scholarly journals Burning up and burning out. Human Sustainability in a Time of Emotional Climate Change

2022 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 56-74
Author(s):  
Bahia El Oddi ◽  
Carin-Isabel Knoop
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emotional Climate ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Need Support ◽  
Public Leaders

The world is focused on countering climate change to guarantee our survival. But as our planet burns up, we are burning out. The costs of mental health disorders dwarf those of climate change and yet do not get commensurate attention from global leaders. Health care providers and organizations have acted first but need support of the financial markets and public decision-makers. In this paper, we argue that the economic and social toll of mental health and wellbeing issues deserve equal attention from business and public leaders because Human Sustainability is as important as Environmental Sustainability for our ability to endure and thrive as a species in harmony with others.

Psychiatry and the Need for Mental Health Care in Australia: Findings from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Meadows ◽  
Bruce Singh ◽  
Philip Burgess ◽  
Irene Bobevski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Health And Wellbeing

Objective: This paper describes the pattern of consultations reported with psychiatrists and primary mental health care providers in the Australian adult population. It explores whether inequalities found in utilization of psychiatric services according to area are different in degree from inequalities in utilization of medical and surgical specialists, and describes the meeting of perceived needs for mental health care within those seen by psychiatrists. Method: The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) was a community survey employing clustered probability sampling, with a computerized field questionnaire which included sections of the composite international diagnostic interview (CIDI), as well as self-reported service utilization and perceived needs for care. Results: By survey estimates, 1.8% of the Australian population consulted a psychiatrist in the last year. Among people with an ICD 10-diagnosed mental disorder, 7.3% consulted a psychiatrist. Only about one in five people seen by a psychiatrist report the psychiatrist as the only mental health care provider. Disadvantaged areas of the cities and remote areas, when compared with the least deprived areas of the cities, showed lower rates of utilization. This effect is stronger in psychiatry than in other specialities. Patients seeing psychiatrists seem to be a more satisfied group than those seeing only other providers; nonetheless, some needs are not well met, and the role of the psychiatrist cannot be isolated as the cause of this satisfaction. Conclusions: Most care delivered by psychiatrists is de facto shared care. Psychiatrists as clinical professionals need to be continually mindful of the need to communicate with others providing care. Psychiatric services in Australia are not delivered in an equitable manner, and the inequalities are greater for psychiatric services than for other medical specialities.

scholarly journals Emerging Mental Health Challenges, Strategies and Opportunities in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from South American Decision-makers.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A Antiporta ◽  
Andrea Bruni
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Reform ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
South American ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Mental Health Reform

Background Mental health awareness has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although international guidelines address the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) response to emergencies, regional recommendations on COVID-19 are still insufficient. We identified emerging mental health problems, strategies to address them, and opportunities to reform mental health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic in South America. Methods An anonymous online questionnaire was sent to mental health decision-makers of Ministries of Health in 10 South American countries in mid-April 2020. The semi-structured questionnaire had 12 questions clustered into 3 main sections: emerging challenges in mental health, current and potential strategies to face the pandemic, and, key elements for mental health reform. We identified keywords and themes for each section through summative content analysis. Findings An increasing mental health burden and emerging needs are arising as direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic among health care providers and the general population. National lockdowns challenge the delivery and access to mental health treatment and care. Strategies to meet these health needs rely heavily on timely and adequate responses by strengthened mental health governance and systems, availability of services, virtual platforms, and appropriate capacity building for service providers. Short- and medium-term strategies focused on bolstering community-based mental health networks and telemedicine for high-risk populations. Opportunities for long-term mental health reform entail strengthening legal frameworks, redistribution of financial resources and collaboration with local and international partners. Interpretation Mental health and psychosocial support have been identified as a priority area by South American countries in the COVID-19 response. The pandemic has generated specific needs that require appropriate actions including: implementing virtual based interventions, orienting capacity building towards protection of users and health providers, strengthening evidence-driven decision making and integrating MHPSS in high-level mechanisms guiding the response to COVID-19. Funding None.

scholarly journals Nurses as Boundary Actors in Sustainable Health Care: A Discussion Paper

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-46
Author(s):  
Joanna Law ◽  
Maya R. Kalogirou ◽  
Sherry Dahlke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Articulation Work ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change

The devastating global health impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent and more frequent. Health care systems are increasingly burdened by the response to these impacts. Paradoxically, as they respond to the negative health effects of climate change, these same resource intense health care systems are contributing to further climate change. Organizations and academics have issued a call to action for health care workers to mitigate climate change and promote environmental sustainability. Nurses are an integral part of health care systems but have been delayed in answering this call. In this paper we argue that nurses are particularly well suited to mitigating climate change in health care systems because their existing role is central to patient care, and as a result they interface with other health care providers and have developed proficiency in articulation work.

scholarly journals Typhoon eye effect versus ripple effect: the role of family size on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tooba Lateef ◽  
Jiyao Chen ◽  
Muhammad Tahir ◽  
Teba Abdul Lateef ◽  
Bryan Z. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Populous Country

Abstract Background The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted adversely upon the mental health of millions of people worldwide. Impacts on the mental health conditions and the associated predictors relating to adults in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, during the COVID-19 remain understudied. Our aim was to investigate distress, anxiety, and overall mental health and their associated predictors among Pakistani adults in this pandemic. We specifically examine mental health issues based on the distance from the epicenter, (a predictor that has revealed opposing evidence in other countries) based on the theories of typhoon eye effect and ripple effect. The sample consisted of 601 adults who were surveyed online about 2.5 months into the outbreak across Pakistan with varying distances from the epicenter of COVID-19 of Karachi. Results The results showed that 9.2 and 19.0% of the participants surpassed the cut-off criteria for distress and anxiety disorders, respectively. Overall, the distance from the epicenter positively predicted the mental health of adults in Pakistan, and family size negatively moderated this effect. The distance from the epicenter negatively predicted distress and anxiety disorders for adults in large families, which are quite common in Pakistan. Conclusion The evidence of the study interestingly finds that the prediction of the mental health of people by their distance from the epicenter depends on family size. The evidence of this study can help to provide initial indicators for mental health care providers to screen vulnerable groups in Pakistan, a populous country that continues struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals A Risk Exchange: Health and Mobility in the Context of Climate and Environmental Change in Bangladesh—A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2629
Author(s):  
Patricia Nayna Schwerdtle ◽  
Kate Baernighausen ◽  
Sayeda Karim ◽  
Tauheed Syed Raihan ◽  
Samiya Selim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Healthcare Environment

Background: Climate change influences patterns of human mobility and health outcomes. While much of the climate change and migration discourse is invested in quantitative predictions and debates about whether migration is adaptive or maladaptive, less attention has been paid to the voices of the people moving in the context of climate change with a focus on their health and wellbeing. This qualitative research aims to amplify the voices of migrants themselves to add nuance to dominant migration narratives and to shed light on the real-life challenges migrants face in meeting their health needs in the context of climate change. Methods: We conducted 58 semi-structured in-depth interviews with migrants purposefully selected for having moved from rural Bhola, southern Bangladesh to an urban slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis under the philosophical underpinnings of phenomenology. Coding was conducted using NVivo Pro 12. Findings: We identified two overarching themes in the thematic analysis: Firstly, we identified the theme “A risk exchange: Exchanging climate change and health risks at origin and destination”. Rather than describing a “net positive” or “net negative” outcome in terms of migration in the context of climate change, migrants described an exchange of hazards, exposures, and vulnerabilities at origin with those at destination, which challenged their capacity to adapt. This theme included several sub-themes—income and employment factors, changing food environment, shelter and water sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) conditions, and social capital. The second overarching theme was “A changing health and healthcare environment”. This theme also included several sub-themes—changing physical and mental health status and a changing healthcare environment encompassing quality of care and barriers to accessing healthcare. Migrants described physical and mental health concerns and connected these experiences with their new environment. These two overarching themes were prevalent across the dataset, although each participant experienced and expressed them uniquely. Conclusion: Migrants who move in the context of climate change face a range of diverse health risks at the origin, en route, and at the destination. Migrating individuals, households, and communities undertake a risk exchange when they decide to move, which has diverse positive and negative consequences for their health and wellbeing. Along with changing health determinants is a changing healthcare environment where migrants face different choices, barriers, and quality of care. A more migrant-centric perspective as described in this paper could strengthen migration, climate, and health governance. Policymakers, urban planners, city corporations, and health practitioners should integrate the risk exchange into practice and policies.

scholarly journals Men’s perceptions of sexual and reproductive health education within the context of pregnancy and HIV in Zambia: a descriptive qualitative analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulani Francis L. Matenga ◽  
Joseph Mumba Zulu ◽  
Sharon Nkwemu ◽  
Perfect Shankalala ◽  
Karen Hampanda
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Women Living With Hiv ◽  
The Family

Abstract Background Although health care providers are beginning to focus on men’s roles as fathers and husbands, there is limited understanding of how men view their ability to promote sexual and reproductive health in families affected by HIV and their experiences with receiving education through antenatal care. This paper aims to explore men’s perceptions of the education they need regarding sexual and reproductive health within the family in the context of HIV. Methods We interviewed a convenience sample of 18 male partners of pregnant women living with HIV in Lusaka, Zambia. Atlas.ti was used to facilitate data management and content analysis. Results Men reported being the primary decision-makers regarding sexual and reproductive issues in the family; however, they admitted far-reaching unmet needs in terms of information on sexual and reproductive health in the context of HIV. Most men felt that antenatal care was not a conducive setting to fully educate men on sexual and reproductive health because it is a woman’s space where their health concerns were generally neglected. There was a strong desire for more education that was specific to men’s sexual and reproductive health, especially because all the couples were affected by HIV. Men especially requested education on sexual preparedness, safe sex, the use of condoms in sero-concordant and sero-discordant relationships and general health information. Although men stated they were the main decision-makers regarding sexual and reproductive issues such as pregnancy, most men were not confident in their ability to promote sexual and reproductive health in the family because of limited knowledge in this area. Conclusion There is need to change the environment and messaging of antenatal care, as well as offer relevant education opportunities outside health facility settings to empower men with essential information for meaningful involvement in sexual and reproductive health in the context of HIV.

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