Authors: Kathy Bond
Year: 2019
Event: 2019 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Delphi study to update the mental health first aid guidelines for psychosis.
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract:
Biography:
Dr Kathy Bond is the Senior Research Officer at Mental Health First Aid Australia and holds an honorary fellowship at the University of Melbourne. She conducts Delphi expert consensus studies that inform MHFA curriculum and conducts pilot evaluations on newly developed courses.
The aim of this presentation is to introduce an updated resource that can be used to provide initial support to a person who may be experiencing psychosis, and discuss the research that informed its development.
The presentation will outline a Delphi study that was undertaken to update the mental health first aid guidelines for psychosis, which was undertaken by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Australia and the University of Melbourne. The original guidelines were developed in 2008 and have been updated based on current evidence. They guidelines are intended for use by people without a counselling or clinical background and were informed by the consensus views of people with people with expertise in psychosis, including people with lived experience, carers and professionals.
The guidelines outline what a person should know and do in order to provide initial support to a person who may be experiencing psychosis, until professional help is received. The presentation will briefly describe the research methodology used to develop the guidelines, discuss key differences from the original guidelines, and summarise the advice provided in the new guidelines. This includes:
• How to be supportive to a person who is experiencing psychosis
• How to communicate with a person who is experiencing psychosis
• How to respond to hallucinations, delusions and paranoia
• How to support the person if they are in crisis
• How to encourage the person to seek professional help and other supports
The guidelines are available to the public and will be used to inform the Mental Health First Aid courses curriculum.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: To develop an understanding of the purpose and general content of a mental health literacy resource for psychosis.
Learning Objective 2: To learn a way to systematically use the lived experience voice alongside the professional voice when developing resources for psychosis or other mental health problems.
References
Jorm A. Using the Delphi expert consensus method in mental health research. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2015;49(10):887-97.
Langlands RL, Jorm AF, Kelly CM, Kitchener BA. First Aid Recommendations for Psychosis: Using the Delphi Method to Gain Consensus Between Mental Health Consumers, Carers, and Clinicians. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2008;34(3):435-43.
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