A new behaviour and attitudes study of newcomers to Recovery mental health services has been conducted by Dr Susan Pickett from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, US.
The longitudinal study entailed interviewing 126 individuals four times over a 12-month period. A report outlining preliminary findings was issued during March 2011, which stated that:
· “Word of mouth”was the trigger for half respondent;: “health professionals” influenced one in three:; and “the Internet” was the conduit for one in six.
· The most typical attendee is – a middle aged, Caucasian, female and low income person who is seeking help with depression.
· 19 out every 20 had seen a professional about their mental health problem.
· One in two had been diagnosed with depression; one in four had bipolar.
· Half of those interviewed had been hospitalised because of mental health issues.
· Six months after attending their first meeting one in three had stopped attending Recovery.
· Self esteem, feelings of hope, coping skills and social connectedness improved for all participants.
· Participants also reported less usage of mental health and social services.
· Peer support and connection with others are vital to people with mental health issues and particularly those like many newcomers who had no one to turn for help to.
·Among participants who dropped out, just over 50 per cent gave “schedule conflicts”as their reason for so doing.
The report concludes that: Participants received help for the problems that first motivated them to attend Recovery; they learned and applied techniques to help them cope more effectively with their problems; and in so doing they began traversing the path to regaining and maintaining good mental health.
For more information on Recovery visit www.lowselfhelpsystems.org
