Academic literature on the topic 'Socio-therapeutic environment'

Abstract This article presents a proposal to categorise stimuli that influence well-being in therapeutic environments following Complementary and Integrative Practices (CIPs). With the broader aim of understanding which environmental stimuli influence the well-being of CIP therapeutic environment users, this qualitative research adopted a multimethod approach: bibliographic and documentary research; walkthrough analysis; exploratory visits; environment observations; and finally, interviews. After cross-referencing a literature review and an environmental assessment of three case studies during 2017, a categorisation was drawn up, and it suggests that the stimuli which most influence well-being in CIP environments are: Artistic, Auditory, Biological, Luminous and Hygrothermal Comfort, Energetic, Spatial, Natural, Olfactory, Social and Socio-Spatial stimuli. Included in a broader debate on creating environments favourable to users’ health, and in line with an increasing demand of CIPs in Brazil, this categorisation aims at contributing to the knowledge of CIP environment-specific necessities and improving the quality from the early stage of project idealisation.

The connection the Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa-New Zealand, have to the land is threatened by the effects of colonisation, urbanisation and other factors. In particular, many Māori suffer significant health and wellbeing inequalities compared to the non-Māori population. In an effort to reduce such inequalities, there is a growing consciousness of the need to better understand the cultural and place-specific determinants that affect the health and wellbeing of population groups in different environments. This article explores how environmental and cultural connections to land enable the development of place-specific and culturally-driven principles that promote the health and wellbeing of Māori populations. It argues that concepts of place, belonging, landscape and wellbeing play an important role in linking environment and culture as well as in contributing to creating therapeutic spatial environments that promote both human health and ecosystems. A set of principles is developed that allows for the landscape design of such therapeutic environments while accommodating the socio-cultural and environmental values that promote health and wellbeing of both Māori and non-Māori people.

Objective:The therapeutic community is an established psychiatric treatment method which may be in decline. This paper reviews the nature of inpatient therapeutic community treatment, and re-evaluates its role. Method:The principles and practice of such treatment are summarised, with a focus on the functions of staff. Results:The inpatient therapeutic community is conceptualised as combining socio-therapeutic treatment, psychotherapeutic treatment, and the advantages of the inpatient setting. This unique treatment environment allows for therapeutic regression while mitigating against anti-therapeutic behavioural regression. Research evidence supports the efficacy of therapeutic community treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder. Conclusion:Further research is needed to assess its efficacy for other diagnostic groups. This intensive treatment approach may be most appropriate for patients who have proved treatment resistant by other means. Possible reasons for the marginal-ization of therapeutic community treatment are considered. Access to quality inpatient therapeutic community treatment is essential in the provision of a comprehensive psychiatric service.

The article deals with the problem of forming an adaptive "therapeutic" environment for the system of maternity hospitals and perinatal centers that has developed in the country. This problem is considered in a comprehensive manner, highlighting several aspects, such as: socio-historical-cultural, functional planning, architectural-spatial, figurative-semantic aspect. On this basis, the study proposes several promising approaches to creating an adaptive therapeutic environment for maternity facilities using various architectural modernization tools and identifying a number of typological models of such an environment. The following approaches are presented: "urban planning approach", which takes into account the optimization of various options for urban planning placement of maternity hospitals and perinatal centers; “environmental approach”, which allows considering perinatal centers as a set of exterior and interior spaces, commensurate with a person, his behavioral stereotypes, emotional state. "Ecological approach" - involves the introduction of natural components into the interior and exterior of the complex, which makes the period of rehabilitation of women in labor effective. "Architectural and planning approach" - is aimed at improving the functional and planning links of the objects of the perinatal center. "Scenario-functional approach" in the formation of a comfortable therapeutic environment of a medical institution allows us to consider communications in the space of a medical institution as a kind of spatio-temporal scenario on the way of the main routes of movement inside the interiors and exteriors along the "axis": entrance area - admission department - lobby, hall, etc. .d. The "artistic-figurative approach" assumes that a "typical" ward in medical institutions should not be limited only by the technological and functional component, and the comfort of patients' stay should take into account their emotional state. The "compositional approach" to the formation of the therapeutic environment of maternity facilities takes into account the "competent" formation of the architectural space, taking into account the laws of architectural harmonization, aesthetic and compositional principles. The systematization of the identified approaches and directions for designing a comfortable architectural "therapeutic" environment for perinatal centers creates a methodological basis for the development of promising architectural and typological models of these objects, taking into account their modernization and new construction

Natural products endowed of biological activity represent a primary source of commodities ranging from nutrition to therapeutic agents, as well as cosmetic tools and recreational principles. These natural means have been used by mankind for centuries, if not millennia. They are commonly used all over the world in socio-economical contexts, but are particularly attractive in disadvantaged areas or economically emerging situations all over the world. This is very likely due to the relatively easy recovery of these bioactive principles from the environment, at a low if any cost, as well as ease of administration and the general popular compliance concerning their consumption/ingestion. In this concise review, we focus on some popular bioactive principles of botanical origin which find a wide use in the Madagascan populations. However, due to space limitations, only some of the most common and largely diffused principles in this country are considered. Finally, a possible nanotechnological administration is discussed in the case where a potential therapeutic usage is envisaged.

The development of a ‘smart’ drug capable of distinguishing tumor from host cells has been sought for centuries, but the microenvironment of solid tumors continues to confound therapeutics. Solid tumors present several challenges for current oncotherapeutics, including aberrant vascularization, hypoxia, necrosis, abnormally high pH and local immune suppression. While traditional chemotherapeutics are limited by such an environment, oncolytic microbes are drawn to it – having an innate ability to selectively infect, colonize and eradicate solid tumors. Development of an oncolytic species would represent a shift in the cancer therapeutic paradigm, with ramifications reaching from the medical into the socio-economic. Modern genetic engineering techniques could be implemented to customize ‘Frankenstein’ bacteria with advantageous characteristics from several species.

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the progressive loss of structure and/or function of both neurons and glial cells, leading to different degrees of pathology and loss of cognition. The hypothesis of circuit reconstruction in the damaged brain via direct cell replacement has been pursued extensively so far. In this context, stem cells represent a useful option since they provide tissue restoration through the substitution of damaged neuronal cells with exogenous stem cells and create a neuro-protective environment through the release of bioactive molecules for healthy neurons, as well. These peculiar properties of stem cells are opening to potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of severe neurodegenerative disorders, for which the absence of effective treatment options leads to an increasingly socio-economic burden. Currently, the introduction of new technologies in the field of stem cells and the implementation of alternative cell tissues sources are pointing to exciting frontiers in this area of research. Here, we provide an update of the current knowledge about source and administration routes of stem cells, and review light and shadows of cells replacement therapy for the treatment of the three main neurodegenerative disorders (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease).

AimsDepression is the single largest contributor to global disability. However, effective treatments are currently lacking, resulting in a significant burden of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, found as the active compound in 'magic mushrooms', has been proposed as a novel therapeutic avenue for TRD. We aimed to evaluate the future feasibility and implications of psilocybin as a new antidepressant therapy.MethodWe reviewed and critically analysed the available literature on the efficacy and safety of psilocybin as a treatment for depression, and the potential pharmacological and psychological mechanisms of the therapeutic benefit. We discussed the relative contributions to this therapeutic effect of the pharmacological drug treatment, placebo effects, and the context and parameters of the psychotherapeutic experience. We reviewed legal, social, and economic barriers to primary research and clinical implementation.ResultPsilocybin in combination with psychotherapy has been shown to be safe and effective in TRD. Its mechanism of action in TRD has not been fully elucidated, however reviewing functional neuroimaging studies demonstrated disparate short and long-term modifications of default mode network connectivity, suggested to represent a ‘reset’ mechanism of acute modular disintegration and subsequent reintegration which restores normal function, reviving emotional responsiveness.Research suggests psychedelic treatment induces lasting personality, belief and attitude changes. The psychedelic drug itself, the context of the psychotherapeutic experience, and the post-drug integration therapy all appear to have a significant role. Preparation prior to treatment, the environment, context and support during the psychedelic experience itself, and the following long-term integration and support process must be considered.Despite novel findings Psilocybin is a Schedule I drug; this imposes a persisting ethical barrier to clinical use. Prohibition of psilocybin results in high costs of drug supply, and potential for harmful drug-seeking behaviours. Therefore, complex socio-political factors currently limit wider implementation.ConclusionPsilocybin in combination with psychotherapy is safe and effective in TRD. The interacting and elusive therapeutic mechanisms have implications for clinical implementation. Preparation prior to treatment, the physical and social environment in which the psychedelic experience takes place, and long-term integration and support are considered to play a significant role. Optimisation of these parameters and cost-benefit analyses are required prior to this being feasible as a widely available therapy. Systemic legislative, political and social change will also be key to enable widespread clinical use. The promise of this therapy on a background of inadequate current antidepressant treatments indicates these must be a priority.

The onset of the COVID-19 in the UK has resulted in an inordinate amount of deaths affecting Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) healthcare workers. The occupational risk to this group is thought to be a contributory factor, but other factors include race, genetics, medical co-morbidities, socio-economic status, and access to personal protection equipment. Why COVID-19 appears to be more deadly in BAME members remains unknown, but the UK government is investigating this now. It does appear that certain factors may worsen the disease process in BAME members, but which ones are pertinent to prevention remain to be determined, until a vaccine is available. Thus, the onus should rest on risk prevention, education, and support for all. Some of the safety strategies that may be instituted to help guide those in the workplace include education, treating potential therapeutic targets and ensuring protection in the working environment. The consideration of a compensation scheme, for families of healthcare workers that have suffered because of COVID-19, would go some way to support the recovery process.

Discursive inequality in the construction of the »speech-language deficit« of deprived families and children In the second half of the 20th century, disciplines such as linguistics, sociolinguistics, and sociology were the first to inquire into the connection between the social position (of families) and the linguistic dispositions of children – these authors were also the ones who provided theoretical and methodological means to support the research. But the recent decades have seen a slow change in the ‘leading’ disciplines – with the greater role given to developmental psychology, speech therapy, pedagogy and neuroscience. This has brought some accompanying changes: the corpus of gathered data has rapidly grown and the correlation between socio-economic status and child development was given more focus (and was more concisely outlined) than ever before. And alongside that – the authors have shifted attention toward factors of early familial environments and their role in ‘social reproduction’: in the social inheritance of developmental deficits in disadvantaged children. But this growing body of data (gathered with standardized instruments and new technology) has allowed some theoretical “fluidity”. Previous models were replaced with less coherent descriptive categories. For example; the social class was transformed into “socio-economic index” or “status” and has lately dispersed to numerous descriptive remarks on the “quality” of familial environment and parenting strategies (of privileged/disadvantaged parents). Considering linguistic categories: authors have dropped attempts to study semantic, semiotic, and contextual aspects of language use and have focused solely on the lexical and syntactical attributes of particular environments and speakers. These changes have abruptly broken the line of causality that was developed by Bernstein and systemic functional linguistics. The “stream” of discursive reproduction of inequality has lost its previous interpretative power. But not only that – the new research has unforeseen consequences. For example, individualisation of social inequality; the blaming of (poor) parents for their seeming inability to provide enough linguistic stimulation. And lastly the reduction of complex relations of social inequality on some (calculable) developmental pathologies in disadvantaged children – that one can measure and “repair” thorough pedagogic/therapeutic means. Key words: discursive inequality, speech and language development, disadvantaged social groups, individualisation, social inequality, social reproduction

TITLE: Counselling and Psychological Services for Clients at The Horní Počernice Shelter Home AUTHOR: Mgr. Ľudmila Fonferová DEPARTMENT: The department of Psychology SUPERVISOR: Doc. PhDr. Miloš Kučera, CSc. ABSTRACT: The thesis is dealing with a psychological approach to the work with families and their children at a shelter using analytical techniques. It describes the circumstances and conditions for the work in the specific socio-therapeutic environment of The Horní Počernice Shelter Home. The target group with its demographic and status characteristics is depicted in detail with focus on reasons and expectations clients have when they come to the shelter home. The paper presents a functioning concept of psychological work with all clients and results of that work. It also reveals client evaluations of shelter housing after their initial adaptation. The selected case studies show work with motivated clients where changes in client behaviour as well as changes in their intrapsychic level can be noted. The paper compares different approaches of assisting professions in the shelter home, concentrating on the position of psychological and therapeutic work in social services. In the final part, the differences, conditions and limitations of various approaches are organised into a three-dimensional model with...

The monograph provides a comparative analysis of the medical and demographic situation in Ukraine in recent years: population, birth and death rates, natural increase (decrease) in citizens, average life expectancy at birth, disability, morbidity. Also, an analysis of the Human Development Index in Ukraine and other countries according to the UN (2018) is carried out. From the investigation of the report of statistical data of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on the structure of hospitalized patients in hospitals of Ukraine for 2019 adult population among all diseases: the first place has occupied by diseases of the circulatory system – 23.19% (including coronary heart disease – 10.93%, cerebrovascular diseases – 5.95%, angina – 4.02%), second place-diseases of the digestive system – 9.07%, third place belongs to tumors – 8.96%, fourth place respiratory diseases – 8.04%. At the same time, the state of mental health of the population of Ukraine is not insignificant, and according to the statistics of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in 2019, cerebral and behavioral disorders amounted to 4.54% and diseases of the nervous system – 4.16%. The average length of stay of adult patients in psychiatric institutions is from 33.3 to 48.7 days in Ukraine compared to European countries in Lithuania up to 20.8 days, in the Republic of Poland up to 20.3 days. In Ukraine, the treatment of patients with mental disorders and behavior remained as in Soviet times, the Semashko health care model, the priority of inpatient treatment in the old premises that have been building in the XVIII-XIX centuries, and therefore there is a crisis in the field of mental health and mental health. The reform of mental health facilities in European countries has been completing in 2000, and they have moved to a multidisciplinary model for the treatment of the mentally ill. For people with changes in mental health, new Mental Health Centers have been building, and the old premises of psycho-neurological hospitals have been reconstructing for comfortable stay of patients, creation of "therapeutic, healing environment" for quick marriage, return of patients to society. A comparative description of the provision of medical workers in the field of health care in Ukraine with similar indicators of the EU countries is provided. The study aims to analyze the ways of reform in the EU and Ukraine, to show mistakes in the incomplete health care reform of Ukraine and examples of overcoming the crisis and improving the mental health of the population as in European countries. Ukraine should learn from the experience of other European countries by increasing funding for health care and prevention measures to reduce disease and improve the mental health of the population. One way to overcome the crisis is to have a strong link between the various Ministries of Social Policy, Health to provide timely health care to vulnerable populations and to stratify socio-demographic and lifelong mental health indicators as in the EU. It is possible to strengthen the mental health care system through highly institutionalized services to public/religious organizations that are more person/ patient-oriented.