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In support of World Mental Health Day, held annually on 10 October to raise public awareness about mental health issues worldwide, Emerald Group Publishing is providing free access to its complete collection of health and social care journals. In total, 22 journals can be read online from 10 October for a period of two weeks. Visit www.emeraldinsight.com/tk/wmhd2011 with username: WMHD2011 and password: emerald

From Peter Scott's Library blog

...targeting people with mental health conditions as a vulnerable group.

 

 Contents list and executive summary [pdf 1.08Mb]
The report is available in sections accessible from the above contents list

Supporting documents

Policy brief on mental health and development [pdf 208kb]

Policy analysis [pdf 99kb]

News release: People with mental disabilities cannot be forgotten

The new WHO report on mental health and development is a call to action to all development stakeholders - governments, civil society, multilateral agencies, bilateral agencies, global partnerships, private foundations, academic and research institutions - to focus their attention on mental health.

The report presents compelling evidence that persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities are a vulnerable group but continue to be marginalized in terms of development aid and government attention. It makes the case for reaching out to this group through the design and implementation of appropriate policies and programmes and through the inclusion of mental health interventions into broader poverty reduction and development strategies. The report also describes a number of key interventions which can provide a starting point for these efforts. By investing in persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities, development outcomes can be improved.

Development stakeholders who would like to integrate mental health into their agendas, policies and programmes are encouraged to contact Dr Michelle Funk, Coordinator, Mental Health Policy and Service Development funkm@who.int.

 

The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) Africa Initiative on Mental Health & HIV/AIDS was started in October 2006. The purpose of the Initiative is "to raise awareness about the important relationship between mental health & HIV/AIDS." They also work to provide "effective advocacy" in order to improve services for people living with HIV/AIDS. First-time users will want to start by looking over the "News & Issues" area, and here they can peruse an introductory presentation which outlines the Initiative's main goals. The "NGO Directory" is a great resource for health care professionals and it contains a directory of over 1,000 organizations in Africa that provide or facilitate psychosocial support to people living with HIV/AIDS and caregivers. Visitors should also click on the "Expert Forum" area as well. Here they can read a summary report of a meeting which brought together key leaders from Africa in 2008 to talk about the work of the Initiative. [KMG] From Scout Report

http://www.wfmhafricainitiative.org/

Mental Health and Behavior

This document is one in a series of College Reports (previously known as Council Reports) prepared and made available on the Web by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPSYCH). Published in 2003, the report 'The Mental Health of Students in Higher Education' acknowledges that 'Higher education is associated with significant stressors, including the emotional demands of transition from home and school to the less structured environment of college, independent study and examinations, and financial pressures. While stress is not pathological in itself, these factors may contribute to the higher rate of emotional symptomatology among students'. The report aims to review the nature, prevalence and causes of students' mental health problems, and to review existing services. Conclusions and recommendations are provided. The appendices provide information on counselling in higher education, and a glossary of acronyms. The status of this report is current, as of May 2010. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/files/pdfversion/cr112.pdf

From Intute.ac.uk

Final demand : debt and mental health

This guidance document, funded by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), is based on a programme of research and intervention on debt and mental health undertaken by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPSYCH). Published in 2009, the production of the resource was a collaboration between people with direct experience of mental health problems, researchers from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Rethink, money advice organisations, and health and social care organisations. The document provides advice to GPs, social workers, mental health nurses and other allied health professionals on how to support patients with debt and mental health problems. Described as a 'debt first aid kit', the aim of the guidance is to allow professionals to identify problems before they become crises, and show them how to work with agencies such as Citizens Advice. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/FinalDemandcf.pdf    From Intute.ac.uk

Backdoor broadcasting company : Tim Thornton : Clinical Judgement and the Medical Humanities

This section of the Backdoor Broadcasting Company website makes recordings of academic lectures available to researchers and members of the public. Here, a lecture delivered by Tim Thornton of the University of Central Lancashire on 25 November 2009 at The Humanities and Arts Research Centre, Royal Holloway University of London is posted as a podcast. The lecture, "Clinical Judgement and the Medical Humanities" deals with areas of ethics and contemporary philosophy and linguistic studies related to mental health care. Applying ideas from Wittgenstein, Thornton is known for his work on "clinical judgement, idiographic and narrative understanding, the interpretation of psychopathology and reductionism and social constructionism in psychiatry." Recorded questions which were posed at the end of the lecture are also available.From Intute.ac.uk

http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/2009/11/tim-thornton-clinical-judgement-and-the-

Critical review of the literature on children and young people's views of the factors that influence their mental health

A commissioned study that examines what children and young people perceive to be important factors affecting their mental health, positively or otherwise. The study takes the form of a review of published peer-reviewed and 'grey' literature, and was published by NHS Health Scotland in September 2009. Authored from the Universities of Aberdeen and Teesside, the contents of the 137-page document include a summary, introduction, aims and objectives, methods, results, discussion, references and appendices. Among the topics discussed are understanding by children and young people of mental wellbeing and mental health problems, and factors impacting on mental health, including aspects of self-perception, family relationships, school and peer relationships, friendships, relationships with other adults, neighbourhoods and communities, and 'structural factors' (poverty, race and gender). From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/3678.aspx

Centre of excellence in interdisciplinary mental health : A - Z of resources
The Centre of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Mental Health (CEIMH) is based at the University of Birmingham. This site provides access to the comprehensive A-Z list of resources within the CEIMH website. Much of the resource content is in video format and there is also a link provided to text-based resources which can be downloaded. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.ceimh.bham.ac.uk/downloads/ListofResources.shtml

NHS choices : mental health
A resource produced by NHS Choices, a comprehensive online public information service provided by the NHS. This resource contains a large collection of videos which provide insights into the patient experience. This particular category covers real life stories of people who live with or have experienced mental illness. Areas addressed include post traumatic stress disorder, stress, anxiety, schizophrenia, bullying, panic attacks, domestic violence, anger management and many more. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.nhs.uk/video/Pages/medialibrary.aspx?Tag=Mental+health

World bank : mental health
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, and runs a variety of projects and programs. The overall goal of the Mental Health Program is to 'strengthen the mental health delivery system within the framework of PHC, community based rehabilitation and school based health care'. The Program aims to complement bank lending with an effective learning program for client countries, Bank staff, and staff from other development agencies. The website links to learning events and programmes, projects and operations, publications, learning resources (including e-learning) together with links to other related resources. From Intute.ac.uk
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTHEALTHNUTRITIONANDPOPULATION/

Physical activity and mental health
An online leaflet from The Royal College of Psychiatrists, published in January 2009, aimed at anyone wanting to know how exercise and being active can help depression. The effects of exercise - and lack of it - on mood and wellbeing are considered, theories of why exercise is beneficial are discussed, and advice is given about amount and timing of exercise, the role of physical activity in managing mild depression, and practicalities, plus references and sources of further information. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/treatments/physicalactivity.aspx

Geriatric Mental Health Foundation (GMHF)
The Geriatric Mental Health Foundation (GMHF) was 'established by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry to raise awareness of psychiatric and mental health disorders affecting the elderly, eliminate the stigma of mental illness and treatment, promote healthy aging strategies, and increase access to quality mental health care for the elderly'. The website provides consumer/health information aimed at older adults and their families, a search facility to find a geriatric psychiatrist, news, and links to other related resources. From: Intute.ac.uk
http://www.gmhfonline.org/gmhf/

Complementary and alternative medicines (1) : herbal remedies and supplements
Published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in March 2007, this information leaflet provides guidance on using complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for mental health problems. Topics covered include the effects of a variety of different plants on mental health, what complementary therapies are, herbal remedies and supplements and how to use CAMs safely. From: Intute.ac.uk
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/complementarytherapy.

Mental Health Consumer Providers: A Guide for Clinical Staff