The global response to mental illness

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7370.967

BMJ 2002;325:967 ( 26 October )

Letters

The global response to mental illness

First line care facilities and support for providers have to be improved

Focus on mental health means new opportunities for developing countries

First line care facilities and support for providers have to be improved

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Thornicroft and Maingay highlight the inadequacy of international responses to mental illness.¹ In low income countriesthe burden of mental illness is amplified by financial insecurity,poverty, and partition of families, if not by violence and war.Prevention in mental health is intimately linked with overallhuman development. Individual care is also necessary. In somesocieties religious or traditional healers still provide culturallyrelevant and socially acceptable responses to problems labelledas mental illness. Nevertheless, mental suffering is manifestamong users of modern medical services, where it goes largelyunrecognised.

Besides poor availability of drugs, human resources are of utmost importance in understanding the apparent neglect of mentalhealth problems. Doctors and nurses in low income countries areoften described as rude to their patients,² partly becausethey have low salaries and poor professional perspectives, whichaffects their morale, self confidence, and dedication.³ Somehave problems similar to . . . [Full text of this article]