Being mentally ill: a phenomenological inquiry

Treatment and Control: A Qualitative Study of Older Mentally Ill Offenders' Perceptions on Their Detention and Care Trajectory

The life of older mentally ill offenders (OMIOs) is often characterized by successive periods of detention in correctional facilities, admissions to psychiatric services, and unsuccessful attempts to live independently. Through in-depth interviews, eight personal stories from OMIOs under supervision of the commission of social defence in Ghent (Belgium) were analyzed in the phenomenological research tradition. The results of the study reveal that OMIOs had more positive and less negative experiences in prison settings when compared with other institutional care settings. Independent living, unsurprisingly, is favored the most. This may be due to the fact that the latter option fosters personal competence, feelings of being useful, personal choices, and contact with the "outside" world. Even in later lifetime, a combined approach of risk assessment with improvement of well-being remains valuable to stimulate offender rehabilitation. Therefore, more research into concepts that could be used to support OMIOs needs further consideration.

Being there for another with a serious mental illness

In this article I describe the unique caring and caretaking relationship between a mentally ill person and the nonprofessional caretaker in his or her life. Stressing the perspective of the caretaker, I call this relationship "being there" for the mentally ill person. I collected the data through in-depth interviews and used a descriptive phenomenological approach to unveil the general structure of the experience. Eight constituents emerged as central to the general structure of this experience: (a) accepting the changed other and grieving the loss of who the other once was; (b) taking action in challenging circumstances; (c) recognizing the ongoing, never-ending, and sometimes unpredictable nature of the experience; (d) feeling isolated; (e) having ambiguity of the heart; (f) experiencing the tension of waiting; (g) knowing the other well; and (h) caring for the other. Knowledge gained from the study findings will help health care professionals understand and support people who are in this experience from a more caring paradigm.

Enhancing intellectual empathy: the lived experience of voice simulation

PURPOSE

This study aimed to understand the lived experience of voice simulation with the novice nurse and to describe the impact on the nurse's empathy and desire to develop a therapeutic relationship.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Twenty-eight women and men participated in a detailed narrative investigation of reflective writing of the lived experience of hearing voices through a voice simulation experience.

FINDINGS

A sense of insight was developed, and participants felt they could empathize with this type of suffering. The ability to change attitudes to focus on the development of therapeutic relationships was enhanced.

PRACTICE IMPLICATION

Voice simulation assists the novice nurse in developing intellectual empathy.

Developing a model of recovery in mental health

Background

The recovery process is characterized by the interaction of a set of individual, environmental and organizational conditions common to different people suffering with a mental health problem. The fact that most of the studies have been working with schizophrenic patients we cannot extend what has been learned about the process of recovery to other types of mental problem. In the meantime, the prevalence of anxiety, affective and borderline personality disorders continues to increase, imposing a significant socioeconomic burden on the Canadian healthcare system and on the patients, their family and significant other [1]. The aim of this study is to put forward a theoretical model of the recovery process for people with mental health problem schizophrenic, affective, anxiety and borderline personality disorders, family members and a significant care provider.

Method and design

To operationalize the study, a qualitative, inductive design was chosen. Qualitative research open the way to learning – the inside – about different perspectives and issues people face in their process of recovery. The study proposal is involving a multisite study that will be conducted in three different cities of the Province of Québec in Canada: Montréal, Québec and Trois-Rivières. The plan is to select 108 participants, divided into four comparison groups representing four types of mental health problem. Each comparison group (n = 27) will be made up of 9 units. Each unit will comprise one person with a mental health problem (schizophrenia, affective anxiety, and borderline personality disorders. Data will be collected through semi-structured open-ended interview. The in-depth qualitative analysis inspired from the grounded theory approach will permit the illustration of the recovery process.

Discussion

The transformation of our Health Care System and the importance being put on the people well-being and autonomy development of the person who are suffering with mental problem This study protocol follows-up on earlier theory-building process that begun with the work of Noiseux [2]. The contribution of the present study is to increase the comprehension of the concept of recovery and to enhance the body of knowledge in that domain. Very few studies have examined recovery and the one that did used a descriptive approach which did not take into account the perspective of the family members and the caregivers of the recovery process.

Recovery as perceived by people with schizophrenia, family members and health professionals: A grounded theory

BACKGROUND

Advances in knowledge in the biomedical and psychosocial sciences have expanded our understanding of schizophrenia and of how it evolves in people living with it. These individuals are no longer viewed as being 'ill' and requiring long-term hospitalisation. We have come instead to have a much more positive view of them and of the role they can play in coming to terms both with their health condition and with society. In the majority of cases, schizophrenia sufferers have the potential to recover.

AIMS

The purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical explanation of recovery based on the concept of human responses put forward by the American Nurses' Association.

PARTICIPANTS

Data were collected from 41 participants (16 people living with schizophrenia, 5 family members, 20 health professionals). Selection criteria required the people living with schizophrenia to be in stable health, see themselves as being in the process of recovery, and be able to speak about it. Family members were expected to have displayed a strong bond with their relative living with schizophrenia, and the health professionals to have had at least 3 years experience dealing with schizophrenia patients.

METHOD

The Grounded Theory approach was selected because it allows for diversified data sources to be used in the empirical study of a phenomenon. It is an appropriate approach for the conceptualization of complex phenomena and the development of middle-range theory. To ensure a variety of subjects were involved, semi-structured interviews were conducted in three different settings: a specialised psychiatric hospital, a self-help group, and a community setting.

FINDINGS

Seven categories emerged from the analysis and conceptualization: perceiving schizophrenia as a 'descent into hell'; igniting a spark of hope; developing insight; activating the instinct to fight back; discovering keys to well-being; maintaining a constant equilibrium between internal and external forces; and, finally, seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Comparison of these categories led to their being consolidated into a core category in which recovery is defined as a 'process involving intrinsic, non-linear progress that is primarily generated by the role as actor that the individual adopts to rebuild his or her sense of self and to manage the imbalance between internal and external forces with the objective of charting a path through the social world and regaining a sense of well-being on all biopsychosocial levels.'

CONCLUSION

This study of recovery from schizophrenia is conceptualised from the nursing perspective: the concept of 'Human Responses' [American Nurses Association (ANA), 1980. Nursing: A Social Policy Statement. ANA, Kansas City, MO; American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN's), 2001. AANN's Neuroscience Nursing: Human Responses to Neurologic Dysfunction, second ed. W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia]. It was possible to go beyond a descriptive analysis and bring out the dynamics of the process through a detailed, in-depth presentation of the recovery process. The theoretical explanation we have postulated is based on the inner resources of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and their potential to make a recovery.

Patients longing for authentic personal care: a phenomenological study of violent encounters in psychiatric settings

This article focuses on patients' violence against caregivers. Several studies show that violence and threats within the health care setting are an increasing problem. Encounters that become violent have been the issue of many debates but the phenomenon is still not fully understood. It is important to understand the course of events in violent encounters, both for the sake of the patients and the caregivers' well-being. The aim of this study was to describe the essence of violent encounters, as experienced by nine patients within psychiatric care. Guided by a phenomenological method, data were analyzed within a reflective life-world approach. The findings explicate violent encounters characterized by a tension between "authentic personal" and "detached impersonal" caring. "Authentic personal" patients are encountered in an undisguised, straightforward, and open way, and they sense unrestricted respect that caregivers would show another human being. In these encounters violence does not develop well. However, in caring that is "detached impersonal," the encounters are experienced by the patients as uncontrolled and insecure. These encounters are full of risks and potential violence.

Developing a restraint-reduction program for child/adolescent inpatient treatment

TOPIC

Meeting mandated guidelines to reduce, if not eliminate, the use of restraints with children and adolescents hospitalized on inpatient psychiatric units.

PURPOSE

To present eight promising options for restraint reduction with inpatient children and adolescents, and the research that supports their efficacy.

SOURCES

Review of the literature.

CONCLUSION

By combining what is known about child/adolescent restraint use with restraint-reduction research in the adult field, several options for restraint reduction can be derived.

The haemodialysis machine as a lifeline: experiences of suffering from end-stage renal disease

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe patients' experiences of suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

RATIONALE

The rationale was to investigate how persons find meaning or make sense of their situation and how they experience suffering. The theoretical basis for the study was to view suffering at three levels. The first level was related to sickness and treatment. The second level was related to the care provided and the third level was related to each person's unique life experience and existence.

METHOD

Data were collected by interviews focusing on questions concerning daily life, needs, and expectations for the future. A qualitative interpretative content analysis was used. Fifteen patients between the ages of 50-86 participated in the study.

FINDINGS

Two main themes were identified describing these patients suffering. The first theme, 'the haemodialysis machine as a lifeline' consisted of three subthemes: 'loss of freedom', 'dependence on the caregiver', and 'disrupted marital, family and social life'. The second theme 'alleviation of suffering' consisted of two subthemes: 'gaining a sense of existential optimism' and 'achieving a sense of personal autonomy'.

CONCLUSION

This study indicated that, in the lives of patients on haemodialysis, the main areas of suffering were related to loss of freedom expressed as dependence on the haemodialysis machine as a lifeline and, the caregivers. This time-consuming and tiring dependence affected marital, family and social life. Alleviation of suffering could be achieved by accepting dependence on the haemodialysis machine and maintaining autonomy by being seen as an individual by the caregivers.