Mental health patients\u27 experiences of being misunderstood

Mental health patients describe “being understood” as an experience that evokes feelings of importance, worthiness, and empowerment. However, the experience of “being misunderstood” is more prevalent in patients’ relationships with health care providers. Negative consequences such as vulnerability, dehumanization, and frustration reveal that being misunderstood has the potential to damage or destroy therapeutic relationships

An exploration of problematic interviewee behaviors in qualitative research

The interview is a staple of many qualitative approaches. Although textbooks offer extensive guidance to researchers about conducting interviews, less guidance is available about problematic interviewee behaviors, such as flattery or statements indicative of social desirability response bias. In this study, a secondary analysis of 22 phenomenological interview transcripts, we sought to examine problematic interviewee behaviors. More than 300 pages of typed text were subjected to line-by-line scrutiny, yielding only six potential instances of the phenomenon. Each could be interpreted several ways. What appeared to be flattery could also be perceived as simple gratitude or appreciation. We concluded that problematic behavior was rare in this data set

The Living Room, a Community Crisis Respite Program: Offering People in Crisis an Alternative to Emergency Departments

Objective: To describe The Living Room, a community crisis respite center that offers individuals in crisis an alternative to obtaining services in an emergency department (ED).Methods: This article describes the problems individuals in a mental health crisis may encounter in traditional EDs and explains how The Living Room addresses these problems.  The Living Room’s development, setting, staffing and procedures are described in order to promote increased use of this type of program. Results: In its first year of operation, The Living Room hosted 228 visits by 87 distinct individuals (termed “guests”).  Guests were deflected from EDs on 213 of those visits – a 93% deflection rate.  These deflections represent a savings of approximately $550,000 to the State of Illinois since guests of The Living Room are overwhelmingly individuals with Medicaid or no insurance of any kind.  On 84% (n=192) of the occurrences in which guests were deflected from EDs, they alleviated their crises sufficiently to decide to leave The Living Room and return to the community.  These guests reported an average decrease of 2.13 points on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale. Conclusions: Community crisis respite centers such as The Living Room represent an important alternative to EDs by remedying many criticisms of traditional EDs made by individuals in crisis. Outcomes from The Living Room’s first year of operation suggest that community crisis respite centers are cost-effective, effective in helping many individuals alleviate crises, and have the potential to decrease the use of EDs for mental health crisis

The Living Room, a Community Crisis Respite Program: Offering People in Crisis an Alternative to Emergency Departments

Objective: To describe The Living Room, a community crisis respite center that offers individuals in crisis an alternative to obtaining services in an emergency department (ED).Methods: This article describes the problems individuals in a mental health crisis may encounter in traditional EDs and explains how The Living Room addresses these problems.  The Living Room’s development, setting, staffing and procedures are described in order to promote increased use of this type of program. Results: In its first year of operation, The Living Room hosted 228 visits by 87 distinct individuals (termed “guests”).  Guests were deflected from EDs on 213 of those visits – a 93% deflection rate.  These deflections represent a savings of approximately $550,000 to the State of Illinois since guests of The Living Room are overwhelmingly individuals with Medicaid or no insurance of any kind.  On 84% (n=192) of the occurrences in which guests were deflected from EDs, they alleviated their crises sufficiently to decide to leave The Living Room and return to the community.  These guests reported an average decrease of 2.13 points on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale. Conclusions: Community crisis respite centers such as The Living Room represent an important alternative to EDs by remedying many criticisms of traditional EDs made by individuals in crisis. Outcomes from The Living Room’s first year of operation suggest that community crisis respite centers are cost-effective, effective in helping many individuals alleviate crises, and have the potential to decrease the use of EDs for mental health crisis

How patients and nurses experience the acute care psychiatric environment

The concept of the therapeutic milieu was developed when patients’ hospitalizations were long, medications were few, and oneto- one nurse–patient interactions were the norm. However, it is not clear how the notion of ‘therapeutic milieu’ is experienced in American acute psychiatric environments today. This phenomenological study explored the experience of patients and nurses in an acute care psychiatric unit in the USA, by asking them, ‘What stands out to you about this psychiatric hospital environment?’ Three figural themes emerged, contextualized by time, which was a source of stress to both groups: for patients there was boredom, and for nurses, pressure and chaos. Although they shared some themes, nurses and patients experienced them differently. For instance, nurses felt caged-in by the Plexiglas-enclosed nursing station, and patients felt caged-in by the locked doors of the unit. The findings from this US study do not support the existence of the therapeutic milieu as described in the literature. Furthermore, although the nurse–patient relationship was yearned for by nurses, it was nearly absent from patients’ descriptions. The caring experienced by patients was mainly derived from interactions with other patients

Take my hand, help me out: Mental health recipients\u27 experience of the therapeutic relationship

The purpose of this study was to describe mental health service recipients\u27 experience of the therapeutic relationship. The research question was ‘what is therapeutic about the therapeutic relationship?’ This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with persons with mental illness as part of a study of the experience of being understood. This secondary analysis used data from 20 interviews with community-dwelling adults with mental illness, who were asked to talk about the experience of being understood by a health-care provider. Data were analysed using an existential phenomenological approach. Individuals experienced therapeutic relationships against a backdrop of challenges, including mental illness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and homelessness. They had therapeutic relationships with nurses (psychiatric/mental health nurses and dialysis nurses), physicians (psychiatrists and general practitioners), psychologists, social workers, and counsellors. Experiences of the therapeutic relationship were expressed in three figural themes, titled using participants\u27 own words: ‘relate to me’, ‘know me as a person’, and ‘get to the solution’. The ways in which these participants described therapeutic relationships challenge some long-held beliefs, such as the use of touch, self-disclosure, and blunt feedback. A therapeutic relationship for persons with mental illness requires in-depth personal knowledge, which is acquired only with time, understanding, and skill. Knowing the whole person, rather than knowing the person only as a service recipient, is key for practising nurses and nurse educators interested in enhancing the therapeutic potential of relationships

Authors\u27 and editors\u27 perspectives on peer review quality in three scholarly nursing journals

This study examined the quality of peer review in three scholarly nursing journals from the perspectives of authors and editors. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which manuscript reviews provided constructive guidance for authors to further develop their work for publication, and for editors to make informed and sound decisions on the disposition of manuscripts

Exploring Community-Based Advocacy Work Against Human Trafficking in the U.S.

Research on community organizations suggests there are a variety of factors related to the success of an organization’s mission. This study identifies general facilitators and challenges advocates working against human trafficking experience and the strategies utilized to overcome these barriers. Fifteen individuals who are advocates in the Chicagoland area participated in the study. Qualitative methods using the social ecological theoretical framework show personal, organizational, and system-wide factors impacting advocates. Individual support systems and advocates’ collaborations with other organizations are encouraging factors in their work. Furthermore, advocates feel motivated by trafficked persons’ stories and by the capacity to raise awareness through social media. Challenges advocates face include a lack of time and money, a lack of communication among organizations, and negative cultural attitudes related to trafficking. Results focus on the specific experiences of anti-trafficking advocates and convey strategies to provide quality services to survivors and effectively raise awareness in the general public.&nbsp

Exploring Community-Based Advocacy Work Against Human Trafficking in the U.S.

Research on community organizations suggests there are a variety of factors related to the success of an organization’s mission. This study identifies general facilitators and challenges advocates working against human trafficking experience and the strategies utilized to overcome these barriers. Fifteen individuals who are advocates in the Chicagoland area participated in the study. Qualitative methods using the social ecological theoretical framework show personal, organizational, and system-wide factors impacting advocates. Individual support systems and advocates’ collaborations with other organizations are encouraging factors in their work. Furthermore, advocates feel motivated by trafficked persons’ stories and by the capacity to raise awareness through social media. Challenges advocates face include a lack of time and money, a lack of communication among organizations, and negative cultural attitudes related to trafficking. Results focus on the specific experiences of anti-trafficking advocates and convey strategies to provide quality services to survivors and effectively raise awareness in the general public.&nbsp

Empowering Women through Alternative Settings: Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

Sexism is a form of oppression impacting women in multiple spheres of their lives. The current study examines the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival as an alternative setting in which attendees create a unique culture apart from dominant patriarchal systems. An ethnophenomenological approach was used to examine experiences of empowerment and healing among festival attendees. Twenty women were interviewed at the festival and this data was analyzed using content analysis. The women-only, feminist space offered attendees both physical and emotional safety, which yielded healing. Participants defied gender-prescribed roles through work duties, gender non-conforming dress, and festival events/ceremonies. The development of a “festival family” and close relationships within the festival, quiet times of introspection, and designated spaces of healing were empowering. Results from this study add to the understanding of empowering settings and may inform efforts to create safe spaces for other oppressed groups