Achieving universal health coverage for mental disorders
“A key element of the field of global mental health is the design and evaluation of innovative strategies for integrating cost effective pharmacological and psychosocial interventions in primary healthcare. The evidence from this work, from a range of contexts including high income countries, is showing the way to integration. A theme across this evidence is the placement of non-specialised providers (including peers, community health workers, and nurses) in primary healthcare and community settings.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6753845/#!po=32.1429
The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development
The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development is a comprehensive synthesis of knowledge on global mental health, designed to catalyse worldwide action. It builds on the 2007 and 2011 The Lancet series on global mental health that helped make mental health care a greater priority worldwide. The ultimate goal of the Commission is to guide action to reduce the global burden of mental health problems. The Commission should give fresh impetus to the prioritisation of mental health, helping ensure physical and mental health are valued equally by the global health and development communities. The Commission has three unique guiding principles: – our approach to mental health covers the full spectrum of mental health from day-to-day wellness to long-term, disabling conditions. – mental health is the product of psychosocial, environmental, biological and genetic factors interacting with neurodevelopmental processes. – mental health should be respected as a fundamental right.
Comprehensive Attention to Victims of Torture in Cases under Litigation
How do we deal with the issue of victims of torture so that litigation is a healing process per se? How do we provide comprehensive support in their search for justice and truth? Answering these questions is an objective of this book, which presents a review of the question of torture and its consequences with respect to litigation before the inter-American system for the protection of human rights. Our intention, on the one hand, is to emphasize the psychological and social dimensions of acts of torture and, on the other, to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue that would promote a broad perspective that captures the different aspects of this painful and complex reality.
https://www.iidh.ed.cr/IIDH/media/1603/psychosocial-contributions-eng-2009.pdf
Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings
In humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations psychological damage has traditionally not been addressed, its extent and impact have not been well studied. It is only through a greater focus of mental health problems as a result of war and conflict, can coherent and effective strategies for dealing with such problems be developed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472271/
Afghanistan Bosnia Cambodia Chechnya Iraq Israel Lebanon Palestine Rwanda Somalia Sri Lanka Uganda Vietnam
Psychosocial and mental health interventions in areas of mass violence
These guidelines and the contribution to the Inter Agency Standing Committee Guidelines, Mental Health: Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings is written to share our technical experiences, to help colleagues and other humanitarian workers to avoid repeating the mistakes we have made. We do not claim that our intervention model is the only way to approach psychosocial or mental health problems in areas of conflict. We realise the limitations and opportunities of our organisations specific medical, humanitarian emergency origin as well as the specificity of our experiences.
https://www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/msf_mentalhealthguidelines.pdf
Mental Health & Psychosocial Network
The MHPSS Network is a growing global platform for connecting people, networks and organizations, for sharing resources and for building knowledge related to mental health and psychosocial support both in emergency settings and in situations of chronic hardship. We aspire to building and shaping good practice in support of people affected by difficult events or circumstances.
PTSD Alliance
A group of professional and advocacy organizations that have joined forces to provide educational resources to individuals diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones; those at risk for developing PTSD; and medical, healthcare and other frontline professionals.
HealthNet TPO
HealthNet TPO is a Dutch aid agency that works on health care in general but also mental health in spesific, in areas disrupted by war or disasters. In these areas people are facing the immense task of rebuilding society while they suffer from poverty, diseases and the emotional consequences of conflict. We use health as both a goal and means: the goal is to reach accessible health care for all. By working on that together with local communities we use health as a means to bring people together and to restore mutual trust.
Where there is no Psychiatrist
Attitudes towards mental illness have changed, with more people coming forward for treatment. Despite this positive development, access to mental health care in low-income countries is still extremely poor and there is a serious shortage of mental health care workers. However, most of these countries have large numbers of community workers who could be deployed to deliver mental health care if they had the necessary knowledge and skills. Where there is no Psychiatrist might go some way in Providing such knowledge and skills.
http://www.asksource.info/pdf/30256_wherethereisnopsych_ch1_2003.pdf
Mental health and conflict
This note discusses the relevance and design of mental health care interventions in post-conflict situations. Mental health disorders and psychosocial problems arising from conflict need to be addressed as part of post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts. The note presents a conceptual framework for mental health interventions in post-conflict settings and illustrations from West Bank-Gaza, Bosnia, Burundi and Uganda (4 pages, .pdf, for historical reference).