Global mental health
[2] There is a growing body of criticism of the global mental health movement, and has been widely criticised as a neo-colonial or "missionary" project and as primarily a front for pharmaceutical companies seeking new clients for psychiatric drugs.
[9][10][11] Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders make a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease (GBD).
[16] However, it was found that these new policies had little impact on the status of mental health in Africa, ultimately resulting in an incline in psychological disorders instead of the desired decline, and causing this to seem like an impossible problem to manage.
In Africa, many socio-cultural and biological factors have led to heightened psychological struggles, while also masking their immediate level of importance to the African eye.
[17] Additionally, physical disease like HIV/AIDS, the Ebola epidemic, and malaria often have lasting psychological effects on victims that go unrecognized in African communities because of their inherent cultural beliefs.
Traditional African beliefs have led to the perception of mental illness as being caused by supernatural forces, preventing helpful or rational responses to abnormal behavior.
Extreme anxiety, struggles with grief, feelings of rejection and incompetence, depression leading to suicide, PTSD, and much more are only some of the noted effects of diseases like Ebola.
[18] These epidemics come and go, but their lasting effects on mental health are remaining for years to come, and even ending lives because of the lack of action.
There has been some effort to financially fund psychiatric support in countries like Liberia, due to its dramatic mental health crisis after warfare, but not much was benefited.
It is also important to note that the socio-cultural model of psychology and abnormal behavior is dependent on factors surrounding cultural differences.
[21] Specifically in Sierra Leone, about 98.8% of people suffering from mental disorders remain untreated, even after the building of a well below average psychiatric hospital, further demonstrating the need for intervention.
[20] Not only has there been little hands-on action taken to combat mental health issues in Africa, but there has also been little research done on the topic to spread its awareness and prevent deaths.
And this pressing dilemma of prioritizing physical health vs. mental health is only worsening as the continent's population is substantially growing with research showing that “Between 2000 and 2015 the continent's population grew by 49%, yet the number of years lost to disability as a result of mental and substance use disorders increased by 52%”.
Women were found to have high rate of mental health disorders, and Men had higher propensity of risk for substance abuse.
The SMHWB survey showed families that had low socioeconomic status and high dysfunctional patterns had a greater proportional risk for mental health disorders.
[29] The lack of power and control over their socioeconomic status, gender based violence; low social position and responsibility for the care of others render women vulnerable to mental health risks.
[citation needed] Since more women than men seek help regarding a mental health problem, this has led to not only gender stereotyping but also reinforcing social stigma.
This organization provides care for mental health issues by assessments, interventions, residential programs, treatments, and doctor and family support.
Physical and mental health care were united under one roof; previously they had functioned separately in terms of finance, location, and provider.
Depression frequently co-occurs with a variety of medical illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain and is associated with poorer health status and prognosis.
[35] Each year, roughly 30,000 Americans take their lives, while hundreds of thousands make suicide attempts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
[36] In 2004, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), third among individuals ages 15–24.
[40] Despite the acknowledged need, for the most part there have not been substantial changes in mental health care delivery during the past years.
In low- and middle income countries there is an increasing demand for telepsychiatry which means offering mental health services through telecommunications technology (mostly videoconferencing and phone calls).
This is especially pronounced due to the lack of access to quality healthcare, underfunding and low awareness of mental health issues.
They would use phrases like, “Is it just a made-up illness to get out of work?” or “Just take something, stuck it up and get back to work.” This just shows how insincere people can be about mental health and puts in perspective that things need to change.
The aim of mhGAP is to build partnerships for collective action and to reinforce the commitment of governments, international organizations and other stakeholders.
It maps an anxious space where socio-economic crises come to be reconfigured as individual crisis – as 'mental illness'; and how potentially violent interventions come to be seen as 'essential' treatment.Another prominent critic is Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche.
[55] A recent review presents a simple summary outlining the key characteristics of the global mental health landscape and indicating the diversity within the field.
