Abstract
Despite being globally recognised as an important public health issue, mental health is still less prioritised as a disease burden in many Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). More than 70% of the global mental health burden occurs in these countries. We discussed mental health issues in LMICs under themes such as abuse and mental illness, cultural influence on mental health, need for dignity in care, meeting financial and workforce gaps and the need for national health policy for the mental health sector. We highlighted that although mental health education and health care services in most LMICs are poorly resourced; there is an urgent need to address issues beyond funding that contribute to poor mental health. In order to meet the increasing challenge of mental health illness in LMICs, there is a need for effort to address cultural and professional challenges that contribute to poor mental health among individuals. We have a notion that mental health should be integrated into primary health care in LMICs. Creating awareness on the impact of some cultural attitudes/practices will encourage better uptake of mental health services and increase the ease when discussing mental health issues in these countries which can contribute to reducing the poor mental health in LMICs.
Highlights
Tweetable abstract: Addressing the high burden of mental disorders in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) requires going beyond funding to change in cultural attitude
The global burden of mental illness is under-estimated but recent research suggests that this burden accounts for 32.4% of years lived with disability and 13.0% of disability-adjusted life-years [2]
More than 800,000 people die due to suicide every year with suicide being the second highest cause of deaths among 15 to 29-year-olds [4]. This is a particular concern in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where more than 70% of mental illnesses occur [5,6]
Summary
Mental health needs have slowly come to the forefront of the global health improvement agenda over the last few years. We have synthesized findings under the following headings: a)Abuse and mental ill-health; b) Widespread discrimination and stigma against mental health patients; c) cultural stereotypes: coercion and the “Man up” attitude; d) treating with care and dignity is ‘too far’; e) Poor human and financial resources in mental health services; f) Strategies to achieving cultural and attitudinal changes towards mental health in LMICs; g) integration of mental health into primary health care; and, h) need for national mental health policies and implementation A study in Africa reported that most children (83%) had experienced psychological abuse, 64% psychological with moderate physical abuse and 43% psychological with severe physical abuse [22]
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