José Carlos Santos

Literacia em saúde mental de adolescentes e jovens: conceitos e desafios

Health literacy, understood as a constellation of cognitive and social skills and competences that allow individuals to access, understand and use informat...

Impact of "+Contigo" training on the knowledge and attitudes of health care professionals about suicide

”, desarrollada por enfermeras y dirigida a los profesionales de la salud de 66 equipos de salud escolar en Atencion Primaria. Metodo: cuantitativo con la recoleccion de datos a traves del Cuestionario de Actitudes Ante el Comportamiento Suicida, administrado antes y despues del entrenamiento. Resultados: se observo un aumento significativo en el conocimiento de prevencion del suicidio y el cambio de actitudes de los profesionales de la salud hacia la persona con la conducta suicida. Conclusion: estos resultados nos permiten afirmar que las enfermeras tienen conocimientos cientificos y pedagogicos que les den una posicion ventajosa en los equipos de salud, para el desarrollo de la formacion dirigida a profesionales de salud involucrados en la prevencion del suicidio.Descriptores: Suicidio/prevencion & control; Capacitacion; Conocimientos, Actitudes y Practica en Salud; Personal de Salud.

Mental health literacy about schizophrenia: a survey of Portuguese youth.

Mental health literacy about psychotic disorders, specifically schizophrenia, may assist in appropriate help seeking and early intervention, preventing the exacerbation of symptoms and improving health outcomes in the medium and long term. The aim of this study was to characterize the level of mental health literacy of Portuguese youth concerning schizophrenia.

Depressão em adolescentes em meio escolar: Projeto + Contigo

Background: Adolescent depression is considered a public health issue in Portugal, despite the lack of national epidemiological data. It involves a high degr...

Assessment of Suicide Risk: Validation of the Nurses' Global Assessment of Suicide Risk Index for the Portuguese Population

BACKGROUND Mental health problems, particularly depression, are a major risk factor for suicide. Currently, there is no way to predict, with 100% accuracy, who will make a suicide attempt, but during a clinical interview, it is possible to assess the risk presented by each patient based on the investigation of risk and protective factors. The assessment of these factors helps health care professionals make decisions on the interventions to put into practice, thus contributing to reducing risk. The use of suicide risk assessment tools, properly validated for the population under consideration facilitate communication and information gathering, with clinical nurse specialists in mental health playing an important role. METHOD Because of the shortage of suicide risk assessment tools properly validated for the Portuguese population, it was our aim to translate, adapt and validate the Nurses Global Assessment of Suicide Risk (NGASR) for the Portuguese population. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 109 patients with depressive symptoms and risk factors for suicidal behaviors. RESULTS The analysis of the results showed that most sample participants had a very high risk of suicide. The study of the psychometric properties of the NGASR showed moderate internal consistency and good content and criterion validity. Content validity, obtained through a panel of experts, was consensual. The NGASR index had good criterion validity, showing strong correlation with the SIQ, BDI and DASS-21 (R=0.830, p<0.05). The principal components analysis showed 6 factors, and the 15 predictive variables explained 66.92% of the total variance. CONCLUSION These results are similar to those obtained in studies conducted in other countries and, therefore, the application of the NGASR is believed to be reliable for the Portuguese population.

Promoção do bem-estar em adolescentes: contributos do projeto +Contigo

Objetivos: O projeto +Contigo insere-se no âmbito da promoção da saúde mental e bem-estar e da prevenção de comportamentos autolesivos e enquanto projeto de investigação longitudinal é baseado numa intervenção multinível em rede. Tem como um dos objetivos gerais promover o bem-estar em adolescentes do 3º ciclo e do ensino secundário. Métodos: Estudo de natureza quasi-experimental, com grupo de controlo, avaliado no início, no final e seis meses após intervenção ao longo do ano letivo. A intervenção dirigida aos adolescentes é composta por 7 sessões em sala de aula, abordando o estigma, a adolescência, o autoconceito, a resolução de problemas, a depressão e o bem-estar. O instrumento de recolha de dados, aplicado sob a forma de questionário é constituído por vários instrumentos de medida entre os quais o índice de bem-estar (OMS, 1998). Foi autoadministrado a 2.105 adolescentes, de escolas da região centro de Portugal com adesão ao projeto +Contigo, durante os anos letivos de 2011/2012 e 2012/2013. Resultados: A amostra é constituída por 2.105 adolescentes, maioritariamente do género masculino, com idade entre os 13 e os 14 anos, pertencentes maioritariamente a turmas do 8º ano. O índice de bem-estar demonstra um aumento ao longo das três fases, no grupo alvo de intervenção, com diferença estatisticamente significativa para o grupo de controlo. Os adolescentes do género masculino apresentam melhores índices de bem-estar, existindo no decorrer do projeto aumento deste índice para ambos os géneros, com diferenças estatisticamente significativas no género masculino. Os adolescentes do 7º, 8º e 9º ano evoluíram favoravelmente no índice de bem-estar em todas as fases de avaliação. Conclusão: A intervenção produz resultados positivos a curto e a médio prazo para o índice de bem-estar, com resultados estatisticamente significativos para o grupo de intervenção comparativamente ao grupo de controlo. Estas repercussões ao nível do bem-estar dos adolescentes reforçam a estratégia preventiva de comportamentos suicidários adotada, já que, sendo o bem-estar um indicador de saúde mental acredita-se que poderá ajudar a prevenir os comportamentos autolesivos nos adolescentes.

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Core Competencies: Communication Skills

This chapter focuses on the core skills and competencies of psychiatric/mental health nurses with a particular emphasis on interpersonal communication skills. The use and application of these skills is embedded in the context of person-centered, interpersonal P/MH nursing. As a result, the authors focus on core competencies such as experiencing and conveying a sense of empathy, possessing and communicating unconditional positive regard, and active listening. Following this, the authors review and discuss the evidence concerning the impacts and effects of interpersonal relationships with P/MH nurses from the service users’ perspectives. Effective interpersonal communication skills are then embedded or contextualized within the “recovery movement” and then also within the theory of hope inspiration and maintenance. The chapter concludes by pointing out how given the fact that human beings can be thought of as “systems of interrelated parts,” the holistic view confirms that the whole is more than just the sum of its parts. The challenge lies in moving from a disease-centered approach to a more effective person-centered approach. A new understanding of the meaning of mental health problems or so-called mental disorders is also urgent in order to align the professionals’ roles and skills with the more effective strategies to help the person’s recovery.

The Biopsychosocial Approach: Towards Holistic, Person-Centred Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Practice

This chapter focuses on the Biopsychosocial (BPS) model of care to as it is operationalised for Psychiatric/Mental health care. Instead of simply examining physical symptoms of illness, the BPS uses a multidimensional, holistic approach to explore a patient’s biological, psychological and social dimensions of suffering that affect health outcomes. The chapter begins with a general background and analysis of the essential theoretic elements followed by specific examples of how the BPS model has been applied to the practice of Psychiatric/Mental health nursing. Evidence is presented which demonstrates the effectiveness of BPS in understanding complex health-care issues such as depression and substance abuse. The model is not without criticism, and some literature suggests BPS uses an outdated, vague, pluralistic approach which introduces uncertainty that can confuse treatments and compound expense. Finally the chapter presents a discussion of the components needed to create a comprehensive assessment tool.

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents

The prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents appears to be on the increase. Accordingly, the contemporary P/MH nurse is likely to encounter children and/or adolescents in the mental health care system and thus, after taking a nuanced view of the epidemiology, the chapter draws on the American Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse practice parameters and uses these to inform our approach to assessment. Core interventions, which are drawn from and congruent with the principles and practices of trauma-informed-care are then explored, and P/MH nurses are then exhorted to involve and work collaboratively with clients and their families. The chapter then focuses on three particular challenges for the P/MH nursing care of children and adolescents. While these are by no means the only challenges that P/MH are likely to face, they are encountered frequently and show up with conspicuous regularity in the relevant extant literature. Namely: dealing with aggression and violence; dealing with children and adolescents with a history of trauma, abuse, neglect, and/or mistreatment and dealing with children and adolescents with a history of self-harm or/and suicide attempts.

Human Experiences of and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurses’ Responses to Problems Related to Dementias and Cognitive Impairment

The population of Europe is aging, and with that, there comes a higher incidence of neurodegenerative disorders. The increased health-care burden this creates on occidental countries at the very least is significant, and psychiatric/mental health nurses are at the front of the response to these challenges. Accordingly, this chapter begins by reviewing, defining, and discussing the basic elements related to dementia, intervention, psychoeducation, and person-centered psychiatric/mental health nursing care of older adults living with dementia, their families, and caregivers. Following this, the chapter focuses on interventions with an emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions and then proceeds to explore the important practice of psychoeducation. The chapter, in keeping with the book’s overall focus, then details person-centered psychiatric/mental health nursing care of the older adult living with dementia. The chapter closes by considering and discussing the role of families and caregivers in the mental health care of this population.