Family Conundrums with Psychiatric Medication: An Inquiry into Experiences, Beliefs, and Desires.

Research with families of people with serious mental illness consistently shows that the concerns and conundrums about their loved one's medication are among those most centrally voiced. The inquiry here relied on an anonymous cross-sectional survey of attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of family members (N = 339) specifically related to psychiatric medication use. A latent profile analysis yielded two categories of respondents: those "skeptical of the medical model," which represented 43% of the survey respondents, and those "supportive of the medical model," which represented 57% of the survey respondents.

Measuring Mental Health Provider-Based Stigma: Development and Initial Psychometric Testing of a Self-Assessment Instrument.

This article describes the development and initial psychometric testing of the Mental Health Provider Self-Assessment of Stigma Scale (MHPSASS), a 20-item instrument crafted in reflection of Charles' (Social Work in Mental Health 11:360-375, 2013) empirically derived, experience-based, five-themed model of provider stigmatization. Following model and item review by construct experts, 220 mental health service providers in Virginia's public mental health centers and in-patient facilities completed the survey package. Results indicate the refined MHPSASS is a reliable measure of provider-based stigma with promising face and content validity.

Incarcerated Women's Experiences and Beliefs About Psychotropic Medication: An Empirical Study.

Objective: Research has consistently shown that incarcerated women experience mental illness at disproportionate rates and heavily use psychiatric medication. This study examined factors related to incarcerated women's experiences and beliefs about psychotropic medications.

Methods: The researchers conducted a survey with 274 women incarcerated at a medium-security correctional institution in a Mid-Atlantic state.

A psychiatric medication decision support guide for social work practice with pregnant and postpartum women.

In their work in human services organizations and community agencies across service sectors, social workers encounter pregnant and postpartum women experiencing mental health challenges. This article offers an evidence-informed Decision Support Guide designed for use by social workers working with pregnant and postpartum women who are struggling with complicated decisions about psychiatric medication use. The guide is built on contemporary notions of health literacy and shared decision making and is informed by three areas: (1) research into the lived experiences of pregnant and postpartum women and health care providers around psychiatric medication decision making, (2) a critical review of existing decision aids, and (3) feedback on the strategy from social work practitioners who work with pregnant and postpartum women.

Contemporary health-related decision aids: tools for social work practice.

The escalating complexity in health-related decisions that people face have important implications for social work interventions. This article explores the nature of these implications within the context of decisional conflict, shared decision making, and the use of decision aids. In addition, the authors present the findings of a content analysis of 29 contemporary health-related decision aids.

Psychopharmacology decision-making among pregnant and postpartum women and health providers: informing compassionate and collaborative care women's health.

Psychopharmaceutical use by pregnant and postpartum women is complicated by the complexity of prescribing as well as the sociocultural context in which medication-related decisions are made. This study sought to advance understanding of decision-making processes and communication experiences regarding use of psychopharmaceuticals during pregnancy by considering both provider and consumer perspectives. An electronic survey was conducted with health care providers (N = 88) and women consumers (N = 83) from July 2010 through October 2011 regarding the perceived costs and benefits of taking mental health medication during and around the time of pregnancy.

Factors associated with the psychological and behavioral adjustment of siblings of youths with spina bifida.

The intensive health management activities associated with spina bifida (SB) often command a pervasive presence in the lives of families and may place some members at risk for psychosocial difficulties. However, research on the risk and protective factors associated with sibling adjustment is limited. Anchored upon a social-ecological theoretical framework, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationships between select individual, family, and peer factors and sibling adjustment.

Social work roles and activities regarding psychiatric medication: results of a national survey.

This article reports the findings of a 2001 national survey of social workers regarding their everyday practice roles and activities regarding psychiatric medication. The results of this quantitative study indicate variability in the types of roles carried out by social workers with regard to psychiatric medication, but that perceptions of competence and appropriateness in these roles tended to be positively associated with frequency of roles performed. Using content analysis of two open-ended questions, the authors present themes for respondents' keys to success and desired changes in working with clients and colleagues around psychiatric medication.

Professional dissonance: colliding values and job tasks in mental health practice.

This study investigated the relationship between individual and job characteristics of mental health social workers and professional dissonance--an experienced conflict between values and job tasks. A 33-item questionnaire, designed specifically for the study's purposes was utilized. A total of 320 usable study questionnaires were returned (44.

Women, mental health, and the psychiatric enterprise: a review.

This article raises questions about how social workers can be more responsive to the needs and wants of women who struggle with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Specifically, the article examines the history and theoretical context of mental health services for women, reviews lessons learned from women's own descriptions of their lived experiences with mental illness, and summarizes needed responses to the treatment needs of women. Recommendations are offered in areas of the general structure of the service delivery system, psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions, and psychopharmacology.