Towards an evidence‐base for student wellbeing and mental health: Definitions,developmental transitions and data sets

Against a background of huge changes in the world of university and college students since the turn of the millennium, together with a multitude of reports on student mental health/wellbeing, this article argues that the field of student mental health is hampered by the imprecise use of terms, a rush to action by universities in the absence of a robust evidence‐base, and a lack of overall coordination and collaboration in the collection and use of data. In response, we argue for clearer and more consistent use of definitions of, as well as differentiations between, student wellbeing and mental health, for a longitudinal approach to the student body that captures their developmental transitions to and through university, and a strategic and systematic approach to the use of bona fide measures in the collection of data on wellbeing and on the process of outcomes in embedded university counselling services. Such a coordinated approach will provide the necessary evidence‐base upon which to develop and deliver appropriate support and interventions to underpin and enhance the quality of students’ lives and learning while at university or college.     

Review article

The Post Evangelical Dave Tomlinson London, SPCK/Triangle, 1995 152 pp., £5.99 ISBN: 0 281 04814 s     

Depression in Inner City African American Youth: A Phenomenological Study

Depression can at times be under-identified, and misdiagnosed, especially in youth from under-represented ethnic and racial groups who live in urban environments. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to examine the subjective experience of depression among clinically diagnosed inner city African American adolescents, aged 13–17 years. Five super-ordinate themes emerged from the study analysis including, (a) the depth of depression, (b) life events and experiences as “root base”, (c) the emotional sense of self, (d) the survival self, and (e) the healing self. Findings also demonstrated the essence of the lived experience of being depressed as including both externalizing and internalizing strategies for coping. The adolescents described depression as a part of life and did not describe suicide as a solution, suggesting the need to consider that these constructs may lead to a more informed understanding and identification of depression among African American youths. Methodological limitations and recommendations for future research are addressed.     

Adventure and Atrophy in a Charismatic Movement: Returning to the 'Toronto Blessing'

In the summer of 1996, the author visited the source of the 'Toronto Blessing', spending many hours and several days at meetings of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and talking with adherents and participants. Conducting ethnographic research through the lens of pilgrimage, the study explored the work of the fellowship and assessed its popularity within the context of contemporary revivalism. The study was published (Percy, "Morphology") and concentrated on the distinctive romantic grammar of assent that formed the theological construction of reality for participants. The article concluded with the observation that the 'success' of the fellowship was likely to be short-lived. In the autumn of 2002, the author returned to the fellowship to conduct further research and specifically to examine the nature of atrophy in a charismatic movement. After the millennium and with many failed predictions of global revival, how did the fellowship cope with its own declining numbers and a withering international support-base, with its unfulfilled hopes, and with the non-reification of its visions? Using the theoretical framework of James Hopewell (drawn from the field of Congregational Studies), the research suggests that this charismatic fellowship persists in being adaptive, in spite of the obvious loss of its popularity and influence, continuing to offer a viable spiritual resource within global revivalism that emphasises the importance of romantic (spiritual) adventure.     

Rotated Drawing: The Range of Performance and Anatomical Correlates in a Series of 16 Patients

Recently there has been interest in an unusual neuropsychological disorder in which the patient copies a complex drawing in a position which is grossly rotated relative to the original. This disorder is of interest partly because of its relationship to current theories of the process of object recognition, but the range of performances typically seen, as well as its anatomical correlates, remain obscure. We report 16 cases who produced grossly rotated drawings of the Rey and Taylor Complex Figures. These patients were drawn from an unselected series of 240 cases, with a wide variety of lesion types and sites. The performances of the 16 patients displayed striking similarities. We describe the formal features of these drawings and plot their anatomical correlates.     

Awareness and authoring: the idea of self in mindfulness and narrative therapy

The author argues that relations between addicts and others are dominated by untruth. Lying is explored with regards to its origin in the primordial desire for love, while it is argued that the addict regards every question posed to them as a question about their lovability. The place of deception in Twelve-Step Fellowship movement is noted and it is also argued that the latter's notion of ‘rock bottom’ can be understood existentially as that place where truth cannot be denied. It is further argued that addiction itself is a form of untruth, which distorts or destroys the ambiguous lived tension of existence. This form of relating leads to the destruction of self-esteem, the development of shame and distrust and the breakdown of relationships. Truth is replaced by false narratives that are individualistic and alienating. Instead of ‘dwelling in truth’, the addict instrumentally alters their moods to suit their own needs. The addict escapes from this position by hitting ‘rock bottom’, accepting the process of truth and by opening up to the other. These notions are relayed through an exploration of phenomenological theorists and a grounded example.     

‘Seeking permission’: an interviewing stance for finding connection with hard to reach families

The systemic therapy literature is dominated by clinic‐based accounts of therapy. The work of an outreach, home‐based therapy team is described, in a tradition of systemic therapies which directly seek to challenge service access constraints and social injustice. In paying careful attention to the micro‐interactions of initial contact, seeking permission is suggested as an interviewing stance for connecting with families who are not engaged with services, where there have been histories of partner violence.