Turning to Service Users for the Understanding of Current and Future Mental Health Services in the Development Process of Research and Practice: A Qualitative Study Emmy Nilsson, Carina Tjörnstrand, Daniel Lindqvist, Jenny Wetterling, Annika Lexén, et al. Health Expectations, 2026 Background A person‐centred and recovery‐oriented approach is an integral part of modern mental health services founded on the experiential knowledge of service users. Their reflections as experts, grounded in their unique experience as service users, play a significant role in developing and improving the existing care. Experiential knowledge is therefore a means to enhance the relevance of research, inform the development of care, and bridge research and practice. Aim To understand service users' experiences of their current mental health services and explore reflections on the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) model and its role in future practice. Methods A total of 17 experts participated in individual and dyadic in‐depth interviews. A reflexive thematic analysis was performed on the participants' experiences of current mental health services and on their reflections on a vignette describing an integrative, recovery‐oriented care and support model—FACT. Results The analysis resulted in three themes. The first theme, ‘Losing value and credibility as a person when becoming a service user’, reflected participants' experiences of being reduced to the signs and symptoms of their mental health problems. The second theme, ‘Navigating through the mental health maze’, describes participants view on the current mental health services, while the last theme, ‘Involving service users in their care and support would be empowering’, holds participants' views on the importance of greater involvement in future service design and delivery. Conclusions These results underscore the necessity for enhanced collaboration to empower and provide inclusive, tailored care and support, which the participants emphasised as essential for the future of mental health services. The participants reflected on certain structural concepts, such as hierarchy, caring culture, and financial strains, prior to the implementation of FACT, which need to be addressed before an adaptation of integrative, recovery‐oriented care and support models. Public and Service User Contribution The study planning and process involved stakeholders, including user organisations, Swedish Partnership for Mental Health (NSPH), Skåne and their sister organisation LIBRA Skåne, as well as managers and professionals of mental health services. One of the authors has own experience of mental illness and contributed greatly to the data analysis and the finalising of the manuscript, and two authors have experience as relatives.
Offspring exposure to Crohn's disease during pregnancy and association with milder psychiatric regulatory disturbances in childhood Elin Skott, Gustav Söderberg, MaiBritt Giacobini, Samson Nivins, Xinxia Chen, et al. Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2025 IntroductionPrenatal exposure to inflammatory states has been suggested to influence offspring neurodevelopment. The aim was to investigate if offspring exposure to maternal Inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD), or specifically the IBD disorder Crohn's disease, during gestation is associated with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders in childhood.Material and MethodsWe conducted a population‐based registry study in Finland. All live births from 1996 until 2014 in Finland were included and followed up until December 2018. Exposure was maternal IBD or Crohn's disease. Outcome was a broad range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in offspring. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to assess association. Sensitivity analyses included assessing, for example, exposure to severe episode of IBD or Crohn's disease, the outcome psychotropic medication for the children, and influence from perinatal risk factors.ResultsOf the participants (N = 1 105 997), 0.55% (N = 6067) were exposed to maternal IBD 0.18% (N = 1959) to maternal Crohn's disease. Among the children exposed to IBD or the subgroup Crohn's disease, 6.3% or 7.3%, respectively, had received an outcome diagnosis during the follow‐up. There were higher risks for Sleeping disorders HR = 1.77 (95% CI, 1.13–2.78), Other feeding disorders HR = 1.83 (95% CI, 1.19, 2.19), and Incontinence HR = 1.42 (95% CI, 1.02–1.97) in children exposed to maternal Crohn's disease compared to unexposed children. This was supported by even higher point risk estimates for Incontinence HR = 2.43 (95% CI, 1.34–4.38) and Other feeding disorders HR = 2.83 (95% CI, 1.35–5.91) in offspring where the mother was hospitalized for Crohn's disease during pregnancy. Furthermore, there was a higher risk of dispensed antipsychotic, anxiolytic, hypnotic, and/or sedative medications for children with maternal Crohn's disease HR = 1.38 (95% CI, 1.03–1.85). These associations were not explained by cesarean section, preterm birth, or small birth size.ConclusionsOffspring exposed to maternal Crohn's disease during pregnancy had modestly higher risks of early sleeping, continence, and feeding disturbances. The exposure had no detectable association with any of the other psychiatric disorders studied.