Medbox - the aid library Mental HealthToolbox
Epilepsy & Behavior 92 (2019) 90-97
'Stigma in epilepsy is due to the presence of superstitions and wrong cultural beliefs that lead to social isolation of PWE contributing to their poor quality of life', say the authors of this paper. 'Moreover, poor knowledge and consequent stigma constitute important barriers for epilepsy management, especially in LMIC
https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-505...
EXPERIENCIAS DE PAÍSES UNA COLABORACIÓN ENTRE LA OPS/OMS, CANADÁ, CHILE Y SOCIOS DE LA REGIÓN DE LAS AMÉRICAS 2014-2015. Objetivos:
1. Fomentar aún más y establecer un intercambio de experiencias en el campo de la
salud mental entre los países participantes;
2. Documentar, presentar y compartir experiencias innovadoras relacionadas con la promoción
de la salud mental, entre otras, la prevención del suicidio y las iniciativas con
jóvenes en Chile y Canadá;
3. Analizar la posible pertinencia y adaptabilidad en Nunavut de un instrumento de capacitación
estandarizado de la OMS para la integración de la atención de salud mental
en la atención primaria de salud: la Guía de Intervención del Programa de acción para
superar las brechas en salud mental (GI-mhGAP); y
4. Publicar y difundir las experiencias y conclusiones de esos procesos.
http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/12345...
The aim of this paper is to investigate how doctors working in primary health care in Latin American address patients with common mental disorders and to investigate how stigma can affect their clinical decisions
PLoSONE 13(11):e0206440.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206440
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=...
This report explores community-focused change initiatives in the financing, organization, and delivery of mental health services in Peru from 2013 to 2016. It examines the national dimension of reforms but focuses above all on implementation and results in the economically fragile district of Carabayllo, in northern Lima
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/40792152...
To understand the mental health treatment gap in the Region of the Americas by examining the prevalence of mental health disorders, use of mental health services, and the global burden of disease.
http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456...
Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, was devastated by an earthquake in 2010. The disaster uncovered the realities of a non-existent mental health care system with only ten psychiatrists nationwide. Attempts were made to assess the increased prevalence of mental illness, likely due to the trauma to which many were exposed. Several interventions were carried out with aims to integrate mental health into primary health care services. The interplay between socio-cultural beliefs and health (both mental and physical) in Haiti has been widely commented upon by both foreign aid and local caregivers. Observations frequently highlight barriers to the willingness of patients to seek care and to their acceptance of biomedicine over traditional Vodou beliefs. The perception of Haitian beliefs as barriers to the availability and acceptance of mental health care has intensified the difficulty in providing effective recommendations and interventions both before and after the earthquake. Argued in this review is the importance of considering the interactions between socio-cultural beliefs and mental health when developing models for the prevention, screening, classification and management of mental illness in Haiti. These interactions, especially relevant in mental health care and post-disaster contexts, need to be acknowledged in any healthcare setting. The successes and failures of Haiti’s situation provide an example for global consideration.
http://www.ghjournal.org/mental-health-in-haiti-be...
Stigma toward individuals with mental disorders has been studied extensively. In the case of
Latin America and the Caribbean, the past decade has been marked by a significant increase in
information on stigma toward mental illness, but these findings have yet to be applied to mental health services in Latin America. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of studies relating to stigma toward mental illness in Latin America and the Caribbean. The authors specifically considered differences in this region as compared with manifestations reported in Western European countries
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbp/v38n1/1516-4446-rbp-3...
Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia can massively impact functionality and quality of life, furthering the importance of cognitive training. Despite the development of the field in Europe and in the United States, no programmes have been developed and tested in developing countries. Different cultural backgrounds, budget restrictions, and other difficulties may render treatment packages created in high income countries difficult for adoption by developing nations. We performed a pilot double-blind, randomized, controlled trial in order to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of an attention and memory training programme specially created in
a developing nation. The intervention used simple, widely available materials, required minimal infrastructure, and was conducted in groups.The sample included seventeen stable Brazilians with schizophrenia. Sessions were conducted weekly during five months. The cognitive training group showed significant improvements in inhibitory control and set-shifting over time. Both groups showed improvements in symptoms, processing speed, selective attention, executive function, and long-term visual memory. Improvements were found in the control group in long-term verbal memory and concentration. Our findings reinforce the idea that cognitive training in schizophrenia can be constructed using simple resources and infrastructure, facilitating its adoption by developing countries, and it may improve cognition.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC38330...
In the course of implementing a recently funded network of hubs for building capacities in mental health service development, training, and research (RedeAmericas), the peer support workers are being introduced into the mental health workforce in three Latin American countries for the very first time. They will be part of a team, along with community mental health workers, that provides a modified Critical Time Intervention to individuals with severe psychiatric disorders living in the community. This article reviewed the background of this increasingly widespread development, and discussed its merits, as well as potential obstacles within local contexts.
https://www.criticaltime.org/wp-content/uploads/20...