Community Mental Health and Mental Health Promotion—Lebanon

Abstract

Community Mental Health (CMH) is population-based approach to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders by: “(a) addressing population needs in ways that are accessible and acceptable; (b) building on the goals and strengths of people who experience mental illnesses; (c) promoting a wide network of supports, services, and resources of adequate capacity; and (d) emphasizing services that are both evidence-based and recovery-oriented” (Thornicroft et al., Oxford textbook of community mental health. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011). Lebanon is an upper middle-income country located in the Middle East, with a population of around 4 million people. Lebanon does not have clear mental health policies or proper health legislation to support community mental health care. In Lebanon, such services are still in their formative phase and are mostly run by civil society organizations. Other existing mental healthcare services in Lebanon are mostly treatment-oriented. Recent efforts by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) are being witnessed in an attempt to integrate mental health into the primary healthcare network in Lebanon. The regional crises are resulting in a greater influx of Syrian refugees to the country in addition to the already existing Palestinian refugees. To better attend to refugees’ mental health needs, several organizations are adopting the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) guidelines. Challenges implementing sustainable initiatives relate to unstable political climate in the country, scarce funding, social stigma of mental disorders and poor acceptability within cultural context, uneven distribution of services, and issues with recruitment and retention of qualified staff.