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Global Mental Health News<\/b><\/h2>\n
Launch of the World Mental Health Report: Transforming mental health for all<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Just over 20 years ago, the 2001 World Health Report was dedicated to mental health, and many of its conclusions remain relevant today.<\/p>\n Last week, the World Health Organization launched the World Mental Health Report<\/i>, a comprehensive examination of the what we must do to transform our responses to mental health needs around the world today.<\/p>\n The webcast and report are available here<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n Do Anthropologists Have a Role in Addressing Global Mental Health?<\/b><\/p>\n Dr. Kathryn Azevedo<\/a> of the National Center for PTSD at the VA\u00a0 and several of her colleagues across the US believe that they do.<\/p>\n In Leveraging anthropological expertise to respond to the COVID-19 global mental health syndemic<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Dr. Azevedo issues a call for anthropologists to help seek out novel approaches to addressing global mental health needs by contributing to the development of mental health programs, confronting the racialization of Covid-19 alongside marginalized communities, supporting real-time policy making with community responses, and innovating on transparent collaborative research methods through open science.<\/p>\n The group’s call to action highlights the fact that the connection between multiple technology platforms allows anthropologists the opportunity to engage on a global scale which allows them to make more transparent the interrelation of theory and practice while also working to make their methods more accessible to the public.<\/p>\n Why mental health is a priority for action on climate change<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n A new WHO policy brief highlights important action steps for countries as the mental health impacts of climate change are unequally distributed.\u00a0 Certain groups are shown to be disproportionately affected depending on factors such as socioeconomic status, gender and age.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impact of climate change is compounding the already extremely challenging situation for mental health and mental health services globally. There are nearly 1 billion people living with mental health conditions, yet in low- and middle-income countries, 3 out of 4 do not have access to needed services,\u201d said D\u00e9vora Kestel, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. \u201cBy ramping up mental health and psychosocial support within disaster risk reduction and climate action, countries can do more to help protect those most at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n You can learn more about this topic through the\u00a0 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s “Keeping Our Planet In Mind” webinar series which will provide an overview of the current evidence and work areas around climate change and mental health crises. The first three webinars in the series and information about future events can be found here <\/b><\/a>and in the Past Events<\/i> section.<\/p>\n Demand for reproductive mental health resources has spiked during the pandemic <\/b><\/p>\n A program through the British Columbia Women’s Hospital and Health Care Centre is taking a holistic approach to helping women with perinatal and postpartum depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n Social isolation and lack of personal and professional support during the pandemic has increased women\u2019s risk of anxiety and depression in pregnancy and postpartum because of: cancelled appointments or prenatal classes, employment stressors or job loss, financial stressors or strain, an increase in relationship conflict and an increase in possible violence in the home, increased responsibilities on parents, especially moms needing to take on extra roles with older children at home due to restrictions without childcare support, and, additionally, just the general fear of COVID-19 over the last two years.<\/p>\n That’s why, [Dr. Karen] Rivera says, developing research initiatives to provide virtual tools and more accessibility for women in British Columbia is so crucial. Reproductive Mental Health offers both medical and non-medical intervention options for people who want to learn more about medication or otherwise. The Reproductive Mental Health program<\/a> offers support and resources to women who are pregnant or up to one year postpartum experiencing these kinds of mental health issues.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pregnancy can be a stressful time even in the best circumstances, but the impact of the pandemic has contributed to a dramatic increase in this stress.\u00a0 Normal sources of support for pregnant women \u2013 be it from family members or mental health professionals \u2013 were much more difficult to access due to lockdown restrictions and the generalized impact of a global event on health systems.\u00a0 Projects like the programs in Vancouver, Washington, and California illustrate how institutions in the Pacific Northwest are responding to ensure that every woman receives support when she needs it.<\/p>\n Call for Papers: PLOS Medicine Special Issue on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Mental Health<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Deadline: 15 July 2022<\/b><\/p>\n The editors of PLOS Medicine together with Guest Editors Vikram Patel, Daisy Fancourt, Toshi A Furukawa, and Lola Kola announce a forthcoming special issue devoted to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global mental health.<\/p>\n For the purposes of the Special Issue, the term mental health is used in a multidisciplinary sense. Studies across disciplines including psychiatry and psychology, neuroscience, behavioral, developmental, and social science will all be considered, as will others that present a clinically meaningful advance. Please visit the link for more details.<\/p>\n The NIMH Center for Global Health Research Webinar Series continues!<\/b>\u00a0 Find the monthly event calendar here<\/a>.<\/p>\nWest Coast Global Mental Health Spotlight<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Here in Seattle, Dr. Amritha Bhat<\/a>\u00a0 confirms this increased demand for reproductive mental health treatment.\u00a0 She shares that clinical service<\/a>, educational<\/a>, and research<\/a> efforts have been ramped up to meet this pressing need.\u00a0 A key area of research focuses on texting, which has been useful in mitigating pandemic-induced social isolation.\u00a0 Dr. Bhat is studying peer mentor texting to support maternal wellbeing during the perinatal period.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/uwgmh\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Ian-Bennett-300x300.jpg\")
Dr. Ian Bennett<\/a> has also observed this increased need and notes that he is engaged in several projects designed to build capacity to address perinatal mental disorders. In Washington State, Dr. Bennett leads the Maternal Mental Health Access<\/a> (MAMHA) project, designed to enhance the capacity to address the risk of suicide and opioid overdose in pregnancy and the year postpartum.\u00a0\u00a0 Drs. Bennett\u00a0 and Bhat are also working\u00a0 on a similar five year project in California, the Los Angeles Maternal Mental Access<\/a> (LAMMHA). This project studies the implementation of Collaborative Care in Federally Qualified Health Centers in Los Angeles, which provide care for large numbers of women in pregnancy and pediatric services.<\/p>\nGlobal Mental Health Opportunities<\/b><\/h2>\n