Mental health in Europe: the Green Paper
Charles Kaye, Michael Howlett in Mental Health Services Today and Tomorrow, 2018
Mental health promotion does not even benefit in that way from negative stories. There is little understanding by governments, politicians or even health service planners of mental health promotion. The main reason is that they have no idea what it is about or why they should be interested. Mental health suffers from a quadruple whammy. There is no constant public, professional and media pressure on government and health service managers to do more, spend more, achieve more. Unlike heart disease or AIDS or cancer, with mental illness there is little understanding of what can be done to treat, cure and rehabilitate. There is even less understanding of what can be done to prevent mental illness and promote mental health. And there are few outcome measurements that Health departments and managers – much less the public and politicians – can understand. Governments, employers, trade unions, schools, colleges, local councils and communities, families and individuals all need to be helped to understand the role they can play in ensuring mental well-being and so prevent, reduce or mitigate mental health problems.
Introduction
Phil Brown in Mental Health Care and Social Policy, 1985
In the provision of mental health care and in the formulation of policies and programs, practitioners clearly play important roles. The phenomenal growth of the mental health field in the post-World War II era included a dramatic rise in the number and variety of professionals. Mental health providers excelled in obtaining training and research funds, which allowed for an increase in the number of providers who could survive. Likewise, they engineered the creation of new facilities which required their labor. Psychiatry, and to a lesser degree clinical psychology and psychiatric social work, have attained much expanded status and power as professional groups. This section of readings provides material on several aspects of the psychiatric profession. All the selections deal with psychiatrists, not with other providers. This is due to the predominance of psychiatrists in mainstream mental health services. In the next section — on alternative care — attention will be paid to forms of treatment which do not include psychiatrists in either a predominant position or any position at all.
A multidisciplinary approach to community-based long-term care for older people with early- or late-onset schizophrenia
Anne M. Hassett, David Ames, Edmond Chiu in Psychosis in the Elderly, 2005
In our experience, it is possible to develop a working relationship with community house programs and social support programs to integrate selected patients into courses and activities that are of genuine interest to them. English and mathematics classes at a learning exchange or a local patchwork circle provide a welcoming and encouraging link for patients with the wider community. In the short term, however, and sometimes in the long term, some patients are unable to move confidently into such an environment. Rehabilitation group programs are conducted by the APMHS, with the goal of such patients 'graduating' to groups in the wider community while still receiving case management for mental health issues from the APMHS. These rehabilitation groups offer recognition and appreciation of the patient as an interesting and worthwhile person, validation of the patient's experience of mental illness, and the opportunity to develop social and practical skills to strengthen their capacity to function independently in the community. There have been many successful outcomes for patients attending groups conducted on this model. Groups are, of course, not for everyone. Case management with an individual service plan developed in consultation with the patient and, where possible, with significant family members, can provide holistic support and monitoring of the person's mental state and general well-being. Mental health advocacy groups can also provide beneficial mutual assistance as well as addressing systemic problems regarding services and community attitudes.
Response to Letter to the Editor: Confounding by Symptomatic Mefloquine Exposure in Military Studies of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Published in Behavioral Medicine, 2018
Carlos Osório, Norman Jones, Edgar Jones, Ian Robbins, Simon Wessely, Neil Greenberg
Psychiatric conditions among United Kingdom military personnel deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq have been extensively studied, including risks associated with their operational deployments and their mental health management.2–4 Mental health policies have been created in the United Kingdom to manage psychiatric problems such as PTSD, mood disorders, alcohol misuse, and access to psychological care, among others.5 The management of the risk–benefit of pharmacological drugs requires more challenging organizational and interdisciplinary decision-making. All recommendations on the prophylaxis of malaria are reflected by the UK Defence Medical Services and the National UK Guidelines from Public Health England. As of June 2006, the UK official recommended antimalarial drug regimen for Afghanistan was chloroquine-proguanil and not mefloquine.6 Figures from the UK Ministry of Defence also show that of the 131,000 UK servicemen deployed in Afghanistan between April 1, 2007 and December 31, 2014, only 536 (0.4%) had a record of being prescribed mefloquine and an additional 12,908 (10%) prescribed with an unknown antimalarial drug.7 It cannot be assumed that this was mefloquine since the recommended drug regimen for Afghanistan was chloroquine-proguanil.6
Development of a Natural Product Rich in Bioavailable Omega-3 DHA from Locally Available Ingredients for Prevention of Nutrition Related Mental Illnesses
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020
Christina N. Charles, Hulda Swai, Titus Msagati, Musa Chacha
So far, there is no convenient optimal formulation rich in preformed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) for human consumption in Tanzania and East Africa at large despite the presence of microalgae, which is a cheap and sustainable natural source of omega-3 DHA and other health promoting compounds. Majority of omega-3 products that are found in the market are ALA, whose conversion in the body may not achieve the recommended daily intake of DHA. Since food companies understand that very few consumers can differentiate ALA and DHA omega-3, they use this weakness to sucker individuals into buying ALA products by marketing the products as omega-3. Under this circumstance, the status of DHA among the consumers is likely to be very poor, especially among vulnerable individuals in developing countries (14). Poor DHA status may negatively affect the growth of brain and cognitive abilities of infants and young children. Thus, bioavailable omega-3 DHA should be included in complementary diets of infants and children to ensure optimal growth of the brain and cognitive development (11). Maintaining mental health of an individual is very important as it helps to improve personal life values and reduce medical costs and other social expenses that are incurred in dealing with mental health disorders (1).
Lactoferrin for Mental Health: Neuro-Redox Regulation and Neuroprotective Effects across the Blood-Brain Barrier with Special Reference to Neuro-COVID-19
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2021
Sreus A. G. Naidu, Taylor C. Wallace, Kelvin J. A. Davies, A. Satyanarayan Naidu
Mental health relates to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act – a Mind/Body Connection – and also helps to determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DH&HS)), 2020). Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. In 2019, an estimated 51.5 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. were reported to have ‘any mental illness’ (AMI) and this count represents 20.6% of all U.S. adults. The prevalence of AMI was higher among women (24.5%) than men (16.3%) (U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)), 2019). Mental illnesses, such as depression, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for those aged 18-44 years old, and adults living with serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than others (Kessler et al. 2007).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Autonomy
- Cognition
- Emotion
- Perception
- Stress
- Psychology
- Coping
- Decision-Making
- Self-Efficacy
- Self-Actualization