Into the looking glass on cultural and religious competent care: optimizing healthcare for Haredi individuals with mental illness

Previous research has shown that minority groups tend to underuse healthcare services. One community whose experiences remain particularly under-researched in the Western world is Haredi Jews- a diverse group of individuals committed to traditional Talmudic and Halakhah teachings and observances.  This presentation aims to enhance participants' understanding of mental health-seeking behaviours and challenges faced by Haredi individuals. We conducted a qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 24 adults who identified as Haredi and used mental health services, as well as informal consultations with local rabbis and community leaders. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. Analysis revealed several important themes, including:   (1) Strength of religious practices, community, and relationship with God as a factor determining mental well-being.   (2) Implications of devotion to religion within the patient-physician encounter.   (3) Stigma and acknowledged lack of awareness surrounding mental health in Haredi communities. These themes will be explored in the presentation, which will aim to bring light to participants’ lived experiences. We hope to address the proverbial "elephant in the room" often ignored or overlooked, as encountered by Haredi community members and their interactions with the healthcare system. We will present the unique strengths and challenges related to mental health encountered by Haredi Jews in our study, while discussing potential measures that can produce better health outcomes and culturally sensitive care for Haredi individuals. &nbsp

Culture et santé mentale en Haïti : une revue de littérature

Cet article passe en revue et résume l’ensemble de la littérature sur la santé mentale et les services de santé mentale en Haïti. Ce compte rendu a été rédigé à la suite du tremblement de terre qui a frappé Haïti en janvier 2010. Nous avons effectué des recherches dans Medline, Google Scholar et d’autres bases de données disponibles en vue de recueillir la littérature scientifique pertinente sur la santé mentale en Haïti. La consultation d’ouvrages de référence et de la littérature grise sur Haïti a complété les recherches. La première partie décrit les principales données historiques, économiques, sociologiques et anthropologiques qui permettent de comprendre sommairement Haïti et sa population. La démographie, la structure familiale, l’économie haïtienne et la religion y sont abordées. La deuxième partie est axée sur la santé mentale et les services de santé mentale. L’épidémiologie élémentaire des maladies mentales, les croyances au sujet des maladies mentales, les modèles explicatifs, les idiomes de détresse, les comportements de recherche d’aide, la configuration des services de santé mentale et l’étude des relations entre la religion et la santé mentale y sont examinés.This paper reviews and summarizes the available literature on Haitian mental health and mental health services. This review was conducted in light of the Haitian earthquake in January 2010. We searched Medline, Google Scholar and other available databases to gather scholarly literature relevant to mental health in Haiti. This was supplemented by consultation of key books and grey literature relevant to Haiti. The first part of the review describes historical, economic, sociological and anthropological factors essential to a basic understanding of Haiti and its people. This includes discussion of demography, family structure, Haitian economics and religion. The second part of the review focuses on mental health and mental health services. This includes a review of factors such as basic epidemiology of mental illness, common beliefs about mental illness, explanatory models, idioms of distress, help-seeking behavior, configuration of mental health services and the relationship between religion and mental health.Este artículo revisa y resume la literatura sobre la salud mental y los servicios de salud mental en Haití. Este informe fue redactado después del terremoto que sacudió a Haití en enero de 2010. Realizamos búsquedas en Medline, Google Scholar y otras bases de datos disponibles a fin de recopilar la literatura científica pertinente acerca de la salud mental en Haití. La investigación fue completada con obras de referencia y literatura gris acerca de Haití. La primera parte describe los principales datos históricos, económicos, sociológicos y antropológicos que permiten comprender someramente a Haití y a su población. Se abordan la demografía, la estructura familiar, la economía haitiana y la religión. La segunda parte se centra en la salud mental y los servicios de salud mental. Se examinan la epidemiología elemental de las enfermedades mentales, las creencias con respecto a las enfermedades mentales, los modelos explicativos, las expresiones de angustia, los comportamientos de búsqueda de ayuda, la configuración de los servicios de salud mental y el estudio de las relaciones entre la religión y la salud mental.Este artigo passa em revista e resume a literatura sobre a saúde mental e os serviços de saúde mental no Haiti. Este resumo foi redigido após o tremor de terra que atingiu o Haiti em janeiro de 2010. Realizamos pesquisas no Medline, no Google Scholar e em outros bancos de dados disponíveis visando reunir a literatura científica pertinente sobre a saúde mental no Haiti. A consulta de obras de referência e da literatura “cinzenta” sobre o Haiti completou as pesquisas. A primeira parte descreve os principais dados históricos, econômicos, sociológicos e antropológicos que permitem entender sumariamente o Haiti e sua população. São abordadas a demografia, a estrutura familiar, a economia haitiana e a religião. A segunda parte trata da saúde mental e dos serviços de saúde mental. São examinados: a epidemiologia elementar das doenças mentais, as crenças sobre as doenças mentais, os modelos explicativos, as demonstrações de desespero, os comportamentos de busca de auxílio, a configuração dos serviços de saúde mental e o estudo das relações entre a religião e a saúde mental

Uses of strength-based interventions for people with serious mental illness: a critical review

Background: For the past 3 decades, mental health practitioners have increasingly adopted aspects and tools of strength-based approaches. Providing strength-based intervention and amplifying strengths relies heavily on effective interpersonal processes. Aim: This article is a critical review of research regarding the use of strength-based approaches in mental health service settings. The aim is to discuss strength-based interventions within broader research on recovery, focussing on effectiveness and advances in practice where applicable. Method: A systematic search for peer-reviewed intervention studies published between 2001 and December 2014 yielded 55 articles of potential relevance to the review. Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies was used to appraise the quality of the studies. Our review found emerging evidence that the utilisation of a strength-based approach improves outcomes including hospitalisation rates, employment/educational attainment, and intrapersonal outcomes such as self-efficacy and sense of hope. Conclusion: Recent studies confirm the feasibility of implementing a high-fidelity strength-based approach in clinical settings and its relevance for practitioners in health care. More high-quality studies are needed to further examine the effectiveness of strength-based approaches

Between life and death: exploring the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in rural Ethiopia

The high prevalence of antenatal common mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa compared to high-income countries is poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in a rural Ethiopian community. Five focus group discussions and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled community stakeholders. Inductive analysis was used to develop final themes. Worry about forthcoming delivery and fears for the woman's survival were prominent concerns of all participants, but only rarely perceived to be pathological in intensity. Sociocultural practices such as continuing physical labour, dietary restriction, prayer and rituals to protect against supernatural attack were geared towards safe delivery and managing vulnerability. Despite strong cultural norms to celebrate pregnancy, participants emphasised that many pregnancies were unwanted and an additional burden on top of pre-existing economic and marital difficulties. Short birth interval and pregnancy out of wedlock were both seen as shameful and potent sources of mental distress. The notion that pregnancy in traditional societies is uniformly a time of joy and happiness is misplaced. Although antenatal mental distress may be self-limiting for many women, in those with enduring life difficulties, including poverty and abusive relationships, poor maternal mental health may persist

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly