- Services for mental disorders
Services for mental disorders offer treatments,
support and/oradvocacy to people judged to havemental disorders (mental illnesses).Medical services
Family practice (general practice ) centers in communities are commonly the first line for assessment of mental health conditions, and may prescribepsychiatric drugs and sometimes provide basiccounseling ortherapy for "common mental disorders". Secondary medical services may includepsychiatric hospitals , although sincedeinstitutionalization these have been restricted in favor ofwards within generalhospitals , andcommunity mental health services based more locally.Such services may be provided on an
inpatient or, more commonly,outpatient basis. They may offer a range of treatments, usually centered aroundpsychiatric drugs , and be provided by a range ofmental health professionals , notablypsychiatrists and psychiatric and mental health nurses. Non-medical professions may also be involved, such asclinical psychologists ,social workers and various kinds oftherapists orcounselors . Usually headed by psychiatrists and therefore based on a medical model, multidisiplinary teams may be involved inAssertive community treatment and "Early intervention", and may be coordinated via acase management system (sometimes referred to as "service coordination").Individual therapy services
Numerous services exist exclusively for the
therapy of mental disorders/distress. They may offerIntegrative Psychotherapy (an eclectic tailored mix of approaches) or a particular approach, such ascognitive behavioral therapy .ocial care services
Community services often include
Supported housing with full or partialsupervision , including "halfway house s".Social workers andSupport workers provide support and advocacy.Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Services
Many Consumer/Survivor/Ex-patient organizations provide services for those labeled as having a mental disorder. A number of charities providing services are "consumer-led". There are self-help/mutual support groups and day centers or clubhouses. [McLean, A. (2003). [http://www.psychosocial.com/IJPR_8/Recovering1-McLean.html Recovering Consumers and a Broken Mental Health System in the United States: Ongoing Challenges for Consumers/ Survivors and the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Part I: Legitimization of the Consumer Movement and Obstacles to It.] International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 8, 47-57] [McLean, A. (2003) [http://www.psychosocial.com/IJPR_8/Recovering1-McLean.html Recovering Consumers and a Broken Mental Health System in the United States: Ongoing Challenges for Consumers/ Survivors and the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Part II: Impact of Managed Care and Continuing Challenges] International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 8, 58-70.]
Traditional healing centers
Traditional healering centers provide a popular and accessible service across the African continent and other areas of the world, and often deal with mental disorders. [Ngoma MC, Prince M, Mann A (2003) [http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/183/4/349 Common mental disorders among those attending primary health clinics and traditional healers in urban Tanzania.] Br J Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;183:349-55.] [Center for Advocacy in Mental Health [http://www.camhindia.org/hhwm_project.html Role of Traditional Healing Centers (THCs) in Mental Health Service Delivery] ]Legal services
Legal services exist to regulate and supervise the
involuntary commitment oroutpatient commitment of those judged to have mental disorders and to be a danger to themselves or others. Some legal organizations provide specialized services for those diagnosed with mental disorders who may be challengingdiscrimination orinvoluntary commitment .Mental health courts are specialized court dockets exist in some places to provide community treatment and supervision in lieu of incarceration for criminal offenders with mental illness.Global situation
A Global Mental Health Group in coordination with the
World Health Organization has called for an urgent scaling up of the funding, staffing and coverage of services for mental disorders in all countries, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. [Lancet Global Mental Health Group, Chisholm D, Flisher AJ, Lund C, Patel V, Saxena S, Thornicroft G, Tomlinson M. (2007) [http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673607612422 Scale up services for mental disorders: a call for action] Lancet. Oct 6;370(9594):1241-52.] [World Health Organization [http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr45/en/index.html WHO urges more investments, services for mental health] WHO website, September 2007]According to the
Recovery model , services must always support an individual's personal journey of recovery and independence, and a person may or may not need services at any particular time, or at all.References
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