Exploring the experiences of loneliness in people with mental health difficulties

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In her debut blog, Nuria Gardia explores a qualitative study on loneliness experiences among people with mental health difficulties in the UK, which finds that mental health problems can lead to people feeling lonely, and feeling lonely can lead to poorer mental health.

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Psychosis and loneliness: overcoming the practical, social and emotional barriers to better relationships

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Hosana Tagomori and Dafni Katsampa review a qualitative study exploring the experience of loneliness among people diagnosed with psychosis.

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Humour as a tool for practice

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This study explores the use of humour as a practice tool in social care, drawing on the humour-health hypothesis as the premise of the investigation and identifying both positive and negative impacts that definitely warrant some more thought and exploration. The Elves are not new to the idea that humour can be an important tool [read the full story…]

Telling the tale: working in social care during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020

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Jill Manthorpe discusses a qualitative study which examines the experiences of frontline workers in care homes and home care

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Quit playing games with my… head? Online therapeutic games for LGBTQ+ youth #MindTech2019

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Will Koehler writes his debut Mental Elf blog on an exploratory study about how LGBT youth use the internet in relation to their mental health.

Follow #MindTech2019 on Twitter today to hear more from the lead author Mathijs Lucassen about this and other recent digital mental health research.

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Social Care in Northern Ireland – not as different as you might think

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Catherine Needham reviews a study by Chapman (2019) which considers older people’s knowledge and understanding of the social care system in Northern Ireland.

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From charity to social enterprise: a case study highlights challenges in adopting self-directed support policy

What are the impacts when a third-sector organisation providing social care services moves toward an open and competitive market?

Jenny Fisher considers the perspectives of staff, managers and service users of a Scottish social care charitable organisation for children with complex needs, which faces funding and organisational change, brought about by self-directed support legislation.

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Direct payments in residential care: ideas for implementation and some concerns about their value

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Martin Stevens considers the low uptake of direct payments in residential care: an evaluation of the Direct Payments in Residential Care Trailblazers.

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