To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Mental illness in Zimbabwe.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mental illness in Zimbabwe'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Mental illness in Zimbabwe.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Murambidzi, Ignicious. "Conceptualisation of mental illness among Christian clergy in Harare, Zimbabwe." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/23421.
Full textAbstract:
Background: More than 13% of the global burden of disease is estimated to be due to neuropsychiatric disorders, with over 70% of this burden in low- and middle-income countries. Characterised by severe shortages of human and material resources, formal mental health services alone are inadequate to meet the burden of mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries. New community models and innovative ways of increasing community participation and systematic delegation of specific tasks to other community level professionals have been recommended. Available evidence documents historic clergy involvement in health and wellbeing issues, but they have rarely been viewed as a partner in community mental health care. Aim: This study examines the clergy's conception, recognition of and responses to people with mental illnesses. The purpose of the study is to inform the potential roles and contributions of the clergy to community mental health either as the only contact or as a step in to formal mental health care. Method: Twenty eight in-depth interviews were conducted with clergy from ten church denominations in Harare, Zimbabwe. A framework analysis approach was used for thematic analysis. Nvivo 10 qualitative data software was used to organise the data. Results: Mental illness was conceived as a multifactor phenomenon attributed to both natural (biological and psychosocial) and supernatural (malevolent and benevolent spiritual) causes. Spiritual factors were a dominant theme in both the clergy's views on the causes of, and in their management of mental illness. The clergy were regularly consulted on a variety of emotional and psychological problems. Assistance was readily provided for these problems by all denominations, despite professed capacity gaps in the recognition and management of mental illness, and lack of appropriate training in basic mental health issues. Basic mental health training was recommended by the clergy to enhance clergy capacity for mental health awareness raising, recognition of mental disorders, brief problem focused counseling, and for improving collaborative management for initial and continued informal and formal health care and support. Implications of clergy conceptions, current responses and the perceived role of the church in community mental health are discussed.
2
Samuriwo, Kuwandandishe Priscilla. "An exploration of methods used by Shona speaking traditional health practitioners in the prevention of mental illness." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2054.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2018Studies by the World Health Organisation have shown that mental illness is an international health concern across the globe, with one in four people (25%) suffering from mental disorders in both developed and developing countries. In many African countries traditional health practitioners are the health care providers of choice for individuals, families and communities. The aim of this study was to explore methods used by Shona speaking traditional health practitioners in the prevention of mental illness in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A qualitative research design was used in the present study. Ten Shona speaking traditional health practitioners (male=9; female=1) were selected through purposive sampling and requested to participate in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed through thematic content analysis. It was found that traditional healers tend to commonly understand and conceptualise mental illness in terms of the causes instead attaching nosological labels to these conditions. The findings of the study also show that most of the traditional health practitioners interviewed had similar methods of preventing mental illness both in families and individuals. Culture was found to be central in shaping how the traditional health practitioners understand and prevent mental illness. Ancestors were found to be pivotal in specifically determining the methods to prevent mental illness for each client. The study is concluded by recommending closer collaboration between the dominant Western health care system and traditional healing in order to improve mental health care provision in Zimbabwe.
3
Mungadze, Jerry Jesphat. "A Descriptive Study of a Native African Mental Health Problem Known in Zimbabwe as zvirwere zvechivanhu." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1990. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc332278/.
Full textAbstract:
This is a study conducted in Zimbabwe which compared a group of 50 zvirvere zvechivanhu patients and a group of 50 non-patients in age, sex, marital status, level of education and claims of spirit possession. Claims of spirit possessions and types of spirits, as pointed out by Bennel (1982), were used as symptoms of zvirwere zvechivanhu. The two groups were also compared in symptom dimensions of the SCL-90-R used in the study. The SCL-90-R, developed by Derogatis (1975), is a 90-item symptom check list used to screen people for psychological problems reflected in the nine symptom dimensions of somatization, obsessive/ compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism and in the three global scores of Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index and Positive Symptom Total. The subjects were chosen from two different sites, using a systematic sampling method. Three statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The Chi-square was used to analyze data on descriptive variables. The T-test and 2 x 2 analysis of variance were used to analyze the data on symptom dimensions and global scores. The study had one main hypothesis and nine subhypotheses. The main hypothesis was that zvirwere zvechivanhu patients were significantly different from the non-patients on the overall global scores. The nine subhypotheses stated that the patient and non-patient groups were significantly different in the nine separate symptom dimensions. The study concluded that the zvirwere zvechivanhu patients were significantly different from the non-patients in the overall global scores. In the nine separate symptom dimensions, it was concluded that the two groups were the same in all except the somatization and obsessive/compulsive system dimensions.
4
Marimbe-Dube, Bazondile. "The perceived impact of a relative's mental illness on the family members, their reported coping strategies and needs : a Zimbabwean study." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5930.
Full textAbstract:
Aim of the study is to explore the perceived impact of mental illness, reported coping strategies and reported needs of family members of mentally ill patients attending the Parirenyatwa Annexe Psychiatry Unit in Harare, Zimbabwe.
5
Morkel, Marissa. "Madness as mental illness or mental illness as madness mental illness as constructed by young professionals /." Diss., Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08052008-131715.
Full text
6
Bridge, Laurie. "Contributing Factors of Substance Abuse: Mental Illness, Mental Illness Treatment andHealth Insurance." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1516979553258238.
Full text
7
Senneby, Katrine. "Gender and mental illness." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-25415.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe following work is driven foremost by the confounding fact that so few men are seekinghelp concerning mental illness, even though men, by far, are the dominating gender instatistics regarding suicide. Upon reflection a line of questions arose mainly regardingwhether gender based differences could play a role in the way men and women expressmental illness and especially whether, and to what extent, gender affects treatment thereof.Since interviewing people with mental illness would demand quite a lot of ethicalconsideration, and with regards to the extent of work a study of this sort would require, otheroptions had to be considered. Therefore, in order to investigate the subject further fourseparate interviews were conducted with therapists whose methods are based on a variety ofpsychological theories and methods. The interviews were based on semi-structuredinterview-guides containing questions about gender differentials in patients, gender basedapproaches to, as well as gender based expressions of, mental illness. The empirical materialwas later divided into relevant themes to create a basis for analysis. The analysis was formedby theories and research concerning gender constructivism, hegemonic masculinity andgender in therapy. The findings showed that gender and gender roles do play a part in how thetherapist conceive the patient and her problems. The informants expressed experiences oftraditional gender roles affecting the patient's ability to engage in therapy in an ideal way - theideal being comparable to characteristics associated with traditional femininity. Among theinformant was a consensus that the male gender role is undergoing reform, and thus becomingmore inclusive to gender identities unconform with traditional masculinity. Furthermore twomain experiences of gender differences was identified, both comparable to normative genderdiscourse regarding male and female characteristics. Finally a third theme lead to discussionconcerning therapist-patient dynamics in light of respectively gender-based or feministnarrative therapy.
8
Waugh, Jennifer. "Clinical Mental Health Counseling Students' Views of Serious Mental Illness and Persons with Serious Mental Illness." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1573037350270326.
Full text
9
Ikeme, Chinenye. "The Stigma of a Mental Illness Label: Attitudes Towards Individuals with Mental Illness." University of Dayton / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1335613307.
Full text
10
Petruska, Richard J. "Assessing mental health and mental retardation professionals' knowledge of mental illness, mental retardation and mental illness as it relates to persons with mental retardation /." The Ohio State University, 1991. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487757723995519.
Full text
11
Mamak, Mini. "Violence and major mental illness." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ27767.pdf.
Full text
12
Tengström, Anders. "Mental illness & criminal behavior /." Stockholm, 2000. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2000/91-628-4130-0/.
Full text
13
Fox, Claudine. "Children's representations of mental illness." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2005. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/768/.
Full text
14
Elson, Kate Christie. "Mental illness in American comedy." Thesis, Boston University, 2013. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/12095.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.F.A.)--Boston UniversityThe goal of this thesis is to explore the subject of mental illness in current American comedy films. Its focus centers upon comedic depictions of two classes of diseases: those within the category of Anxiety Disorders and Clinical Depression and related illnesses. Further, I discuss differences between depictions ofthe two. This thesis also details the cultural importance of the comedic genre in America and the dissonance between the genre's rigid structure, the nature of mental illness and our current lifestyle. It also explains our nation's complex and at times contradictory relationship with mental illness as a cultural and social phenomenon and illustrates how these contradictions play out within the entertainment industry. Lastly, my focus centers upon the ways in which America's dominant ideologies clash with the reality experienced by mental illness sufferers and discusses film's role both in perpetrating pre-existing ideologies and in challenging them by creating new perspectives.
15
Correia, Helen. "Crazy, sad or just different : evolving representations of mental illness and the mentally ill during psychology education /." Access via Murdoch University Digital Theses Project, 2002. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20040302.161013.
Full text
16
Lau, Ping-kei Simon. "Attitudes toward the mentally handicapped /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1994. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B13991589.
Full text
17
Blount, Michelle. "Mental Health Courts: Mental Illness, Diversion Programs and Recidivism." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7217.
Full textAbstract:
Many large urban juvenile probation departments have begun to utilize mental health courts to meet the demands of the increasing number of individuals who have mental health issues that end up in the juvenile justice system. Diversion programs are designed to keep youth in the community and out of the juvenile justice system, but it is not clear whether these programs keep individuals from re-offending. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine whether diversion programs used in the mental health courts are helping to decrease recidivism for juveniles identified with mental illness. This study was also aimed at identifying how mental illnesses affect successful completion of programming. The theory of therapeutic jurisprudence was used as the theoretical foundation to help guide this quantitative, quasi-experimental study and answer the research questions. The data utilized was from a large urban juvenile probation department, which uses the mental health court as a diversion program. Data was collected from 2009 to 2017 on both youth who participated in the program and those who chose not to participate in the program. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Based on the chi-square, recidivism rates were significantly impacted by participation in the mental health court. The data presented demonstrated mental health court is effective at reducing recidivism. The potential is there for positive social change in the treatment of youth with mental illness both in the community and the juvenile justice system.
18
Bibby, Paul. "Experiences of recovery in mental illness." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4104.
Full textAbstract:
Introduction In recent years the concept of ‘recovery’ has become increasingly prevalent in both government and health service policy, and in the terminology used by mental health service users. The current study examines the experiences of recovery as described by service users living in a rural / semi-rural population. This is in contrast to the majority of similar studies, which have tended to focus on urban centres where population characteristics, and the services available to service users, differ in many ways. As such, the aim of the current study was to add to the growing theory regarding what constitutes recovery from the viewpoint of service users living in a relatively remote area of the UK. Methodology Eight adult participants, all of whom defined themselves as either recovering or having recovered from significant mental health problems, were interviewed about their experiences using a semi-structured interview. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed for emerging themes using a social constructionist version of Grounded Theory. Data Analysis & Discussion Analysis revealed a consistent set of themes emerging from the participant interviews. These are encapsulated in the concept of reflection and integration, and the dynamic nature of these phenomena over time. Participants made reference to the nature of their problems and the impact they had on relationships, the treatment they had sought and received, and the effects of their experiences on their notions of themselves as individuals. Conclusions The findings of the current study are discussed in the light of existing relevant literature and in relation to current policy initiatives. Comparisons to the emerging theory regarding recovery are drawn, and distinctions made between the existing theory and the findings which appear to be particularly pertinent to the sample population. Suggestions for clinical applications are made. Limitations of the study are also addressed, and areas for potential further research are outlined.
19
Balls, Makala. "Young People and Mental Illness Stigma." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.525700.
Full text
20
Quinn, Kathryn M. "Older people's attitudes to mental illness." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30664.
Full textAbstract:
This study explores older people’s attitudes to mental illness within the context of ageing, and considers whether attitudes act as potential barriers to engagement in health-related behaviours, and lead to lower subjective wellbeing. Focus groups were undertaken to pilot the study questionnaire and explore the subject area. A cross-sectional independent groups design was then employed to compare responses of clinical and non-clinical participants on a self-report questionnaire assessing attitudes to mental illness and ageing. Similar to younger people older people endorsed a range of positive and negative attitudes to mental illness. However, when attitudes to mental illness were considered within the context of ageing and experience a more complex pattern of results emerged. While negative attitudes to mental illness were associated with negative attitudes to ageing across the entire sample, clinical participants (and those with prior experience of mental illness) reported more positive attitudes to mental illness and more negative attitudes to ageing than non-clinical participants, for whom the reverse was true. Attitudes were also differentially related to outcomes. This, positive attitudes to ageing predicted stronger endorsement of health-related behaviours (F(2,71) = 9.93, p < 0.001), while negative attitudes to ageing and mental illness predicted lower subjective well-being (F(4,67) = 22.99, p < 0.001). Attitudes to mental illness and ageing may be linked and mediated by personal experience and capacity for psychological self-regulation in the face of age-associated adversity. As one potential cause of the under-use of mental health services by older people, attitudes to mental illness in later life should form the focus of targeted health education interventions designed to address ageist misconceptions and ensure that all older people are given the opportunity to receive care likely to improve their health and well-being.
21
Khokha, Ridhi. "Mental Illness in the Workplace: Understanding How Managers Respond to their Employees Living with a Mental Illness." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/41929.
Full textAbstract:
This present research explores the following research question: How do managers respond to employees who are living with a mental illness? In answering this research question, I explore the challenges mental illnesses pose to managers, how managers successfully and unsuccessfully respond to those challenges, and the potential positive outcomes associated with encountering an employee who is living with a mental health condition. I answer my guiding research question through five in-depth semi-structured interviews and by relying on six structured and targeted narrative interviews that had been conducted for a previous research project. All interviews were conducted with managers across a variety of industries who have experience working with at least one employee who has lived with a mental health condition. Based on the themes that emerge in these interviews, I document the challenges managers face. I also identify several ‘facilitators of success’, defined as behaviours or actions that managers believed had some degree of positive impact on helping an employee living with a mental illness. The insights developed through this research will better inform the research community regarding managers’ experiences working with employees with a mental illness, as well help inform organizations regarding how they can better equip their managers in dealing with employee mental illness.
22
Galvin, Sarah Lynn. "The impact of familiarity with individuals with mental illness and sense of coherence on social distance from individuals with mental illness /." Abstract Full Text (HTML) Full Text (PDF), 2009. http://eprints.ccsu.edu/archive/00000563/02/2003FT.htm.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2009.Thesis advisor: Carolyn R. Fallahi. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-54). Also available via the World Wide Web.
23
Oh, Priscilla Sun Kyung. "Rethinking mental illness through a lens of friendship : a practical theological reflection on mental illness through an autoethnographic account of friendship with a person suffering from severe mental illness." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2014. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=225761.
Full textAbstract:
Proceeding from an autoethnographic representation of the friendship, what I sketch out in this thesis is a ceaseless attempt to testify my involvement in the process of knowing the person and the prolonged course of observing a severe mental illness and to illuminate the peculiarities of such a relational circumstance with the inevitable difficulties in honouring our commitment. The central purpose of this study is to creatively provide a theological space to understand the experience of mental illness and to show how the veracity of past memories and the on-going construction of friendship boundaries reflect the shifting combination of reason and emotion that connects kin over the evolving story of a person's mental illness. I offer fresh insights which draw out the need to understand mental illness as much more than mere suffering and mental health as much more than the absence of symptoms. In reflecting theologically on the peculiarity of the friendship, I make use of Martin Buber's I-Thou and I-It mode of relationships in which my interpretation of a beloved friend's mental illness revolves around focusing on the person rather than the description of the illness. In dealing with the emotional challenges in relation to people with mental illness, I suggest that the Christian practice of lament offers a space to theologically articulate the deep sense of grief, abandonment, and emptiness in the context of mental illness. I also suggest the Christian practice of hospitality as an important resource for the constructive Christian response to mental illness and reflect the fundamental recognition of home in connection to hospitality. Subsequently, I offer a model of friendship which inevitably exposes the limits of commitment and sympathy while affirming the extraordinary power of love which seeks solidarity and sustains the relationship with a person with a severe mental illness.
24
Philadelphia, William A. "Persons with serious mental illness and employment." Auburn, Ala., 2007. http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/07M%20Dissertations/PHILADELPHIA_WILLIAM_39.pdf.
Full text
25
Russell, Kia Chevon. "Recidivism Rates Among Juveniles With Mental Illness." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4404.
Full textAbstract:
Treating mental illness is imperative to help reduce criminal justice involvement within the juvenile population. Receiving mental health care will help decrease the likelihood for youth to reoffend, ultimately reducing recidivism rates. Past studies showed there are risk factors associated with juveniles and recidivism; however, very few studies have examined what factors are prevalent after services have been received. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that increase the risk of recidivism among juveniles who have received psychiatric stabilization in Harris County, Texas. Risk factors that were assessed included age, gender, ethnicity, and criminal offense. The psychodynamic perspective guided this study and archival data were obtained from the Harris County Psychiatric Center Database. Several statistical analyses were used in this study to include a t test, chi square analysis, and a binary logistic regression analysis. Results from this study found no significant relationship with mental health diagnosis and recidivism nor did it find a significant difference in the length of stay at the psychiatric center. This study did find that simple demographics were stronger than any predictor, concluding that younger Black males were more likely to recidivate. Based on the findings from this study, juvenile justice representatives will be able to evaluate and develop programs specifically targeted to the risk factors found to be associated with recidivism.
26
Funn, Nashira. "Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge of Mental Illness." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4057.
Full textAbstract:
Media and activist groups have recently exposed the problem of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and civilians. Many of these civilians have a mental illness. Various researchers attribute these negative interactions to insufficient officer knowledge of mental illness due to a lack of training, education, and personal experiences. Very little research addresses how insufficient knowledge of mental illness may influence interactions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and analyze self reported law enforcement knowledge using Malcolm Knowles' conceptualization of adult learning theory and andragogy as the theoretical framework. This framework bases self-directed learning/training on a needs assessment of the individual's knowledge. The main research question was: 'What factors related to officer knowledge of mental illness impact interactions between law enforcement and people with mental illness?' Data were collected through recorded and then transcribed in-depth interviews with 8 law enforcement officers with experience interacting with mentally ill people. Using aspects of modified Van Kaam method of data analysis, word recognition computer programing identified repetitive words and phrases from the data. This resulted in significant common themes, namely: the need for more effective formal training on mental illness and the influence of personal lived experiences in the interaction with people with mental illness. The implications for social change are positive for officers and people with mental illness, as this study will inform the development of more effective officer training models about mental health, which will reduce the number of negative interactions.
27
Hyde, Joy. "Mental illness : negative perceptions of university students." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11492.
Full text
28
Farrell, Kathleen M. "SELF-STIGMATIZATION AND RECOVERY FROM MENTAL ILLNESS." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin984583293.
Full text
29
McMennemin, Jelena. "Malingered cognitive symptoms in severe mental illness." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2005. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1444823/.
Full textAbstract:
Part I of this thesis comprises a review paper which will contextualise the empirical paper that forms Part II of the thesis. Section A of the literature review offers the reader an introduction to the often-misunderstood phenomenon of malingering. Although avoided by psychologists perhaps due to its seeming incompatibility with the establishment of a therapeutic alliance (Rogers, 1997), the case for the importance of research into improving malingering detection methods is presented. The reader is then orientated to the contemporary understanding of malingering as an elected means of adaptation to circumstance, and this adaptational perspective is used to elaborate on what and how individuals might malinger. Whilst thinking about malingering might be interesting of itself, the aim of any malingering research must be to improve upon the accuracy of classification and detection methods. Section B of the review paper provides the reader with a summary of the development of methodologies and strategies used in the clinical assessment of malingering. This is presented with reference to the theoretical account of the malingering construct elucidated in Section A. Detection methods used in malingered mental illness and malingered cognitive impairment are presented independently, and the distinct domains in which these assessments tend to focus is emphasised. Specifically, individuals suspected of malingering mental illness are assessed predominantly in the psychiatric (not cognitive) domain, and although corroborative evidence of malingering on cognitive tests is routinely sought in order to augment classification accuracy, no cognitive tests have been developed specifically to assess malingered mental illness. This constitutes a gap in the research literature since feigning on tests of cognition among persons malingering mental illness has been repeatedly evidenced (e.g. Boone et al., 2002). Advances in the literature on malingered cognitive impairment (in the context of traumatic brain-injury) are presented and considered then, in the context of developing bespoke cognitive instruments for the assessment of malingered cognitive symptoms in the context of mental illness. Part II of this thesis constitutes the empirical study that was designed and executed in the aim of investigating the utility and validity of a test battery designed to assess malingered cognitive symptoms in severe mental illness. A three-group "fully controlled" simulation study is described, in which psychiatric inpatients, simulating malingerers and healthy controls (total n = 105), were administered a multi-method malingered cognitive symptoms test battery, comprising interview- and performance-based tasks. Established malingering tests were also administered in order that simulated malingering could be externally validated, and also so that classification according to the cognitive battery, could be compared with that according to 'gold standard' instruments. Tests of true ability and pathology were administered in order to explore the potential confound of true mental illness with malingering measures, and also so that the true symptom status of simulating malingerers could be quantified. Results demonstrate a high degree of precision of discrimination between simulating malingerers and their genuine counterparts on the basis of composite scores on the cognitive symptoms battery. Results also show that composite scores on the cognitive symptoms battery are not correlated with true pathology in genuine patients, estimated IQ and level of educational attainment. Part in of this thesis constitutes the critical review section in which qualitative information pertaining to the execution processes of the study is discussed. This information pertains mainly to the engagement of acutely mentally ill patients in this research, and also includes personal reflections on conducting a study entailing simulation.
30
Muszynski, Richard J. "ETHNIC ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS (ASIANS, EUROPEANS, HISPANICS)." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/291700.
Full textAbstract:
The Ethnic Mental Illness (EMI) Scale, a questionnaire to discriminate European and Hispanic attitudes toward mental illness, was developed. Fifty-one college students of Hispanic ethnicity and 194 college students of European ethnicity completed a 150 item questionnaire measuring attitudes toward mental illness. A cross-validation sample of 50 Hispanic students and 194 European students ethnicity yielded 15 items that reliably differentiated the two groups. Based upon content, the 15 items were grouped into six categories: hopefulness, trust, biological aspects of mental illness, childhood origins, finances, and sex differences. Items which did not discriminate Hispanics and Europeans are described, as these items are possible indicators of common attitudes toward mental illness. A group of 66 Asian students also participated in the study. The items which differentiate Asians from Hispanics and Europeans are described. These items were not cross-validated.
31
Mashamaite, Phuti Granny. "An exploration of the treatment of mental illness by indigenous healers in Moletjie, Capricorn District, Limpopo Province." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/1533.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015Culture affects the way people conceptualise and make meaning in their daily experiences, and in turn influence their decisions to seek solutions to their predicaments. Therefore the definition, causes and treatment of illnesses appear to be perceived in a socio-cultural context. A qualitative study was conducted among the indigenous healers of Moletjie (Capricorn District), Limpopo Province, (South Africa) to explore the treatment of mental illness. Indigenous healers were selected using the purposive sampling after the African Religion/ Culture & Health Forum was consulted and the names of indigenous healers who are members were obtained. 5 males and 5 females were interviewed. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the content analysis method. The following psychological themes emerged from the study: indigenous healers’ notions of mental illness; perceived causes of mental illness; the process of assessment using the divination bones (ditaola); general treatment practices; treatment approaches to psychotic patients; continuous assessment during the treatment process; constant observation of patients during the treatment process; and, treatment procedures that are executed on discharge of the patient. The findings revealed that there are multiple causalities of mental illness and were accounted for by African traditional beliefs. The study revealed that 90% of the indigenous healers admit patients in their homestead during the healing process but the duration differs. The results further revealed that there are two major treatment modalities employed: namely, the use of herbs and ritual performance. The findings emphasize that treatment of mental illness is mainly determined by the perceived causes which emanate from cultural ideologies.
32
Perez-Gavino, Maria D. "Mothering, mental illness and me : a phenomenological exploration of the accounts of mothers with mental illness who attend CAMHS." Thesis, University of Essex, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.589424.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation provides an interpretation of the accounts of six mothers who have a diagnosis of mental illness and also have children who are being treated for emotional or behavioural difficulties. The participants took part in an interview where questions were asked about their experiences of being a mother, having a child with difficulties and the impact of their children's difficulties on them. The data produced were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Attention was given to the role of the researcher as a clinician who works closely with this client group and its influence on the interpretation of the material. From the analysis, one main superordinate theme emerged, the idea of a split identity between three elements: mental illness, motherhood and being a person in their own right. These three aspects of identity often entered into conflict with one another. Motherhood was the most valued aspect of their identity. However, mental illness influenced the way in which they performed as mothers. A desire to be seen as good mothers influenced their narratives of how mental illness affected their children and promoted a neglectful attention to their own needs as individuals. A number of sub themes describe particular aspects ofthis tripartite identity. The relationship between the findings in this study and existing literature, as well as implications for clinical practice are discussed.
33
Baines, Tineke. "An exploration of illness perceptions in mental health utilising the illness perceptions questionnaire." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2011. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/an-exploration-of-illness-perceptions-in-mental-health-utilising-the-illness-perceptions-questionnaire(ac657de4-f3d0-444f-8a62-3ee062115a3f).html.
Full textAbstract:
This research project explored how mothers experiencing depression after childbirth perceived their mental illness. Illness perceptions were assessed across the dimensions outlined within the Self-Regulatory Model (SRM, Leventhal, Nerenz & Steele, 1984) via the use of the Revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (IPQ-R, Moss-Morris, Weinman, Petrie, Horne, Cameron & Buick, 2002). The psychometric properties of the IPQ-R within this clinical sample and relationships between illness perceptions, depression severity and maternal bonding were assessed. A literature review of the use of the IPQ and IPQ-R within mental health identified that these measures with modifications (in particular to the causal and identity subscales) were largely reliable and valid measures of assessing illness perceptions in mental health. The illness dimensions outlined within the SRM were largely endorsed within the clinical populations sampled, offering support of the applicability of the SRM within mental health. Mental illnesses were consistently viewed as chronic with serious negative consequences. Perceptions regarding mental illness consequences, chronicity and controllability were associated with coping strategies and help-seeking. Treatment adherence and attitudes towards taking medication were associated with illness controllability beliefs. The IPQ-R modified for depression after childbirth was shown to be a reliable measure for assessing illness perceptions within this clinical sample and was shown to be reliable over a four-week time period.Mothers experiencing depression after childbirth perceived their depression as having a moderate number of symptoms, a high number of negative consequences and responded to their depression with a number of emotions. Mothers perceived having a coherent understanding of their difficulties, believing that depression was amenable to treatment and personal control and that depression was cyclical in nature. Commonly reported symptoms experienced attributed to depression included depressed mood, difficulties concentrating, loss of interest/pleasure in activities, fatigue/loss of energy and sleep difficulties. Frequently endorsed causes of depression included stress or worry, hormonal changes, own emotional state, family problems, mental attitude and own behaviour. Interestingly, no significant difference was found between illness perceptions of mothers who previously experienced psychological problems and mothers who had not.Mothers who perceived having many symptoms and a high emotional response to depression were more likely to report higher depression severity. Whereas mothers who believed they had control over their depression were more likely to report lower depression severity. Illness identity and consequence beliefs were associated with maternal bonding difficulties. The project's findings were presented with reference to previous literature with implications for theory and clinical practice explored. Difficulties and limitations of the research and its related theory were discussed in addition to reflections upon the research project. Possible improvements to the research procedure and areas for future research were also identified.
34
Goggin, Leigh S. "The affective response to ambiguous stimuli in depression." University of Western Australia, 2005. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0124.
Full textAbstract:
Cognitive theory of depression predicts that the illness is associated with an information processing bias that interprets ambiguous information in a mood-congruent or depressive fashion. This negative interpretative bias may serve as a vulnerability factor or maintenance mechanism for a depressive illness. The majority of studies investigating such interpretative biases rely primarily on subjective experimental methodologies (eg., evaluative feedback and self-report) that are vulnerable to experimenter demand effects, response selection biases, and the influence of autobiographical memories. In addition, the results from these studies have been mixed, leading to no firm evidence for the existence of a depression-linked interpretative bias for ambiguous material. In order to avoid the limitations that have plagued subjective research, the present study utilised two of the most promising objective physiological measures of assessing interpretation: the Rapid Serial Viewing Presentation (RSVP) procedure and the affective modulation of the human eye blink reflex. The modified RSVP experiment recorded the reaction time of participants reading a textual scenario that was composed of an opening ambiguous sentence and various emotionally valenced continuations. Interpretation of the ambiguous sentence could be inferred from the reaction time as comprehension latency is inversely related to perceived plausibility. The affective modulation experiment recorded the blink amplitudes of participants startled while performing an imagery task. Blink amplitudes are augmented by negative stimuli and inhibited by hedonic stimuli. Thus, the affective interpretation of ambiguous stimuli could be inferred from the size of the recorded blink response. The results of both experiments did not support the predictions made by cognitive theory. There was no difference in the reaction time responses to the various textual stimuli between 2 depressed outpatients and healthy controls. However, antidepressant medication did have an influence upon the ability of patients to correctly judge the plausibility of the emotionally valenced continuation sentences. With regard to the eye blink experiment, there was also no difference between the depressed outpatients and the controls in terms of size of blink amplitude to the various categories of affective stimuli. Depressive, ambiguous, and distorted stimuli did not augment blink amplitudes in healthy controls or depressed patients without social anxiety disorder. However, depressed patients with a comorbid diagnosis of social anxiety disorder did react to the ambiguous stimuli in an aversive and anxious manner as indicated by increased blink amplitudes. This may be due to the social aspect of the experimental context, which engenders fears of evaluation and performance anxiety. The eye blink procedure can therefore be compromised by group selection, as the comorbidity of anxiety and depression can confound the investigation of depression-linked interpretative biases. In addition, the failure of depressive stimuli to augment blink amplitudes may render the procedure insensitive to the selection of such biases
35
Edwards, Davyd. "Human rights and mental illness : an investigation into the meaning and utility of rights for people diagnosed with mental illness." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7931.
Full textAbstract:
Bibliography: leaves 176-188.This study sought to develop an understanding of the ways in which rights are conceived of and made use of by people diagnosed with mental illness. This research sheds light on the processes involved in actualising rights in the lives of people diagnosed with mental illness. It focuses on the experiences of people diagnosed with mental illnesses living in the community.
36
Brady, Ann Marie Brigid. "Chronic illness in childhood and adolescence : a longitudinal exploration of co-occurring mental illness." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2017. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/31703.
Full textAbstract:
Chronic health problems are hypothesised to be a risk factor to child and adolescent mental health, due the consistent and continuing stress these health problems pose to normative patterns of development. However, this theory remains to be substantiated by empirical research. Moreover, a systematic review conducted as part of this research indicated that the empirical body is not one on which the validity of this theory can be adequately tested. The major question posed is whether the lack of high quality epidemiological data in the field is obscuring a true psychiatric risk associated with chronic illness in childhood and adolescence, or whether, in contrast, the theory of chronic health problems as a particular risk factor to child and adolescent mental health, is based on false premises. In order to provide a stronger insight into the association of chronic health problems to mental ill-health across the late childhood and adolescent period, this study used data from a large, representative British sample (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)) and sensitive measures of mental health outcomes. Mediating factors in these associations were also identified, and a model of the association of chronic health problems to poor mental health outcomes in early adolescence was developed. In order to ensure that all findings were applicable across chronic health conditions, outcomes over this period for children with chronic illness more generally were compared to outcomes for children with asthma diagnoses. Children with chronic health problems presented with a disproportionate rate of psychiatric illness at 10 years, and these chronic health problems continued to be associated with poor mental health outcomes across the early to mid-adolescent period. The outcomes at 10 and 13 years were suggested to be mediated by factors non-specific to any diagnosis, specifically peer victimisation and health-related school absenteeism. Limitations to external validity in the research, and implications for public health and future research are discussed.
37
Kennedy, Justin Leo. "Mental "illness" as portrayed in western concert music." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1523328.
Full textAbstract:
This paper examines representations of supposed mentally "ill" and mad characters from Claudio Monteverdi's Lamento della ninfa, Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Arnold Schoenberg's Erwartung, Peter Maxwell Davies's Eight Songs for a Mad King , and my own work Christopher. It argues that none of these characters are mentally "ill" and criticizes their being labeled as mad. Furthermore, this writing submits that treatment of the mentally "ill" is strongly correlated with their specific representation in western art music.
38
Bromberger, Nikki Law Faculty of Law UNSW. "Defendants, mental illness and negligence law: a critique." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Law, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/41550.
Full textAbstract:
At common law, liability in negligence is based generally on an objective standard of reasonable care. As a consequence of this idea those who possess reduced capacities, as compared to the ordinary reasonable person, may be held to standards which they are incapable of reaching. Yet there are exceptions to this general rule. Children are not required to behave the way reasonable adults behave. Rather, when the defendant is a child, courts take into account the capabilities which are a concomitant of the defendant???s age. A defendant???s mental illness, on the other hand, is not considered by courts in Australia (or elsewhere) to be relevant when determining liability in negligence. It has been argued that in this regard the common law is incoherent and unfair. This thesis considers whether these claims of incoherence and unfairness can be substantiated. In so doing, it considers the philosophical underpinnings of tort law in order to explore possible bases for the current law. It also examines a number of more specific accounts which attempt to justify the present law as it relates to mental illness. It is argued that none of these discussions provide a convincing basis for the different treatment in law between child defendants and defendants with a mental illness. The discussion extends beyond the confines of tort law to criminal law for explanations for the apparent incoherence. It notes the suggestion that the criminal law???s response to defendants with a mental illness has been fuelled to some extent by a misunderstanding of mental illness and a fear of those suffering from such illnesses. The thesis examines whether this negative attitude towards mental illness, which some scholars have referred to as ???sanism???, is at work in the few Australian decisions which have considered the common law position in relation to mentally ill defendants. Possible changes to this area of law are then outlined and considered.
39
Mohamed, Shemin. "Stigma and mental illness : are there cultural differences?" Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2011. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/39143/.
Full textAbstract:
Most of the stigma research to date has been completed in western cultures. Not much is currently known about stigma towards mental illness in non-western cultures. Limited research has also been conducted with young people. Given that adolescence is a critical stage in the development of attitudes and identity formation, it seems an important time to investigate attitudes towards mental illness. The study investigated whether there were cultural differences in stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness, comparing British and Pakistani adolescents living in the UK. Factors shown to influence stigma were also examined. These included labelling of mental illness, familiarity with mental illness and perceived causal attributions. A quantitative non-experimental cross-sectional design was used. In total 100 adolescents (54 British and 46 Pakistani) completed the survey (online or paper based). Participants were asked to read a vignette describing a person with psychosis and complete a series of questionnaires relating to it. Results indicated that there were no significant differences in stigma between the two cultural groups. Pakistani adolescents considered that supernatural causes and immoral life style were more likely to cause mental illness. British adolescents were more likely to provide the correct psychiatric diagnosis for the problem described in the vignette. Both groups were found to have similar levels of contact with individuals with mental illness. Future research is needed to develop a better understanding of how mental illness is constructed and construed in non-western cultures. Additional studies are also required with adolescents. This would allow the development of culturally sensitive services and appropriate anti-stigma campaigns. The application of existing stigma models to non-western cultures and adolescents should be further investigated. The social psychological model appears to be a useful framework that could be used to aid our understanding of stigma in both populations.
40
Sabbagh, Marie L. "Influence of defendant mental illness on jury sentencing." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1494.
Full textAbstract:
This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology
41
Kobayashi, Noriko. "Robert Schumann : his mental illness and his music /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/11352.
Full text
42
Eisenbrandt, Lydia, and Jill D. Stinson. "Adolescents in Residential Care With Major Mental Illness." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/asrf/2018/schedule/129.
Full textAbstract:
Mental major illness, including psychotic disorders and mood disorders, has been linked to early prenatal/childhood factors and subsequent behavioral health concerns. For example, Watson et al. (1999) found that maternal illness and extreme stress during pregnancy disrupts fetal brain development, increasing the likelihood of depression or schizophrenia in later life. Research has also shown a dose-response effect between the number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health outcomes, with increasing ACEs linked to more severe mental health problems and suicide attempts (Merrick et al., 2017). Persons with major mental illness, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, are also at increased risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviors (Happell et al., 2012; Morden et al., 2009). These individuals also demonstrate a higher rate of substance use (Linszen et al., 1995) that often contributes to poor medical health (Dixon et al., 2000; Jeste et al., 1996).
The current study sought to differentiate adolescents with and without major mental illness (i.e., psychotic or mood disorders) by investigating a sample of youth who were in a residential treatment facility for sexually abusive behaviors (N = 296). Data related to participants’ prenatal/birth concerns, ACE scores, history of suicide attempts and self-harm, and use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and inhalants were gathered from archival records.
Results indicated that there were a number of adolescents diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (n = 33) or mood disorder (n = 189). Two separate logistic regressions assisted with differentiating adolescents with and without psychotic or mood disorders using the specified predictors. A significant model (χ2 = 94.910, Nagelkerke’s R2 = 0.412, p < 0.001) correctly classified 76.4% of participants with a mood disorder. Adolescents with a mood disorder were 4 times as likely to have had prenatal or birth concerns (OR: 4.404, p < 0.001), and were significantly more likely to have higher ACE scores (OR: 1.148, p =.024). Further, those with a mood disorder were 2.5 times as likely to have self-harmed (OR: 2.673, p=.009), and approximately 23 times more likely to have attempted suicide (OR: 22.858, p=.003). Another significant model (χ2 = 29.842, Nagelkerke’s R2 = 0.210, p < 0.001) correctly classified 88.3% of participants with a psychotic disorder. Adolescents with a psychotic disorder diagnosis were significantly more likely to have higher ACE scores (OR: 1.237, p =.020), and were 4 times as likely to have a self-harm history (OR: 4.474, p=.005) compared to those without a psychotic disorder.
Results indicate that prenatal/birth concerns appear to be a significant factor for those who are diagnosed with a mood disorder, but not with a psychotic disorder. Also, those with mood disorders, but not psychotic disorders, were more likely to have attempted suicide. Adolescents with either a mood or psychotic disorder both tended to self-harm and have experienced more ACEs. Interestingly, substance use was not higher among adolescents with mood or psychotic disorders, despite predictions and previous research findings.
43
McGrath, Laura. "Qualitative investigation of severe mental illness in women." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/qualitative-investigation-of-severe-mental-illness-in-women(c6645b21-9b5f-447d-8313-e9e979fd11f6).html.
Full textAbstract:
Paper one is a systematic literature review of qualitative studies examining psychosis in women using a metasynthesis approach. The review involved three stages: a systematic search of qualitative studies reporting the experiences of women with psychosis, critical appraisal of these studies, and the metasynthesis. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, yielding data from 220 women in total. The synthesis of the studies demonstrated three overarching themes: (a) women's beliefs about their illness, (b) perceived consequences of illness, and (c) strategies to cope with illness. Important barriers to strategy use were identified and recommendations made for addressing them. In the second paper grounded theory methodology was used to explore recovery in women who had experienced psychosis following childbirth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants and data were analysed using grounded theory methodology. A theory of four superordinate themes was developed from the data, including: (a) the process of recovery; (b) evolving an understanding; (c) strategies for recovery; and (d) sociocultual context. It was concluded that women experienced a complex process of recovery which was ongoing. The role of other people, including professionals in the recovery process was central. Recommendations were made for professionals to assess women's position in terms of their recovery in order to offer timely, appropriate interventions. The final paper is a critical reflection of the work reported in the previous two papers. I reflected upon how my previous experiences influenced my decision to undertake this research and other aspects of the research process. I explored the rationale for my choice of research methodology and discussed the debates which exist around the use of these methods. Finally, my personal reflections upon the entire research process are included.
44
Moore, D. "Online resources for perinatal mental illness and stigma." Thesis, City, University of London, 2017. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/20395/.
Full textAbstract:
Perinatal mental illness is a global health issue with detrimental outcomes for women and their families if left untreated. Unfortunately, many women do not get the treatment they need for many reasons, one often acknowledged reason is that the stigma some women experience inhibits disclosure of their needs to healthcare providers. This thesis looked at Internet resources for women with perinatal mental illness, in particular online forums. It examined how forums might affect stigma and thus disclosure behaviour. This thesis is by prospective publication. Article 1 aimed to describe and interpret qualitative studies regarding forum use and perinatal mental illness stigma. A metasynthesis of five studies identified four key themes: a safe place to talk; virtual support; stigma and identity; and repair of the mother identity (Moore, Ayers & Drey, under review). Article 2 aimed to identify what websites about postnatal mental illness were available and assess them for content and quality. A systematic review of 114 websites evaluated accuracy of information, resources and website quality. Results showed information was largely incomplete and difficult to read; resources were limited and website quality was variable (Moore & Ayers, 2011). Article 3 aimed to determine how women with perinatal mental illness use web based resources. A qualitative interview study (n= 15) found that the anonymity and non-judgemental social support on forums may have made it an acceptable way to challenge internal stigma and that most women described forums as providing a space to discuss stigma and test out disclosing about their illness to others (Moore & Ayers, 2016). Article 4 therefore aimed to identify whether forums for perinatal mental illness reduce stigma and facilitate disclosure. Thematic analysis of 1546 posts over six months on a forum for postnatal mental illness suggested that forum discourse reconstructed ideology of motherhood as compatible with perinatal mental illness. Many women overcame stigma and posted that they had taken advice and disclosed to a healthcare provider (Moore, Ayers, & Drey, 2016). The final article developed and tested a hypothesised model of the relationship between stigma and disclosure about perinatal mental illness. Study 5 developed a questionnaire measure of stigma for perinatal mental illness in order to test the model. Questionnaire items were completed online by women with perinatal mental illness (n=279). Psychometric testing suggested it was a valid scale with three subscales: external, internal and disclosure stigma (Moore, Ayers, & Drey, 2017). Study 6 tested a hypothesised model that stigma would mediate the relationship between forum use and disclosure to healthcare providers. An online survey of women with perinatal mental illness (n=200) who had used forums provided partial support for this hypothesis, with internal stigma mediating the relationship between length of forum use and disclosure (Moore, Drey, & Ayers, 2017). This research highlights the importance of considering the stigma associated with perinatal mental illness and its role in online forum use and disclosure. Overall, findings suggest that forums may facilitate recognition of stigma, which may in turn lead to greater disclosure of symptoms to healthcare providers. However, the relationship between forum use, stigma and disclosure may be more complex than our initial model proposed. Similarly, most participants in these studies were white, well-educated and actively participated in the forums. Future studies would benefit from testing these relationships using longitudinal designs with more representative samples.
45
Brabham, Sofia C. "Law Enforcement Training and Perceptions of Mental Illness." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1404609/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis analyzes the training and perceptions on mental health of a particular population. Through the use of previous research and literature, a survey was generated and distributed to the population. The findings were used to generate policy implications for the specific population that was analyzed.
46
Al-Mutawa, Marwan S. "Psychiatric abuse and the concept of mental illness." Thesis, Swansea University, 1989. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42877.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents a critical analysis of the limitation and weakness of the concept of mental illness and proposes the Reactive Functional Disorder (RFD) approach as an alternative moral perspective on mental illness. Chapter one highlights, through an analysis of the problems of psychiatric treatment in Kuwait, the vulnerability of the concept of mental illness to abuse. In Chapter two, it is argued that the current definitional systems used in psychiatry have contributed to the vulnerability of the concept of mental illness to abuse by employing definitions which are terminologically, clinically, and morally weak. In Chapter three, the RFD approach is presented in the hope that this account might provide a deeper understanding of the moral and conceptual implications of the concept of mental illness. Chapter four provides an analysis of some of the writings of Thomas Szasz, the controversial American psychiatrist, who argues consistently that mental illness is a myth and psychiatry is unlike other well-established medical disciplines. It is argued that Dr. Szasz, in reality, is less against psychiatry than against psychiatric coercion and involuntary hospitalisation.
47
Nowak, Lisa Rebecca. "Philosophical perspectives on the stigma of mental illness." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/13193.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is concerned with philosophical perspectives on the stigma of mental illness, with each chapter exploring different philosophical issues. Chapter one delineates the central concept around which the rest of the work revolves: the stigma of mental illness. It provides an outline of the stigma mechanism, how it applies to mental illness, why it is such a large public health concern and what has been done so far to combat it. Chapter two is concerned with the application of recent literature in the philosophy of implicit bias to the topic of mental illness. It suggests that we have hitherto been preoccupied with explicit formulations of the stigma mechanism, but argues that there are distinctive issues involved in combatting forms of discrimination in which the participants are not cognisant of their attitudes or actions, and that anti-stigma initiatives for mental illness should take note. Chapter three applies the philosophical literature concerning the ethics of our epistemic practices to the stigma of mental illness. It contains an analysis of how epistemic injustice- primarily in the forms of testimonial injustice and stereotype threat- affects those with mental illnesses. The fourth chapter brings in issues in the philosophy of science (particularly the philosophy of psychiatry) to explore the possibility of intervening on the stigma process to halt the stigma of mental illness. The first candidate (preventing labelling) is discounted, and the second (combatting stereotype) is tentatively endorsed. The fifth chapter is concerned with how language facilitates the stigma of mental illness. It suggests that using generics to talk about mental illness (whether the knowledge structure conveyed is inaccurate or accurate) is deeply problematic. In the former, it conveys insidious forms of social stereotyping. In the latter, it propagates misinformation by presenting the category as a quintessential one.
48
Glass, Martha J. "College Transition Experiences of Students with Mental Illness." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/26283.
Full textAbstract:
Retention of college students has continued to be a concern for many people connected with higher education (Baum & Ma, 2007; Day & Newburger, 2002; Habley & McClanahan, 2004). The high school to college transition experience has been identified as a key factor in studentsâ decision to remain in college and persist to graduation (Hunter, 2006; Levitz & Noel, 1989; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Roe Clark, 2005). More students than ever are coming to higher education with mental health challenges (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004; Soet & Sevig, 2006) but a thorough review of the literature reveals no literature on the transition experience of students that have been diagnosed with psychiatric illness.
The purpose of this study was to understand and describe how students diagnosed with a mental illness experience the college transition. In addition, the study provided an understanding of the transition experience for these students at three different types of institutions. The theoretical framework for this study was Schlossbergâ s (1984) transition theory. The individuals in the sample included 18-19 year old traditional first year college students diagnosed with mental illness.
Interviews were conducted with 21 respondents during their second semester of college. Data analysis revealed themes under the topics of individual characteristics, academic and social transition, and institutional differences. Findings revealed that these first year students with mental illness had many of the same developmental and transition experiences and challenges as their peers. However, their transition experiences were complicated by the daily tasks of managing medications, symptoms, counseling appointments, academic support services, and involvement of parents. Participants were learning to take responsibility for their own well-being but still needed a safety-net. In addition, respondents described resources and strategies that they used to adjust academically and socially, such as receiving academic accommodations and disclosing their diagnosis to faculty and friends. The students described their campuses in similar ways, as friendly and supportive, with few institutional differences. In general, the participants confronted challenges early during their transition but at the time of the interviews they seemed to be experiencing a successful transition.Ph. D.
49
Sigida, Salome Thilivhali. "Conceptualisation of mental illness by vhaVenda indigenous healers." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/1556.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M. A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016Several studies have shown that alternative health care practitioners play an important role in addressing the mental health care needs of individuals by offering culturally appropriate treatment. In South Africa, it has been suggested that indigenous healers are frequently consulted for mental illness when compared to their Western trained counterparts. The aim of the present study was to explore the conceptualization of mental illness by VhaVenda indigenous healers. Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives: a). Establish what VhaVenda indigenous healers understand about mental illness; b). Determine the types of mental illness identified by VhaVenda indigenous healers; and, c). To determine what indigenous healers in this community perceive as the signs and symptoms of mental illness. A qualitative approach, and in particular, the case study method was used in the present study. Ten indigenous healers (male = 8: female = 2), aged between 35 and 60 were selected through snowball sampling and requested to participate in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using the content analysis method. The following psychological themes emerged from the study: a). participants understanding of mental illness; b). causes of mental illness; c). types of mental illness; d). signs and symptoms of mental illness; e). diagnoses of mental illness and f). Treatment of mental illness. The findings revealed that there are multiple causalities of mental illness and were accounted for by African indigenous beliefs. The findings of the present study further suggested that the participants do not have an elaborate nosological system that distinguishes between the different types of mental illness. Instead of giving names to the illnesses, the participants tended to describe the illness based on what is perceived as the cause which emanate from cultural ideologies. Furthermore, the results revealed that indigenous healers use the following treatment modalities to treat mental illness: namely, the use of herbs and indigenous practices. The study is concluded by making a few recommendations, that among others include consideration been given to some form of collaboration between indigenous healers and western trained health care practitioners.
50
Crawford, Stella. "The ways Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice represents mental illness." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för speldesign, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-409483.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines the ways Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory, 2017) represents mental illness and why the game is considered partly groundbreaking in the subject of mental health representation within video games. This examination is done by taking a brief overview of previous games tackling the same subject matter as well as examining how Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice represents psychosis narratively and mechanically. This is done through the method of player-as-analyst by playing the game all the way through once and viewing a full length playthrough video following the methodology and theory of Diane Carr (2014). The data gathered during play and viewing of the playthrough is then analyzed.Denna avhandling undersöker hur Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory, 2017) representerar mental ohälsa och varför spelet uppehålls som delvis banbrytande inom spel som behandlar mental ohälsa. Undersökningen i fråga är gjord via att göra en kort översikt av hur tidigare spel handlat samma ämne och ta en titt på hur Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice representerar psykos i sin mekanik och narrativ. Detta åstadkoms genom metoden Player-as-analyst genom att spela igenom hela spelet en gång och kolla igenom en playthrough video och genom att följa metodologi och teori av Diane Carr (2014). Datan samlad under spelningen och video tittandet sedan analyseras.