Workforce Deployment: Reconciling Demands and Resources

1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
National Mental Health

Objective: The purpose of the study was to review the information in a Consultancy prepared for the National Mental Health Policy which suggested that half of the people with serious mental illnesses were untreated, while persons with “mental problems” were being overserviced by the specialist mental health services. The fate of the large group of persons with mental disorders of mid-range severity was not addressed. Method: Epidemiological data was reconciled with the service patterns of the clinical workforce and the extent of the unmet need estimated. Results: It was estimated that 25–30% of the Australian population meet criteria for a mental disorder in any year, yet less than one third will receive treatment. Of those that are treated, three quarters will receive their treatment from general practitioners and the remaining quarter will be treated by either the public mental health services, the addiction services, or private psychiatrists. The problem is that less than one half of those with serious mental disorders and only two thirds of those with chronic and disabling disorders appear to be being treated by anyone. Even if there were no slippage of services away from these serious and chronic groups of patients, there would still be a workforce shortfall, especially in rural and remote areas. Conclusions: Strategies to remedy this shortfall that involve psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and general practitioners are noted, and the need for a National Mental Health Survey to provide accurate data is stressed.

scholarly journals The population impact of improvements in mental health services: the case of Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 199 (6) ◽  
pp. 443-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony F. Jorm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Population Impact ◽  
High Prevalence

SummaryA national survey in 1997 found that Australia had a high prevalence of mental disorders with low rates of treatment. Since then, treatment availability has increased greatly and unmet need has reduced. However, there is little evidence that the nation's mental health has improved.

scholarly journals An Exploration of the Possibilities of Current Mental Health Services to Tackle Transgenerational Effects of Parental Mental Illnesses on Offspring Adjustment in Lithuania

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigita Lesinskiene
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Psychosocial Development ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
International Experience ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Transgenerational Effects

The topic of mental health and mental disorders is very sensitive and delicate in families and the society. Stigma is one of the main reasons for little help-seeking for mental disorders. Transgenerational effects of mental disorders is the utmost sensitive theme that brings difficulties for service organization and research. By emphasizing the importance of the effects of parental mental illnesses on the health of offspring and their adjustment, together with sharing the international experience between professionals, both the administration of services and society could provide opportunities for further positive change in this little-studied but utmost actual field. There is still a lack of appropriate long term systematic programs and ways to overcome complex organizational challenges. Sharing international experience and research could help find ways that best fit the situations in each country. After a descriptive analysis of the current system of mental health services in Lithuania, opportunities were sought to meet the needs of children and adolescents whose parents have mental disorders by ensuring their healthy psychosocial development. Child and adolescent psychiatry services are a more favorable and less stigmatized area in Lithuania than adult psychiatry, so assistance and specialized programs for children of parents with mental health problems could be organized using the country's relatively well-developed network of child and adolescent psychiatric and pediatric services. For such a small country with limited resources, there could be a possibility to use and strengthen the existing network of services together with finding opportunities for mixed models of financing and cooperation with non-governmental initiatives and organizations. A unique network of primary mental health outpatient centers that provide services for adults and children/adolescents could serve as a reasonable basis for the systematic implementation of specialized programs and initiatives in this field. This network is still not adequately used in the organization of mental health prevention, early intervention, and complex treatment services for the children of parents with mental illness.

E-health responses to common mental disorders in primary care: experiences with Ębeyondblue‘ and ĘSPHERE’

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Hickie ◽  
Tracey Davenport ◽  
Elizabeth Scott ◽  
Hugh Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Support System ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Web Based

Objective: To highlight opportunities for enhancing mental health services in primary care through utilisation of e-health systems. Specifically, an information-based website (provided by ‘beyondblue: the national depression initiative’) and a web-based support system for general practitioners (provided by ‘SPHERE: a national depression project’) are described. Conclusions: Recommendations regarding potential roles for e-health systems in association with Australian primary care are outlined.

scholarly journals A Multi-Site Study of Mental Disorders in the Mozambican Health Care System

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidia Gouveia ◽  
Kathryn Lovero ◽  
Wilza Fumo ◽  
Afonso Mazine Tiago Fumo ◽  
Palmira Dos Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Public Mental Health

Abstract BackgroundIn Mozambique, human and financial resources for public mental health services are extremely limited. Understanding the mental health needs of those seeking healthcare can inform efficient targeting of mental health services. We examined if the frequency of mental disorders in a health facility varied based on the level of specialization of such facility, from primary care without mental health specialists (PrCMH-), to those with mental health specialists (PrCMH+) and tertiary care (TerC), where both inpatient and outpatient mental health services are available.MethodsParticipants were adults seeking health or mental health services at six facilities (2 PrCMH+, 3 PrCMH-, and 1 TerC) in the cities of Maputo and Nampula in Mozambique. Mental disorders were assessed by the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 4.0.0. We compared the sociodemographic characteristics and MINI diagnoses across the three types of health facilities. Multiple logistic regression models determined the likelihood that a person seeking services at each type of facility would have any mental disorder, common mental disorders (CMD), severe mental disorders (SMD), substance use disorders (SUD), and moderate-to-high suicide risk, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. ResultsOf the 612 total participants, 52.6% (n=322) were positive for at least one mental disorder: 37.1% were positive for CMD, 28.9% for SMD, 13.2% for SUD, and 10.5% had suicide risk. Presence of any mental disorder was highest in TerC (62.5%) and lowest in PrCMH- (48.4%). Adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, participants in PrCMH+ were significantly more likely to have SMD (OR: 1.85, 95%CI: 1.10-3.11) and SUD (OR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.31-5.94) than participants in PrCMH-; participants in TerC were more likely to have CMD (OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.01-2.87) and SUD (OR: 2.57, 95%CI: 1.14-5.79) than in PrCMH-. Suicide risk was the only condition that did not differ across facility types.ConclusionsAs anticipated, people with mental disorders were more likely to be cared for at facilities with mental health specialists. However, our study suggests there is a remarkably high frequency of mental disorders across different types of facilities within the Mozambican healthcare system. These results suggest a need to increase mental health services at the primary care level.

Is Pacific language ability protective of prevalence of mental disorders among Pacific peoples in New Zealand?

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirenei Taua'i ◽  
Rose Richards ◽  
Jesse Kokaua
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
Language Promotion

Aims: To explore associations between experiences of mental illness, migration status and languages spoken among Pacific adults living in NZ. Methods: SURVEY FREQ and SURVEY LOGISTIC procedures in SAS were applied to data from Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand (NZ) Mental Health Survey, a survey of 12,992 New Zealand adults aged 16 and over in 2003/2004. Pacific people were over sampled and this paper focuses on the 2374 Pacific participants but includes, for comparison, 8160 non-Maori-non-Pacific (NMNP) participants. Results: Pacific migrant respondents had the lowest prevalence of mental disorders compared to other Pacific peoples. However, Pacific immigrants were also less likely to use mental health services, suggesting an increased likelihood of experiencing barriers to available mental health care. Those who were born in NZ and who were proficient in a Pacific language had the lowest levels of common mental disorders, suggesting a protective effect for the NZ-born population. Additionally, access to mental health services was similar between NZ-born people who spoke a Pacific language and those who did not. Conclusions: We conclude that, given the association between Pacific language and reduced mental disorder, there may be a positive role for Pacific language promotion in efforts to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorder among Pacific communities in NZ.

Impact of training for general practitioners on their mental health services: The Hong Kong experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 550-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tai Pong Lam ◽  
Kai Sing Sun ◽  
Leon Piterman ◽  
Kwok Fai Lam ◽  
Man Kay Poon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
General Practitioners
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