Melanesian Mental Health and Psychiatric Services: Perspectives from Papua New Guinea

Objective: To describe the recent work of child psychiatrists in Australia, New Zealand (ANZ) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) adding to mental health capacity building across the life-span, starting with children and adolescents. Method: Concerns about treatment access and clinical training needs, combined with academic leadership and National Department of Health commitment, supported the collaborative involvement of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry (RANZCP) in workforce development. This has been initially established under the auspices of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (FCAP). Results: Workforce development in child and adolescent mental health is underway, with sustainability, consolidation and scaling up of initiatives required to meet need. Conclusions: Expanding mental health workforce capacity in partnership with the National Department of Health and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) seems feasible. Ongoing cooperation is required to realize the potential of such collaborative initiatives.

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Health worker confidence in diagnosing and treating mental health problems in Papua New Guinea

South Pacific Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1017/s0257543400000146 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 29-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Betty E. Koka ◽

Frank P. Deane ◽

Gordon Lambert

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Workers ◽

New Guinea ◽

Health Problems ◽

Mental Health Training

Confidence in identifying different diagnostic categories of mental disorders by general health workers who provide the bulk of Papua New Guinea's (PNG) mental health care is vital for the country's provision of mental health care. Making a psychiatric diagnosis is complicated by PNG's diverse culture and estimated 800 distinct languages. These cultural-linguistic factors influence help-seeking behaviour and continued use of traditional treatment despite the introduction of western approaches to mental health care. The aim of this study was to determine the confidence of health workers in identifying and diagnosing different categories of mental health problems in this complex environment. A sample of 209 Papua New Guinea health workers from four geographic regions completed a questionnaire that assessed background levels of training and confidence in diagnosing a range of modern and culture specific diagnoses. Overall, respondents reported relatively little prior mental health training. Consistent with this were the relatively low levels of confidence for culture specific diagnoses (e.g. sorcery), but significantly higher levels of confidence with modern diagnoses (e.g. depression). The implications of the findings for training and provision of mental health care are discussed.

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Enduring impact of conflict on mental health and gender-based violence perpetration in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea: A cross-sectional study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0186062 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. e0186062 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Rachel Jewkes ◽

Nwabisa Jama-Shai ◽

Yandisa Sikweyiya

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Gender Based Violence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Violence Perpetration ◽

Gender Based ◽

And Gender

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The History of Mental Health in Papua New Guinea

International and Cultural Psychology - Mental Health in Asia and the Pacific ◽

10.1007/978-1-4899-7999-5_15 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 223-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Graham J. Roberts

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

History Of

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Neighbours and Strangers — on Losing the Track

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/00048678109159443 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 251-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

John Cawte

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Developing Countries ◽

New Zealand ◽

Health System ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

Mental Health System ◽

Cultural Distance ◽

New Guinea ◽

Aboriginal Australia ◽

The North

The cultural gap between the colonists and their indigenous neighbours was an insurmountable tracking difficulty for the young nations of Australia and New Zealand. Scattered across the island continent lived Aborigines, unappreciated; and to the north, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The cultural distance, one of colour, of custom, of creed, of consciousness and of cash, was too wide to cross. But cultural distances between neighbours inevitably lead to tracking failures, characterized by misconceptions, fears, and ultimately, conflict. Psychiatry has some capacity to define these tracking failures, and to assess their danger. In this paper, Australia's psychiatric approach to its neighbours is examined. Two challenges are specified. In the developing countries: it is subsistence versus surplus psychiatry — do we comprehend the distinction?? In Aboriginal Australia: it is the Aboriginal mental health system — do we appreciate its existence? An Aboriginal scripture (bark painting) provides the text.

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