'It stopped you thinking about food' - The experiences of mealtimes and attending a post-meal support group for young people with anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa presents as an international public health concern as it is the mental health problem with the greatest risk of mortality, and the average age of onset is decreasing. For those experiencing anorexia nervosa, mealtimes have long been recognized as a difficult and distressing time when young people need additional support. However, the post mealtime period can be associated with even greater distress, yet there is little research on interventions to support young people in this vulnerable time, and even less on how young people experience these interventions.

An exploration of mental distress in transgender people in Ireland with reference to minority stress and dissonance theory.

Internationally mental distress is more prominent in the LGBTI community than the general population. The LGBTIreland study was set up to take stock of this in the Republic of Ireland. This paper reports on the analysis of the transgender group with reference to minority stress theory and cognitive dissonance theory.

Developing a health promoting university in Trinity College Dublin-overview and outline process evaluation.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have the potential to impact positively on the health and wellbeing of their staff and students. Using and expanding on the 'health promoting university' (HPU) platform within HEIs, this article provides a description of 'Healthy Trinity', which is an initiative underway in Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin. First, Healthy Trinity is contextualized in background literature including international and national policy and practice.

Decider Life Skills training as a method of promoting resilience with mental health student nurses on clinical placement.

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore mental health student nurses' perceptions and application of a CBT-orientated training programme - the Decider Life Skills programme.

Background: The undergraduate nursing degree programme is a challenging one and places high demands both professionally and personally on students. Mental health nursing students are faced with particular stressors including working with people in significant psychological distress, which can result in students feeling overwhelmed and emotionally burdened.

An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research.

Background: Qualitative descriptive designs are common in nursing and healthcare research due to their inherent simplicity, flexibility and utility in diverse healthcare contexts. However, the application of descriptive research is sometimes critiqued in terms of scientific rigor. Inconsistency in decision making within the research process coupled with a lack of transparency has created issues of credibility for this type of approach.

The role and activities of the Traveller mental health liaison nurse: Findings from a multi-stakeholder evaluation.

Irish Travellers are a minority ethnic group within the Irish state with a distinct culture and set of traditions. Travellers experience mental health inequalities, high rates of mental ill health, and structural and individual barriers to mental health supports. A Traveller Mental Health Liaison Nurse (TMHLN) was introduced in a healthcare region in Ireland to provide greater mental health-related support to Travellers.

Mental health service users experiences of medication discontinuation: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

Background: The use of psychotropic medication is often the first line of treatment for people with mental distress. However, many service users discontinue their prescribed medication, and little is known about their experiences or the reasons why they choose to stop taking medication.

Aim: The aim of this review is to synthesize research literature focused on the experiences of people who decided to discontinue taking medication for their mental health problem.

Deciding to discontinue prescribed psychotropic medication: A qualitative study of service users' experiences.

Many mental health service users decide to discontinue their psychotropic medication at some stage in the treatment process; however, few studies have captured these experiences. This study aimed to explore people's experiences of coming off medication. A qualitative descriptive design and individual interviews with 23 people who experienced coming off medication were employed.

Multi-level learning in public healthcare medical teams: the role of the social environment.

Purpose: This study explores how individual, dyad and team levels of learning interact in public healthcare medical teams.

Design/methodology/approach: A single interpretive case study is carried out in the public Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland, involving three rounds of semi-structured interviews with non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), supported by relevant professional documentation and researcher log entries.

Findings: An experience hierarchy, interpersonal relationships and social dynamics form the backdrop to learning interactions within public healthcare medical teams.

Forensic Mental Health Nurses' Perceptions of Clinical Supervision: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Mental health nursing in the forensic services is perceived as stressful as there is often a tension between therapeutic and custodial processes. Clinical supervision has been discussed as a support strategy for nurses. The aim of this paper is to explore forensic mental health nurses understanding of clinical supervision and their perception of its utility within their practice.

Women Construct Their Birth Narratives and Process Unplanned Cesarean Births Through Storytelling.

Objective: To examine birth narratives of primiparous women who experienced unplanned cesarean births to improve nursing care.

Design: Descriptive, qualitative.

Setting: The family/newborn units of a large teaching hospital in the Northeast United States.

Factors impacting the implementation of a psychoeducation intervention within the mental health system: a multisite study using the consolidation framework for implementation research.

Background: Despite a strong evidence base and policy recommendation supporting the implementation of psychoeducation interventions within the mental health system, equitable access for many service users and family members has not been achieved. To enhance translation, developing an evidence-base around the factors that influence implementation of interventions is critical.

Methods: The aim of the study was to explore the factors influencing implementation of a group cofacilitated recovery focused psychoeducation intervention.

LGBT + young people's perceptions of barriers to accessing mental health services in Ireland.

Aim: To explore the barriers to accessing mental health services in the Republic of Ireland from the perspectives of young LGBT + people aged 14-25.

Background: Significant mental health disparities exist between LGBT + young people and their cisgender and heterosexual peers, yet they do not have equitable access to mental health services. Limited research has explored barriers, which exist for LGBTI + young people in accessing services, particularly from their perspectives.

Beyond the moment: Influence of a co-facilitated education intervention on practitioners' recovery beliefs and practices.

Despite health policy and research increasingly advocating for recovery-enabling principles to be better integrated into mental health services, finding solutions to enhance the translation of recovery policy into practice remains a challenge. This study sought to understand whether a co-facilitated group education intervention for service users and family members reached beyond the intervention and impacted the everyday recovery promoting beliefs and practices of the practitioners involved and the wider organization. The study employed a qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected sample of 28 participants (mental health nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team) who were involved in delivering the intervention.

Evaluation of a Traveller Mental Health Liaison Nurse: Service User Perspectives.

Irish Travellers are a small indigenous minority group with a distinctive lifestyle and culture which sets them apart from the general population. Travellers are vulnerable to significant mental distress which is exacerbated by the social disadvantage that they experience. A Traveller Mental Health Liaison Nurse (TMHLN) was introduced in one health care region in Ireland to provide support for Travellers and increase their access to mental health services.

Lived experiences of adults with borderline personality disorder: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objectives of this review are: to explore the lived experiences of individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and to present recommendations for policy, practice, education and research.

Introduction: Borderline personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by poor capacity to engage in effective relationships, intense and sudden mood changes, poor self-image and emotion regulation, significant impulsivity and severe functional impairment. Studies estimate the prevalence of BPD at 15% to 22% and identify a predominantly negative attitude among health professionals towards individuals with BPD.

Scoping review of factors influencing the implementation of group psychoeducational initiatives for people experiencing mental health difficulties and their families.

Background: Despite evidence to support the effectiveness of psychoeducation for people experiencing mental health difficulties and their families, understanding issues around the implementation of such programmes is limited.

Aim: The aim of this scoping review was to synthesise the peer-reviewed literature on barriers and enablers influencing the implementation of group psychoeducation in adult mental health services.

Methods: Using a pre-defined search strategy and PRISMA guidelines, four databases were systematically searched.

'There is no progression in prevention' - The experiences of mental health nurses working with repeated self-harm.

Caring for people who self-harm is an everyday experience for mental health nurses and an important part of their role. How mental health nurses respond to and support those who self-harm can have a significant impact on the outcomes for service users and their intentions to seek help in the future. Repeated self-harm can be a particularly challenging phenomenon as it is often misunderstood and can have a negative impact on the therapeutic relationship.

The Administration of Medication by Mental Health Nurses: A Thematic Analysis.

(PRN) medication is medication administered by nurses as required commonly in response to a patient's symptoms or behaviour including insomnia, agitation or anxiety. There is a paucity of research around the process of PRN administration in mental health settings in Ireland and international evidence suggests inconsistencies in practices. This study aimed to explore the process of PRN medication administration by mental health nurses.

Effects of Connective Tissue Massage on Pain in Primiparous Women After Cesarean Birth.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of connective tissue massage to reduce postoperative pain in primiparous women on Postoperative Day 1 after unplanned cesarean birth.

Design: A randomized controlled trial with three groups: intervention (Group 1), control or standard care (Group 2), and individualized attention (Group 3).

Setting: Family/newborn units of a large teaching hospital in the Northeastern United States.

Master's level mental health nursing competencies, a prerequisite for equal health among service users in mental health care.

Purpose: This discussion paper aims to explore the need of a clarified definition of master's level mental health nursing competencies in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes in a European context. Mental health service users have, in spite of their right to equal overall health, higher rates of physical illness and are more likely to experience premature death than the general population. Implementation of a holistic concept of health comprising mental, physical and social aspects of health in mental health services has previously proved to be challenging.

Advancing the knowledge, skills and attitudes of mental health nurses working with families and caregivers: A critical review of the literature.

Involving and supporting the family members and caregivers of people with mental illness is essential to high-quality mental health services. However, literature suggests that there is a lack of engagement between family members and mental health nurses (MHNs). Lack of knowledge among MHNs is often cited as one of the main reasons for this lack of engagement.

Attitudes toward adolescent self-harm and its prevention: The views of those who self-harm and their peers.

Problem: Adolescent self-harm is a common phenomenon; however, little is known about young peoples' attitudes toward self-harm and what they believe can be done to prevent it. This study aimed to identify adolescents' attitudes about self-harm and their perspectives on preventing it.

Methods: A cross-sectional anonymous survey was administered to 856 post-primary school students across 11 schools in Dublin, Ireland.