Articles

A school mental health literacy curriculum resource training approach: effects on Tanzanian teachers’ mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking efficacy

Mental health literacy (MHL) is foundational for mental health promotion, prevention, stigma reduction, and care; School supported information pertaining to MHL in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely limited, incl...

Authors: Stan Kutcher, Yifeng Wei, Heather Gilberds, Omary Ubuguyu, Tasiana Njau, Adena Brown, Norman Sabuni, Ayoub Magimba and Kevin Perkins

Health policy and integrated mental health care in the SADC region: strategic clarification using the Rainbow Model

Mental illness is a well-known challenge to global development, particularly in low-to-middle income countries. A key health systems response to mental illness is different models of integrated health care, es...

Authors: André Janse van Rensburg and Pieter Fourie

Child mental health in Sierra Leone: a survey and exploratory qualitative study

This study complements the growing amount of research on the psychosocial impact of war on children in Sierra Leone by examining local perceptions of child mental health, formal and informal care systems, help...

Authors: Hélène N. C. Yoder, Wietse A. Tol, Ria Reis and Joop T. V. M. de Jong

Prevalence and associations for symptoms of depression in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a Sri Lankan experience

The prevalence and associations for depression in patients with Parkinson’s disease vary widely between studies. This reflects the influence of cultural, demographic and socioeconomic confounders within commun...

Authors: Tharaka B. Herath, Milinda Withana, Chaturaka Rodrigo, Ranjani Gamage and Chanika Gamage

Suicide surveillance and health systems in Nepal: a qualitative and social network analysis

Despite increasing recognition of the high burden of suicide deaths in low- and middle-income countries, there is wide variability in the type and quality of data collected and reported for suspected suicide d...

Authors: Ashley K. Hagaman, Uden Maharjan and Brandon A. Kohrt

Mental health services and R&D in South Korea

World Health Organization has asserted that mental illness is the greatest overriding burden of disease in the majority of developed countries, and that the socioeconomic burden of mental disease will exceed t...

Authors: Sungwon Roh, Sang-Uk Lee, Minah Soh, Vin Ryu, Hyunjin Kim, Jung Won Jang, Hee Young Lim, Mina Jeon, Jong-Ik Park, SungKu Choi and Kyooseob Ha

Problem Management Plus (PM+) in the treatment of common mental disorders in women affected by gender-based violence and urban adversity in Kenya; study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Women affected by adversity, including gender-based violence, are at increased risk for developing common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The World Health...

Authors: Marit Sijbrandij, Richard A. Bryant, Alison Schafer, Katie S. Dawson, Dorothy Anjuri, Lincoln Ndogoni, Jeannette Ulate, Syed Usman Hamdani and Mark van Ommeren

Frequent callers to telephone helplines: new evidence and a new service model

This paper describes a program of work designed to inform a service model to address a challenge for telephone helplines, namely frequent callers.

Authors: Jane Pirkis, Aves Middleton, Bridget Bassilios, Meredith Harris, Matthew J. Spittal, Izabela Fedszyn, Patty Chondros and Jane Gunn

Relationship at work as a cause of occupational stress: the case of academic women in Vietnam

The present research paper aims to bring deeper understanding and insight to perceptions and experiences of occupational stress from relationships at work in the cultural context of Vietnam. The paper also exa...

Authors: Le Van Thanh

Day clinic and inpatient psychotherapy of depression (DIP-D): qualitative results from a randomized controlled study

Depressive disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders. For severely depressed patients, day clinic and inpatient settings represent important treatment options. However, little is known about pa...

Authors: Christoph Nikendei, Mirjam Haitz, Julia Huber, Johannes C. Ehrenthal, Wolfgang Herzog, Henning Schauenburg and Ulrike Dinger

Erratum to: Satisfaction with primary care and mental health care among individuals with severe mental illness in a rural area: a seven-year follow-up study of a clinical cohort

Authors: Torleif Ruud, Trond F. Aarre, Berit Boeskov, Per Ståle Husvåg, Rigmor Klepp, Synnøve Alet Kristiansen and Jorunn Sandvik

‘Opening up the mind’: problem-solving therapy delivered by female lay health workers to improve access to evidence-based care for depression and other common mental disorders through the Friendship Bench Project in Zimbabwe

There are few accounts of evidence-based interventions for depression and other common mental disorders (CMDs) in primary care in low-income countries. The Friendship Bench Project is a collaborative care ment...

Authors: Melanie Abas, Tarryn Bowers, Ethel Manda, Sara Cooper, Debra Machando, Ruth Verhey, Neha Lamech, Ricardo Araya and Dixon Chibanda

Predictors of alcohol and other drug use among pregnant women in a peri-urban South African setting

Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use among pregnant women have been associated with adverse health outcomes for mother and child, during and after pregnancy. Factors associated with AOD use among women include ag...

Authors: Michael Nnachebe Onah, Sally Field, Thandi van Heyningen and Simone Honikman

Gender differences in the association between cognitive social capital, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms: a comparative analysis of Sweden and Ukraine

Social capital is one of the social determinants of health, but there is still a lack of studies comparing its significance for health in different cultural settings. This study investigates and compares the r...

Authors: Kateryna Karhina, Nawi Ng, Mehdi Ghazinour and Malin Eriksson

Enhancing the lives of older refugees: an evaluation of a training resource

Resources and training for aged care workers who are working with older people from refugee backgrounds are limited. Thus, a resource titled ‘Enhancing the Lives of Older Refugees: A self-Improvement Resource ...

Authors: Shameran Slewa-Younan, Yvonne Santalucia, Regina McDonald and Marisa Salem

The relationship between parenting attitudes, negative cognition, and the depressive symptoms according to gender in Korean adolescents

Parenting style is one potential contributor to the development of adolescents’ cognitions, self-esteem and emotional problems. This study examined the relationship between maternal parenting attitudes and ado...

Authors: Subin Park, Bung-Nyun Kim and Min-Hyeon Park

Patient cost-sharing for ambulatory neuropsychiatric services in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Neuropsychiatric disorders are of high concern and burden of disease in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this study is to describe patient cost-sharing patterns, insurance coverage of ambulatory neur...

Authors: Samer Hamidi, Yousef Abouallaban, Sultan Alhamad and Aizhan Meirambayeva

Satisfaction with primary care and mental health care among individuals with severe mental illness in a rural area: a seven-year follow-up study of a clinical cohort

Most studies of services for people with severe mental illness have been performed in cities. Our 7-year follow-up study aimed to investigate clinical course and satisfaction with services among individuals wi...

Authors: Torleif Ruud, Trond F. Aarre, Berit Boeskov, Per Ståle Husevåg, Rigmor Klepp, Synnøve Alet Kristiansen and Jorunn Sandvik

Mortality among patients with schizophrenia and vocational rehabilitation program services under Taiwan’s psychiatric care reform

Vocational rehabilitation programs are implemented to enhance the occupational functioning of long-stay patients with schizophrenia. Unemployment is associated with a higher risk of death. Schizophrenia patien...

Authors: Kan-Yuan Cheng, Shu-Yuan Chen and Chih-Yuan Lin

Beliefs and knowledge about post-traumatic stress disorder amongst resettled Afghan refugees in Australia

Resettled refugees are at high risk of trauma-related mental health problems, yet there is low uptake of mental health care in this population. Evidence suggests poor ‘mental health literacy’ (MHL) may be a ma...

Authors: Anisa Yaser, Shameran Slewa-Younan, Caroline A. Smith, Rebecca E. Olson, Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo and Jonathan Mond

Promotion, prevention and protection: interventions at the population- and community-levels for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

In addition to services within the health system, interventions at the population and community levels are also important for the promotion of mental health, primary prevention of mental, neurological and subs...

Authors: Inge Petersen, Sara Evans-Lacko, Maya Semrau, Margaret M. Barry, Dan Chisholm, Petra Gronholm, Catherine O. Egbe and Graham Thornicroft

Adaptation and validation of the short version WHOQOL-HIV in Ethiopia

Quality of life of patients is an important element in the evaluation of outcome of health care, social services and clinical trials. The WHOQOL instruments were originally developed for measurement of quality...

Authors: Markos Tesfaye, Mette Frahm Olsen, Girmay Medhin, Henrik Friis, Charlotte Hanlon and Lotte Holm

Managing mental illness in Ghana: the state of commonly prescribed psychotropic medicines

In Ghana, about 13 % of the adult population is estimated to be affected by mental health disorders of varying forms. In managing these patients, psychotropic medications are mostly employed. Since most of the...

Authors: Samuel Oppong, Irene A. Kretchy, Emelia P. Imbeah and Barima A. Afrane

Violent events, ward climate and ideas for violence prevention among nurses in psychiatric wards: a focus group study

Patient violence against nurses in their work environments is a widespread global concern, particularly in the field of mental health care. A high prevalence of violent events impacts the well-being of nurses ...

Authors: Tella Lantta, Minna Anttila, Raija Kontio, Clive E. Adams and Maritta Välimäki

A qualitative exploration of a family self-help mental health program in El Salvador

There is a significant gap in our knowledge regarding community-based self-help groups and their benefits for persons living with mental conditions and their family caregivers in low and middle income countrie...

Authors: Samuel V. Nickels, Nelson A. Flamenco Arvaiza and Myrna S. Rojas Valle

Towards understanding governance issues in integration of mental health into primary health care in Uganda

There is a growing burden of mental illness in low income countries. The situation is further worsened by the high poverty levels in these countries, resulting in difficult choices for their health sectors as ...

Authors: James Mugisha, Joshua Ssebunnya and Fred N. Kigozi

Barefoot therapists: barriers and facilitators to delivering maternal mental health care through peer volunteers in Pakistan: a qualitative study

Perinatal depression is a public health problem in low and middle income countries. Although effective psychosocial interventions exist, a major limitation to their scale up is the scarcity of mental health pr...

Authors: Najia Atif, Karina Lovell, Nusrat Husain, Siham Sikander, Vikram Patel and Atif Rahman

Mental health needs and services in the West Bank, Palestine

Palestine is a low income country with scarce resources, which is seeking independence. This paper discusses the high levels of mental health need found amongst Palestinian people, and examines services, educa...

Authors: Mohammad Marie, Ben Hannigan and Aled Jones

Annual acknowledgement of manuscript reviewers

With the proliferation of journals and the ever-increasing demands on the time and expertise of reviewers it has become increasingly difficult for editors to get high quality and timely reviews. On behalf of a...

Authors: Harry Minas

Bridging the gap: investigating challenges and way forward for intersectoral provision of psychosocial rehabilitation in South Africa

Intersectoral collaboration between government sectors such as Health and Social Development and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in communities is crucial for provision of psychosocial rehabilitation (PS...

Authors: Carrie Brooke-Sumner, Crick Lund and Inge Petersen

Involuntary psychiatric admission: how the patients are detected and the general practitioners’ expectations for hospitalization. An interview-based study

In Norway, it is usually GPs that refer patients to involuntary admission. A high proportion of such referrals come from out-of-hours clinics. Little is known about who first initiate the contact between the p...

Authors: Ketil Røtvold and Rolf Wynn

Novel implementation research designs for scaling up global mental health care: overcoming translational challenges to address the world’s leading cause of disability

Despite established knowledge that Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) bear the majority of the world’s burden of mental disorders, and more than a decade of efficacy research showing that the most common ...

Authors: Susan M. Meffert, Thomas C. Neylan, David A. Chambers and Helen Verdeli

The mental health and psychosocial impact of the Bougainville Crisis: a synthesis of available information

The Bougainville Crisis (1988–1997) was the largest armed conflict in the Pacific since WW-II. Despite this, there has been no assessment of the Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPS) impact of the war. The aim...

Authors: David Tierney, Paul Bolton, Barnabas Matanu, Lorraine Garasu, Essah Barnabas and Derrick Silove

Erratic electricity supply (Dumsor) and anxiety disorders among university students in Ghana: a cross sectional study

Ghana is currently experiencing electricity supply crisis that is believed to have some impact on the mental wellbeing of the population, especially among university students that have become increasingly depe...

Authors: Abdallah Ibrahim, Genevieve Cecilia Aryeetey, Emmanuel Asampong, Duah Dwomoh and Justice Nonvignon

Using a theory driven approach to develop and evaluate a complex mental health intervention: the friendship bench project in Zimbabwe

There is a paucity of data on how to deliver complex interventions that seek to reduce the treatment gap for mental disorders, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The need for well-documented protocols which c...

Authors: Dixon Chibanda, Ruth Verhey, Epiphany Munetsi, Frances M. Cowan and Crick Lund

Utilization of a mental health collaborative care model among patients who require interpreter services

Immigrants and refugees to the United States have a higher prevalence of depression compared to the general population and are less likely to receive adequate mental health services and treatment. Those with l...

Authors: Jane W. Njeru, Ramona S. DeJesus, Jennifer St. Sauver, Lila J. Rutten, Debra J. Jacobson, Patrick Wilson and Mark L. Wieland

Hospitalization of high and low inpatient service users before and after enrollment into Assertive Community Treatment teams: a naturalistic observational study

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is more successful in reducing hospitalization when baseline use is high. However, with a growing recovery-focus, ACT may be useful for people with severe mental illness who...

Authors: Hanne Clausen, Anne Landheim, Sigrun Odden, Jūratė Šaltytė Benth, Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang, Hanne Kilen Stuen, Helen Killaspy and Torleif Ruud

Neighborhood social capital and infant physical abuse: a population-based study in Japan

We sought to investigate the relationship between neighborhood social capital and infant physical abuse using a population-based sample of women with 4-month-old infants in Japan.

Authors: Takeo Fujiwara, Yui Yamaoka and Ichiro Kawachi

Integrating mental health into primary care for post-conflict populations: a pilot study

Mental health care in post-conflict settings is often not prioritized, despite its important public health role. There is a salient gap in integrating mental health into primary care, especially in post-confli...

Authors: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Anushka Adikari, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Buddhika Abeyrathna and Athula Sumathipala

More than just a bed: mental health service users’ experiences of self-referral admission

Several community mental health centres and mental hospitals in Norway now allow users with a diagnosis of severe mental illness to self-refer for admission. This give a group of service users who are well-kno...

Authors: Turid Møller Olsø, Camilla Buch Gudde, Inger Elise Opheim Moljord, Gretha Helen Evensen, Dag Øivind Antonsen and Lasse Eriksen

Perceptions and experiences of perinatal mental disorders in rural, predominantly ethnic minority communities in northern Vietnam

Preliminary research has suggested that perinatal mental disorders (PMDs), including post-partum depression, are prevalent in Vietnam. However the extent to which these disorders are recognized at the communit...

Authors: Daniel Abrams, Liem T. Nguyen, Jill Murphy, Younji (Angie) Lee, Nhu K. Tran and David Wiljer

Service user and family member perspectives on services for mental health, substance use/addiction, and violence: a qualitative study of their goals, experiences and recommendations

Mental health and substance use disorders (MSD) are significant public health concerns that often co-occur with violence. To improve services that address MSD and violence [MSD(V)], it is critical to understan...

Authors: Rebecca Haskell, Kathryn Graham, Sharon Bernards, Andrea Flynn and Samantha Wells

Treating symptoms or assisting human development: Can different environmental conditions affect personal development for patients with severe mental illness? A qualitative study

Recent research suggests that a basic anomaly in self-experience may be a core factor in patients with severe mental illnesses. Given the importance of sense of self, the traditional treatment of symptoms migh...

Authors: Arnhild Lauveng, Sidsel Tveiten, Tor-Johan Ekeland and Ruud Torleif

Erratum to: Consumers and their supporters’ perspectives on poor practice and the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: results from Australian focus groups

Authors: Lisa M. Brophy, Catherine E. Roper, Bridget E. Hamilton, Juan José Tellez and Bernadette M. McSherry

Consumers and their supporters’ perspectives on poor practice and the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: results from Australian focus groups

Seclusion and restraint are interventions currently permitted for use in mental health services to control or manage a person’s behaviour. In Australia, serious concerns about the use of such seclusion and res...

Authors: Lisa M. Brophy, Catherine E. Roper, Bridget E. Hamilton, Juan José Tellez and Bernadette M. McSherry

Policies on sexual expression in forensic psychiatric settings in different European countries

Sexual expression by forensic psychiatric patients is poorly researched.

Authors: Rajveer Tiwana, Stephanie McDonald and Birgit Völlm

Psychological distress is influenced by length of stay in resettled Iraqi refugees in Australia

Psychological distress has been well identified in recently resettled refugee groups; however, evidence on psychological distress over time is not conclusive. Australia has welcomed a large refugee population ...

Authors: Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo, Shameran Slewa-Younan, Mitchell Smith, Sandy Eagar and Glenn Stone

‘teen Mental Health First Aid’: a description of the program and an initial evaluation

Many adolescents have poor mental health literacy, stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental illness, and lack skills in providing optimal Mental Health First Aid to peers. These could be improved with...

Authors: Laura M. Hart, Robert J. Mason, Claire M. Kelly, Stefan Cvetkovski and Anthony F. Jorm

Comprehensive psychometric examination of the attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) in South Korea

The aim of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) on a group of university students, which would contribute to the evaluation of the ATT...

Authors: Nam-Ju Ji, Yeon-Pyo Hong and Weon-Young Lee

Overview of the mental health system in Mozambique: addressing the treatment gap with a task-shifting strategy in primary care

Mozambique has gradually changed its action on mental health (MH) from an asylum-centric care with long-term hospitalization to an innovative approach to community and primary care.

Authors: Palmira Fortunato dos Santos, Milton L. Wainberg, José Miguel Caldas-de-Almeida, Benedetto Saraceno and Jair de Jesus Mari