Mental health outcomes, literacy and service provision in low- and middle-income settings: a systematic review of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the prevalence of mental health issues could be greater than in other low-income and middle-income countries because of major risk factors related to armed conflicts and poverty. Given that mental health is an essential component of health, it is surprising that no systematic evaluation of mental health in the DRC has yet been undertaken. This study aims to undertake the first systematic review of mental health literacy and service provision in the DRC, to bridge this gap and inform those who need to develop an evidence base.

Supporting unpaid carers around hospital leave for people detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) in England: carer and practitioner perspectives.

Background: When an individual is detained in hospital it is important that they maintain contact with their family, friends and communities as these can be helpful for their well-being and recovery. Maintaining these relationships is also important to unpaid carers (family or friends), but they can be strained by carers' instigation of, or compliance with, the involuntary detention. Section 17 of the Mental Health Act (1983) in England and Wales allows for temporary leave from hospital, from an hour in the hospital grounds to going home for a few days.

Randomised controlled trial of the Community Navigator programme to reduce loneliness and depression for adults with treatment-resistant depression in secondary community mental health services: trial protocol.

Background: New treatments are needed for people with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), who do not benefit from anti-depressants and many of whom do not recover fully with psychological treatments. The Community Navigator programme was co-produced with service users and practitioners. It is a novel social intervention which aims to reduce loneliness and thus improve health outcomes for people with TRD.

Participation in leisure activities and quality of life of people with psychosis in England: a multi-site cross-sectional study.

Background: Leisure activities can improve quality of life in the general population. For people with psychosis, negative symptoms (e.g.

Interventions that support unpaid carers of adult mental health inpatients: a scoping review.

Background: Unpaid carers of adult mental health inpatients often lack support for their well-being and feel excluded from decisions about patient care.

Aims: This scoping review aimed to: synthesise the peer-reviewed literature evaluating the outcomes of brief interventions for unpaid carers of adult mental health inpatients, identify transferable lessons for evidenced-informed practice, and establish future research priorities.

Methods: PRISMA scoping review guidelines were followed to search 12 databases using predefined search terms.

Interventions to improve social circumstances of people with mental health conditions: a rapid evidence synthesis.

Background: Poor social circumstances can induce, exacerbate and prolong symptoms of mental health conditions, while having a mental health condition can also lead to worse social outcomes. Many people with mental health conditions prioritise improvement in social and functional outcomes over reduction in clinical symptoms. Interventions that improve social circumstances in this population should thus be considered a priority for research and policy.

Participatory mental health interventions in low-income and middle-income countries: a realist review protocol.

Introduction: The launch of the Movement for Global Mental Health brought long-standing calls for improved mental health interventions in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) to centre stage. Within the movement, the participation of communities and people with lived experience of mental health problems is argued as essential to successful interventions. However, there remains a lack of conceptual clarity around 'participation' in mental health interventions with the specific elements of participation rarely articulated.

Social Isolation and Psychosis: Perspectives from People with Psychosis, Family Caregivers and Mental Health Professionals.

This paper explores the subjective experiences of mental health practitioners, people with psychosis and carers, on social isolation and community integration of people with psychosis. Focus groups and one-to-one interviews with 80 adult participants across three sites in the UK were conducted. Audio recordings were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.

Who wants more social contacts? A cross-sectional study of people with psychotic disorders in England.

Many people with psychosis have few social contacts which can significantly reduce quality of life. While the symptoms of psychosis are thought to contribute to social isolation, they could also lead to the perception that patients are uninterested in increasing their social contacts or in socialisation interventions. Hence, those who most need support to reduce isolation may be less likely to receive it.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a structured social coaching intervention for people with psychosis (SCENE): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: People with psychosis tend to have smaller social networks than both people in the general population and other people with long-term health conditions. Small social networks are associated with poor quality of life. Preliminary evidence suggests that coaching patients to increase their social contacts may be effective.

Neighbourhood characteristics and social isolation of people with psychosis: a multi-site cross-sectional study.

Purpose: People with psychosis are vulnerable to social isolation, which is associated with worse clinical outcomes. In general populations, people living in areas with higher population density have more social contacts, while those living in more socially deprived and fragmented areas are less satisfied with their relationships. We assessed whether and how neighbourhood factors are associated with social contacts and satisfaction with friendships for people with psychosis.

Community-Enhanced Social Prescribing: Integrating Community in Policy and Practice.

The NHS Plan is introducing social prescribing link workers into GP surgeries in England. The link workers connect people to non-health resources in the community and voluntary sector, with the aim of meeting individual needs beyond the capacity of the NHS. Social prescribing models focus on enhancing individual wellbeing, guided by the policy of universal personalised care.

Practitioner opinions of crisis plans within early intervention in psychosis services: A mixed methods study.

The efficacy of crisis planning in mental health services is contested. As recovery and self-management are core to Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services and the Care Programme Approach (CPA), the views of EIP practitioners of the most useful aspects of crisis planning can inform this vital aspect of practice. We conducted a mixed methods study using a national cross-sectional survey (n = 70) and semi-structured interviews (n = 12) with EIP practitioners in England in 2019.

Towards the Development of an Intervention to Address Social Determinants of Non-Communicable Disease in Kerala, India: A Mixed Methods Study.

In India, cardiovascular disease (CVD), with hypertension as its foremost risk factor, has the highest prevalence rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and a rising mortality. Previous research has found a clustering of behavioural and social risks pertaining to NCDs, though the latter are infrequently addressed in public health interventions in India. This paper reaches toward the development of a social intervention to address social determinants of NCD relating to hypertension and diabetes.

Social and behavioural risk factors in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in Kerala, India: a catchment area population survey.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in India. Social and behavioural factors are strongly interrelated in the prevention and control of CVD. The ability to make lifestyle changes to control hypertension and diabetes (major risk factors for CVD) is determined by factors such as education, gender, caste, poverty, and urbanicity.

Social factors associated with chronic non-communicable disease and comorbidity with mental health problems in India: a scoping review.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the existing literature of the major social risk factors which are associated with diabetes, hypertension and the comorbid conditions of depression and anxiety in India.

Design: Scoping review.

Data Sources: Scopus, Embase, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Web of Science and MEDLINE were searched for through September 2019.

Helping people with psychosis to expand their social networks: the stakeholders' views.

Background: People with psychosis experience more social isolation than any other diagnostic group and have smaller social networks than the general population. This isolation can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. No direct, standardised interventions have been developed to specifically target this issue.

Cultural adaptation framework of social interventions in mental health: Evidence-based case studies from low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Evidence-based strategies for treating mental health conditions need to be scaled up to address the mental health treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries. Most medical and psychological interventions for the treatment of mental health conditions have been developed and evaluated in high-income countries. However, the imperative of scaling up such interventions potentially ignores local realities, and may also discredit or replace local frameworks for responding to distress.

Personal well-being networks, social capital and severe mental illness: exploratory study.

Background: Connectedness is a central dimension of personal recovery from severe mental illness (SMI). Research reports that people with SMI have lower social capital and poorer-quality social networks compared to the general population.AimsTo identify personal well-being network (PWN) types and explore additional insights from mapping connections to places and activities alongside social ties.

Effectiveness of a training program for police officers who come into contact with people with mental health problems: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Police officers frequently come into contact with individuals with mental health problems. Specialist training in this area for police officers may improve how they respond to individuals with mental health problems; however, evidence to support this is sparse. This study evaluated the effectiveness of one bespoke mental health training package for frontline police officers relative to routine training.

A review of social participation interventions for people with mental health problems.

Purpose: The association between social networks and improved mental and physical health is well documented in the literature, but mental health services rarely routinely intervene to improve an individual's social network. This review summarises social participation intervention models to illustrate different approaches which practitioners use, highlight gaps in the evidence base and suggest future directions for research.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted, and social participation interventions were grouped into six categories using a modified narrative synthesis approach.

Improving outcomes for people in mental health crisis: a rapid synthesis of the evidence for available models of care.

Background: Crisis Concordat was established to improve outcomes for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The Crisis Concordat sets out four stages of the crisis care pathway: (1) access to support before crisis point; (2) urgent and emergency access to crisis care; (3) quality treatment and care in crisis; and (4) promoting recovery.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the models of care for improving outcomes at each stage of the care pathway.

Social network typologies and mortality risk among older people in China, India, and Latin America: A 10/66 Dementia Research Group population-based cohort study.

Background: Restricted social networks have been associated with higher mortality in several developed countries but there are no studies on this topic from developing countries. This gap exists despite potentially greater dependence on social networks for support and survival due to various barriers to health care and social protection schemes in this setting. Thus, this study aims to examine how social network type at baseline predicts all-cause mortality among older adults in six Latin American countries, China, and India.

Enhancing social networks: a qualitative study of health and social care practice in UK mental health services.

People with severe mental health problems such as psychosis have access to less social capital, defined as resources within social networks, than members of the general population. However, a lack of theoretically and empirically informed models hampers the development of social interventions which seek to enhance an individual's social networks. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study, which used ethnographic field methods in six sites in England to investigate how workers helped people recovering from psychosis to enhance their social networks.