Papers by Jennifer Beecham
European Eating Disorders Review, 2014
Experienced Carers Helping Others (ECHO) is an intervention for carers of people with eating diso... more Experienced Carers Helping Others (ECHO) is an intervention for carers of people with eating disorders. This paper describes the theoretical background and protocol of a pilot multicentre randomised controlled trial that will explore the use of two variants of ECHO for improving outcomes for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) referred for outpatient care. Adolescent patients and their carers (typically parents and close others in a supportive role) will be recruited from 38 eating disorder outpatient services across the UK. Carers will be randomly allocated to receive 'ECHOc' guided self-help (in addition to treatment as usual), 'ECHO' self-help only (in addition to treatment as usual) or treatment as usual only. Primary outcomes are a summary measure of the Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Secondary outcomes are general psychiatric morbidity of AN patients and carer, carers' coping and behaviour, and change in healthcare use and costs at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Therapist effects will be examined, and process evaluation of ECHOc will be completed. The findings from this pilot trial will be used in preparation for executing a definitive trial to determine the impact of the preferred variant of ECHO to improve treatment outcomes for AN.
Child & Family …, Jan 1, 2003
Major depression is often chronic or recurrent and is usually treated within primary care. Little... more Major depression is often chronic or recurrent and is usually treated within primary care. Little is known about the associated morbidity and costs.
Objectives. To determine socio-demographic characteristics of people with chronic or recurrent depression in primary care and associated morbidity, service use, and costs.
Method. 558 participants were recruited from 42 GP practices in the UK. All participants had a history of chronic major depression, recurrent major depression, or dysthymia. Participants completed questionnaires including the BDI-II, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Euroquol, and Client Service Receipt Inventory documenting use of primary care, mental health, and other services.
Results. The sample was characterised by high levels of depression, functional impairment, and high service use and costs. The majority (74%) had been treated with an anti-depressant, while few had seen a counsellor (15%) or a psychologist (3%) in the preceding three months. The group with chronic major depression was most depressed and impaired with highest service use, whilst those with dysthymia were least depressed, impaired, and costly to support but still had high morbidity and associated costs.
Conclusion. This is a patient group with very significant morbidity and high costs. Effective interventions to reduce both are required.
This report presents the findings of a three year study which explored whether regular proactive ... more This report presents the findings of a three year study which explored whether regular proactive reviews delivered by nurses in GP practices resulted in better mental health and social outcomes for people living with depression.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Depression is on the rise: It alone is currently responsible for 6% of the total burden of diseas... more Depression is on the rise: It alone is currently responsible for 6% of the total burden of disease in Europe (Ustun et al. 2004) and is expected to be the second highest cause of disease burden worldwide by 2020 (World Health Organization 2008).
Contributions to:
J. Beecham et al: School-based social and emotional learning programmes to pre... more Contributions to:
J. Beecham et al: School-based social and emotional learning programmes to prevent condict problems in childhood.
E.M. Bonin & D. McDaid: Bridge safety measures for suicide prevention.
E.M. Bonin et al: Parenting intervention for the prevention of persistent conduct disorders.
D. McDaid et al: Population-level suicide awareness training and intervention.
European Eating …, Jan 1, 2012
Background: Families express a need for guidance in helping their loved ones with anorexia nervos... more Background: Families express a need for guidance in helping their loved ones with anorexia nervosa (AN). Guided self-help interventions can offer support to caregivers. Methods: One hundred seventy-eight adult AN patients and their caregivers were recruited from 15 UK treatment centres. Families were randomized to carers' assessment, skills and information sharing (C) intervention + treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Feedback forms were sent at 6 months post-discharge and, if not returned, at 12 months. One hundred two (57%) patient forms (n = 50TAU; n = 52C) and 115 (65%) caregiver forms (n = 60TAU; n = 55C) were returned. Two researchers coded data blind, using thematic analysis. Results: (i) Caregivers and patients express a need for post-discharge support. (ii) Patients identify helpful and unhelpful support strategies, useful for developing future interventions. (iii) Patients could identify positive caregiver behaviour changes targeted in intervention. (iv) Guided self-help may benefit caregiver and sufferer, post-discharge. Conclusion: Caregiver interventions can be a useful tool that will improve the cost effectiveness of inpatient treatment by enhancing the well-being of caregivers and patients.
< p> Finding families for children whose ca... more < p> Finding families for children whose care plan is adoption and deciding whether a child should be placed with a particular family–or matching–are major social work responsibilities. However, there is little research information on what contributes to good family finding and matching or how this relates to adoptive placement outcomes. This study aimed to begin to fill this gap in our knowledge.
pssru.ac.uk
Depression is on the rise: It alone is currently responsible for 6% of the total burden of diseas... more Depression is on the rise: It alone is currently responsible for 6% of the total burden of disease in Europe (Ustun et al. 2004) and is expected to be the second highest cause of disease burden worldwide by 2020 (World Health Organization 2008).
British Journal of Psychiatry, 1996
Journal of Integrated Care, 2011
Purpose–Drawing on a wider study about the effectiveness and costs of different models of multi-a... more Purpose–Drawing on a wider study about the effectiveness and costs of different models of multi-agency transition services, this paper aims to present new evidence on the ways in which such services meet the priorities and concerns of young people identified in ...
The International journal of eating disorders, 2015
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new questionnaire designed to measure caregiv... more The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new questionnaire designed to measure caregiver skills that, in line with the interpersonal component of the cognitive interpersonal maintenance model (Schmidt and Treasure, J Br J Clin Psychol, 45, 343-366, 2006), may be helpful in the support of people with anorexia nervosa (AN). A further aim is to assess whether this scale is sensitive to change following skills-based caregiver interventions. The Caregiver Skills (CASK) scale was developed by a group of clinicians and caregivers. Preliminary versions of the scale devised for both caregivers and parents were given at baseline and at follow-up after two studies of caregiver interventions (a clinical trial of the effectiveness of guided self-help and training workshops). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to test the factorial structure of the CASK scale. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure internal consistency of the CASK scales. Exploratory Factor ...
Administration and policy in mental health, Jan 25, 2014
Economic evaluations are increasingly used in decision-making. Accurate measurement of service us... more Economic evaluations are increasingly used in decision-making. Accurate measurement of service use is critical to economic evaluation. This qualitative study, based on expert interviews, aims to identify best approaches to service use measurement for child mental health conditions, and to identify problems in current methods. Results suggest considerable agreement on strengths (e.g., availability of accurate instruments to measure service use) and weaknesses, (e.g., lack of unit prices for services outside the health sector) or alternative approaches to service use measurement. Experts also identified some unresolved problems, for example the lack of uniform definitions for some mental health services.
Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 1995
Schizophrenia poses a major challenge to policy makers in health and social care in England. As d... more Schizophrenia poses a major challenge to policy makers in health and social care in England. As deinstitutionalisation has progressed, public concern about people with the condition has increased owing to a small number of public incidents. This paper describes the overall balance of care or support for people with schizophrenia, particularly between different settings and the services received. Using these data we are able to provide a basic estimate of the current resource implications of schizophrenia care in England with respect to different public sector agencies, the voluntary sector and service users and their families. The targeting of public sector resources between different care settings is also considered. The discussion suggests that resources are still targeted at existing care facilities rather than on individuals, and examines the roles of individual care agencies and the relationships between them. Four broad resource guidelines are suggested that could improve the ...
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Papers by Jennifer Beecham
Objectives. To determine socio-demographic characteristics of people with chronic or recurrent depression in primary care and associated morbidity, service use, and costs.
Method. 558 participants were recruited from 42 GP practices in the UK. All participants had a history of chronic major depression, recurrent major depression, or dysthymia. Participants completed questionnaires including the BDI-II, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Euroquol, and Client Service Receipt Inventory documenting use of primary care, mental health, and other services.
Results. The sample was characterised by high levels of depression, functional impairment, and high service use and costs. The majority (74%) had been treated with an anti-depressant, while few had seen a counsellor (15%) or a psychologist (3%) in the preceding three months. The group with chronic major depression was most depressed and impaired with highest service use, whilst those with dysthymia were least depressed, impaired, and costly to support but still had high morbidity and associated costs.
Conclusion. This is a patient group with very significant morbidity and high costs. Effective interventions to reduce both are required.
J. Beecham et al: School-based social and emotional learning programmes to prevent condict problems in childhood.
E.M. Bonin & D. McDaid: Bridge safety measures for suicide prevention.
E.M. Bonin et al: Parenting intervention for the prevention of persistent conduct disorders.
D. McDaid et al: Population-level suicide awareness training and intervention.
Objectives. To determine socio-demographic characteristics of people with chronic or recurrent depression in primary care and associated morbidity, service use, and costs.
Method. 558 participants were recruited from 42 GP practices in the UK. All participants had a history of chronic major depression, recurrent major depression, or dysthymia. Participants completed questionnaires including the BDI-II, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Euroquol, and Client Service Receipt Inventory documenting use of primary care, mental health, and other services.
Results. The sample was characterised by high levels of depression, functional impairment, and high service use and costs. The majority (74%) had been treated with an anti-depressant, while few had seen a counsellor (15%) or a psychologist (3%) in the preceding three months. The group with chronic major depression was most depressed and impaired with highest service use, whilst those with dysthymia were least depressed, impaired, and costly to support but still had high morbidity and associated costs.
Conclusion. This is a patient group with very significant morbidity and high costs. Effective interventions to reduce both are required.
J. Beecham et al: School-based social and emotional learning programmes to prevent condict problems in childhood.
E.M. Bonin & D. McDaid: Bridge safety measures for suicide prevention.
E.M. Bonin et al: Parenting intervention for the prevention of persistent conduct disorders.
D. McDaid et al: Population-level suicide awareness training and intervention.