Strengthening mental health care in the health system in the occupied Palestinian territory

The authors describe a programme in a rural area of the West Bank (occupied Palestinian territory) developed in 2005 by Medicos del Mundo Spain, in coordination with the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.

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The integration of mental health into primary health care in Lebanon

In Lebanon, the International Medical Corps is working to address the multiple needs of Iraqi refugees, as well as the long term needs of the vulnerable host population, by integrating mental health services into primary health care (PHC) Over the past two years, 152 PHC providers (doctors, nurses and social workers) were trained in the identification, management and referral of people with mental health problems.

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Takamol: multi-professional capacity building in order to strengthen the psychosocial and mental health sector in response to refugee crises in Syria

The massive influx of Iraqi refugees into Syria in 2006put an immense strain on the already underresourced mental health sector. This prompted a consortium of international agencies to create an Interagency Working Group (IAWG) in 2008, with the goal of national capacity building This Interagency Working group merged into a National Advisory Board that included the Syrian government. An integrated one-year master training programme for mental health professionals was designed.

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Emergencies and disasters as opportunities to improve mental health systems: peruvian experience in Huancavelica

The paper describes the development of a community oriented mental health care system in the Region of Huancavelica (Peru), after a devastating earthquake in 2007. The area is also one of the most inaccessible and disadvantaged areas of Peru.

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Strategy for providing integrated mental health/psychosocial support in post earthquake Haiti

The recent earthquake in Haiti exposed all the weaknesses in the mental health care system existing prior to the earthquake. This paper describes the strategy developed by the Dutch nongovernmental organisation Cordaid for providing integrated mental health and psychosocial support in Haiti after the earthquake. The strategy aimed to address mental health and psychosocial needs in the early recovery and reconsolidation phases, and to build mental health capacity of community level and primary health care providers.

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Integrating mental health into primary health care settings after an emergency: lessons from Haiti

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, there was a need for specialist services for severely mentally ill people who were presenting to the emergency medical clinics set up for displaced people. That need was unmet. Using guidelines drawn up by the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and piloting the Health Information System (HIS) of diagnostic categories in mental health, weekly mental health clinics were begun in eight mobile clinics. A psychiatric liaison service was also started in the main casualty hospital.

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Integrating mental health care into existing systems of health care: during and after complex humanitarian emergencies: an Intervention Special Issue

Complex humanitarian emergencies, whether arising from armed conflict or natural disaster, challenge the mental health system of a country in many ways. Not least because they increase the risk of mental disorder in the population, and undermine the pre-existing structures of care. They may, however, also bring new opportunities to create change. In this way, new structures and paradigms may emerge from the midst of a crisis. The probabilities for such a change to occur vary from one setting to another.

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From mathematics to psychosocial work: personal reflections on a decade of psychosocial work with children in Kosovo

 The author of this field report, originally a professor in mathematics, describes in a personal report how oppression and violent conflict in Kosovo effected a change in his career, and how he became the founder and director of a local nongovernmental organisation in the field of education and psychosocial support for children. After the conflict, many psychosocial activities were organised. Unfortunately, local experience was often ignored in these projects.

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The IASC Guidelines and the International Disaster Psychology Program at the University of Denver

There is a growing recognition of the significant psychological and psychosocial damage caused by natural and manmade disasters. This phenomenon has increased the demand for trained professionals with the necessary skills to address these problems, in diverse populations around the world.

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Field report: peer support supervision as a procedure for learning from practical experience in a mental health setting

This field report describes a ‘minimal budget project’ aimed at developing the expertise of a mixed group of workers. This project included nurses, community workers, counsellors and psychosocial workers attached to, or connected with, the mental health units in four hospitals in east Sri Lanka. In order to develop expertise, the project included a series of basic counselling training, as well as ongoing guidance during monthly peer supervision meetings.

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