The WHO mental health policy and service guidance package
The WHO Mental Health Policy Checklist and the WHO Mental Health Plan checklist are part of a guidance package to help policy makers develop policies and comprehensive strategies for improving population mental health; to use existing resources to achieve higher benefits; to provide effective services; and to assist the reintegration of persons with mental health problems into community life and improving their quality of life. The package consists of a series of interrelated user-friendly modules that are designed to address the wide variety of needs and priorities in policy development and service planning. The topic of each of the 14 module represents a core aspect of mental health.
World Psychiatry Association (WPA) guidance on mental health and mental health care in migrants
The purpose of this guidance is to review currently available evidence on mental health problems in migrants and to present advice to clinicians and policy makers on how to provide migrants with appropriate and accessible mental health services. The three phases of the process of migration and the relevant implications for mental health are outlined, as well as the specific problems of groups such as women, children and adolescents, the elderly, refugees and asylum seekers, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. The concepts of cultural bereavement, cultural identity and cultural congruity are discussed. The epidemiology of mental disorders in migrants is described. A series of recommendations to policy makers, service providers and clinicians aimed to improve mental health care in migrants are provided, covering the special needs of migrants concerning pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies.
Mental Health Promotion Case Studies from Countries (2004)
This report is a joint publication of the World Health Organization and the World Federation for Mental Health. The case studies come from most regions of the world, though there are more from high income countries. However, there are some examples of good work from middle and low income countries, often working with incredibly small human and financial resources. Case studies focus on Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK, and the US.
[From the web site:] Domestic violence, as one of the most widespread human rights abuses and public health problems in the world today, warrants the concern and attention of health researchers and health care practitioners internationally. Awareness of the wide-ranging impact of DV is increasing but it has not been widely incorporated into mainstream policy and there has been inconsistent response to the problem from the health sector. The Women and Domestic Violence Health Project is an international collaboration of researchers from five countries – Canada, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Canada and Australia report that domestic violence has been a public policy issue for decades but that the health sector still plays a relatively small role in prevention. Team members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand confirm that the governments of their countries have only recently begun to recognize domestic violence and that the health sector has little involvement. In the “Women’s Participation in Domestic Violence Health Policy Development” project, research conducted by local teams studied the role of policy communities in creating a health sector response in their countries, paying close attention to how indigenous women and their concerns are included. Each country has a different type of government and each country is facing particular challenges that have affected and may continue to affect the development and implementation of DV health policies. With the separate reports of each country as the principal source of data, and returning to the original data as needed for clarification, this comparative report integrates the analyses, looking for commonalities and differences. A conceptual framework of public policy, policy communities and policy provides the context.
Cultural Elements in Community Defined Evidence-Based Mental Health Programs
This product of The Nathan Kline Center of Excellence in Culturally Competent Mental Health is the result of a reseach project to evaluate three community mental health programmes. Results show that there is flexibility in the manner in which the programmes are delivered. Suggestion are made concerning how best to work with culturally diverse groups.
RESOURCES | Policies and resources from the Victoria Transcultural Psychiatry Unit
The VTPU since its inception in 1989 has monitored the development of significant policies regarding mental health services at national and state government levels. This has informed all activities surrounding education, research and service development. The links listed below represent key policy areas accessible on the Internet.
Healthcare Interpreter Policy: Policy determinants and current issues in the Australian context healthcare interpreter policy Australia
This document makes the point that, for a healthcare interpreter policy to be effective, the perspectives and contexts of all stakeholders must be taken into consideration, that is to say, the patient, provider and, interpreter. It also suggests that in order for the policy’s implementation to be successful, operational changes in the organizaion may be required. A model of interpreter policy is provided as a guide.
Immigrant Integration and Mental Health: Brief prepared for the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation (2006)
This academic article discusses the ways in which terms such as acculturation, assimilation, integration and social adjustment, are used to discuss issues pertaining to immigrants and immigration. The author argues that although these terms are widely used, they are poorly understood and may have different meanings dependent upon the discipline of the user. Thus, she discusses “the research underpinnings of language, and theories regarding the incorporation of immigrants into developed country societies”. What the use of these concepts mean for immigrant mental health, forms the basic of a discussion and result in policy recommendations. In addition, there are hyperlinks to various research studies embedded in the paper.
The forsaken mental health of the Indigenous Peoples – A moral case of outrageous exclusion in Latin America
This paper comments, specifically, on the limited impact of the Pan American Health Organization’s mental health initiative on the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America.
New South Wales Refugee Health Plan 2011-2016
The NSW Refugee Health Plan (2011-2016) is the statewide plan for improving the health and well-being of refugees and people with refugee-like experiences who have settled in New South Wales. This Plan seeks to ensure the delivery of safe, high quality services to refugees through both refugee-specific health services and through accessible, culturally and linguistically competent mainstream health services. The Plan identifies a range of strategies designed to improve refugee and asylum seeker health and well-being.
African and Caribbean Mental Health Commission – Improving the mental health of the population. Towards a strategy on mental health for the European Union
This document by The African and Caribbean Mental Health Commission (located in the UK) is a response to questions raised by the European Commission’s (EC) Green Pape on Mental Health.