The voices of vulnerable tenants in renovation

This paper focuses on the intersection between agendas for housing renovation and social politics for ageing-in-place and social integration of people with psycologial disabilities. The aim is to understand how elderly tenants and people on a longer sick leave are affected by a renovation. In a sample of 79 interviews, 34 tenants decided to permanently relocate as a results of a renovation. When the renovation is a driver for permanent relocation, tenants do so to avoid disturbances and temporal evacuation. If the home is subjet to a comprehensive or deep renovation, rent increases is another reinforcing factor to relocate. While tenants that move prior to a renovation worry about how the renovation will affect their daily life and their economy, tenants that move after the renovation do so because they are dissatisfied with the results of the renovation. The findings calls for awareness for how housing renovation will affect vulnerable tenants and highlights the need for the design or appropriate communication strategies

"Too much is never enough" Psychological studies of substance misuse and other excessive behaviors

Substance misuse (SM) as well as excessive food intake, sexual activities, exercise, and gambling is characterized by repeated use against one’s better judgment and despite negative consequences. Moreover, SM and excessive behaviors (EB) might co-occur, and clients in substance abuse treatment who also have difficulties with EB are likely to relapse in SM and/or leave treatment. These clients benefit from a treatment that acknowledges both SM and EB, but EB might pass unnoticed in clinical practice. Researchers have suggested that there is a need both to investigate the occurrence of clients who experience EB, and enhance identification of EB among clients in substance abuse treatment. There is also a need to investigate how these clients perceive SM and EB, since their experiences are important for understanding the enactment of these behaviors, as well as how their difficulties might be handled in treatment. This thesis, based on four studies, investigated the co-occurrence of SM and EB among clients in substance abuse treatment, how these clients perceive SM and EB, and how SM and EB had been enacted against the client’s better judgment. In Study 1 a questionnaire was used to investigate the occurrence of clients in substance abuse treatment who reported difficulties with EB. The results showed that 67 % of the participants reported EB, and 67 % of those reported two or more EB. In Study 2 and 3 interviews were used to investigate how clients with experiences of both SM and EB, viewed their SM and EB, and how they viewed themselves. Study 2 showed that EB were attempts to ease a sense of deficiency, and of being unworthy. In these attempts dissociation was central. Moreover, excessive sexual activities were described as deeply distressing. This motivated a specific investigation of excessive sexual activities in Study 3. The results showed that excessive sexual activities were associated with overwhelming shame, and that troubled sexuality seemed to be an absent topic in treatment. In Study 4 interviews were used to investigate how clients with experience of alcohol misuse viewed their SM, how they enacted SM against better judgment, and how they viewed themselves. The results showed that SM was perceived both as a disease, and as a response to painful experiences. There was also a sense that one had to live up to strict demands on oneself to achieve a sense of being worthy. This perception was eased through dissociation. To summarize, the results showed that EB are common among clients in substance abuse treatment, which points to the need to identify EB and integrate them in treatment. Specifically excessive sexual activities need to be addressed. Moreover SM and EB might be seen as attempts to ease distress connected to relational and affective needs, to a sense of deficiency, and to self-criticism. It seems important to acknowledge affective and relational needs, perceptions of deficiencies and shame, and individual self-perception and dissociation, in clinical practice with clients with SM and EB

Elderly Swedish Jewish Men and Egalitarianism: A Narrative Study

This work is based on interviews with four elderly Jewish men, members of a Swedish congregation who advocate egalitarianism. A narrative analysis found that the participants’ perception of egalitarianism was connected to their own life experiences and to emotionally significant turning points in which the participants became aware how women were excluded. They perceived egalitarianism as a reassurance for a future Jewish life and described the development and preservation of traditions as intermingled rather than as opposed to each other. Gender equality in this study should not be viewed as specifically related to younger congregants and/or women but as connected to life experiences of the individual concerned.

Excessive behaviors in clinical practice—A state of the art article

This paper concerns difficulties with excessive food intake, sexual activities, romantic relationships, gambling, Internet use, shopping, and exerciseߞbehaviors that might cause considerable suffering. Excessive behaviors are seen as expressions of underlying difficulties that often co-occur with other psychological difficulties, and behaviors may accompany or replace each other. Moreover, they might pass unnoticed in clinical practice. Given the complexity of excessive behaviors, integrated and individualized treatment has been recommended. This paper presents an overview of the terminology concerning excessive behaviors, and the impact of naming is acknowledged. Thereafter, methods for identification and assessment, as well as treatment needs are discussed. Because identification, assessment, and treatment occur in an interaction between client and practitioner, this paper presents a discussion of the need to empower practitioners to identify and assess excessive behaviors and provide an integrated treatment. Moreover, the need to support practitionersߞ capacity to handle and tolerate the overwhelming suffering and the negative consequences connected to excessive behaviors is discussed. Qualitative studies are suggested in order to understand the meaning of excessive behaviors, treatment needs, and the interaction between client and practitioner

A discursive analysis concerning information on “ADHD” presented to parents by the National Institute of Mental Health (USA)

A discourse analysis was performed based on an online document under the headline: “What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?” published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA. Three parts of the document were analysed: (1) The introductory part, as this sets the tone of the whole text. (2) Parts of the text that were specifically addressed to parents. (3) Etiology and pathology of “ADHD” with reference to a number of different symptoms and behaviors. Inattention and hyperactivity are presented in the document as a floating spectrum of symptoms caused by “ADHD.” Other factors of importance for children's development, that is, early attachment, close relationships, previous experiences, culture, and contexts are ignored. Children who are perceived as inattentive and hyperactive are portrayed as having inherent difficulties with no reference to their emotions or efforts to communicate. The child is viewed as suffering from a lifelong disorder that might not be cured but controlled by a diagnosis and subsequent medication. Parents are advised to control their child's behavior and to strive for early diagnosis in order to receive treatment provided by experts. Those who are presented as experts rely on a biomedical model, and in the document, detailed descriptions of medication to correct the undesired behaviors are provided. The value of judgment in the assessment of different symptoms and behaviors that signifies “ADHD” is absent, rather taken-for-granted beliefs were identified throughout the document. A heterogeneous set of behaviors is solely described as a disorder and hereafter it is stressed that the same behaviors are caused by the disorder. In this manner, cause and effects of “ADHD” are intertwined through circular argumentation

Reading Fiction as a Learning Activity in Clinical Psychology Education : Students’ Perspectives

The use of fictional literature as “case studies” in psychology education has a potential to supportstudents' learning in various ways. To further the understanding of such applications of fiction, weinvestigated how clinical psychology students perceived reading fiction as a learning activity. The participants saw benefits for their clinical training, theoretical understanding, and self-awareness.They also saw use of fiction in their education as predominantly beneficial for their learningenvironment. How the present findings support our understanding of fiction as an educational deviceis discussed in light of previous studies about the potential of fiction in higher education

Reading Fiction as a Learning Activity in Clinical Psychology Education : Students’ Perspectives

The use of fictional literature as “case studies” in psychology education has a potential to supportstudents' learning in various ways. To further the understanding of such applications of fiction, weinvestigated how clinical psychology students perceived reading fiction as a learning activity. The participants saw benefits for their clinical training, theoretical understanding, and self-awareness.They also saw use of fiction in their education as predominantly beneficial for their learningenvironment. How the present findings support our understanding of fiction as an educational deviceis discussed in light of previous studies about the potential of fiction in higher education

Excessive sexual activities among male clients in substance abuse treatment. An interview study.

Purpose: The co-occurrence of substance abuse and excessive sexual activities is acknowledged in research and treatment practice. Men seem particularly at risk for developing excessive sexual activities. Excessive sexual activities complicate substance abuse treatment, and clients with such co-occurring difficulties have considerable treatment needs. It is therefore considered important to investigate how male clients who had enacted excessive sexual activities, perceive their excessive sexual activities, and themselves. Design: Interviews were performed with five male clients in substance abuse treatment, who had enacted excessive sexual activities. The interviews concerned the participants’ perception of themselves and how they came to enact excessive sexual activities. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Two major themes were identified. One theme concerned overwhelming shame and difficulties to discuss sexuality in treatment. The second theme concerned how perceptions about masculinity had influenced sexual activities. Sexuality was described as an absent topic in their previous and ongoing treatment, and the participants described a need to discuss sexuality. Implications: It seems important that future studies investigate how excessive sexual activities might be identified and handled in treatment. It also seems important to investigate how gender-perceptions might influence excessive sexual activities. As a suggestion, practitioners should address sexuality, shame and perceptions about gender during treatment. Keywords: Excessive sexual activities; Interview study; Masculinity; Shame; Substance abuse; Treatmen