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NAVIGATE is a coordinated specialty care program for people who have experienced first-episode psychosis. The current study aims to explore the unmet needs of NAVIGATE stakeholders for the purpose of guiding the optimization of the program. Data from 24 semistructured interviews with NAVIGATE clients, family caregivers, and practitioners were conducted and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Clients expressed needs for emotional support between sessions and for peer support. Family caregivers expressed needs for guidance between sessions, better access to information, peer support, and updates regarding clients' recovery. All stakeholders reported challenges working with the program's manual. In addition, four general challenges related to the aftermath of a first-episode psychosis were identified. Exploring ways to better address these unmet needs may improve treatment satisfaction and outcome.

Objective:Over the past few decades, prolonged social withdrawal (PSW) among young people has been recognized in several countries. Most research has been quantitative and focused on the characteristics of PSW individuals and their families. Little attention has been given to the valuable perspective of professionals providing service to this population. The purpose of the present study is to identify the characteristics of PSW in Israel, where this phenomenon has not been researched yet. For this initial investigation, the study will utilize a combination of quantitative self-report data from parents of PSW individuals, as well as qualitative data gathered from interviews with mental health professionals who work with this population.Methods:Quantitative data were derived from records of referrals by parents of 121 PSW individuals, and later categorized into apparent characteristics of PSW. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 19 professionals experienced in treating PSW, and later analyzed in a thematic analysis process.Results:Findings from the quantitative data revealed a majority of males (70%) with an average age of 24.2, with previously diagnosed psychiatric conditions (64%). Findings from the qualitative data exposed frequently reported characteristics of PSW individuals and their families, out of which five themes emerged: Family Dynamics, Psychological Characteristics, Typical Behaviors, Past Difficulties, and Present Challenges.Conclusion:This study is the first to identify and report characteristics of PSW in Israel, which are consistent with previous research reported in other countries. The study is highlighting familial characteristics as well as individual ones, while also considering the broader socio-cultural context. These findings draw attention to the importance of notifying the general public, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers in Israel and beyond to the concerning problem of PSW, while contributing to the efforts to develop a map of this barely explored territory.

Background: In this paper we deliberate mental illness stigma in the Israeli conteXt and suggest ways to reduce it, emphasizing the community's role in the rehabilitation of persons with mental illness. Material: A literature review of Israeli and international literature of mental illness stigma. Discussion: Community mental health, in addition to its traditional focus on developing community-based services, should focus also on community-based interventions such as the delivery of anti-stigma interventions. Conclusions: Providing individualized rehabilitation services in the community while addressing stigma-induced social barriers may create a better recovery ground for Israelis with mental illness.

The Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program has been implemented in several countries including Israel. This study examines, from the perspective of Arab practitioners, facilitators and barriers in the implementation of a culturally-adapted version of the IMR intervention among Arabs with serious mental illness in Israel. Fourteen Arab practitioners who had delivered the culturally adapted IMR were interviewed. The analysis of the interviews identified facilitators and barriers, divided into universal factors found when implementing the intervention elsewhere in the world, and culture-specific ones. Facilitators included the manual on which the intervention was based, bypassing verbal communication, ongoing supervision during implementation, the group process, co-facilitation and the cultural adaptations. The barriers included three universal ones: Meeting needs beyond IMR due to service shortage, Reputation is everything: Self- and social stigma and Pulling the others back: Difficulties in reading and writing—and one that was culture-specific: family over-involvement. Identifying facilitators and barriers in the implementation of the adapted IMR can contribute to the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in the mental health area. Notably, multiple culture-specific facilitators have been identified, as opposed to only one culture-specific barrier, suggesting that cultural differences may be overcome in implementing EBPs developed in the West.

Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness offers practical strategies for addressing the harmful effects of stigma attached to mental illness. It considers both major forms of stigma: public stigma, which is prejudice and discrimination endorsed by the general population; and self-stigma, the loss of self-esteem and efficacy that occurs when an individual internalizes prejudice and discrimination. Invaluable guide for professionals and volunteers working in any capacity to challenge discrimination against mental illness Contains practical worksheets and intervention guidelines to facilitate the implementation of specific anti-stigma approaches Authors are highly experienced and respected experts in the field of mental illness stigma research.

The World Heritage-listed Port Arthur penitentiary is one of Australia's most visited historical sites, attracting over 400,000 visitors each year. Designed to incarcerate 480 men, between 1856 and 1877 thousands of convicts passed through it. In 2016, archaeologists began one of the largest ever excavations of an Australian convict site. Recovering Convict Lives: Historical Archaeology of the Port Arthur Penitentiary makes their findings available to general readers for the first time. Extensively illustrated, it is a fascinating journey into the inner workings of the penal system and the day-to-day lives of Port Arthur convicts. Through the things they left behind - the sandstone base of a prison wall, a clay pipe discarded in a washroom, gambling tokens dropped between floorboards - this book tells their stories

Psychiatric rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness (SMI) has many documented benefits, but less is known about cultural related aspects. To date, no comparison of psychiatric rehabilitation outcomes between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs has been carried out. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to compare the outcome measures of Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews consuming psychiatric rehabilitation services. As part of the Israeli Psychiatric Rehabilitation Reported Outcome Measurement project (PR-ROM), a cross-sectional study comparing different ethnic-religious groups was performed. Data is based on 6,751 pairs of psychiatric rehabilitation consumers and their service providers. The consumers filled questionnaires on quality of life (QoL) and functioning, and their providers completed mirroring instruments. The findings revealed that QoL and functioning ratings were lower among Muslim Arabs compared to Jews on both consumers' and providers' ratings. Among Muslim Arabs, differences in outcomes according to the service's location were indicated. The observed differences between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews with SMI in the PR-ROM point to the need for culturally adapted rehabilitation services that take into account how cultural differences may affect the benefits of such services.

In recent years, general practitioners (GPs) have become more involved in treating people with mental disorders. This study examined the mental health literacy of GPs in Israel, based on Jorm's conceptual framework. Twenty-one GPs participated in a semi-structured, in-depth interview. The data were analyzed thematically, guided by Jorm's six mental health literacy dimensions. The GPs generally reported that they could identify symptoms of mental disorders, mainly noted genetics as the cause and risk factor for mental disorders, did not believe that self-care methods could alleviate mental disorders, and regarded social workers—as distinct from psychologists—as particularly helpful in their work with people with mental disorders. The findings, which have implications for families, emphasize the importance of providing GPs with ongoing educational opportunities to ensure they remain knowledgeable and skilled in mental health.

The current cross-sectional study investigated and compared the associations between insight, self-stigma, and family burden among Jewish and Arab mothers of an adult son or daughter with serious mental illness (SMI) in Israel. A total of 162 Israeli mothers of a person with SMI participated in the study; 95 were Jewish (58.6%), and 67 were Arab (41.4%). Insight, self-stigma, and family burden scales were administered. Jewish mothers reported higher levels of insight into their son's or daughter's illness and reported greater family burden compared to Arab mothers. No significant differences in self-stigma scores were found between Jewish and Arab mothers. The pattern of associations between insight, self-stigma, and burden differed between Jewish and Arab mothers. Self-stigma was found to mediate the relationship between insight and burden among Jewish mothers but not among Arab mothers. Ethno-national affiliation should be taken into consideration regarding how family members conceptualize and experience mental illness, as this might affect care.