Commentary: What young people want from psychotherapy.

In recent times there has been increasing acknowledgement of the importance of attending to the agenda of people with lived experience in psychotherapy research. In particular, young people's voices have been recognised as central to the design and development of psychotherapies that work for them. It is important to recognise the limits of professional agendas and make sure that young people's own priorities are represented in the indicators against which we measure change in research evaluations of psychotherapy.

Digital mental health strategies used by young people in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic: 'Just do it yourself, DIY'.

Objective: With rising rates of mental health distress amongst youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital resources have been identified as a valuable tools for delivering support to young people. However, many of the websites and apps developed by professionals to support the youth do not take account of the importance young people place on exercising their own agency in managing their mental health. This article investigates how young people in Aotearoa New Zealand used digital resources to manage their mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You only get one brain: adult reflections on coping and recovery after traumatic brain injury in adolescence.

Background: TBI during adolescence can result in significant acute symptoms that can persist into adulthood. This research analyzed retrospective qualitative accounts of young adults who had sustained a TBI in adolescence to explore coping and recovery processes specific to this developmental stage.

Methods: Thirteen adults (aged 20-25 years; mean 23 years) who sustained a mild ( = 12) or moderate ( = 1) TBI during adolescence (aged 13-17 years at injury), approximately 7.

Using Web-Based Content to Connect Young People With Real-life Mental Health Support: Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: Young people experience high rates of mental health problems but make insufficient use of the formal services available to them. As young people are heavy users of the internet, there may be an untapped potential to use web-based content to encourage this hard-to-reach population to make better use of face-to-face mental health services. However, owing to the vast range of content available and the complexities in how young people engage with it, it is difficult to know what web-based content is most likely to resonate with this age group and facilitate their engagement with professional support.

Young people and adult stakeholders' reflections on how school staff should support students who self-harm: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Self-harm is a significant public health issue affecting school communities, students, and families. The school is an ideal environment for early intervention and prevention. This study aimed to explore the views of young people and stakeholders on how school staff should support students who self-harm in the context of developing accessible and acceptable guidelines.

Can We Build ? Conducting Collaborative Mental Health Service Design with New Zealand's Young People.

Globally, young people are at high risk of mental health problems, but have poor engagement with services. Several international models have emerged seeking to address this gap by providing youth-specific care designed in collaboration with young people. In this study, 94 young people in New Zealand participated in collaborative workshops exploring their vision of an ideal mental health service.

You only get one brain. Adult reflections on acute and ongoing symptom experiences after traumatic brain injury in adolescence.

Background: This research adds to the scarce literature regarding adolescent experiences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). It uses a qualitative methodology to explore the symptoms experienced after sustaining a TBI at this unique stage of development including their persistence into adulthood.

Methods: Thirteen adults (aged 20-25 years; mean 23 years) who sustained a mild-moderate TBI during adolescence (aged 13-17 years at injury), approximately 7.

Parents' Experience and Psychoeducation Needs When Supporting a Young Person Who Self-Harms.

Background: Self-harm in young people can have a substantial negative impact on the well-being and functioning of parents and other carers. The "Coping with Self-Harm" booklet was originally developed in the UK as a resource for parents and carers of young people who self-harm, and an adaptation study of this resource was conducted in Australia. This paper presents qualitative analysis of interviews with parents about their experiences and psychoeducational needs when supporting a young person who engages in self harm.

Young Women's Selfhood on Antidepressants: "Not Fully Myself".

The impact of antidepressants on selfhood is well recognized but little is known about what this means for young women who take antidepressants during a key period for identity development. We analyzed interviews with 16 young women to explore the way that antidepressant use might shape selfhood. Thematic analysis was used to identify a range of potential self-related themes in the participants' narratives including a "diagnosed self," "an ill self," "a normal self," "a stigmatized self," "an uncertain self," and a "powerless self.

Polyphonies of depression: The relationship between voices-of-the-self in young professional women aka 'top girls'.

While the analysis of depression narratives has become increasingly common practice within critical mental health research, this work rarely investigates how these accounts intersect with particular social identities. The recent emergence of the 'top girl' identity, a new cultural slot on offer for young women, is underpinned by the rise of neoliberal and post-feminist discourses in the Western world. To explore whether this new feminine subjectivity is indeed taken up by young women and how it shapes their experience of depression, we conducted in-depth interviews with 13 young professional women in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Attempting to discontinue antipsychotic medication: Withdrawal methods, relapse and success.

Few studies explore subjective experiences of attempting to discontinue antipsychotic medication, the withdrawal methods people use, or how their efforts affect their outcomes. People who take antipsychotics for off-label purposes are poorly represented in the literature. This study investigates experiences of attempting to discontinue antipsychotics in a cross-sectional sample and explores potential associations between withdrawal methods, relapse, and success.

How many of 1829 antidepressant users report withdrawal effects or addiction?

More than 10% of adults are prescribed antidepressants annually in some countries. Recent increases in prescribing can be explained more by repeat prescriptions than new patients. This raises the question of whether antidepressants are addictive.

Attempting to stop antipsychotic medication: success, supports, and efforts to cope.

Purpose: To explore supports and coping strategies used during attempts to discontinue antipsychotic medication and test for associations with success.

Method: 144 people who were taking or had taken antipsychotics completed The Experiences of Antipsychotic Medication Survey. Among them, 105 people had made at least one discontinuation attempt and answered a series of questions about their most recent attempt to stop.

You Do What? A Qualitative Investigation Into the Motivation to Volunteer With Circles of Support and Accountability.

Most community members are not accepting of individuals convicted for sexual offenses living in their communities, let alone having regular contact with them. However, a select number of community members choose to give their time to assist these individuals reintegrate from prison into the community. Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) was developed as a way to address the issues that many individuals convicted of sex offenses face, that is, little to no prosocial support in the community.

Stressful events and circumstances reported by patients prior to being prescribed antidepressants.

Aims: This study investigates the extent to which those who receive a prescription for antidepressants perceive psychosocial stressors to be significant in their difficulties.

Methods: This study draws on a survey of adults prescribed antidepressants. It analyses 1,683 responses to an open-ended question that enquired about difficult events and circumstances participants experienced in the time leading up to receiving an antidepressant prescription.

Do GPs and psychiatrists recommend alternatives when prescribing anti-depressants?

This study explores whether a partial explanation for high antidepressant prescription rates is the failure of prescribers to recommend alternatives. 1829 New Zealand adults were asked which of six non-pharmacological treatment approaches were recommended when prescribed anti-depressants. The majority (82%) received at least one recommendation and 32% received three or more, most commonly 'Counsellor/Psychologist/Psychotherapist' (74%) and Exercise Schedule (43%).

Long-term antidepressant use: patient perspectives of benefits and adverse effects.

Long-term antidepressant treatment has increased and there is evidence of adverse effects; however, little is known about patients' experiences and views of this form of treatment. This study used mixed methods to examine patients' views and experiences of long-term antidepressant treatment, including benefits and concerns. Data from 180 patients, who were long-term users of antidepressants (3-15 years), were extracted from an anonymous online survey of patients' experiences of antidepressants in New Zealand.

'In my life antidepressants have been…': a qualitative analysis of users' diverse experiences with antidepressants.

Background: While mental health professionals have focused on concerns about whether antidepressants work on a neurochemical level it is important to understand the meaning this medication holds in the lives of people who use it. This study explores diversity in the experience of antidepressant users.

Methods: One thousand seven hundred forty-seven New Zealand antidepressant users responded to an open-ended question about their experience of antidepressants.

Conflict in Men's Experiences With Antidepressants.

While men's experiences of depression and help seeking are known to be shaped by gender, there is little research which examines their experience of using antidepressants to treat this. This study is based on in-depth, narrative-style interviews with 20 New Zealand men who had used antidepressants. The analysis identified a number of areas of conflict in the men's accounts of using this medication.

Are older people prescribed antidepressants on the basis of fewer symptoms of depression, and for longer periods of time? A survey of 1825 New Zealanders.

Aim: To determine whether older people are prescribed antidepressants at lower levels of depression and with fewer symptoms, and whether they are more likely to engage in chronic usage than younger adults.

Methods: An online survey about experiences with, and opinions about, depression and antidepressants was completed by 1825 New Zealand adults who had been prescribed antidepressants in the preceding five years.

Results: Participants over 55 were prescribed antidepressants with significantly fewer symptoms and were significantly less likely to meet DSM criteria for depression.