Nikolina Jovanović, Katy C Packer, Mebh Conneely, Sarah Bicknell, Alex Copello, Rose McCabe, Ayşegül Dirik, Jelena Janković
{"title":"Barriers to accessing perinatal mental health services and suggestions for improvement: qualitative study of women of Black and south Asian backgrounds.","authors":"Nikolina Jovanović, Katy C Packer, Mebh Conneely, Sarah Bicknell, Alex Copello, Rose McCabe, Ayşegül Dirik, Jelena Janković","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.82","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.82","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Maternity outcomes for women from certain ethnic groups are notably poor, partly owing to their not receiving treatment from services.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore barriers to access among Black and south Asian women with perinatal mental health problems who did not access perinatal mental health services and suggestions for improvements, and to map findings on to the perinatal care pathway.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2020 and 2021 in the UK. Data were analysed using the framework method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-three women were interviewed, and various barriers were identified, including limited awareness of services, fear of child removal, stigma and unresponsiveness of perinatal mental health services. Whereas most barriers were related to access, fear of child removal, remote appointments and mask-wearing during COVID-19 affected the whole pathway. Recommendations include service promotion, screening and enhanced cultural understanding.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Women in this study, an underrepresented population in published literature, face societal, cultural, organisational and individual barriers that affect different aspects of the perinatal pathway.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142399223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Hayward, Blair Johnston, Donald J MacIntyre, Douglas Steele
{"title":"Clinical characteristics and suicidal ideation as predictors of suicide: prospective study of 1000 referrals to general adult psychiatry.","authors":"David Hayward, Blair Johnston, Donald J MacIntyre, Douglas Steele","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.67","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>Questions often follow the suicide of someone who presented to general adult psychiatry (GAP) when expressing suicidal thoughts: 'Why were they not admitted, or managed differently, when they said they were suicidal?' Answering these questions requires knowledge of the prevalence of suicidal ideation in patients presenting to GAP. Therefore, we determined the general clinical characteristics, including suicidal ideation, of a large sample of patients presenting to a GAP emergency assessment service or referred as non-emergencies to a GAP service.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Suicidal ideation was very common, being present in 76.4% of emergency presentations and 33.4% of non-emergency referrals. It was very weakly associated with suicide, varied between different diagnostic categories, and previous assessment by GAP did not appear to affect it. The suicide rate during the contingent episode of care was estimated as 66 per 100 000 episodes.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>This, and other evidence, shows that suicide cannot be predicted with an accuracy that is useful for clinical decision-making. This is not widely appreciated but has serious consequences for patients and healthcare resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142399224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Miles Rinaldi, Rachel Perkins, Robert Baxter, Paul Dorrington, Kat Saville
{"title":"Individual placement and support (IPS): duration of employment support and equity of access and outcome in routine clinical practice.","authors":"Miles Rinaldi, Rachel Perkins, Robert Baxter, Paul Dorrington, Kat Saville","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.68","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.68","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>To explore the duration of support, reach, effectiveness and equity in access to and outcome of individual placement and support (IPS) in routine clinical practice. A retrospective analysis of routine cross-sectional administrative data was performed for people using the IPS service (<i>N</i> = 539).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 46.2% gained or retained employment, or were supported in education. The median time to gaining employment was 132 days (4.3 months). Further, 84.7% did not require time-unlimited in-work support, and received in-work support for a median of 146 days (4.8 months). There was a significant overrepresentation of people from Black and minority ethnic communities accessing IPS, but no significant differences in outcomes by diagnosis, ethnicity, age or gender.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Most people using IPS services do not appear to need time-unlimited in-work support. Community teams with integrated IPS employment specialists can be optimistic when addressing people's recovery goals of gaining and retaining employment.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142399226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Verónica Cabreira, Caoimhe McLoughlin, Natasha Shivji, Alexandra Lodge, Sanne Van Rhijn, Roxanne C Keynejad, Jan Coebergh, Alan Carson, Jon Stone, Alex Lehn, Ingrid Hoeritzauer
{"title":"Functional neurological disorder in pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period: systematic review.","authors":"Verónica Cabreira, Caoimhe McLoughlin, Natasha Shivji, Alexandra Lodge, Sanne Van Rhijn, Roxanne C Keynejad, Jan Coebergh, Alan Carson, Jon Stone, Alex Lehn, Ingrid Hoeritzauer","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.70","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.70","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>Functional neurological disorder (FND) most often presents in women of childbearing age, but little is known about its course and outcomes during pregnancy, labour and postpartum (the perinatal period). We searched MEDLINE, PsycInfo and Embase combining search terms for FND and the perinatal period. We extracted data on patient demographics, subtype of FND, timing of symptom onset, comorbidities, medications, type of delivery, investigations, treatment, pregnancy outcomes and FND symptoms at follow-up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 36 studies (34 case reports and 2 case series) describing 43 patients. Six subtypes of FND were identified: functional (dissociative) seizures, motor weakness, movement disorder, dissociative amnesia, speech disorders and visual symptoms. New onset of perinatal FND was more common in the third trimester and onwards. Some women with functional seizures were exposed to unnecessary anti-seizure prescriptions and intensive care admissions.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Prospective studies are urgently needed to explore how FND interacts with women's health in the perinatal period.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142399225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Walter Paganin, Sabrina Signorini, Antonio Sciarretta
{"title":"Bridging early life trauma to difficult-to-treat depression: scoping review.","authors":"Walter Paganin, Sabrina Signorini, Antonio Sciarretta","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.75","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.75","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>Accumulating evidence suggests that early life trauma (ELT) initiates and perpetuates a cycle of depression, leading to challenges in management and achieving remission. This scoping review aimed to examine the intricate relationship between ELT and difficult-to-treat depression (DTD). An extensive literature search from 1 January 2013 to 21 October 2023 was conducted using the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and OpenGrey.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our review identified scientific literature illustrating the multifaceted link between ELT and DTD, highlighting the dual impact of ELT on therapeutic resistance and clinical complexity.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>This complexity hampers management of patients with DTD, who are characterised by limited pharmacological responsiveness and heightened relapse risk. While exploring the ELT-DTD nexus, the review revealed a paucity of literature on the impact of ELT within DTD. Findings underscore the profound link between ELT and DTD, which is essential for comprehensive understanding and effective management. Tailoring treatments to address ELT could enhance therapeutic outcomes for patients with DTD. Future studies should use larger samples and well-defined diagnostic criteria and explore varied therapeutic approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vaso Totsika, Zhixing Yang, Lauren Turner, Charmaine Kohn, Angela Hassiotis, Eilis Kennedy, Michael Absoud, Rachel McNamara, Elizabeth Randell, Sophie Levitt, Gemma Grant, Angela Casbard, Lauris Jacobs, Cristina Di Santo, Claire Buckley, Emma Hignett, Ashley Liew
{"title":"Mapping the pathway and support offered to children with an intellectual disability referred to specialist mental health services in the UK.","authors":"Vaso Totsika, Zhixing Yang, Lauren Turner, Charmaine Kohn, Angela Hassiotis, Eilis Kennedy, Michael Absoud, Rachel McNamara, Elizabeth Randell, Sophie Levitt, Gemma Grant, Angela Casbard, Lauris Jacobs, Cristina Di Santo, Claire Buckley, Emma Hignett, Ashley Liew","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.63","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.63","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>This survey of 66 specialist mental health services aimed to provide an up-to-date description of pathways of care and interventions available to children with an intellectual disability referred for behaviours that challenge or with suspected mental health problems.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 24% of services made contact with a family at referral stage, whereas 29% contacted families at least once during the waiting list phase. Only two in ten services offered any therapeutic input during the referral or waiting list stages. During the active caseload phase, services offered mostly psychoeducation (52-59%), followed by applied behaviour analytic approaches for behaviours that challenge (52%) and cognitive-behavioural therapy (41%). Thirty-six per cent of services had not offered any packaged or named intervention in the past 12 months.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>With increasing waiting times for specialist mental health support, services need to consider increasing the amount of contact and therapeutic input on offer throughout all stages of a child's journey with the service.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michelle A Sandiford, David Moran, Jared G Smith, Heidi Hales
{"title":"Quantifying the experiences of Black and Dual Heritage young people in a forensic child and adolescent mental health service.","authors":"Michelle A Sandiford, David Moran, Jared G Smith, Heidi Hales","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.74","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.74","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Young people from racialised backgrounds are overrepresented in justice services. This study explored differences in community support offered to young people from racialised groups referred to a forensic child and adolescent mental health service.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We compared support offered to 427 young people, according to five ethnic groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over 20% of young people referred were Black (compared with 14% of the local population) and 15.8% were Dual White and Black Heritage (compared with 4% of the local population). Odds ratios showed that Black and Dual Heritage groups were more frequently involved with youth offending services (Black: 2.59, Dual Heritage: 2.88), gangs services (Black: 4.31, Dual Heritage: 7.13) and have a national referral mechanism (Black: 3.61, Dual Heritage: 4.01) than their White peers, but were less often in mainstream education compared with their Asian peers (Black: 0.26, Dual Heritage: 0.29). Black (odds ratio 0.35) and Dual Heritage (odds ratio 0.40) young people were less frequently diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder than their White peers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Those from Black and Dual Heritage backgrounds were disproportionately disadvantaged.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experiences and support needs of psychiatrists under investigation.","authors":"Swapna Kongara, Millie Tamworth, Rachel Gibbons","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.80","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.80","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims and method: </strong>This study aimed to explore the experiences and support requirements of psychiatrists undergoing investigations within their mental health organisation. An anonymous online survey was distributed to all non-training psychiatrists registered as members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 815 psychiatrists who responded to the survey, 287 (35%) had been investigated. The majority (76%) were unaware of the concerns before being notified, 36% lacked understanding and 62% experienced timeline deviations. Furthermore, 34% had concerns over conflicts of interest, with 52% perceiving the investigation as unfair, 62% were not informed of their rights. Many respondents reported feeling isolated and lacking support and experienced significant psychological distress, such as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Suggestions for improvement included better communication, transparency, impartiality, adherence to timelines, proactive support and oversight, and opportunities for learning and reparation post-investigation.</p><p><strong>Clinical implications: </strong>Mental health service providers should recognise the multifaceted nature of complaints and provide comprehensive support and guidance to psychiatrists undergoing investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142364237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Moving from psychiatric practice in the UK to Australia: some personal reflections.","authors":"Graham Walker, Andrew Carroll","doi":"10.1192/bjb.2024.69","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2024.69","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this article, we reflect on factors which may tempt psychiatrists to move from working in the UK to Australia. A comparison between the UK and Australian healthcare systems is presented. Following this, G.W. offers personal reflections on his transition between working in the UK and Australia, including an experience of being a patient, the benefits of working and training in the respective countries, and personal sacrifices which must be considered. We conclude that individual clinicians must weigh up the positives and negatives of the system which they want to work within, with the best option for each person being specifically individual to them.</p>","PeriodicalId":8883,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142280054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}