years, it is widely accepted that the experiences of individuals who benefit from mental health services are reflected in the treatment and rehabilitation process in the field of mental health. Transferring the experiences of individuals to the treatment process has put the concept of peer support at the forefront. Peer support means that individuals with personal experience in mental health use this experiential expertise to help other individuals with mental health problems during the recovery process. Peer support is a system that allows individuals with mental health problems to partner, feel understood by each other, and build emotional intimacy. It is known that peer support contributes in a positive direction to both those who provide peer support and those who benefit from this support Peer support is handled in a wide framework ranging from individual friendship relations to employment of support service providers in institutions. In many countries, peer support practices are used as a component of mental health services. It is recommended to use peer support during treatment throughout the world. This article discusses the birth, definition, types and contributions that the concept of peer support can make to the healing process

The distinction between unipolar and bipolar depression: A cognitive theory perspective

Background: There is very limited data about the cognitive structure of bipolar depression when compared to unipolar depression. The aim of the study was to look into the differences between unipolar and bipolar depressed patients regarding their cognitive structure in view of Beck's cognitive theory. Methods: In this study, 70 bipolar patients during a depressive episode, 189 unipolar depressed patients and 120 healthy subjects were recruited. The participants were interviewed by using a structured clinical diagnostic scale. To evaluate the cognitive structure differences, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) and the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) were used. Results: We found that on the mean ATQ total score, the unipolar depressed patients scored significantly higher (92.9 +/- 22.7) than both the bipolar depressed patients (73.2 +/- 24.7) and the healthy subjects (47.1 +/- 19.6), even after controlling for all confounding factors, e.g. gender, marital status, depressive symptom severity (F = 157.872, p < 0.001). The bipolar depressed patients also scored significantly higher on the mean ATQ total score than the healthy controls. On the mean DAS total score, and on the mean score of its subscale of need for approval, the bipolar depressed patients scored (152.8 +/- 21.2 and 48.2 +/- 7.4, respectively) significantly higher than both the unipolar depressed patients (160.9 +/- 29.0 and 51.9 +/- 9.7, respectively) and the healthy subjects (127.9 +/- 32.8 and 40.2 +/- 12.2, respectively), even after controlling for any confounding factor (F = 45.803 [p < 0.001] and F = 43.206 [p < 0.001], respectively). On the mean score of the perfectionistic attitude subscale of the DAS, the depressed groups scored significantly higher than the healthy subjects, but they did not seem to separate from each other (F = 41.599, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results may help enhance the understanding of the potentially unique psychotherapeutic targets and the underlying cognitive theory of bipolar depression. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved