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Terms beginning with A
- Academic Health Sciences Centre
- Acute
- Adherence therapy
- Advance statement
- Advocate
- Approved mental health professional
- Assessment
- Atypical antipsychotic medication
Academic Health Sciences Centre
This is a new type of organisation introduced by the government. NHS organisations and universities can apply together to become an academic health sciences centre and it means they work much more closely together. The aim is to make sure the results of research benefit patients – that new treatments proven to work in research studies, for example, are offered to people who are unwell more quickly.
Acute
is used to emphasise how bad an illness is at any one time. An ‘acute episode’ is when the symptoms of an illness have become severe. ‘Acute care’ is medical treatment offered when someone is very unwell.
Adherence therapy
This is a type of therapy that aims to get people taking their medication as prescribed. A mental health professional will work with an individual, involving them in decisions about their medication and explaining likely side effects and benefits.
Advance statement
You may see advance statements referred to as ‘advance directives’, ‘advance decisions’, ‘joint crisis plans’, ‘advance agreements’, or ‘crisis cards’.
These names all describe a document written in case someone becomes seriously unwell again. The differences are that some have a legal status (though most in this country don’t), and that some are drawn up in collaboration with mental health professionals.
The only sort of advance statement that is recognised by law in England and Wales is an ‘Advance Decision’, which can be made under the Mental Capacity Act. The Mental Capacity Act cannot be used to provide treatment where someone has made a valid Advance Decision refusing treatment. However, an Advance Decision can be over-ridden by the Mental Health Act.
In Scotland, ‘Advance Statements’ are included in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. However, in certain circumstances, treatment may be given that conflicts with the wishes someone has written in an Advance Statement.
In the USA, ‘Advance Directives’ have the backing of the law, but if you see ‘advance directives’ referred to in this country, they have no legal status.
‘Joint Crisis Plans’ are another sort of advance statement. They are drawn up after a discussion between someone with a diagnosis of a mental health problem and the mental health professionals involved in their care.
Advocate
An advocate is independent person who can support someone with mental health problems and help them get the care and support they need. They may be able to attend meetings with health care professionals to make sure the person who his unwell understands what is being said and proposed, and to make sure their views are taken into account and heard. An advocate can be a friend or family member, or someone who is employed to speak on behalf of someone with mental health problems.
There are different advocacy organisations that you can contact. Some have specific roles.
The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service can offer advice and representation if someone wants to make a complaint about the NHS. The Service is run by three organisations:,
The Carers Federation
POhWER
and SEAP (South of England Advocacy Projects)
Independent Mental Health Advocates help people detained under the Mental Health Act in England to understand their rights. They can help people admitted to hospital, people on Supervised Community Treatment and people who have a guardian. These Advocates are nothing to do with the health professionals involved in treatment and care. They can help people understand what they are being told by mental health professionals, and represent their views. Independent Mental Health Advocates can also help if someone wants to appeal to a Mental Health Review Tribunal.
Your local primary care trust is responsible for organising Independent Mental Health Advocacy services for people detained under the Mental Health Act. An Independent Mental Capacity Advocate can be appointed to help a person who has no family or friends to support them when decisions are being made about serious medical treatment and they are unable to make a decision for themselves. Local authorities and NHS organisations have a duty to instruct an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate to support someone when someone has been assessed as ‘lacking capacity’, and when she has no-one to speak on their behalf.
Approved mental health professional
An Approved Mental Health Professional is a social worker, mental health nurse, occupational therapist or psychologist who has received special training and is approved by a local authority social services department to carry out duties under the Mental Health Act. These duties involve assessing, in collaboration with other mental health professionals, whether someone should be compulsorily treated under the Act. People are approved for a period of five years. Most Approved Mental Health Professionals are social workers.
Assessment
Health care professionals meet with the person who is unwell to talk to them and find out more about their symptoms so they can make a diagnosis and plan treatments. This is called an assessment. Family members should be involved in assessments, unless the person who is unwell says he or she does not want that.
Carers can also get assessments of their own needs. Everyone who looks after a relative or friend who cannot manage without their help is entitled to have an assessment. To arrange an assessment, contact your local council’s social services department. You can also ask your GP to do this for you.
Atypical antipsychotic medication
There are two types of antipsychotic medication. The first type of drugs are called ‘standard’ or ‘typical’ antipsychotics. More recently developed, ‘second generation’ drugs are called ‘atypical’ antipsychotics.
