scholarly journals Global Mental Health and Nutrition: Moving Toward a Convergent Research Agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thalia M. Sparling ◽  
Bryan Cheng ◽  
Megan Deeney ◽  
Marianne V. Santoso ◽  
Erin Pfeiffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Programme Implementation ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Interdisciplinary Projects ◽  
Food Security And Nutrition

Both malnutrition and poor mental health are leading sources of global mortality, disease, and disability. The fields of global food security and nutrition (FSN) and mental health have historically been seen as separate fields of research. Each have undergone substantial transformation, especially from clinical, primary care orientations to wider, sociopolitical approaches to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In recent years, the trajectories of research on mental health and FSN are further evolving into an intersection of evidence. FSN impacts mental health through various pathways such as food insecurity and nutrients important for neurotransmission. Mental health drives FSN outcomes, for example through loss of motivation and caregiving capacities. They are also linked through a complex and interrelated set of determinants. However, the heterogeneity of the evidence base limits inferences about these important dynamics. Furthermore, interdisciplinary projects and programmes are gaining ground in methodology and impact, but further guidance in integration is much needed. An evidence-driven conceptual framework should inform hypothesis testing and programme implementation. The intersection of mental health and FSN can be an opportunity to invest holistically in advancing thinking in both fields.

scholarly journals Global Mental Health: Interdisciplinary challenges for a field in motion

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dörte Bemme ◽  
Laurence J Kirmayer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Transcultural Psychiatry ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Policy ◽  
Development Goals

In recent years, efforts in Global Mental Health (GMH) have evolved alongside critical engagement with the field's claims and interventions. GMH has shifted its agenda and epistemological underpinnings, increased its evidence base, and joined other global policy platforms such as the Sustainable Development Goals. This editorial introduction to a thematic issue traces the recent shifts in the GMH agenda and discusses the changing construct of “mental health” as GMH moves away from a categorical biomedical model toward dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches and embraces digital technologies. We highlight persistent and emerging lines of inquiry and advocate for meaningful interdisciplinary engagement. Taken together, the articles in this special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry provide a snapshot of current interdisciplinary work in GMH that considers the socio-cultural and historical dimensions of mental health important and proposes reflexive development of interventions and implementation strategies.

scholarly journals The economics of mental health in the workplace: what do we know and where do we go?

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
David McDaid
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Productivity Losses ◽  
Mental Health Interventions

AbstractTo provide an overview of the economic impact of poor mental health in the workplace and assess the extent to which economic evaluation has been used to further the case for investment in workplace based mental health programmes. Rapid scoping review of published and grey literature. The socio-economic costs of poor mental health in the workplace are substantial but conservative, as few studies have included productivity losses from work cutback, as well as absenteeism. While few economic evaluations of workplace based mental health interventions were identified, the available evidence base suggests that they have the potential to be highly cost effective. Much of this evidence may be from the US and be less applicable elsewhere; it may also have been solely published in company documents making assessment of methodological quality difficult. The potential economic case for workplace based mental health interventions appears good. More collaboration between policy makers and the private sector would help facilitate rigorous and transparent economic evaluations. A number of evaluations are planned. The challenge is to build on these initiatives, in order to address what remains a major gap in our knowledge on the economics of mental health.

scholarly journals Trend in the Prevalence of Non-Daily Smoking and Their Relationship with Mental Health Using the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3396
Author(s):  
Yunna Kwan ◽  
Hye Sim Kim ◽  
Dae Ryong Kang ◽  
Tae Hui Kim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Daily Smoking ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
Health And Nutrition

Introduction: Non-Daily Smoking (NDS), which is increasingly prevalent worldwide, has not yet attracted as much attention as has daily smoking in Asia. The aims of this study were to identify trends in the prevalence of NDS and to compare characteristics by age, gender, and mental health indicators such as depression, suicidality, and alcohol consumption in South Korea. Methods: We included 33,806 adults (aged ≥ 19 years) who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) from 2010 to 2015. The dataset includes self-reported medical history and questionnaires that explore depression, suicidality, and alcohol use, which are known to be highly related to smoking. We divided the respondents into four groups according to smoking status: Never Smoking (NS, N = 20,270); Past Smoking (PS = 6835); Daily Smoking (DS = 5927), who reported smoking every day; and Non-Daily Smoking (NDS = 774), who reported that they sometimes smoke. Results: Increased NDS prevalence is observed in most age groups in both male and female adults despite the prevalence of total smoking and daily smoking gradually decreasing. Depression and suicidality were significantly more prevalent in the NDS than the NS group (Depression Odds ratio, OR = 1.72, 95% Confidence interval, CI = 1.31–2.26; Suicidality OR = 3.14, 95% CI = 1.40–7.02). NDS is also associated with a higher frequency of binge drinking and alcohol use disorder than NS (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 3.49–4.99). Conclusions: This study suggests that more concern is warranted for NDS given the increasing prevalence and characteristics of poor mental health in NDS respondents.

scholarly journals Employment Precariousness and Poor Mental Health: Evidence from Spain on a New Social Determinant of Health

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Vives ◽  
Marcelo Amable ◽  
Montserrat Ferrer ◽  
Salvador Moncada ◽  
Clara Llorens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Precarious Employment ◽  
Prevalence Proportion ◽  
Permanent Workers

Background.Evidence on the health-damaging effects of precarious employment is limited by the use of one-dimensional approaches focused on employment instability. This study assesses the association between precarious employment and poor mental health using the multidimensional Employment Precariousness Scale.Methods.Cross-sectional study of 5679 temporary and permanent workers from the population-based Psychosocial Factors Survey was carried out in 2004-2005 in Spain. Poor mental health was defined as SF-36 mental health scores below the 25th percentile of the Spanish reference for each respondent’s sex and age. Prevalence proportion ratios (PPRs) of poor mental health across quintiles of employment precariousness (reference: 1st quintile) were calculated with log-binomial regressions, separately for women and men.Results.Crude PPRs showed a gradient association with poor mental health and remained generally unchanged after adjustments for age, immigrant status, socioeconomic position, and previous unemployment. Fully adjusted PPRs for the 5th quintile were 2.54 (95% CI: 1.95–3.31) for women and 2.23 (95% CI: 1.86–2.68) for men.Conclusion.The study finds a gradient association between employment precariousness and poor mental health, which was somewhat stronger among women, suggesting an interaction with gender-related power asymmetries. Further research is needed to strengthen the epidemiological evidence base and to inform labour market policy-making.

scholarly journals Mental Health in low-and middle income countries (LMICs): Going beyond the need for funding

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folashade T Alloh ◽  
Pramod Regmi ◽  
Igoche Onche ◽  
Edwin Van Teijlingen ◽  
Steven Trenoweth
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Despite being globally recognised as an important public health issue, mental health is still less prioritised as a disease burden in many Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). More than 70% of the global mental health burden occurs in these countries. We discussed mental health issues in LMICs under themes such as abuse and mental illness, cultural influence on mental health, need for dignity in care, meeting financial and workforce gaps and the need for national health policy for the mental health sector. We highlighted that although mental health education and health care services in most LMICs are poorly resourced; there is an urgent need to address issues beyond funding that contribute to poor mental health. In order to meet the increasing challenge of mental health illness in LMICs, there is a need for effort to address cultural and professional challenges that contribute to poor mental health among individuals. We have a notion that mental health should be integrated into primary health care in LMICs. Creating awareness on the impact of some cultural attitudes/practices will encourage better uptake of mental health services and increase the ease when discussing mental health issues in these countries which can contribute to reducing the poor mental health in LMICs.

The equifinality and multifinality of violent radicalization and mental health

2021 ◽  
pp. 125-136
Author(s):  
Paul Gill ◽  
Frank Farnham ◽  
Caitlin Clemmow
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Base Rate ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So

The relationship between violent radicalization and poor mental health is complex and multilayered. We use the principles of equifinality and multifinality to demonstrate this complexity. In terms of equifinality, we draw upon the existing evidence base to demonstrate that the end outcome of violent radicalization has many paths into it. Some individuals will be touched by different aspects related to poor mental health along this path. In terms of multifinality, we demonstrate trajectories to multiple outcomes originating from poor mental health problems, where violent radicalization is a low base rate outcome, of many. To do so, we draw on the evidence base from various systematic reviews and meta-analyses of other public/personal harms. We also draw upon illustrations of different individuals displaying similar symptoms/diagnoses and map the mechanisms through which their end outcome differed (e.g. because of exposure to different influences, opportunity, and so on).

scholarly journals New horizons in supporting older people's health and wellbeing: is social prescribing a way forward?

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Hamilton-West ◽  
Alisoun Milne ◽  
Sarah Hotham
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Social Prescribing ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Older people’s health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community. However, researchers have highlighted limitations with the existing evidence-base, while clinicians express concerns about the quality of onward referral services, liability and upfront investment required. The current article provides a critical review of evidence on social prescribing, drawing on the RE-AIM Framework (Glasgow et al., 1999) to identify questions that will need to be addressed in order to inform both the design and delivery of services and the evolving research agenda around social prescribing. We emphasise the need for researchers and planners to work together to develop a more robust evidence-base, advancing understanding of the impacts of social prescribing (on individuals, services and communities), factors associated with variation in outcomes and strategies needed to implement effective and sustainable programmes. We also call on policymakers to recognise the need for investment in allied initiatives to address barriers to engagement in social prescribing programmes, provide targeted support for carers and improve access to older adult mental health services. We conclude that social prescribing has potential to support older people’s health and wellbeing, but this potential will only be realised through strategic alignment of research, local level implementation and national policy and investment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document