1,707 research outputs found
Remarkable lives: Julie Leibrich in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textPurpose - This paper aims to offer a profile of Julie Leibrich.Design methodology approach - After a short introduction by Jerome, Julie provides a short biography and is then interviewed by Jerome. Areas covered in the interview include community care, discovery and sanctuary.Findings - Julie is a psychologist, a poet and someone who has "lived experience" of mental health problems. Julie tells us about the historical problems of implementing community care, here and in New Zealand; she suggests that discrimination towards the mentally ill is more important than stigma; she talks about the importance of "A Gift of Stories" and why she has written her latest book on sanctuary.Originality value - The paper illustrates that Julie provides a unique perspective on recovery, though she prefers the term discovery. Her experiences as a research psychologist and as someone with lived experience have informed her writing
Andrew Voyce in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textPurpose - This paper aims to provide a profile of Andrew Voyce.
Design/methodology/approach - Andrew gives a short biography and is then interviewed by Jerome. Areas covered in the interview include the central role of Mrs Thatcher in closing down the old asylums, homelessness, education, benefits and digital art.
Findings - Andrew's recovery from long term mental health problems has seen him return to higher education. He failed to get his undergraduate degree, but decades later and with the encouragement of workers in the community, he completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. He talks of the negative impact of asylum care, especially the terrible side effect of akathisia, which resulted from the depot neuroleptic medication.
Originality/value - This paper shows a remarkable journey of recovery, from a life of being a "revolving door'' patient, to homelessness, to re-establishing an ordinary life in the community. The inmate's perspective is one that has largely been absent from narratives of asylum care
Remarkable Lives : Maddi Faith in conversation with Jerome Carson.
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Maddi Faith.
In this single case study, Maddi gives a short background and the origins of her mental health issues and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Maddi tells us how her problems developed in her childhood and of the journey she has been on since.
Single case studies provide a single perspective. Yet are they of any less value than a commentary by an academic? On the contrary many offer unique insights into how we provide services for people with mental health problems, and of better ways to help them.
Maddi raises the issue of “falling between services,” with the result that the individual concerned does not receive the help they need.
The persistent stigma of mental health problems is an issue that will need to be addressed for decades if it is to be overcome. Personal witness is vital in tackling this issues. Maddi has already done a lot to address this through her work at University.
The Trust the second author worked for, for many years used to have a staff “Made a Difference” award. Maddi surely deserves such an award for her own efforts to develop our understanding of the realities of mental health problems
Andrea Handley in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textPurpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Andrea Handley.
Design/methodology/approach
In this case study, Andrea gives a short account of her background and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Findings
Andrea outlines a number of issues from her childhood that led to her later mental health problems.
Research limitations/implications
Individual case studies are of course just the story of one person's difficulties. For too long in psychiatry, case studies were written by professionals about their lives and problems. First person accounts allow the individual to tell their own narrative.
Practical implications
Andrea is not the first person to talk about the delay in access to mental health services. As she notes, 16 years on, she is still waiting for that referral! She notes that a friend of her could not wait even the three months that she had been and tragically took her own life.
Social implications
So much of Andrea's story is overshadowed by loss, especially the death of her brother when she was a teenager. As a society, we are no as well "prepared" for death, as older generations. The coronavirus pandemic is bringing our mortality home to all of us.
Originality/value
Patricia Deegan once asked, "How much loss could a human heart hold?" In this moving account Andrea lets us see the huge losses she has sustained and yet she is still determined to try and help others who are suffering. Hers is truly a remarkable life
Remarkable Lives : Ben Robinson in conversation with Jerome Carson.
No full textPurpose :
The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Ben Robinson.
Design/methodology/approach :
Ben provides a short summary of his life and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Findings :
Ben talks about his inpatient treatment for anorexia and his long journey of recovery.
Research limitations/implications :
Single case studies provide us with unique insights into the lived experience of people with mental health problems. They often provide us with hints as to how services could be improved.
Practical implications :
Ben argues that the voice of service users needs to be heard more by professionals. “The only experts of a mental health problem are the people who have been through a mental health issue themselves.”
Originality/value :
Ben is determined to use his experiences for the benefit of others. Even to have helped a single person, will be his biggest life achievement
Remarkable lives: Jo Mullen in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Jo Mullen.
Jo provides a short background to her life and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Jo tells us about the teaching resources that she has developed to increase understanding of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
While this is a single case study, it contains numerous helpful insights of how Jo has developed and presented her work, along with two mental health nurses, and of the high quality educational interventions she has produced.
Jo presents a model of co-production, where service partner and mental health professional are equals.
It would be helpful if mental health services invested in supporting talented individuals like Jo, to develop and disseminate the tools she has created.
Thus far Jo has written her own personal account of what it is like to cope with BPD, a bigger training resource, “Wot R U Like?” and a board game, Personapoly, to help individuals solve social and personal problems
Remarkable lives – Jane Aldred in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textPurpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Jane Aldred.
Design/methodology/approach
– Jane provides a short biography and is then interviewed by Jerome. Areas covered in the interview include how mental health services can be improved, diversity, recovery academies, the social model, medication and philosophy.
Findings
– Jane has used her own journey of recovery as a basis for developing a course called “Supporting the Recovery Process”. Her work as a Day Service Champion, has given her insight into how services can best promote recovery and the importance of the social model of disability. She is now completing a postgraduate teaching qualification and is involved with a new Recovery Academy.
Originality/value
– Encouraging people to be proactive in their treatment and valuing their accomplishments and strengths are core elements in Jane's approach. People should be treated with kindness and respect with less focus on risk management
Remarkable lives: Chantelle Garth in conversation with Jerome Carson.
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Chantelle Garth.
Using a case study approach, Chantelle provides a short account of her background and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Chantelle gives an account of her very troubled childhood and adolescence. Her adult life has been no easier. Life is a continuous challenge.
It is hard to imagine a tougher life than Chantelle’s, yet her ambition has carried her through. A single account, yet one of the most powerful accounts in this series. There are few better accounts of resilience in the face of at times what seem like insurmountable obstacles. The belief that can be instilled by a single professional can have a profound effect in encouraging someone facing adversity. There are numerous accounts of individuals facing difficulties in life, then there is Chantelle’s. This is in a category of its own
Remarkable Lives : Shelley Seaton in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Shelley Seaton.
Shelley gives a short background to her life story and is then interviewed by Jerome.
Shelley tells us about a number of life events that impacted on her mental health issues, starting with childhood bullying and also abusive relationships.
The Case Study approach privileges the person’s lived experience. It also lets us see the unique complexity of each person’s story.
Shelley received little help in the form of counselling either at school or when she experienced post-natal depression.
When mental health problems start in childhood, schools have a vital role to play. While the bullying stopped when Shelley’s Mum went to the school, the damage was already done. She was given no support to help her through this.
Patricia Deegan has asked, “Could you have survived what this person has survived?”(Deegan, 1996, p.95). Shelley’s story is a tale of surviva
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