RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Support groups can help to reach individuals with anxiety disorders who are not or are only partly obtaining health services. The present study is based on a program that involves peer helpers as animators of a self-treatment group (Zéro-ATAQ). Their perspective has been documented in order to identify the aspects of the program which can be improved. METHODS: Eleven peer helpers led the 12 sessions of the program, which was dispensed in four regions of Quebec for 32 persons having panic disorders with agoraphobia. The perspectives of ten peer animators were documented based on a semi-structured interview that took place at the end of the program, and a focus group that was held over six months later with peer animators from each of the groups. Their comments were transcribed and a thematic content analysis was conducted. RESULTS: All of the peer helper animators reported that they enjoyed participating in the program, that they appreciated being able to help others having an anxiety disorder, and that the program helped them in their role as animators of these types of activities. Nearly all of the peer helpers emphasized the importance of being able to count on the supervision of a professional when needed. CONCLUSION: This study revealed (1) the feasibility of implementing a program of this kind in partnership with peers, (2) the qualifications necessary to lead this type of program, (3) the requirements in terms of training and available material, and (4) the importance of supervision.
Asunto(s)
Agorafobia/terapia , Trastorno de Pánico/terapia , Grupo Paritario , Grupos de Autoayuda , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , QuebecRESUMEN
The authors present a brief overview of the clinical ethics committee within their mental health university institute as well as its evolving mandates over the past few decades. The main functions include case consultation, input on elaboration of institutional policy, and staff education as well as public information on issues of ethics and mental illness. With examples and questions brought to the committee's attention, the authors demonstrate how these functions are intertwined. The authors conclude that ethical questioning helps examine clinical practices and serves ultimately in guiding towards best practices in mental health.
Asunto(s)
Comités de Ética/ética , Ética Clínica , Psiquiatría/ética , Consultoría Ética/ética , Ética Clínica/educación , Hospitales Universitarios/ética , Humanos , Capacitación en Servicio/ética , Trastornos Mentales/psicología , Trastornos Mentales/terapia , Política Organizacional , Servicio de Psiquiatría en Hospital/ética , Garantía de la Calidad de Atención de Salud/ética , QuebecAsunto(s)
Agorafobia/complicaciones , Trastornos de Ansiedad/complicaciones , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud , Trastorno de Pánico/complicaciones , Agorafobia/terapia , Trastornos de Ansiedad/terapia , Canadá , Humanos , Trastorno de Pánico/terapia , Quebec , Trastorno de la Conducta Social/complicaciones , Trastorno de la Conducta Social/terapia , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Affective instability is a psychophysiological symptom observed in some psychopathologies. It is a complex construct that encompasses (1) primary emotions, or affects, and secondary emotions, with each category having its own characteristics, amplitude, and duration, (2) rapid shifting from neutral or valenced affect to intense affect, and (3) dysfunctional modulation of emotions. Affective instability is often confused with mood lability, as in bipolar disorders, as well as with other terms. To clarify the concept, we searched databases for the term affective instability and read related articles on the topic. In this article we situate the term within the current affective nomenclature and human emotional experience, explore its psychophysiological features, and place it within the context of psychopathology. We explain why the term can potentially be confused with mood pathology and then define affective instability as an inherited temperamental trait modulated by developmental experience.