Jayme Swanke

Patient-centered mental health care: encouraging caregiver participation.

Caregivers of patients with mental illness play a vital role caring for their loved ones, yet they may not always be fully included in the process of assessment and treatment. A patient-centered approach to treating persons with mental illness views caregivers as partners in providing care for the patient. This study sought to explore perceptions of caregivers of persons with mental illness regarding the care their loved ones receive and to illicit specific issues caregivers wish to communicate with professionals that could improve patient care. A modified nominal group technique exercise was conducted as part of a suicide prevention workshop. Participants completed a four-item questionnaire. Five main themes emerged: the caregivers’ perception that they need to be included in the mental health care of their loved one; concerns about the diagnosing process; communication with professionals; a desire for individualized, holistic treatment; and the need for information about services and resources for the caregiver and the patient. Findings are similar to studies that also sought to understand the perspectives of caregivers. Caregivers provide an invaluable resource for the patient with mental illness. Efforts to include caregivers would enhance the overall care provided to patients with mental illness.

Family Medical Leave as a Resilience Resource for Family Caregivers

Case managers mobilize family networks to care for patients. Family medical leave can be a resource for case managers who seek to enhance resilience among family caregivers. The Family Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993, was the first U.S. policy to regulate employee leaves from work for family care purposes (29 CFR 825.102). This policy offers family caregivers increased flexibility and equality. Current and emerging policies also can reduce financial strain. The discussion examines how case managers can integrate family medical leave into best-practice models to support patients and family caregivers.

Variations in Consumer Self-determination within US Psychiatric Advance Directives

Advance directives are legal documents that formalize consumer psychiatric care preferences. This article examines the statutes and goals of US psychiatric advance directives within the framework of consumer self-determination, a priority in national mental health reform. It seeks to distinguish between state models based on the degree that consumer rights are integrated into advance directive statutes and goals. The data set contains information from legislative statutes and goals from the 24 US states that enacted explicit psychiatric advance directive regulations prior to 2006. Researchers grouped the data into categories based on the similarities in consumer self-determination. The findings include an examination of the spectrum of consumer self-determination in US advance directive statutes along with a comparison of the gaps between intent and policy in state statutes.

Is the Week over yet? Insight for Educators about Social Network Support among Cyber Mothers Raising Children with ASD

This study examined the motivation to participate in social networks maintained by mothers who blog and raise children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The qualitative data analyzed in this study originated from a larger project that examined the perceptions, experiences, and meanings among mothers who maintained public blogs while parenting a child with ASD. This analysis included only statements that explained why the mothers blogged. The researchers developed classifications of statements that expressed why they blogged into common themes and developing an emerging theory based on these patterns. Parallels were drawn to the social network and social support framework to amplify the role of support in this virtual network. The findings indicate that these mothers find blogs help them develop unique virtual networks marked by emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. The implications include suggestions for strengthening home – school relations.

Parity not perfect: making sense of substance addiction equity for case managers.

In October of 2008, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act became a law. It represents a groundbreaking change in substance abuse treatment policy because it redistributes the bulk of costs for substance abuse treatment from the federal government to group health plans. The law required that employee and public insurances that cover health or surgical care also provide comparable terms of coverage and treatment limitations for substance abuse. This article considers shift within the context of a popular substance abuse motto that “reform is progress but not perfect.” Specifically, it examines policy implications and their impact on consumers, insurers, providers, and case managers.

A review of intimate partner violence for case managers.

This article provides case managers with updated information on intimate partner violence. Case managers provide an important role in the identification, treatment, and prevention of intimate partner violence. Current federal laws provide direction and funding for a complex network of services for survivors. Effective identification involves screening and assessing risk of harm, severity of violence, and the survivor’s readiness for change. Care planning involves working with the survivor and their families to build protective skills, make a safety plan, and build their life independent of violence.