Community Mental Health: Putting Policy Into Practice Globally

Why are most people with mental illnesses in the world untreated? Have we yet discovered effective treatments for mental disorders? Is it inevitable that people with mental health problems must expect to be stigmatised and treated as second class citizens? What examples are there across the world of really good services that meet the needs of people requiring mental health care? This practical book, bursting with the latest research findings, shows that such treatments are available, can be put into practice, and are able to deliver real help to people with mental disorders worldwide.  As global mental health gains recognition from practitioners and research funders alike, this book, written by a group of experts from across the globe, gives rich examples of what works. It provides an overview of mental health policies, plans and programmes, a summary of relevant research efforts, a critical appraisal of community mental health service components, and a discussion of the key challenges, obstacles and lessons learnt in the various regions of the world, followed by recommendations for the future, based on evidence and experience. There is a now a growing social movement forming a powerful alliance to advocate for global mental health. This book will be a vital tool to argue with data, with passion and with the fruits of international experience for new models of care to deliver better mental health in communities worldwide. This book represents a very useful resource for all mental health professionals and for all policy makers involved in mental health. It is recommended to trainees in psychiatry and in other mental health professions, who will find in it a treasure of information and ideas not found in the textbooks.

List of Contributors, viii Foreword, xi Acknowledgements, xiii Section 1 Introduction, 1 1 Global mental health: the context, 3 2 Description of the world regions, 14 3 Overview of mental health policies worldwide, 23 Section 2 Implementation of community mental health services, 37 4 The current provision of community mental health services, 39 5 Policies, plans, and programs, 90 6 Scaling up services for whole populations, 97 7 Stigma, discrimination, and community awareness about mental illnesses, 119 8 Developing a consensus for engagement, 135 9 Human and financial resources, 140 10 Development, organization, and evaluation of services, 151 Section 3 Recommendations, 167 11 Lessons learned and recommendations for the future, 169 Appendix A Terminologies, 213 Appendix B Questions from a survey conducted with regional experts in the Africa region, 221 Appendix C Internet resources, 223 Index, 227

Graham Thornicroft and Maya Semrau , Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King′s College London, UK Atalay Alem , Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia Robert E. Drake , Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, NH, USA Hiroto Ito , National Institute of Mental Health, National Centre of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan Jair Mari , Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil Peter McGeorge , New Zealand Mental Health Commission, Wellington, New Zealand R. Thara , Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), Chennai, India

“The back of the book promised me that I would “find in it a treasure of information and practical ideas not found in standard textbooks”.  I cannot disagree with that.  It is systematic and comprehensive, yet it is also concise and accessible.”  ( Journal of Mental Health , 1 November 2013) ′The remarkable book is quite unique as in embarks on addressing the many complexities encompassing the framework of community mental health. This book is comprehensive with ample concepts and examples. It can be utilized by researchers, public health professionals, clinicians, nurses, and other professionals working within the field of mental health. This book is indeed an essential resource for anyone interested in community mental health, with national and international perspectives.′ ( Advances in Mental Health, 2012)