The views of policy influencers and mental health officers concerning the Named Person provisions of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

BACKGROUND: The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the role of the Named Person, who can be nominated by service users to protect their interests if they become subject to compulsory measures and replaces the Nearest Relative. If no nomination is made, the primary carer or nearest relative is appointed the Named Person. The views of professionals involved in the development and implementation of the provisions were unknown. AIM: To describe the perceptions of mental health officers and policy makers involved in the development and implementation of the new provisions. METHOD: Sixteen professionals were interviewed to explore their perceptions of and experiences with the Named Person provisions. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. RESULTS: Perceptions of the Named Person provisions were generally favourable but concerns were expressed over low uptake; service users' and carers' lack of understanding of the role; and potential conflict with human rights legislation over choice and information sharing. CONCLUSIONS: Legislation should be amended to allow the choice of no Named Person and the prevention of information being shared with the default appointed Named Person. Removal of the default appointment should be considered.

Specifying active components of educational interventions to promote adherence to treatment in glaucoma patients: application of a taxonomy of behavior change techniques.

PURPOSE: In response to recent calls for clearer specification of behavior change interventions, the purpose of this study was to apply a system of taxonomy for behavior change techniques (BCTs) to two educational interventions to improve adherence to glaucoma eye drops. Clarification of constituent BCTs will promote easy and reliable application of the interventions in clinical settings and research. METHODS: A published taxonomy of BCTs was used to code two interventions (group and individual) to increase adherence to eye drops. Intervention materials were coded by assigning a BCT label to each text unit. We noted the frequency with which each BCT occurred, compared the interventions in terms of the BCTs that were delivered, and identified whether the taxonomy was sufficient to describe the intervention components. RESULTS: The individual intervention consisted of 94 text units. Fifty-seven were identified as targeting behavior change and coded using 18 BCTs, many coded more than once. In the group intervention, 165 units of text were identified, and 125 were coded using 22 BCTs. The most frequently coded BCT was "provide information about behavior-health link" in the group intervention and "prompt barrier identification" in the individual intervention. The interventions included similar BCTs. All text units targeting behavior change were codable into BCTs. CONCLUSION: The similarity of the two interventions may have implications for the cost-effectiveness of the interventions. The taxonomy was found sufficient to describe both interventions. This level of specification can be used to ensure that precisely the same intervention that has been pilot tested is reproducible in the clinical setting and in any further research.

Prevalence and experience of harassment of people with mental health problems living in the community.

BACKGROUND: The levels and experiences of harassment of people with mental health problems in the community compared with those of the general population have not been explored. AIMS: To measure the levels and experience of harassment experienced by people with mental health problems in the community in Scotland and compare them with the general population. METHOD: Experiences of harassment were collected by interviewing 165 individuals with mental health problems and a control group of 165 people from the general population. RESULTS: Harassment in the community was found to be twice as common for individuals with mental health problems (41%) than for those in the general population (15%). The harassment commonly involved verbal abuse referring to the individual's mental health problems and was committed primarily by teenagers and neighbours. CONCLUSIONS: Harassment has a significantly higher prevalence among individuals with mental health problems living in the community and is believed to have a detrimental effect on mental health.