Supervised consumption sites and crime: scrutinizing the methodological weaknesses and aberrant results of a government report in Alberta, Canada.

To date, peer-reviewed research has found no evidence linking supervised consumptions sites (SCSs) to increased crime. Yet, in March 2020, a government Report released in the province of Alberta, Canada, presented the results of a review that reached a different conclusion. This commentary highlights the Report's major methodological limitations with respect to its criminological components, including that crime was poorly operationalized and measured, change in crime was inadequately assessed, and the effect of SCSs on crime was not ascertained.

Primary Care Physicians' Views about Prescribing Methadone to Treat Opioid Use Disorder.

Background: Methadone maintenance treatment is an effective way to reduce harms associated with opioid use disorder and, in several countries, is delivered in community-based primary care settings. Expanding methadone into primary care depends, in part, on physicians' willingness and readiness to integrate it into their practices.

Objectives: This qualitative study explores factors that primary care physicians consider important when contemplating prescribing methadone to treat opioid use disorder.

Contact Between Police and People With Mental Disorders: A Review of Rates.

Objective: There is widespread belief that people with mental disorders are overrepresented in police encounters. The prevalence of such interactions is used as evidence of extensive problems in our health care and social support systems. The goal of this study was to estimate the rates of police arrests among people with mental disorders, police involvement in pathways to mental health care, and police calls for service involving persons with mental disorders.

What Does Success Look Like in the Forensic Mental Health System? Perspectives of Service Users and Service Providers.

Outcomes research in forensic mental health (FMH) has concentrated on reoffending as the principal indicator of success. Defining success in one-dimensional, negative terms can create a distorted view of the diverse objectives of the FMH system. This qualitative study examined the complexity of success from the perspectives of people in the FMH system.

Using theatre to address mental illness stigma: a knowledge translation study in bipolar disorder.

Background: Reduction of the stigma of mental illness is an international priority; arts- and contact-based approaches represent a promising mode of intervention. This project was designed to explore the impact of a one-woman theatrical performance on attitudes towards bipolar disorder (BD) on people with BD and healthcare providers.

Methods: A playwright and actress who lives with BD developed a stage performance - 'That's Just Crazy Talk' - targeting stigmatizing attitudes towards BD.

Using social bonding theory to examine 'recovery' in a forensic mental health hospital: A qualitative study.

Background: For people living with mental illness, recovery involves learning to overcome and manage their symptoms and striving to live fulfilling lives. The literature on achieving recovery emphasises the importance of social connections and positive role models. Hirschi's social bonding theory posits that an individual's attachment to others, belief in social norms, and their commitment and involvement in conventional activities are the major contributors to normalising social behaviour.

Perceptions and experiences of people with mental illness regarding their interactions with police.

This study examined the perceptions and lived experiences of people with mental illness in relation to their interactions with the police. A community-based participatory research approach was used and a procedural justice theoretical perspective guided the study. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted by peer researchers with 60 people with mental illness who had interacted with the police and were living in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

Another time point, a different story: one year effects of a social media intervention on the attitudes of young people towards mental health issues.

Purpose: This study extends an evaluation of a brief, social media intervention, called In One Voice, for raising mental health awareness and improving attitudes of youth and young adults towards mental health issues.

Methods: A successive independent samples design assessed market penetration and attitudinal changes among the young people who completed an online questionnaire 1 year after (T3: n = 438) the intervention. This is compared with two samples that completed a survey either immediately before (T1: n = 403) or 2 months after (T2: n = 403) the campaign launch.

Supporting recovery by improving patient engagement in a forensic mental health hospital: results from a demonstration project.

Background: Mental health services are shifting toward approaches that promote patients' choices and acknowledge the value of their lived experiences.

Objective: To support patients' recovery and improve their experiences of care in a Canadian forensic mental health hospital, an intervention was launched to increase patient engagement by establishing a peer support program, strengthening a patient advisory committee, and creating a patient-led research team.

Design: The effect of the intervention on patient- and system-level outcomes was studied using a naturalistic, prospective, longitudinal approach.

What influences perceptions of procedural justice among people with mental illness regarding their interactions with the police?

According to procedural justice theory, a central factor shaping perceptions about authority figures and dispute resolution processes is whether an individual believes they were treated justly and fairly during personal encounters with agents of authority. This paper describes findings from a community-based participatory research study examining perceptions of procedural justice among sixty people with mental illness regarding their interactions with police. The degree to which these perceptions were associated with selected individual (e.

Evaluation of a campaign to improve awareness and attitudes of young people towards mental health issues.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the In One Voice campaign for raising mental health awareness and improving attitudes of youth and young adults towards mental health issues. The campaign featured a prominent male sports figure talking about mental health issues and used online social media.

Methods: A successive independent samples design assessed market penetration and attitudinal changes among the young people.

Improving care and wellness in bipolar disorder: origins, evolution and future directions of a collaborative knowledge exchange network.

The Collaborative RESearch team to study psychosocial factors in bipolar disorder (CREST.BD) is a multidisciplinary, cross-sectoral network dedicated to both fundamental research and knowledge exchange on bipolar disorder (BD). The core mission of the network is to advance the science and understanding of psychological and social issues associated with BD, improve the care and wellness of people living with BD, and strengthen services and supports for these individuals.

A tale of two cultures: examining patient-centered care in a forensic mental health hospital.

Several questions remain unanswered regarding the extent to which the principles and practices of patient-centered care are achievable in the context of a forensic mental health hospital. This study examined patient-centered care from the perspectives of patients and providers in a forensic mental health hospital. Patient-centered care was assessed using several measures of complementary constructs.

The effectiveness of interventions for reducing stigma related to substance use disorders: a systematic review.

Aims: This study provides a systematic review of existing research that has empirically evaluated interventions designed to reduce stigma related to substance use disorders.

Methods: A comprehensive review of electronic databases was conducted to identify evaluations of substance use disorder related stigma interventions. Studies that met inclusion criteria were synthesized and assessed using systematic review methods.

Stressors and barriers to using mental health services among diverse groups of first-generation immigrants to the United States.

This study examined stressors and barriers to using mental health services among first-generation immigrants in San Jose, California. Focus groups for 30 immigrants from Cambodia, Eastern Europe, Iran, Iraq, Africa, and Vietnam were audio-recorded, translated and transcribed. Two researchers coded the data and identified themes pertaining to mental health stressors and barriers.

'It's something that I manage but it is not who I am': reflections on internalized stigma in individuals with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex chronic condition associated with substantial costs, both at a personal and societal level. Growing research indicates that experiences with stigma may play a significant role in contributing to the distress, disability, and poor quality of life (QoL) often experienced in people with BD. Here, we present a sub-set of findings from a qualitative study of self-management strategies utilized by high functioning Canadian individuals with BD.

'Forensic' labelling: an empirical assessment of its effects on self-stigma for people with severe mental illness.

Increasingly, specialized 'forensic' mental health services are being developed to address the criminogenic and clinical needs of people with mental illness who are involved in the criminal justice system. Theoretically, the construction of such specialized services can produce simultaneous positive benefits and negative consequences. This mixed methods study examined and compared the level of self-stigma that was experienced by people who receive compulsory community-based treatment services in the forensic (n=52) and civil (n=39) mental health systems of British Columbia, Canada.

The impact of realigning a tertiary psychiatric hospital in British Columbia on other institutional sectors.

Objective: Deinstitutionalization is an ongoing process, as many jurisdictions continue to struggle with redesigning their psychiatric systems. Historically, reducing psychiatric beds and closing hospitals have resulted in deleterious outcomes for people with severe and persistent mental illness. More recent evidence suggests that careful implementation of deinstitutionalization policies can thwart potential adverse consequences and may even foster favorable outcomes.

Correlates and consequences of internalized stigma for people living with mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

An expansive body of research has investigated the experiences and adverse consequences of internalized stigma for people with mental illness. This article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the extant research regarding the empirical relationship between internalized stigma and a range of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and psychiatric variables for people who live with mental illness. An exhaustive review of the research literature was performed on all articles published in English that assessed a statistical relationship between internalized stigma and at least one other variable for adults who live with mental illness.

A narrative review of the effectiveness of aggression management training programs for psychiatric hospital staff.

Unlabelled: Workplace violence, including patient-perpetrated violence in healthcare settings, is increasingly being recognized as preventable. Staff training has been identified as a necessary component of any initiative aimed at preventing or reducing incidents of aggression and violence in the workplace. This narrative review of the literature evaluates the effectiveness of staff training programs designed to prevent and manage violence and aggression in psychiatric hospitals.

A statistical survey of Canadian forensic mental health inpatient programs.

Secure hospital beds are vitally important for the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered accused persons. A forensic mental health system with an adequate level of hospital beds is essential for the courts and review boards to carry out of the mental disorder provisions of the Criminal Code. This article describes the results of a study that examined interprovincial differences in the structure of Canadian forensic mental health FMH inpatient programs.

Persons found 'not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder': a comparison of British Columbia, Canada and Hunan, China.

Current research literature contains very few international, cross-cultural comparison studies of persons adjudicated 'Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder' (NCRMD). This study explores and compares the demographic differences between persons found NCRMD in British Columbia, Canada and Hunan, China. Eight variables such as sex, age, education level, marital status, conviction history, psychiatric history, and index offence are compared between the Canadian and Chinese cohorts.

A follow-up study of persons found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder in British Columbia.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of individuals found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) after the 1992 Criminal Code amendments and to track their movement through the forensic system, as well as to unveil the changes to British Columbia's forensic psychiatric system that resulted from Bill C-30.

Method: Profile information relating to persons found NCRMD between February 4, 1992, and February 4, 1998, in British Columbia was collected and analyzed. Community follow-up data was collected and analyzed for a 24-month period following a subject's discharge from hospital.