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Objective: To describe the perspectives of those with lived experience of stimulant use disorder on methamphetamine-related violence in psychiatric inpatient settings. Method: Eight adult psychiatric inpatients with stimulant use disorder were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants reported that traumatic experiences predisposed those using methamphetamine to violent behaviour. Participants were fearful of psychiatric hospitalisation because of loss of autonomy and stigma. Methamphetamine use was associated with mercurial intense emotions. Participants believed these factors led to violence during psychiatric admissions. Conclusions: People with stimulant use disorder have a sophisticated understanding of the complex causal pathways from methamphetamine use to violent behaviour. Their lived experience can make an important contribution to service development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is evidence of disparities between non-Indigenous and Indigenous incidence of psychotic disorders. Despite these disparities being a clear signpost of the impact of structural racism, there remains a lack of evidence to target institutional factors. We aimed to investigate non-Indigenous and Indigenous differences in government service use prior to first episode diagnosis as a means of identifying points of intervention to improve institutional responses. Methods: We used a previously established national New Zealand cohort of 2385 13 to 25-year-old youth diagnosed with psychosis between 2009 and 2012 and a linked database of individual-level multiple government agency administration data, to investigate the differences in health, education, employment, child protection and criminal-justice service use between non-Indigenous (60%) and Indigenous youth (40%) in the year preceding first episode diagnosis. Further comparisons were made with the general population. Results: A high rate of health service contact did not differ between non-Indigenous and Indigenous youth (adjusted rate ratio 1.0, 95% confidence interval [0.9, 1.1]). Non-Indigenous youth had higher rates of educational enrolment (adjusted rate ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval [1.1, 1.3]) and employment (adjusted rate ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval [1.1, 1.3]) and were 40% less likely to have contact with child protection services (adjusted rate ratio 0.6, 95% confidence interval [0.5, 0.8]) and the criminal-justice system (adjusted rate ratio 0.6, 95% confidence interval [0.5, 0.7]). Both first episode cohorts had a higher risk of criminal justice contact compared to the general population, but the difference was greater for non-Indigenous youth (risk ratio 3.0, 95% confidence interval [2.7, 3.4] vs risk ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval [1.8, 2.2]), explained by the lower background risk. Interpretation: The results indicate non-Indigenous privilege in multiple sectors prior to first episode diagnosis. Indigenous- based social disparities prior to first episode psychosis are likely to cause further inequities in recovery and will require a response of health, education, employment, justice and political systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental health illnesses, yet there is a need to better understand the illness experience to improve treatment outcomes. Qualitative research, and narrative approaches in particular, can elicit life stories that allow for the whole illness journey to be explored. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women with a history of an ED, identifying the life events they perceived were relevant to the onset of their ED through to recovery. Interviews were conducted with 18 women with lived experience of an ED. Through structural narrative analysis, an overarching storyline of childhood loss contributing to a belief of conditional acceptance, fear of abandonment and struggle to seek emotional support due to the fear of being a burden was identified. Negative experiences with the health sector were common. These findings have implications for the way medical professionals respond to help seeking and deliver treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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