Compassion in mental health: a literature review

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>This paper aims to systematically review the current literature on compassion in mental health from a historical, service user and carer (SUAC)/academic researcher perspective with respect to the current paradigm/biomedical model.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>Searches were conducted in CIANHL Complete, Academic Search Complete, British Education Index, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycArticles, Scorpus, Proquest Central using a simplified PRISM approach.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>In the UK, the SUAC-movement facilitated the adoption of more compassionate mental health in statutory services. Across the world, compassion-based approaches may be viewed as beneficial, especially to those experiencing a biomedical model “treatment”. Health-care workers, suffering burnout and fatigue during neoliberal economics, benefit from compassion training, both in their practice and personally. Randomised control trials (RCTs) demonstrate compassion-type interventions are effective, given sufficient intervention timing, duration and design methodology. Psychology creates outcome measures of adequacies and deficiencies in compassion, demonstrating their importance statistically, with reservations. The effective protection of mental health by self-compassion in both SUACs and health care professionals is evident. It is clear from qualitative research that SUACs prefer compassionate mental health. It also makes a large difference to mental health in general populations. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are given, including a necessity to fund RCTs comparing compassionate mental health interventions with the biomedical model. Unless statutory mental health services adopt this emerging evidence base, medics and their SUACs will continue to rely on pharmaceuticals.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This is the first integrated literature review of compassion in mental health from a historical, SUAC/academic researcher viewpoint using all research methodologies.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Study Circles as a Possible Arena to Support Self-Care—A Swedish Pilot Study

“…Self-compassion includes three aspects: (1) the ability to be consciously present and available to oneself and in touch with one's feelings (mindfulness), ( 2) understanding that to be human is to be vulnerable and that no one is perfect (common humanity), and (3) the ability to be kind, show concern, and not be judgmental towards oneself (selfkindness) [18]. Self-compassion is also associated with less psychopathology and stress, as well as increased resilience and self-care [19,20]. Another concept that is significant for understanding individuals' self-care and mental health is Sense Of Coherence (SOC).…”

The Art of Compassion in Mental Healthcare for All: Back to the Basics

“…Any effective mental healthcare system should have compassion as its corner- stone, because it helps to cultivate an atmosphere of humanity and equity for all. The pertinent role of compassion with reference to mental health has been well addressed in the literature, 3 but its implementation in real-world settings seems suboptimal. One possible explanation for this gap between theory and practice could be the ill-defined concept of compassion and its varying relevance across cultures.…”

Exploring the Relationship Between Compassion and Attachment in Individuals with Mental Health Difficulties: A Systematic Review

“…Moreover, compassion is associated with enhanced affect regulation, which describes the ability to effectively manage an emotional experience and has been identified as a transdiagnostic mechanism across a range of psychological disorders (Sloan et al, 2017). Therefore, compassion has been related to the enhancement of psychological wellbeing and the reduction of mental health difficulties (Rooney, 2020) whereas fear of compassion has been linked to increased vulnerability to mental health difficulties (Kirby et al, 2019).…”