The physical healthcare experiences of women with mental health problems: Status versus stigma

Self‐reported care needs of outpatients with a bipolar disorder in the Netherlands

“…The search was conducted using Medline, Psychinfo, Embase Psychiatry and Cinahl, and it included the following terms: bipolar disorders, manic depressive illness, need(s) for care, need(s) of care and care needs. Three of the studies addressed only the information needs of patients with a bipolar disorder (Pollack 1995a,b, 1996); two of the studies addressed mental health problems in general and were therefore not specific to a bipolar disorder (Chadda et al. 2000, Birch et al .…”

Experiences and Daily Life Attitudes of Women With Severe Mental Disorders: Integrative Review of Associated Factors

“…• Sexual satisfaction and pleasure -Affected by higher scores of psychotropic medications (4.8 ± 6.3), length of psychotropic treatment (10.8 ± 9.1), impaired interpersonal skills, and emotional lability health Four studies focused on the women's experiences towards healthcare and the support received by them (Birch et al, 2005;Diaz-Caneja & Johnson, 2004;Manuel, Hinterland, Conover, & Herman, 2012;Skärsäter, Dencker, Bergbom, Häggström, & Fridlund, 2003). In general, the women were satisfied with their healthcare.…”

“…Continuous support was seen as a great strategy that is essential to help them to find both structure and hope in acute situations (Diaz-Caneja & Johnson, 2004;Manuel et al, 2012;Skärsäter et al, 2003). Their experiences of their physical healthcare were also seen to be positive due to their feelings of having control over treatments as well as the possibility of coping with their ill conditions (Birch et al, 2005).…”

“…Six studies explored women's perceptions regarding their interactions with healthcare providers and their access to healthcare (Birch et al, 2005;Chernomas, Clarke, & Chisholm, 2000;Diaz-Caneja & Johnson, 2004;Lyon & Parker, 2003;Matevosyan, 2010;Nicolaidis et al, 2010). Difficulties in obtaining regular health services and in communicating properly with healthcare providers who were not specialists in psychiatry were reported (Chernomas et al, 2000;Lyon & Parker, 2003;Matevosyan, 2010).…”

“…Women felt invisible in the healthcare system due to poor communication with care providers, who were focused on the disease. This complaint particularly reflects the lack of opportunities they had to discuss their needs and concerns regarding women's health issues, such as menstrual irregularities and sex (Birch et al, 2005;Chernomas et al, 2000;Lyon & Parker, 2003;Matevosyan, 2010). Gender roles, responsibilities regarding motherhood (Diaz-Caneja & Johnson, 2004), and intergenerational messages that suggest avoiding healthcare and the need to handle their own health issues (Nicolaidis et al, 2010) were reported to be barriers to seeking care.…”