Developing a Structure of Essential Services for a Child and Adolescent Mental Health System.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Schor EL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7984671 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Developing a Structure of Essential Services for a Child and Adolescent Mental Health System.
The Milbank quarterly 20210119 1
Policy Points That child and adolescent mental health services needs are frequently unmet has been known for many decades, yet few systemic solutions have been sought and fewer have been implemented at scale. Key among the barriers to improving child and adolescent mental health services has been the lack of well-organized primary mental health care. Such care is a mutual but uncoordinated responsibility of multiple disciplines and agencies. Achieving consensus on the essential structures and pr ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundThe transference of research evidence into routine healthcare practice remains poorly understood. This includes understanding the prerequisites of longer-term viability. The present study investigated the sustainable practices of GM i-THRIVE, a programme which reconceptualizes mental health services for children and young people (CYP) in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. We aimed to establish whether a sustainable future was likely, and to identify areas of focus to improve that likelihood.MethodsThe NHS Sustainability Model, typically completed as a questionnaire measure, was converted into interview questions. The responses of nine professionals, from a variety of roles across the CYP mental health workforce, were explored using inductive thematic framework analysis. Selected participants completed the original questionnaire.ResultsFive themes (communication; support; barriers to implementation; past, present, and future: the implementation journey; and the nuances of GM i-THRIVE) and 21 subthemes formed the final thematic framework. Relationships with senior leaders and with colleagues across the workforce were seen as important. Leaders' roles in providing meaning and fit were emphasized. Whilst training delivered the programme's aims well, monitoring its dissemination was challenging. Widespread issues with dedicating sufficient time to implementation were raised. The flexibility of the programme, which can be applied in multiple ways, was discussed positively. This flexibility links to the idea of GM i-THRIVE as a mindset change, and the uniqueness of this style of intervention was discussed. To varying degrees, themes were supported by responses to the quantitative measure, although several limitations to the use of the questionnaire were discovered. Consequently, they were used to infer conclusions to a lesser degree than originally intended.ConclusionsProfessionals involved with GM i-THRIVE reported many elements that indicate a positive future for the programme. However, they suggested that more attention should be given to embedding the core concepts of the model at the current stage of implementation. Limitations relating to its use within our study are discussed, but we conclude that the NHS Sustainability Model is a suitable way of guiding qualitative implementation research. It is especially valuable for localized interventions. The constraints of our small sample size on transferability are considered.
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Project description:ObjectivesParanoia is most likely to emerge in adolescence. In adolescents with mental health disorders, the disruptive effect of paranoia on social relationships could worsen outcomes. However, little is known about clinical presentations of paranoia at this age. We therefore explored the development, experience, and impact of paranoia in adolescent patients.DesignA qualitative interview design with interpretative phenomenological analysis was used.MethodTwelve adolescents (11-17 years) with paranoia attending child and adolescent mental health services were interviewed.ResultsAdolescents described a journey starting with their awareness of paranoia beginning to a paranoid experience of mistrust and fear of others, and, subsequently, their adjustment to paranoia in daily life. Paranoia onset was rooted in the discovery of interpersonal threat and personal vulnerability, shaped by challenging peer interactions, becoming aware of danger in the world, and personal adverse experiences. The paranoia experience included a struggle to trust friends, anticipating threat with intense fear, and using defensive strategies to keep safe. Adolescents described how the paranoia experience was confusing, negatively impacted self-concept, held them back from teenage life, and caused disconnection from friends. Longer-term responses to paranoia reflected a tension between reluctantly resigning to the experience and trying to resist the impact.ConclusionsThe journey of paranoia in adolescence involves navigating multiple tensions, with young people balancing independence with vulnerability, trust with mistrust, and the desire to socialise with a fear of danger and deception. Decisions about how to respond to paranoia are likely to determine the next stage of their journey.
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Project description:Background Efforts are being made to reform and reconceptualise children and young people's (CYP) mental health services. This is in response to a rapid increase in mental health difficulties in this population, and the shortcomings of current service provision. The present study seeks to comprehensively evaluate the local implementation of the THRIVE Framework for System Change in Greater Manchester, UK (GM i-THRIVE) from 2018 to 2021. The framework was designed to change the way mental health is perceived, and subsequently how support is allocated. The current study focusses on the implementation of the framework's principles into CYP mental health support in the region. Methods The study comprised three methodological components, beginning with examination of the GM i-THRIVE implementation plan and self-assessment questionnaire measure using the Quality Implementation Tool. This was to provide a wider backdrop of implementation method adequacy to the rest of the study's findings. Subsequently, evaluation measures completed by professionals across Greater Manchester were examined to establish implementation progress, before corroborating key items from this measure with thematically analysed interview data from six CYP (13–22 years) who recently received mental health support in the region. Levels of agreement between staff and CYP were examined. Results GM i-THRIVE's implementation plan and self-assessment measure were respectively deemed a strong guiding foundation, and a suitable way of evaluating implementation progress. Every principle within the self-assessment measure demonstrated closer alignment with the THRIVE Framework as time progressed. Two themes were developed from the qualitative interview data, each overarching four subthemes: (1) Qualities of the service: information and decision sharing; communication and continuity; needs-based support; compassion and trust, and (2) The mental health journey: beginnings; endings; waiting; satisfaction with support. A good level of agreement between CYP testimony and staff progress reports was found. Conclusions Findings suggested that the experiences of the CYP in the sample, who were interviewed in the spring to summer period of 2022, were overwhelmingly positive. The rich insights into mental health support offered by the young participants lead us to recommend continued qualitative research with service-users as GM i-THRIVE's embedding period continues, with focus on representing a wide range of experiences in future research samples. Methodological limitations were explored, including the extent to which true cross-references could be made between professional and CYP accounts.
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