Traumatic experiences can lead to severe stress reactions and can also affect the experience of everyday stress that we all feel.
– In this project, I studied the effects of a 12-week comprehensive treatment programme in psychiatric inpatient care on mental health and everyday stress among patients with experiences of psychological trauma,” writes Sofia Elenora Svensen to inn.no.
The treatment consisted of physical activity, healthy diet, social support and psychoeducation, in addition to traditional trauma treatment with medication and psychotherapy.
– The results showed that mental health improved during the treatment, and the experience of negative everyday stress decreased,” Svensen explains.
The study also identified several factors that can influence the effects of the treatment:
- patients receiving this treatment now tend to have a more severe starting point than before, due to re-prioritisation between outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care
- the importance of patients being ready for such intensive treatment
- the lack of continuity in follow-up care after the programme ends
– To summarize, the comprehensive treatment programme can improve mental health, but the lack of subsequent care may compromise the long-term effects of the treatment. Given the complexity of this group’s mental health needs, continuous long-term care is essential for their sustained recovery, says the PhD candidate.
Sofia Elenora Svensen has carried out her doctoral work in the PhD programme Health and Welfare (HELVEL).
The title of her thesis is «Mental health outcomes following a comprehensive treatment programme for patients with psychological trauma».