International Perspectives On Mental Health

... Is a unique collection of authoritative briefings from over 90 countries around the world. Each chapter covers a particular country's demographics, mental health resources, undergraduate education, postgraduate training in psychiatry, research activities, mental health legislation, and policy and development strategies.

This open access book offers essential information on values-based practice (VBP): the clinical skills involved, teamwork and person-centered care, links between values and evidence, and the importance of partnerships in shared decision-making. Different cultures have different values; for example, partnership in decision-making looks very different, from the highly individualized perspective of European and North American cultures to the collective and family-oriented perspectives common in South East Asia. In turn, African cultures offer yet another perspective, one that falls between these two extremes (called batho pele). The book will benefit everyone concerned with the practical challenges of delivering mental health services. Accordingly, all contributions are developed on the basis of case vignettes, and cover a range of situations in which values underlie tensions or uncertainties regarding how to proceed in clinical practice. Examples include the patient’s autonomy and best interest, the physician’s commitment to establishing high standards of clinical governance, clinical versus community best interest, institutional versus clinical interests, patients insisting on medically unsound but legal treatments etc. Thus far, VBP publications have mainly dealt with clinical scenarios involving individual values (of clinicians and patients). Our objective with this book is to develop a model of VBP that is culturally much broader in scope. As such, it offers a vital resource for mental health stakeholders in an increasingly inter-connected world. It also offers opportunities for cross-learning in values-based practice between cultures with very different clinical care traditions.

This book considers how rurality interacts with the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in different regional settings. Through the use of international and comparative case studies, the book offers insight into the spatiality of mental health diagnoses, experiences, services provision and services access between and within rural areas. It is the first book to specifically address rural mental health geographies from an international perspective, and will be of interest to researchers and policymakers in rural studies, regional studies, health geography and rural mental health.

The use of coercion is one of the defining issues of mental health care. Since the earliest attempts to contain and treat the mentally ill, power imbalances have been evident and a cause of controversy. There has always been a delicate balance between respecting autonomy and ensuring that those who most need treatment and support are provided with it. Coercion in Community Mental Health Care: International Perspectives is an essential guide to the current coercive practices worldwide, both those founded in law and those 'informal' processes whose coerciveness remains contested. It does so from a variety of perspectives, drawing on diverse disciplines such as history, law, sociology, anthropology and medicine to provide a comprehensive summary of the current debates in the field. Edited by leading researchers in the field, Coercion in Community Mental Health Care: International Perspectives provides a unique discussion of this prominent issue in mental health. Divided into five sections covering origins and extent, evidence, experiences, context and international perspectives this is ideal for mental health practitioners, social scientists, ethicists and legal professionals wishing to expand their knowledge of the subject area.

This unprecedented set examines the most prominent factors that harm or support healthy development in children outside the United States, from abuse and economics to social injustice and poor public policy. In International Perspectives on Children and Mental Health, expert contributors from around the world examine the forces affecting the psychological well-being of children in regions worldwide. They consider such factors as family conditions and economic status, including single parents, poverty, disease, war, child abuse, substance abuse in the home, and a loss of community stability. And they look at political, religious, national, and global matters, including racism and class inequality. Since education is key to children's success, the essays consider these factors largely in the context of how they affect educational readiness and academic adjustment. Volume 1 of the set considers development and context, while volume 2 focuses on prevention and treatment. Specific examples enable readers to better understand the often-horrific challenges to child development and mental health across nations. But the work is not limited to exploring problems. It also looks at various programs and actions that mitigate risks, helping children to be mentally healthy despite the odds.

Artemis, namesake of this journal and goddess of light, had the divine duty of illuminating the darkness. Often she is depicted carrying a candle or torch, lighting the way for others and leading them through territories yet uncharted. Known as the chaste Greek goddess associated with the moon and hunt, her connection with the natural world symbolized her own untamed spirit, and she became the patron saint of childbirth, protector of wild animals, virgins and the powerless. Her illumination lends inspiration to the theme of this edition, courage of our convictions, shedding light into the unknown and supporting us with her courage and strength.

This book will provide readers with an overview of the core knowledge and issues in public mental health, and a guide for students and practitioners on the evidence and tools available to help them develop Public Mental Health programs that work in practice.

Mental distress is not exclusive to any particular group but touches the lives of people in all societies and walks of life; one in four of us will be affected by it in our lifetime. Yet the field of mental health is complex – fraught with differences in understanding and experience, variations in service provision, political agendas and professional discourses. This wide-ranging book explores a range of themes in the development of mental health policy and practice, in order to promote critical reflection and enhance understanding. Drawing on an international evidence base, it explores the historical, legal and socio-cultural dimensions of mental health, including: - Anti-discriminatory practice and the ethical tensions posed by legislation, particularly in relation to safeguarding and human rights - Trends and concerns in the field of child and adolescent mental health - The gender, ethnicity and age-related dimensions of mental ill-health - The challenges posed by dual diagnosis and faced by families and carers International Perspectives on Mental Health offers a multi-dimensional view of mental health and wellbeing, with the aim of opening up debate and inviting a more holistic conception of the field. It is required reading for students of mental health on professional and academic courses, as well as for practitioners in the health and social care field.