2003 | 46 pages | Table of contents | Interactive version | Download PDF
This interactive toolkit will help people who already know that they have a mental disorders develop skills to manage their illness on their own. It has been designed to be helpful for an individual with any diagnosis, and to complement specific toolkits that have been developed for depression and anxiety disorders.
This toolkit, the first of a series of interactive guides, is here for you to help make sense of the information available about your disorder and about the various treatments and strategies for managing it; working with your doctor or other mental health professional to find a treatment that is as effective as possible; and learning your "early warning signs" and developing an "action plan" to avoid a relapse - that is, a return or worsening of symptoms leading to a repeat episode of the disorder... GO to interactive toolkit mini-site
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Table of contents:
Module One: Introduction
Background
Disclaimer
Goals of the toolkit
Achieving self-management
What does successful self-management look like in practice?
What exactly do I manage? Illness management, emotion management and role management
What resources do I need to self-manage?
Where do I find the resources I need to self-manage?
How do I use this toolkit?
Self-management and the journey of recovery
Module Two: Making sense of your disorder
What is psychoeducation?
Psychoeducation and making sense of your disorder
Deciding on your preferred learning style
Knowledge as a building block
Where do I find the kind of information I need and that I can trust?
Understanding mental disorders
What are mental disorders?
What are the causes and contributors to mental disorders?
What are the common kinds of mental disorder diagnoses?
How do I know if I need help?
How do I find the help I need?
What treatment and support is available?
Who are the various types of mental health professionals?
Finding information about your own diagnosis
Moving towards a more thorough understanding of your disorder
Going beyond the initial diagnosis
What you need to know
Consumer (and family)-oriented treatment guidelines
Anxiety disorders
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Eating disorders
Personality disorders
Schizophrenia
Early psychosis
Resources featuring treatment guidelines
Recovery-oriented information and resources
Recovery-oriented resources
Moving on: applying knowledge to your own situation
Module Three: Becoming an active partner in treatment: Shared decision-making
Introduction
What does playing an active role mean?
What do I need to play an active role in the decision-making process?
Stage one: problem definition
Tips for talking with your doctor or mental health professional
Stage two: goal-setting
Stage three: decision-making around a treatment plan
Making the decision about medication or other forms of treatment
A) Considering ‘evidence’
B) Considering attitudes, values, and fears about treatment
C) Considering experiences of others
Stage four: monitoring
Tools and resources for monitoring and evaluating a treatment approach
Adherence: sticking with your treatment
Module Four: Developing an early warning system and action plan
Introduction
Part A: developing an early warning system
Becoming familiar with typical early warning signs
Learning your own early warning signs
Learning your own triggers
Determining your early warning signature
Part B: developing an action plan
Stage one: developing preventive coping strategies
Adopting a healthy lifestyle
Dealing with stress: identifying and managing stressful situations
Identifying stressful life events and situations
Managing stressful or difficult situations: structured problem-solving approach
Stage two: proactive strategies to better manage your warning symptoms
Reviewing your early warning signature
Evaluating past coping strategies
Enhancing your coping strategies
Coping with voices
Coping with delusions or unusual thoughts
Stage three: getting outside help
Documenting, rehearsing and formalizing your action plan
Personal relapse prevention plan (part one)
Crisis plan (part two)
Module Five: Assessing your need for other self-management resources
Introduction
Assessing your self-management ability
Deciding where to go from here: considering other self-management resources
Availability
Self-directed options
One to one vs group-based approaches
Peer-led vs professionally-led approaches
Deciding which delivery option is right for you
Self-management resource catalogue
One-to-one or self-directed self-management resources
Group-based self-management
Diagnosis-specific self-help groups
BC Partners agencies
Other community-based mental health resources
Conclusion
References
Baxter, E. & Diehl, D. (1998). "Emotional Stages: Consumers & Family Members Recovering from the Trauma of Mental Illness." Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 21 (4), 349-355.
Chadwick, Peter K. (1997). "Recovery From Psychosis: Learning more from patients." Journal of Mental Health (UK). 6(6), 577-588.
Corbin, J. & Strauss, A. (1988) Unending Work & Care: Managing chronic illness at home. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Herz, M., Lamberti, J. et als. (2000). "A Program for Relapse Prevention in Schizophrenia: A controlled study." Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol 57, 277 - 283.
McGorry, P. (1995). "Psychoeducation in First-episode Psychosis: a therapeutic process." Psychiatry, 58 (4),: 313-28.
Meuser, K. et als. (2002). "Illness Management & Recovery: A review of the research." Psychiatric Services, 54 (10), 1272 - 1284.
Otto, M., Reilly-Harrrington, N., & G. Sachs (2003). "Psychoeducatonal and Cognitive-Behavioural Strategies in the Management of Bipolar Disorder (Review)". Journal of Affective Disorders, 73, 171 - 181.
Pekalla, E. & L. Merinder (2002). "Psychoeducation for Schizophrenia (Cochrane Review)." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 4 (update).
Spencer, E., Murray, E., & Plaistow, J. (2000). "Relapse Prevention in Early Psychosis." In Early Intervention in Psychosis: A Guide to Concepts, Evidence & Interventions, eds. M. Birchwood, D. Fowler, & C. Jackson, pp. 28-63. Wiley: Chichester.
Toprac M, Rush A, Conner T, Crismon M, Dees M, Hopkins C, Rowe V & Shon S (2000) The Texas medication algorithm project patient and family education program: a consumer-guided initiative. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61(7), 477-86.
Young, L. & Ensing, D. (1999). "Exploring Recovery from the Perspective of People with Psychiatric Disabilities." Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 22 (3), 219-231.
Wilson, G. et als (2000). "Stepped Care Treatment for Eating Disorders." Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 68 (4), 564 - 572.
Zygmunt, A., Olfson, M, Boyer, C, & Mechanic, D. (2002). "Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Schizophrenia." American Journal of Psychiatr, 159, 1653 - 1664.
How do I give feedback on this toolkit?
Appendix A: Problem solving worksheet
Appendix B: Pre-test
