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How do people who receive assertive community treatment experience this service?
Terry Krupa1, Shirley Eastabrook, Louise Hern
1Occupational Therapy Program, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Krupat@post.queensu.ca
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
|August 4, 2005
Summary
Service recipients found Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) largely positive, highlighting seven ways it aided community adjustment. However, challenges included staff training needs, conflicts, stigma, and authoritative practices, with community participation aspects needing development.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Services Research
- Community Psychiatry
- Service User Experience
Background:
- Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a key model for severe mental illness.
- Understanding service recipient perspectives is crucial for refining ACT.
- Participatory research offers valuable insights into treatment effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore service recipients' lived experiences with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT).
- To identify factors within ACT that promote or hinder community adjustment.
- To understand the inherent tensions in receiving ACT services.
Main Methods:
- Employed a participatory research approach.
- Gathered qualitative data directly from service recipients.
- Analyzed experiences to identify key themes and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Participants reported positive overall experiences with ACT, recognizing its core components.
- Seven distinct ways ACT facilitated community adjustment were identified.
- Negative aspects included staff training gaps, financial/medication conflicts, stigma, and authoritarian behaviors.
- Community participation support was less developed than clinical interventions.
Conclusions:
- ACT is generally viewed positively by recipients, aiding community integration.
- Addressing staff training, financial/medication issues, stigma, and practice styles is essential.
- Enhancing community participation elements within ACT is a critical area for improvement.
- Balancing treatment needs with recipient autonomy and inclusion remains a central challenge.