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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jan/19/improving-mental-health-support-we-need-to-help-people-come-out-of-the-shadows
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| Mental health support: 'We need to help people come out of the shadows' | Mental health support: 'We need to help people come out of the shadows' |
| (7 months later) | |
| 1 | Humanise mental health in society | 1 | Humanise mental health in society |
| We need to help people with mental illnesses come out of the shadows and actively and visibly engage in life, and contribute to their communities. In Uganda, health care providers were amazed to see people recovering from mental illness being trained as peer workers, and finally started referring to them as people and not patients. I think the key to addressing stigma lies in engaging affected people and families, and helping them to take leadership roles and engage communities. Inka Weissbecker, global mental health and psychosocial advisor, International Medical Corps, Washington DC, US | We need to help people with mental illnesses come out of the shadows and actively and visibly engage in life, and contribute to their communities. In Uganda, health care providers were amazed to see people recovering from mental illness being trained as peer workers, and finally started referring to them as people and not patients. I think the key to addressing stigma lies in engaging affected people and families, and helping them to take leadership roles and engage communities. Inka Weissbecker, global mental health and psychosocial advisor, International Medical Corps, Washington DC, US |
| 2 | Take a holistic approach | 2 | Take a holistic approach |
| Mental health issues can’t be considered in isolation from other areas of development such as education, employment, emergency responses and human rights capacity building. The overwhelming majority of people worldwide with mental and psychosocial disabilities are in poor physical health and live in poverty. Laura Davidson, barrister and international development consultant, co-founder,Mental Health Research UK, London, UK @MHRUKcharity | Mental health issues can’t be considered in isolation from other areas of development such as education, employment, emergency responses and human rights capacity building. The overwhelming majority of people worldwide with mental and psychosocial disabilities are in poor physical health and live in poverty. Laura Davidson, barrister and international development consultant, co-founder,Mental Health Research UK, London, UK @MHRUKcharity |
| 3 | Conduct thorough research and don’t enforce the western model | 3 | Conduct thorough research and don’t enforce the western model |
| There has hardly been any research in low and middle-income countries on mental health treatments. We need more research on what works with specific populations. For example, many of the treatments we have for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been developed in western countries, often concentrating on those who have been in combat. Are virtual reality headsets really appropriate for someone with PTSD recovering after a genocide, for example? I very much doubt it. There is a huge need for culturally-specific and adapted mental health treatments. Laura Davidson | There has hardly been any research in low and middle-income countries on mental health treatments. We need more research on what works with specific populations. For example, many of the treatments we have for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been developed in western countries, often concentrating on those who have been in combat. Are virtual reality headsets really appropriate for someone with PTSD recovering after a genocide, for example? I very much doubt it. There is a huge need for culturally-specific and adapted mental health treatments. Laura Davidson |
| 4| Intervene early through education | 4| Intervene early through education |
| We need to get into schools and start teaching young people to consider their mental wellbeing in the same way as their physical wellbeing. It is about us as individuals having the right information so that we are able to take care of ourselves and each other. Early intervention is critical for prevention and swift recovery. If all families in a community had a basic understanding of mental health triggers, skills to listen non-judgementally, and self help strategies as well as community help strategies, we would possibly be able to avoid the need for hospital care. Poppy Jaman, CEO, Mental Health First Aid England, London, UK,@PoppyJaman, @MHFAEngland | We need to get into schools and start teaching young people to consider their mental wellbeing in the same way as their physical wellbeing. It is about us as individuals having the right information so that we are able to take care of ourselves and each other. Early intervention is critical for prevention and swift recovery. If all families in a community had a basic understanding of mental health triggers, skills to listen non-judgementally, and self help strategies as well as community help strategies, we would possibly be able to avoid the need for hospital care. Poppy Jaman, CEO, Mental Health First Aid England, London, UK,@PoppyJaman, @MHFAEngland |
| 5 | Create a legal framework | 5 | Create a legal framework |
| Mental health law can also be used as a framework for policy development to reinforce the policy’s goals and objectives. Although it would be naive to believe that simply passing a law will mean that it will be followed, what it can do is start to introduce cultural change. Once prejudices and assumptions are challenged, people begin to question why certain provisions have been included in the law. Training after a law is passed is therefore essential to this process of gradually improving standards and upholding rights. Laura Davidson | Mental health law can also be used as a framework for policy development to reinforce the policy’s goals and objectives. Although it would be naive to believe that simply passing a law will mean that it will be followed, what it can do is start to introduce cultural change. Once prejudices and assumptions are challenged, people begin to question why certain provisions have been included in the law. Training after a law is passed is therefore essential to this process of gradually improving standards and upholding rights. Laura Davidson |
| 6 | Mainstream mental health services | 6 | Mainstream mental health services |
| Mainstreaming mental health care in primary health and social care settings – such as in local health posts, among general practitioners, and in social centres – can help to solve the problems arising whenever mental health care is confined to secondary and tertiary care structures. These structures are often stigmatised, and far to reach. In many countries they are perceived as residential facilities to confine the patients and “hide” them from society, rather than actual rehabilitation structures. Moreover, most of the psychological problems people face would be better addressed within, rather than outside, the community. Guglielmo Schinina, head of mental health, International Organisation for Migration, Cairo, Egypt | Mainstreaming mental health care in primary health and social care settings – such as in local health posts, among general practitioners, and in social centres – can help to solve the problems arising whenever mental health care is confined to secondary and tertiary care structures. These structures are often stigmatised, and far to reach. In many countries they are perceived as residential facilities to confine the patients and “hide” them from society, rather than actual rehabilitation structures. Moreover, most of the psychological problems people face would be better addressed within, rather than outside, the community. Guglielmo Schinina, head of mental health, International Organisation for Migration, Cairo, Egypt |
| 7 | Create services that people can trust | 7 | Create services that people can trust |
| The absence of effective services which are user-friendly and trusted by people who need them is the leading factor for discouraging people seeking mental health support. We must innovate mental health services before simply blaming stigma as the reason for people not seeking mental health treatment. Jagannath Lamichhane, principal coordinator, Movement for Global Mental Health, Kathmandu, Nepal @jagannathlc, @MGMentalHealth | The absence of effective services which are user-friendly and trusted by people who need them is the leading factor for discouraging people seeking mental health support. We must innovate mental health services before simply blaming stigma as the reason for people not seeking mental health treatment. Jagannath Lamichhane, principal coordinator, Movement for Global Mental Health, Kathmandu, Nepal @jagannathlc, @MGMentalHealth |
| 8 | Make services empowering | 8 | Make services empowering |
| Often services are not set up to be responsive to the needs of users, and hierarchy and status is so strong that service users (and their opinions about their own care) are not valued. The good news is that it is possible to change this. The WHO Quality Rights programme is a great tool for reforming services to make them more empowering. Julian Eaton, senior mental health advisor, CBM International, Lomé, Togo @julian_eaton | Often services are not set up to be responsive to the needs of users, and hierarchy and status is so strong that service users (and their opinions about their own care) are not valued. The good news is that it is possible to change this. The WHO Quality Rights programme is a great tool for reforming services to make them more empowering. Julian Eaton, senior mental health advisor, CBM International, Lomé, Togo @julian_eaton |
| 9 | Strengthen local and global advocacy to influence policy | 9 | Strengthen local and global advocacy to influence policy |
| One of the key barriers to understanding and treating mental health problems in poor countries is the lack of policy priority and awareness by policy makers. This permeates from international development agencies, which pay scant attention to mental health, through ministries of health in low and middle-income countries to primary health care services. But this is starting to change with the WHO Global Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2020), and the recent inclusion of mental health targets in the sustainable development goals. There has also been a flurry of new research in low and middle-income countries during the last five to 10 years, providing new models for care and generating the evidence needed by policy makers. Crick Lund, director, Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health,University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa | One of the key barriers to understanding and treating mental health problems in poor countries is the lack of policy priority and awareness by policy makers. This permeates from international development agencies, which pay scant attention to mental health, through ministries of health in low and middle-income countries to primary health care services. But this is starting to change with the WHO Global Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2020), and the recent inclusion of mental health targets in the sustainable development goals. There has also been a flurry of new research in low and middle-income countries during the last five to 10 years, providing new models for care and generating the evidence needed by policy makers. Crick Lund, director, Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health,University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Read the full Q&A here. | Read the full Q&A here. |
| Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow@GuardianGDP on Twitter. | Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow@GuardianGDP on Twitter. |
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