David Palmer, Lucy Williams, Sue White, Charity Chenga, Verusca Calabria, Dawn Branch, Sue Arundal, Linda Storer, Chris Ash, Claire Cuthill, Haile Bezuayehu and Eleni Hatzidimitriadou
In 2008, Mind in Bexley received a research development grant from the Big Lottery Fund and a training grant from Bexley Care Trust to empower service users to participate and…
Abstract
In 2008, Mind in Bexley received a research development grant from the Big Lottery Fund and a training grant from Bexley Care Trust to empower service users to participate and contribute to a pilot research project. The project aims were to work with, develop, train and support service users as researchers, in order to record the narratives of service users who have common experiences of mental health distress and treatment. The research development project set up an advisory group, created and developed a partnership with the University of Kent and provided workshops and training sessions to explore some of the principles of research and ethics. In addition, the group undertook a preliminary literature review, developed and refined a research questionnaire and piloted interviews with six service users. Many issues were raised and lessons learned during the planning and conduct of the project. This paper discusses the process and reflects on aspects of the project's design and delivery. In addition, this paper highlights some of the difficulties in undertaking service user research and suggests recommendations as to how to overcome some of these complex issues.
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Fiona Mackay and Claire Wilson
Janette1 is a young woman with both a mild intellectual disability and moderate physical disabilities who experienced a major depressive disorder at a stage in her life when many…
Abstract
Janette1 is a young woman with both a mild intellectual disability and moderate physical disabilities who experienced a major depressive disorder at a stage in her life when many young adults leave home. This case study exemplifies the success of a multi‐disciplinary, multi‐agency and multi‐element intervention for severe depression in relation to the tasks of adolescence. The impact of a combination of treatments (including attendance at an assessment day unit, electro‐convulsive therapy (ECT) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)) on Janette's mood has been assessed regularly using the Glasgow Depression Inventory ‐ Learning Disability (GDS‐LD) scale (Cuthill, 2003). There is currently very little literature on either using ECT with people with learning disabilities or assessing depression in this population. The multiple inputs, in Janette's case, have had the desired effect of greatly improving her mood, which has been sustained via outpatient follow‐up and tailoring of day and respite services.
Peter Robert Diamond and Claire Delaney
There is a growing evidence base for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a treatment for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) in the general population. Despite the…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a growing evidence base for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a treatment for psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) in the general population. Despite the relatively high proportion of individuals with PNES who have an intellectual disability (ID) there is a paucity of literature on the use of CBT for PNES in this population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of an adapted CBT approach to treat PNES in a woman with mild ID.
Design/methodology/approach
The intervention used a CBT approach that included both the client and her mother, her primary care giver, throughout the therapy sessions. It involved 13 1-hour sessions over 20 weeks.
Findings
Over the course of the intervention the client experienced a reduction in seizure activity. Both the client and her mother reported increases in her perceived ability to cope with the seizures.
Originality/value
This report describes an adapted CBT-based intervention for individuals with PNES in the context of ID. It is the first report to include the involvement of a care-giver in adapting this approach for individuals with ID.