Shari McDaid - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Shari McDaid

Research paper thumbnail of International learnings on mental health plans, policies and implementation: Findings from an informal data collection exercise

Research paper thumbnail of European public mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

European journal of public health, Nov 21, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of The mental health effects of a Universal Basic Income: A synthesis of the evidence from previous pilots

Social Science & Medicine, Oct 1, 2021

INTRODUCTION Amongst its advocates, one of the key arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) i... more INTRODUCTION Amongst its advocates, one of the key arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is its potential to improve population mental health. However, while previous authors have variously examined the potential effects of UBI on income, employment and labour market demand, the direct mental health consequences of previous pilots have been less frequently examined. The purpose of this paper is therefore to conduct a review of the literature on UBI and to re-examine the existing research with a mental health focus. METHODS Six electronic databases were used to conduct a review of the literature. We searched for empirical research studies of any design, conducted since the year 2000 in High Income Countries, exploring the effects of interventions similar to a UBI on the mental health of children or working-age adults. Grey literature and government reports were also included. RESULTS A total of 1566 articles were screened of which seven peer reviewed studies and eight governmental reports were ultimately selected for inclusion. None of the identified studies directly compared the impact of individual payments with those made on a household basis, or the effects of payments which were truly universal. However, several studies evaluated the mental health outcomes associated with payments provided unconditionally, and consistently reported clear and significant improvements in mental wellbeing. Potential mediating factors included improved time with family and friends, a reduction in perceived stigma and a renewed sense of hope for the future. CONCLUSIONS Our review has produced evidence to suggest that prophesies surrounding the mental health benefits of a UBI are at least partially justified. However, future studies should aim to be conducted at an area level, with an adequately powered sample size, and investigate interventions of a considerable duration using a longitudinal design.

Research paper thumbnail of Public Mental Health services in the European region during the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Public Health, 2021

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA), in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation ... more The European Public Health Association (EUPHA), in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation UK, conducted a purposely designed online survey of public and mental health professionals from across Europe, exploring public mental health responses to the pandemic in different regions, nations and localities. Participants were recruited from EUPHAs mental health division and through snowballing. Four broad areas were explored, namely; (1) perceived changes in available mental health supports during the pandemic; (2) whether or not a public mental health response plan had been developed; (3) if any demographic groups or priority areas had been given particularly consideration in this response and (4) how the response had been developed (i.e. whether intersectoral approaches had been adopted and the perceived degree to which service users and carers had been included in its development). Forty-four survey responses from twenty different European nations were collected and grouped acco...

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health in Ireland: Policy, practice and law

Gill and Macmillan eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of International learnings on mental health plans, policies and implementation: Findings from an informal data collection exercise

Mental Health Foundation, Dec 18, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Climbing Mountains in our Minds: Stories & Photographs from St. Senan's Hospital, Enniscorthy. Edited by Cullen Sylvia. Photographs by Rory Nolan. Foreword by Pat Boran. Carricklawn, Wexford: Wexford County Council: 2012 (129pp). ISBN 978-0-9565221-2-2

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2013

transference analysis during intensive psychotherapy. The effort to integrate psychoanalytical th... more transference analysis during intensive psychotherapy. The effort to integrate psychoanalytical theories with neurobiological research comes in sections 2 and 3. Kernberg examines the effect of development in infancy and relates this to psychoanalytical theories of drives and current knowledge of neurodevelopment and neurotransmission. The death drive as an inborn disposition to self-destructive behaviours is one of the other areas covered in depth in this section. Another fascinating chapter is devoted to mourning, which is an area where Kernberg writes from personal experience and where his thinking clearly differs with Freud’s. Libidinal drive and other psychoanalytic theories of human relationships and sexual love, as well as their pathological manifestations, are brought together expertly in section 3. This section also includes some linking of psychoanalysis to contemporary neurobiological findings, and a chapter focusing on sexual pathology in borderline patients. The teaching of psychoanalysis and ideological disagreements between its theoreticians and practitioners are examined worthily in section 4. Kernberg is concerned by the isolation of psychoanalytic institutes within the university and their relative lack of emphasis on research and calls for greater integration. He regards this development of an authentically scientific atmosphere as key to psychoanalysis becoming more open and less wedded to the work of particular theoreticians. Kernberg’s thoughts on these important matters were fascinating and sensible but seemed to me to be somewhat out of context in the book as a whole. I found the final section in which Kernberg explores psychodynamic factors underpinning spirituality, and ethical value systems to be the most interesting and new. He is far more positively disposed towards religion than was Freud and he sees the potential for religiosity to be a mature desire for a transpersonal system of morality and ethical values. Kernberg goes on in his final chapter to propose a model of internal object relations that facilitates ‘the development of a spiritual realm that transcends the pragmatic aspects of mature object relations and opens the road to aspiration to universal ethical values’. This is a monumental work synthesising Otto Kenrberg’s important work on personality disorders and other diverse topics over many years. The book is dense and highly scholarly and is written in a rather high-brow manner that causes it to suffer a little in terms of general readability. There are some useful case studies, particularly in the chapter on The Almost Untreatable Narcissistic Patient, but more illustratively placed clinical examples in some of the more theoretical chapters would have been helpful. Those criticisms aside, in an age of poorly integrated textbooks written by a multitude of authors with varying styles and overlapping contents, it is awe inspiring and indeed a pleasure to read such a masterful individual work. Any psychiatrist or other person with an interest in personality disorders and psychodynamic psychotherapy should read this book.

Research paper thumbnail of European public mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Public Health

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased multiple risk factors for m... more Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased multiple risk factors for mental health. Evidence-based, intersectoral public mental health responses are therefore critical. The primary aim of this study was to collate public mental health responses from across Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in March 2021. Participants were public and mental health professionals from across Europe. We developed an online instrument exploring five domains: changes in mental health supports during the pandemic; mental health support for vulnerable groups; multi-sectoral and service-user involvement; published mental health response plans; and perceived quality of overall country response. Results Fifty-two individuals from 20 European nations responded. Reported changes in mental health supports included an increase in online mental health supports (n = 18); but no change in long-term mental health funding (n = 13); and a decrease in access to early interve...

Research paper thumbnail of My Voice Matters: Report on a National Consultation with Mental Health Service Users: executive summary

Mental Health Reform, Mar 1, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of My Voice Matters: Report on a National Consultation with Family, Friends and Carers/Supporters of Mental Health Service Users: executive summary

Mental Health Reform, Mar 1, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Transforming mental health care: a rapid review of emerging international evidence

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 2: Effective Treatment & Care

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 1: Prevention & Early Intervention

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 3: The Physical Wellbeing of People with Mental Health Problems

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 5: Data & Quality of Service

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 4: Creating a Workforce for the Future

Research paper thumbnail of The recovery ethos: towards a shared understanding

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2013

This article presents Mental Health Reform's perspective on the recovery ethos for mental hea... more This article presents Mental Health Reform's perspective on the recovery ethos for mental health service delivery derived from Irish stakeholders’ perspectives. It arose out of a project to develop Mental Health Reform's agenda for advocacy to implementA Vision for Change.The article describes five core components of a recovery-orientated service: hope, listening, choice, partnership and social inclusion. The article also describes briefly how each component can be reflected in mental health service delivery. The recovery ethos can provide a way forward for service delivery within the current economic crisis and may be viewed as a tool for responding positively to the crisis rather than an additional burden.

Research paper thumbnail of Equal and Inclusive User Involvement in the Mental Health Services in Ireland: Results from Participatory Action Research

Research paper thumbnail of Recent policy developments in promotion and prevention: a scoping review of national plans in Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales

Advances in Mental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Loneliness, coping, suicidal thoughts and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeat cross-sectional UK population survey

BMJ Open

ObjectivesThere has been speculation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lo... more ObjectivesThere has been speculation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown on suicidal thoughts and self-harm and the factors associated with any change. We aimed to assess the effects and change in effects of risk factors including loneliness and coping, as well as pre-existing mental health conditions on suicidal thoughts and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignThis study was a repeated cross-sectional online population-based survey.Participants and measuresNon-probability quota sampling was adopted on the UK adult population and four waves of data were analysed during the pandemic (17 March 2020 to 29 May 2020). Outcomes were suicidal thoughts and self-harm associated with the pandemic while loneliness, coping, pre-existing mental health conditions, employment status and demographics were covariates. We ran binomial regressions to evaluate the adjusted risks of the studied covariates as well as the changes in effects over time.ResultsThe prop...

Research paper thumbnail of International learnings on mental health plans, policies and implementation: Findings from an informal data collection exercise

Research paper thumbnail of European public mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

European journal of public health, Nov 21, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of The mental health effects of a Universal Basic Income: A synthesis of the evidence from previous pilots

Social Science & Medicine, Oct 1, 2021

INTRODUCTION Amongst its advocates, one of the key arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) i... more INTRODUCTION Amongst its advocates, one of the key arguments for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is its potential to improve population mental health. However, while previous authors have variously examined the potential effects of UBI on income, employment and labour market demand, the direct mental health consequences of previous pilots have been less frequently examined. The purpose of this paper is therefore to conduct a review of the literature on UBI and to re-examine the existing research with a mental health focus. METHODS Six electronic databases were used to conduct a review of the literature. We searched for empirical research studies of any design, conducted since the year 2000 in High Income Countries, exploring the effects of interventions similar to a UBI on the mental health of children or working-age adults. Grey literature and government reports were also included. RESULTS A total of 1566 articles were screened of which seven peer reviewed studies and eight governmental reports were ultimately selected for inclusion. None of the identified studies directly compared the impact of individual payments with those made on a household basis, or the effects of payments which were truly universal. However, several studies evaluated the mental health outcomes associated with payments provided unconditionally, and consistently reported clear and significant improvements in mental wellbeing. Potential mediating factors included improved time with family and friends, a reduction in perceived stigma and a renewed sense of hope for the future. CONCLUSIONS Our review has produced evidence to suggest that prophesies surrounding the mental health benefits of a UBI are at least partially justified. However, future studies should aim to be conducted at an area level, with an adequately powered sample size, and investigate interventions of a considerable duration using a longitudinal design.

Research paper thumbnail of Public Mental Health services in the European region during the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Public Health, 2021

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA), in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation ... more The European Public Health Association (EUPHA), in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation UK, conducted a purposely designed online survey of public and mental health professionals from across Europe, exploring public mental health responses to the pandemic in different regions, nations and localities. Participants were recruited from EUPHAs mental health division and through snowballing. Four broad areas were explored, namely; (1) perceived changes in available mental health supports during the pandemic; (2) whether or not a public mental health response plan had been developed; (3) if any demographic groups or priority areas had been given particularly consideration in this response and (4) how the response had been developed (i.e. whether intersectoral approaches had been adopted and the perceived degree to which service users and carers had been included in its development). Forty-four survey responses from twenty different European nations were collected and grouped acco...

Research paper thumbnail of Mental health in Ireland: Policy, practice and law

Gill and Macmillan eBooks, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of International learnings on mental health plans, policies and implementation: Findings from an informal data collection exercise

Mental Health Foundation, Dec 18, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Climbing Mountains in our Minds: Stories & Photographs from St. Senan's Hospital, Enniscorthy. Edited by Cullen Sylvia. Photographs by Rory Nolan. Foreword by Pat Boran. Carricklawn, Wexford: Wexford County Council: 2012 (129pp). ISBN 978-0-9565221-2-2

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2013

transference analysis during intensive psychotherapy. The effort to integrate psychoanalytical th... more transference analysis during intensive psychotherapy. The effort to integrate psychoanalytical theories with neurobiological research comes in sections 2 and 3. Kernberg examines the effect of development in infancy and relates this to psychoanalytical theories of drives and current knowledge of neurodevelopment and neurotransmission. The death drive as an inborn disposition to self-destructive behaviours is one of the other areas covered in depth in this section. Another fascinating chapter is devoted to mourning, which is an area where Kernberg writes from personal experience and where his thinking clearly differs with Freud’s. Libidinal drive and other psychoanalytic theories of human relationships and sexual love, as well as their pathological manifestations, are brought together expertly in section 3. This section also includes some linking of psychoanalysis to contemporary neurobiological findings, and a chapter focusing on sexual pathology in borderline patients. The teaching of psychoanalysis and ideological disagreements between its theoreticians and practitioners are examined worthily in section 4. Kernberg is concerned by the isolation of psychoanalytic institutes within the university and their relative lack of emphasis on research and calls for greater integration. He regards this development of an authentically scientific atmosphere as key to psychoanalysis becoming more open and less wedded to the work of particular theoreticians. Kernberg’s thoughts on these important matters were fascinating and sensible but seemed to me to be somewhat out of context in the book as a whole. I found the final section in which Kernberg explores psychodynamic factors underpinning spirituality, and ethical value systems to be the most interesting and new. He is far more positively disposed towards religion than was Freud and he sees the potential for religiosity to be a mature desire for a transpersonal system of morality and ethical values. Kernberg goes on in his final chapter to propose a model of internal object relations that facilitates ‘the development of a spiritual realm that transcends the pragmatic aspects of mature object relations and opens the road to aspiration to universal ethical values’. This is a monumental work synthesising Otto Kenrberg’s important work on personality disorders and other diverse topics over many years. The book is dense and highly scholarly and is written in a rather high-brow manner that causes it to suffer a little in terms of general readability. There are some useful case studies, particularly in the chapter on The Almost Untreatable Narcissistic Patient, but more illustratively placed clinical examples in some of the more theoretical chapters would have been helpful. Those criticisms aside, in an age of poorly integrated textbooks written by a multitude of authors with varying styles and overlapping contents, it is awe inspiring and indeed a pleasure to read such a masterful individual work. Any psychiatrist or other person with an interest in personality disorders and psychodynamic psychotherapy should read this book.

Research paper thumbnail of European public mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Public Health

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased multiple risk factors for m... more Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased multiple risk factors for mental health. Evidence-based, intersectoral public mental health responses are therefore critical. The primary aim of this study was to collate public mental health responses from across Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in March 2021. Participants were public and mental health professionals from across Europe. We developed an online instrument exploring five domains: changes in mental health supports during the pandemic; mental health support for vulnerable groups; multi-sectoral and service-user involvement; published mental health response plans; and perceived quality of overall country response. Results Fifty-two individuals from 20 European nations responded. Reported changes in mental health supports included an increase in online mental health supports (n = 18); but no change in long-term mental health funding (n = 13); and a decrease in access to early interve...

Research paper thumbnail of My Voice Matters: Report on a National Consultation with Mental Health Service Users: executive summary

Mental Health Reform, Mar 1, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of My Voice Matters: Report on a National Consultation with Family, Friends and Carers/Supporters of Mental Health Service Users: executive summary

Mental Health Reform, Mar 1, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Transforming mental health care: a rapid review of emerging international evidence

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 2: Effective Treatment & Care

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 1: Prevention & Early Intervention

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 3: The Physical Wellbeing of People with Mental Health Problems

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 5: Data & Quality of Service

Research paper thumbnail of Briefing Paper 4: Creating a Workforce for the Future

Research paper thumbnail of The recovery ethos: towards a shared understanding

Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2013

This article presents Mental Health Reform's perspective on the recovery ethos for mental hea... more This article presents Mental Health Reform's perspective on the recovery ethos for mental health service delivery derived from Irish stakeholders’ perspectives. It arose out of a project to develop Mental Health Reform's agenda for advocacy to implementA Vision for Change.The article describes five core components of a recovery-orientated service: hope, listening, choice, partnership and social inclusion. The article also describes briefly how each component can be reflected in mental health service delivery. The recovery ethos can provide a way forward for service delivery within the current economic crisis and may be viewed as a tool for responding positively to the crisis rather than an additional burden.

Research paper thumbnail of Equal and Inclusive User Involvement in the Mental Health Services in Ireland: Results from Participatory Action Research

Research paper thumbnail of Recent policy developments in promotion and prevention: a scoping review of national plans in Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales

Advances in Mental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Loneliness, coping, suicidal thoughts and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeat cross-sectional UK population survey

BMJ Open

ObjectivesThere has been speculation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lo... more ObjectivesThere has been speculation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown on suicidal thoughts and self-harm and the factors associated with any change. We aimed to assess the effects and change in effects of risk factors including loneliness and coping, as well as pre-existing mental health conditions on suicidal thoughts and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignThis study was a repeated cross-sectional online population-based survey.Participants and measuresNon-probability quota sampling was adopted on the UK adult population and four waves of data were analysed during the pandemic (17 March 2020 to 29 May 2020). Outcomes were suicidal thoughts and self-harm associated with the pandemic while loneliness, coping, pre-existing mental health conditions, employment status and demographics were covariates. We ran binomial regressions to evaluate the adjusted risks of the studied covariates as well as the changes in effects over time.ResultsThe prop...