Mutual Aid Group : Depression

The idea of peer support in mental health services has been around for some time especially in the United States where it first became apparent and recognised as needed since the 1960’s. When former service users decided to join together and bring about change in a service they saw as unresponsive and even abusive. They became a consumer movement in the mental health service in America which gained momentum and spawned in to the peer support program.

I finally started my first year of college at Miami Dade College in January 2014. During my adaptation to the new educational system, my Abnormal Psychology class professor mentioned how important it would be to participate in an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. I consider this to be very useful in today’s society where many individuals suffer from depression.

Over the course of several months, I had the opportunity to observe several support groups in my local community. I inquired information regarding how each group benefits its members, characteristics in which contribute to its success, and therapeutic factors found in its structure. Each group varied in its target demographic, agenda of sessions, and overall beliefs and philosophy. Below is an overview of my experiences at each group, including my observations incorporating support from scholarly research.

The goal of the CBT was to develop core skills in areas of emotional regulation, interpersonal communication functioning and cognitive restructuring (Rudd et al., 2015). The group in the CBT developed crisis response plan that included these goals and developed strategies to reduce beliefs of vulnerabilities that lead to suicide. The results showed that out of the two groups, 31 suicide attempts were made by 26 of the participants and lead to two deaths. After calculation, it was shown that soldiers from the CBT group were 60% less likely to make a suicide attempt compared to the treatment as usual group (Rudd et al., 2015). The article stated that CBT was effective in preventing suicide attempt in the military population and that straight symptoms management was not as effective for recovery. Overall, the article reviewed a form of a skills for a prevention plan that can be implicated in the healthcare

Because I work in an hospital that cares for populations at great risk for substance abuse and untreated mental issues and disorders, I get to see patients that have, or at some time will try to commit suicide, I would like to take this opportunity to learn how to properly assess the community, to help those in need, and to educate their families and friends to look for, and recognize signs that can prevent suicides, toward this end, it is important that I have the necessary knowledge to assimilate the information in this study, in a manner that will provide greater benefit not only to my

The group which interest me the most is a suicide prevention support group. This particular segment needs a practitioner who understands the perplexity of their issues. The goal should be aimed at bringing together knowledge about higher risk groups, effective interventions and available resources for this population reduce suicide but also provide support from those affected by suicide. (Doessel, 2011)

Suicide prevention is not a last minute activity. Textbooks on depression state it should be acted on as soon as possible. Unfortunately, suicidal people are often afraid that trying to get help may bring them more pain: being told they are stupid, foolish, sinful, or manipulative; rejection; punishment; suspension from school or job; written records of their condition; or involuntary commitment. Studies have found that seventy five percent of suicides have shown signs of deep despair weeks or months prior to their death. By the year 2020, the World Health Organization estimates that suicide, brought on by depression, will be the number two cause of lives lost

As consultants we all have the responsibility to treat every client with the respect, compassion, and nonjudgmental to be able to provide good sessions that will benefits the clients’ positive outcomes. When a client’s come to an office seeking for help, the counselors needs to remember and be able to put in practice the suicide assessments and created interventions plans according to the steps of “SCATT” which stands for “Stay, Consult, Apprise, Terminate, Truncate and Transport”. According to Gerald A. Juhnke, Gerald B. Juhnke, and Pei-Hsuan Hsieh (2012) states that by 2009 the National Center for Health Statistics found that more than 36,000 of American population committed suicide.

The development of the patient-client relationship is one of the most important factors in treating suicidal behaviors. One of the main goals of establishing this relationship is to help the client to understand their suicidal tendencies, which, in turn can help the client see viable alternatives to coping. (Monk, Samra, 2001). This relationship increases the counselor’s ability to obtain information from the client, which increases treatment options and also helps get the client through a painful period.

By encouraging adolescents to become more social in expressing their experiences, the members will naturally form a relationship. At times, trust can develop, which promotes a sense of belonging among the members and allow indirect identification with an understanding of each other’s situation. Clients with PTSD, especially in the early stage, experience anxiety, or recurrence of a dangerous event in which they lived through. Thus, partaking in a group treatment where others, not only the therapist, can understand there’s thoughts and emotions and then, rationalize together because they too have experienced a dangerous event and are now, also, seeking ways to deal with similar symptoms will enhance individuals’ mental progress. In other words,

As consultants we all have the responsibility to treat every client with the respect, compassion, and nonjudgmental to be able to provide good sessions that will benefits the clients’ positive outcomes. When a client’s come to an office seeking for help, the counselors needs to remember and be able to put in practice the suicide assessments and created interventions plans according to the steps of “SCATT” which stands for Stay, Consult, Apprise, Terminate, Truncate and Transport. According to Gerald A. Juhnke, Gerald B. Juhnke, and Pei-Hsuan Hsieh (2012) states that by 2009 the National Center for Health Statistics found that more than 36,000 of American population committed suicide.

Depression is prevalent mental health issues that has local, national and international significance. This essay will discuss possible social work responses to depression. Therapeutic responses, which is at an individual level will be explained with reference to social work practice theories such as psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural and narrative. Response within the existing system such as strengthening of safety nets will be introduced with reference to functionalism. In addition to this, response at a structural level, such as allocation of resources and challenging oppression will be informed by conflict theory (Payne, 2014). Furthermore, the ways in which socialist-collectivist approach (critical theory) conflict or is compatible with

Three people in my life have completed suicide; my uncle, my mom’s late fiance, and my step brother on my dad’s side, within four years of each other. I’ve witnessed each parental figure in my life become compromised by grief and the inevitable pain accompanying it, and I’ve seen the way depression can plague someone so deeply, even without the ending of suicide. The prevalence and growing numbers of deaths by suicide calls for a revised manner of education on all mental illnesses and the preventative measures one can take to reduce risk. Initially, when I heard of the Suicide Prevention Week Keynote event with Jamie Tworkowski (founder of ‘To Write Love On Her Arms’) I was thrilled. Hosting such an event on a college campus, presenting to a population greatly affected by mental illness, is demonstrative of the steps that should be taken toward raising awareness. Any opportunity for a comprehensive view on mental health and its significance is one to be taken advantage of. However, as the night proceeded, I did take note of several things that would improve the layout of any future events, as well as further deepen an individual’s comprehension of mental illness.

1. It does not clearly define the nature of the treatment plan or how to establish specific treatment goals. This means that it failed to keep pace with the changing nature of the provision of mental health services in the current day.

According to Harned, Jackson, Comtois, and Linehan (2010), individuals that have been diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are at an increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior and non-suicidal self-inflicted injury. The U.S. National Comorbidity Survey found that individuals with PTSD were six times more likely to attempt suicide and five times more likely to report thoughts of suicide than those without PTSD (Kessler, 2000).