Support Group for People Recently Discharged from a Psychiatric Hospital

Group Analysis Paper: About a Support Group for People Who Were Recently Discharged from a Psychiatric Hospital

Support Group for People Recently Discharged from a Psychiatric Hospital

All humans were created with a need to associate with others. These associations prove the fact that man is a social animal. The associations come in form of social support. Social support is formally defined as the perception that a person is taken care of, and receives assistance from other people. Social support can come in the form of sense of belonging, tangible, and intangible resources, emotional and informational resources (Jones & Roberts, 2007). The support can emanate from sources such as family, co-workers, and persons facing same challenges, among others. Persons sharing similar conditions can find strength in forming a support group. Members of such groups afford each other with help that is mainly nonmaterial and nonprofessional, tailored to address a need that both shared and burdensome. The paper that follows will give an analysis of a support group for persons who were recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital.

I got a unique opportunity to attend a group meeting for people who were recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital. This group was therapeutic in nature. The support group is designed in such a way that it stands out both as supportive and educational. This group comprises six members; two gentle men and four ladies and is moderated or supervised by a qualified social worker dispatched from the local community hospital. Ms, Simons encourages members to attend all sessions. Incidentally, all members attend all sessions. The group was established by the community health centre to address the needs of the people who had been released from the psychiatric hospital. The group has been in operation for the past two years now. The support group started small with a membership of three members. The group has since evolved to accommodate six members. The focus of this support group is to assist members of the group integrate back into the society and become positive contributors to the community.

Group Work Analysis

The support group for people who were recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital has its operations informed by the principles of the psychodynamic theory. The psychodynamic approach attempts at helping people understand their experiences, relationships, and worldview. This approach entails all theories in psychology that addresses the general human functioning. The main contributor to this approach is Sigmund Freud whose contribution is clinically derived from what his patients revealed to him during therapy. Psychodynamic teaches that feelings and behaviours are very powerful and need to be addressed (Kloos, & Duffy, 2009). The use of this approach to understand how the support group helps members open up and understand that all behaviour results into a cause.

The aim of this group is to help members to cope with stigmatizations that persons discharged from mental hospitals suffer. The facilitator’s main task is to help these members to adopt ways of expression, which will enable them vent, their feelings and anxieties, channelling them to a platform where they can be addressed. By applying the psychodynamic approach, the facilitator can borrow practices from other similar groups that have registered success. The approach helps the discharged patients understand importance of behaving soberly to avoid being stigmatized.

The group norms employed in this support group include those of prescriptive and injunctive morality. The prescriptive morality is a norm that tends to encourage positive outcomes and is primarily concerned on what the participants should do to realize the desired positive results. Prescriptive morality is important because it helps the former patients handle the issues they are facing. Contrastingly, proscriptive morality, sets the “Do-not” rules, while prescriptive morality focuses more on the “to do” list (Kloos, & Duffy, 2009). This list comprises a number of actions that the discharged patients can do adopt in their bid to be reintegrated into the society. The greatest problems faced by these patients at home are stigmatization and suicidal thoughts. The application of proscriptive morality would plunge these people deeper into self-pity as this approach is strict and condemnatory (Sharfstein, Dickerson, & Oldham, 2009). This form of morality also necessitates the formation of an enabling environment where the discharged patients can express themselves freely.

Aside from operating under the prescriptive norms, I noticed that the group also followed some injunctive norms of sorts. Injunctive norms are employed by the facilitator to help the discharged patients to operate in acceptable social behaviour while shunning the unsocial behaviour (Sharfstein, et al, 2009). By teaching the discharged patients the embracing of injunctive norms, the social worker will be helping the patients form habits and conducts that are agreeable to the society. Prescriptive and injunctive norms are applied side-by-side to ensure that the discharged patients are maximally benefitted. These norms are instrumental in addressing the challenges encountered by the discharged patients at home and in the society where they live.

The support group is modelled on around a framework that supports group therapy. This model facilitates the interaction of group members in an environment filled with empathy, care, understanding, and love (Brabender, Smolar, & Fallon, 2004). This environment affords the discharged patients an opportunity for change and growth. The enabling environment created at the support group allows the discharged patients to talk about their experiences one with another. Supposing the group is exceedingly large, If the facilitator can elect to cluster or group members on the basis of the main challenges faced by the discharged patient (Harrison, Howard, & Mitchell, 2004). Some discharged patients have difficulty reintegrating to the society while others show complex problems including the expression of suicidal thoughts. The grouping of members according to the challenges faced allows the discharged patients to interact more closely and help each other overcome the challenges.

Roles of Group Participants

The support groups in existence are found at different stages of treatment and in diverse settings. Although the objective of the group I visited is defined, I realised that the purpose was more to guide and that it also had other smaller purposes that worked jointly to the fulfilment of the main purpose. Most support groups aim at ensuring that members are aided to surmount the challenges that accompany the mental state of the members (Steadman, Mulvey, &Monahan, 1998). The roles played by members helped in the meeting of the group’s purpose. In this group, members were allowed talk about their situation and any emergent challenges. In this group, I discovered that the members shared their experiences together with ease. They listened to each other, expressed empathy, and compassionate care. The main roles of the discharged patients were mainly to listen when their colleagues recounted their experiences and share their stories during their turns. The members wilfully took part in the exercises of support group ensured that the session proceeded smoothly.

The group showed signs of cohesiveness and productivity. By following the session, I noticed that members really cared for each other. The group’s facilitator ensured that each member took part in the group’s discussions and that nobody was left behind. The group started its session by recapping on the lessons learnt from the previous session. Following the recap session was a short session in which the facilitator asked a volunteer to narrate his or her personal experience in applying the practical skills they learnt in the previous class. One of discharged patients, a Ms. Penny recounted how she managed to apply the affirmation skills when she sensed feelings of depression creeping on her mind. This helped her keep of suicidal thoughts that she previously had. This was one out of the many success stories recounted by the discharged patients showing that indeed the support group was both cohesive and productive.

Group leadership

Certain groups are led by peers and they use manuals as guides. Peer led groups are ideal for individuals who are attempting to fight off an addiction or those working on staying sober. However for this particular support group, there was necessity to have an independent person leading it. This is so because the group comprises people who been discharged from psychiatric hospitals and such people need guidance from a trained professional on how to surmount the challenges they faced after being discharged from the psychiatric hospital (McCrimmon, 2005). The facilitator chosen for this support group exhibited excellent leadership skills. She worked on ensuring that the group grew and that it evolved encouraging its members to interact and change into better people. The group leader, being a trained social worker, also introduced to the group her expertise on theoretical and practical aspects of psychology sufficient for the group’s development. The leader was also on point to execute group guidance and intervention methods when the situation required her to do so (O’Brien, Kennedy, & Ballard, 2008). The support group being group-focused necessitated the facilitator to use a less directive leadership style. Looking at the leadership traits of the facilitator and the cohesiveness of members, I can clearly point out that this group was effective in achieving its purpose.

Literature Review

A Journal article authored by John R. Geddes and Ed Juszczak entitled Period trends in rate of suicide in first 28 days after discharge from psychiatric hospital in Scotland; 1968-92 reveals the alarming rise in the numbers of suicides recorded from persons discharged from psychiatric hospitals. The objective of the study highlighted in the journal was to ascertain the period trends of suicide among discharged patients (Geddes, &Juszczak, 1995). The study was carried out in Scotland and it employed a cohort design to study the test subjects. The methodology used in the study entailed the gathering of data from Scotland’s morbidity scheme, the NHS’s Statistics division, the Office of the General Register. The data gathered was then tabulated and analysed using statistical analysis. The findings from the study showed that the suicides increased linearly from one period to another with more women being affected relative to men.

A candid view of the results from the study captured in the journal, I can clearly deduce that patients released from mental institutions need to be enrolled in a support group to help them address the challenges that they encounter in their lives. An incorporation of these persons in support groups would help them surmount the challenges that may lead to suicidal thoughts or to the actual commission of suicide.

The second Journal is that authored by Robert M. Swanson and Stephen P. Spitzer. This journal dubbed Stigma and the Psychiatric Patient Career addresses the issue of stigmatization that persons discharged from psychiatric hospitals are often exposed to. The authors argue that stigmatization, which is associated with psychiatric labelling is detrimental to confidence of the patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals. This study collected from a cross-section of patients (Swanson, & Spitzer, 1970). Data was collected about inpatient persons in psychiatric hospitals while some data was also collected from discharged patients via interviews. The authors captured sentiments from the post-patients on the amount of stigma they face in their daily lives. The data collected was then analysed using both qualitative and quantitative measures. The findings of this study point at a conclusion that inpatients stand a higher risk of stigmatization compared to the post patients.

A candid look at the second journal reviewed together with its results shows that stigmatization is a reality for inpatients. Some degree of stigmatization is also faced by post patients. A support group would offer the best solution to these patients by allowing them join likeminded people who will accord them the much needed love, peace and tranquillity.

In conclusion, support groups are very important to the persons who have been discharged from psychiatric hospitals. These groups offer the patients with a safe place where they can come and vent out their challenges and find mutual help. These groups can help in preventing relapse of the mental condition and better still the groups can help members fight off feelings of loneliness and suicidal thoughts.

References

Brabender, V., Smolar, A. I., & Fallon, A. E. (2004). Essentials of Group Therapy. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Geddes, R., J, & Juszczak, E., (1995) Period Trends In Rate Of Suicide In First 28 Days After Discharge From Psychiatric Hospital In Scotland 1968-92 BMJ: British Medical Journal 311(7001) 357-360. Retrieved on 05 September 2013 from www.jstor.org/stable/29728315

Harrison, M., Howard, D., & Mitchell, D. (2004). Acute mental health nursing: From acute concerns to the capable practitioner. London: SAGE.

Jones, S. C., & Roberts, K. (2007). Key topics in psychiatry. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevie.

Kloos, B., & Duffy, K. G. (2012). Community psychology: Linking individuals and communities. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

McCrimmon, M. (2005). Informed viewpoint article: Thought leadership: A radical departure from traditional, positional leadership. Management Decision, 43(7-8), 1064-1070. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

O’Brien, P. G., Kennedy, W. Z., & Ballard, K. A. (2008). Psychiatric mental health nursing: An introduction to theory and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers

Sharfstein, S. S., Dickerson, F. B., & Oldham, J. M. (2009). Textbook of hospital psychiatry. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.

Steadman HJ, Mulvey EP, Monahan J, et al. (1998) Violence by People Discharged From Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Facilities and by Others in the Same Neighborhoods. Arch Gen Psychiatry; 55(5):393-401. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.55.5.393.

Swanson, M., R & Spitzer, P., S. (1970) Stigma and the Psychiatric Patient Career. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour; 11(1) 44-51. Retrieved on 05 September 2013 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2948288