New global priority for mental health – reasons for optimism and concern

Mental health is a core part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations General Assembly. This follows on from the World Health Organization's 2013 Global Action Programme. The World Bank is also expected to give mental health greater priority. Moreover, mental health is now seen as essential in disaster relief management. However, although global policy towards mental health has improved, there are only rare examples where this has been translated at scale into action. There are, nonetheless, reasons for optimism in the new policy background, in the many innovative practical developments around the world and in the way that evidence is being gathered and learning shared. The understanding that mental health is intimately connected to physical, social, environmental and economic health – which is so evident in the SDGs – represents a major change in mind-sets globally.

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Mental health e-supervision for primary care doctors in Sudan using the WHO mhGAP Intervention Guide

BJPsych International ◽

10.1192/s2056474000000799 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (S1) ◽

pp. S-16-S-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anne Aboaja ◽

Puja Myles ◽

Peter Hughes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

World Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Health Gap ◽

Action Programme ◽

Primary Care Doctors ◽

Health Organization

This paper describes the evaluation of a pilot e-supervision programme, with a focus on feasibility. The findings suggest that e-supervision in mental health using the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide and case-based discussions is valued by participants and can improve the knowledge, confidence and beliefs of primary care doctors in low- and middle-income countries.

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A Fallacy of the World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Programme and Intervention Guide: Counseling and Psychotherapy Are Also (Western) Indigenous/Traditional Healing Methods

Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1891/ehpp-d-20-00005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 49-61

Author(s):

Robinder P. Bedi ◽

Mohit Bassi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Global Mental Health ◽

World Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Western Countries ◽

The World ◽

Health Gap ◽

Cultural Healing ◽

Action Programme

This article will argue that, rather than being objective and universal treatment appro-aches, counseling and psychotherapy are indigenous/traditional (i.e., cultural) healing methods of the Euro-American West. Therefore, the World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MHGAP), designed to provide increased access to reportedly highly effective Western mental health treatment services in many low- and middle-income countries, is likely to falter. It can be argued that culturally adapted counseling and psychotherapy will be most effective for individuals in non-Western countries who endorse or are somewhat acculturated to Western understandings and ways of living. Therefore, Western psychological interventions should not be at the forefront of the MHGAP in non-Western countries. Supportive evidence for this perspective is summarized and alternative approaches to promoting global mental health that draw on non-Western indigenous healing practices are presented.

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The WHO mhGAP Intervention Guide for people with intellectual disability: the Sri Lankan experience

BJPsych International ◽

10.1192/s2056474000000805 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (S1) ◽

pp. S-19-S-23

Author(s):

Rohit Gumber ◽

Shweta Gangavati ◽

Sabyasachi Bhaumik ◽

Sherva Cooray ◽

Kiran Purandare ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Pilot Project ◽

World Health ◽

Sri Lankan ◽

Treatment Gap ◽

The World ◽

Health Gap ◽

Action Programme ◽

Health Organization

In recognition of the treatment gap in mental health, the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) was launched in 2008 and has proved successful. The paper describes the launch of the first mhGAP intellectual disabilities pilot project in Sri Lanka. It reports on the development of the materials and the key lessons learnt.

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Tailoring a training based on the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide (IG) to Tunisia: process and relevant adaptations

Global Mental Health ◽

10.1017/gmh.2018.8 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jessica Spagnolo ◽

François Champagne ◽

Nicole Leduc ◽

Wahid Melki ◽

Imen Guesmi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Training Programme ◽

World Health ◽

Adaptation Process ◽

The World ◽

Health Gap ◽

Action Programme ◽

Health Organization

BackgroundIn order to make mental health services more accessible, the Tunisian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal, the World Health Organization office in Tunisia and the Montreal World Health Organization-Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mental Health, implemented a training programme based on the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide (IG) (version 1.0), developed by the World Health Organization. This article describes the phase prior to the implementation of the training, which was offered to general practitioners working in primary care settings in the Greater Tunis area of Tunisia.MethodsThe phase prior to implementation consisted of adapting the standard mhGAP-IG (version 1.0) to the local primary healthcare context. This adaptation process, an essential step before piloting the training, involved discussions with stakeholder groups, as well as field observations.ResultsThrough the adaptation process, we were able to make changes to the standard training format and material. In addition, the process helped uncover systemic barriers to effective mental health care.ConclusionsTargeting these barriers in addition to implementing a training programme may help reduce the mental health treatment gap, and promote implementation that is successful and sustainable.

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Global child mental health: what can we learn from countries with limited financial resources?

International Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s1749367600002460 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 45-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Norbert Skokauskas ◽

Myron Belfer

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United Nations ◽

Child Mental Health ◽

World Health ◽

Economic Rights ◽

United Nations General ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

The World ◽

The United Nations ◽

Health Organization

In 1977 the World Health Organization recommended that every country throughout the world should have a national plan for child mental health. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been another important stimulus for child mental health policies and services in many countries. Adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989 and instituted as international law in 1990, the Convention is an agreement on the basic protections that should be accorded to children. Adopted in 1961, the European Social Charter is the major European treaty that secures children's rights. In 1996 the Charter was revised and expanded to include a list of core obligations of the contracting parties relating to the recognition of social, legal and economic rights for children and young persons.

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Mental Health Gap Action Programme training in Nigeria: reflections for progressive learning among primary care workers

BJPsych International ◽

10.1192/bji.2021.32 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Alvina Ali ◽

Nandini Chakraborty

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Knowledge Base ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

World Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Care Workers ◽

The World ◽

Health Gap ◽

Action Programme

In the majority of low- and middle-income countries, mental healthcare is delivered by primary care workers. Often, they are the only contact for patients and their families. Although their knowledge base can be limited, they are expected to manage complex cases with few resources. The authors describe their experience of partnership with mental health centres set up by the Nigeria Health Care Project, and training their primary care workers based on the World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Programme. Although the programme was very effective in helping to upskill their knowledge and experience, a need for continued professional development was highlighted. Based on their feedback, multiple evidence-based options are explored, including the use of remote learning and social media (increased significantly around the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic), to help primary care workers improve their knowledge base and maintain their competencies with the limited resources available.

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Mental Health Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in El Salvador

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801220978803 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107780122097880

Author(s):

Laura Navarro-Mantas ◽

Soledad de Lemus ◽

Jesús L. Megías

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

El Salvador ◽

Violence Against Women ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

World Health ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

Violence against women (VAW) is currently one of the main problems in El Salvador, which leads the ranking of femicides in the world. We conducted the first national survey on VAW in El Salvador following the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology, to determine the impact of violence on women’s mental health ( N = 1,274). Women who had experienced intimate partner violence showed significantly poorer mental health and more suicidal ideations. Common mental disorders were significantly associated with the experience of all forms of violence, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and stressful life experiences. The results are discussed in connection with the primary care protocols and the design of public policies.

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COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211019854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110198

Author(s):

Helen Onyeaka ◽

Christian K Anumudu ◽

Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽

Esther Egele-Godswill ◽

Paul Mbaegbu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Global Economy ◽

World Health ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Education Delivery ◽

Environmental Air ◽

Health Organization ◽

Almost All ◽

The Impact

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

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Maternal Care and Mental Health

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.39.5.801a ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

pp. 801-803

Author(s):

PETER H. WOLFF

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Historical Perspective ◽

Maternal Deprivation ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

World Health ◽

Homeless Children ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

New Generation

When Bowlby first published his comprehensive report to the World Health Organization on maternal deprivation, his conclusions and recommendations stimulated useful research and provoked critical discussion. The republication of this report 15 years later, together with six articles by others evaluating the monograph's implications, gives us a welcome opportunity to reconsider the findings from a historical perspective, and to acquaint a new generation of physicians with the problems of homeless children, which are still very much with us.

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