Among the many problems in the field of psychiatric treatment, discrimination and prejudice are the most serious and significantly impact the daily lives of people with mental illness. The difficulties in living and barriers to self-identification due to these issues recur throughout the history of psychiatry and in the lives of the mentally ill. The reasons are thought to be multifaceted, but the first is the closed nature of psychiatric care and psychiatric hospitals. The lack of knowledge about the situation has led to a distrust of psychiatric hospitals, which in turn created a cultural climate of discrimination and prejudice, where people with mental illnesses are regarded as those who cannot help but be treated in such places. Second, there is a culture of secrecy on the part of patients and their families, which exacerbates the closed nature of psychiatric hospitals. If a patient is not satisfied with the psychiatric care they are receiving and is forced to hide their mental illness, it is not surprising that they begin to doubt the value of their existence and lose self-esteem.
The significance of peer support is related to the ability to meet people who have had similar experiences, learning about their weaknesses and painful experiences, and being able to understand their feelings. Having a peer staff member employed at a mental health clinic talk with the patient before and after the consultation with the primary psychiatrist will lead to a sense of security and peace of mind for the patient.
The computer-based collaborative decision-making system SHARE, which we developed, is a collaborative decision-making system that creates opportunities for peer support in psychiatric treatment while utilizing the empowerment dynamics of those involved. The study found that patients who used the SHARE system had better relationships with their doctors, better communication, and greater satisfaction than those who continued with existing consultations. Furthermore, patients and peer staff members shared useful information and feelings based on their own experiences in an equal and natural manner using the SHARE system, thereby improving the sense of usefulness of peer support.
In the future, it will be necessary to improve the environment in which the mentally ill can proactively exercise their rights, create a psychiatric environment in which peer supporters can play an active role, improve the social system, and raise awareness.
Authors' abstract
The Significance of Peer Support in Japanese Psychiatry: The Role of Witnessing Joint Decision-Making
1 Musashino University Graduate School of Human Society
2 Association for the Promotion of Social Welfare
3 Faculty of Educational Psychology, Tokyo Gakugei University
4 Mental Health Clinic Si Può Fare
5 Faculty of Psychology and Welfare, Seigakuin University
2 Association for the Promotion of Social Welfare
3 Faculty of Educational Psychology, Tokyo Gakugei University
4 Mental Health Clinic Si Può Fare
5 Faculty of Psychology and Welfare, Seigakuin University
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
123: 199-205, 2021
<Keywords:advocacy, discrimination and prejudice, peer support, shared decision making, SHARE>