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Making Mental Health a Global Priority
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 WFMH CENTER FOR
TRANSCULTURAL MENTAL HEALTH |
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The WFMH Center for Transcultural Mental Health was
established in December 2006 as an ongoing program within the
WFMH Secretariat. The Center focuses attention on issues
related to the increasingly multi-cultural aspects of mental
health awareness, service delivery, and the need for developing
culturally responsive systems of mental health services in
countries and communities around the world.
The WFMH Center for
Transcultural Mental Health was established in December 2006 as
an ongoing program within the WFMH Secretariat. The Center
focuses attention on issues related to the increasingly
multi-cultural aspects of mental health awareness, service
delivery, and the need for developing culturally responsive
systems of mental health services in countries and communities
around the world. The establishment and development of the WFMH
Center for Transcultural Mental Health was made possible through
a grant from Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Among the
key issues concerning the “role of culture in mental health”
that is the focus of the WFMH Center for Transcultural
Mental Health are:
1) The role
that cultural orientation plays in how mental health
professionals think about Depression and its associated
disorders, recognize its symptoms, accurately diagnose, and
effectively treat it in patients that may have a different
cultural orientation
2) The role
that culture plays in how individuals, family members, and
communities perceive and respond to symptoms of depression --
how and where they seek help or treatment in dealing with
symptoms of depression
3) The role
that culture plays in the interaction of mental health
professionals with patients from a different culture --- how do
these different cultural perspectives play out in the community-
or institutional- based treatment settings.
4) The role
that cultural perspective about mental health and mental
disorders plays in the general workforce (business and
industry), particularly within employee assistance programs,
medical and family leave policies, health insurance coverage,
etc.)
The 2007 World Mental Health
Day packet on the theme of Mental Health in a Changing World,
the Impact of Culture and Diversity relates to the focus of this
Center.
It can be accessed here.
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WFMH
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS FORUM ON REDUCING DISPARITIES IN MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES
SEE THE FINAL REPORT FOR THE DISPARITIES
FORUM HERE
WFMH CONVENES INTERNATIONAL
EXPERTS FORUM ON REDUCING DISPARITIES IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
FOR ETHNIC MINORITIES
The World Federation for Mental
Health convened an International Experts Forum on Reducing
Disparities in Mental Health Services for Ethnic Minorities in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 17-19, 2008. The Forum was a
component of the WFMH Center for Transcultural Mental Health’s (CTMH)
2008 continuation program of work.
The Forum was organized as a
first step in the Center’s efforts to focus increased attention
on the crisis of growing disparities in access to mental health
services by ethnic minorities and people from immigrant
cultures, to determine what can be done to address this crisis,
and reduce the current gaps in service availability and
accessibility.
The International Experts Forum brought together key experts in
health disparities in order to gain perspective and provide
recommendations and guidance on how the WFMH CTMH can develop
the expertise and networks needed to play a leadership role on
this issue. Members of the Forum’s panel were:
- Dr. Sergio A. Aguilar-Gaxiloa,
Center for Reducing Health Disparities, University of
California Davis
- Dr. Morton Beiser, Joint
Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and
Settlement, University of Toronto, Canada
- Trina Dutta, MPP, MPH,
SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services
- L. Patt Franciosi, PhD,
Vice-President for Program Development, WFMH (Chair)
- Professor Frederick
Hickling, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The
University of the West Indies, Jamaica
- DJ Ida, PhD, National
Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
- Dr. Gabriel Ivbijaro,
World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca) Working Group
on Mental Health, United Kingdom
- Jeffrey King, PhD, First
Nations Behavioral Health Association; Center for
Cross-Cultural Psychology, Western Washington University
- Charles G. Ray, CGR &
Associates (Discussion Leader/Facilitator)
Some of the issues that were
considered during the Forum included:
- Mental health services
disparities around the world: Defining the extent of the
problem
- The influence of race
and culture on service planning and provision
- Disparities in mental
health services for ethnic minorities in the U.S. and other
Western countries
- Disparities in research
and clinical trials for ethnic minorities
- Barriers to mental
health services and research for ethnic minorities
- Ways to overcome
barriers to mental health services and research for ethnic
minorities
- Call to action for all
stakeholders
Rationale for the Forum
Many ethnic minorities in the
United States and in other Western countries face great
challenges in everyday life, ranging from language to culture,
from economic status to social relations. Whether minorities
come from other countries or are born in the country of current
residence, they face adjustment and acceptance issues, racism,
unemployment, language and cultural differences. These
challenges also exist for a large percentage of the indigenous
population. These trauma and adjustment issues create an
undeniable source of stress and, very often, ill health, both
physical and mental.
In addition, the following
issues are faced by minorities in their adopted country every
day:
- Problems with
accessibility of mental health care
- Absence of
participation of minorities in the development and delivery
of services
- Uneven distribution of
services
- Poor quality and
quantity of data on minorities mental health problems and
use of services
- Short term and
uncertain funding of specific services for minorities
- Scarce dissemination of
the knowledge gathered by good practice
- Lack of research taking
into account the unique cultural aspects of individuals
including a lack of clinical trials using the cultural
variables required
- Lack of defined
strategies for recruiting and including ethnic minorities in
clinical trails for new medications and therapeutic
techniques
The information gathered
through the exploration and discussions of the Forum will
provide the WFMH Center on Transcultural Mental Health (CTMH)
basic information and guidance for future work addressing these
important issues.
The WFMH International Experts
Forum on Reducing Disparities in Mental Health Services for
Ethnic Minorities and Immigrants was made possible through an
educational grant from Eli Lilly & Company.
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Australia’s Diversity Health
Institute Collaboration with WFMH
WFMH recently signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Diversity Health
Institute of Australia (DHI) on the occasion of the Diversity in
Health Conference 2008 held in Sydney, Australia, March 10-12,
2008. Immediate Past President Shona Sturgeon signed the MOU on
behalf of WFMH while Professor Steven Boyages, Chief Executive
of the Sydney West Area Health Service, signed on behalf of the
DHI. The Diversity Health Institute is a consortium of public
health organizations that
work together to improve the health and wellbeing of Australia’s
culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community. The DHI
is based in the Sydney West Area Health Service, however, it is
comprised of units with a statewide, national and international
focus and is funded from a variety of sources including the New
South Wales Health and the Commonwealth Department of Health and
Ageing.
In the MOU, both WFMH and DHI
agree to work together towards the following aims:
- Increasing public
awareness and understanding of mental health issues
- Promoting improved
attitudes towards mental health and mental disorders
- Promoting better mental
health within the community and prevention of mental
disorders
- Undertaking research to
improve the care, treatment and recovery of people with
mental disorders
- Developing education and
training opportunities for mental health service providers
The organizations will share
access to resources; providing links through respective
websites; organization of training programs, workshops, or
conferences; activity seek opportunities for formal
collaboration on projects of mutual interest; and working
jointly in promotion of the annual World Mental Health Day
global awareness campaign. WFMH is enthusiastic about this
collaborative effort and believes that it will serve as a model
for linkages with other organizations.
The Diversity Health Institute
Services and Programs include:
- Co-Exist NSW: Diversity
Health Comorbidity Service
- DHI Clearinghouse
- DHI Research Laboratory
- DHI Service of Excellence
- DHI Workforce Development,
Education and Training Networks
- Global Health Institute
- Multicultural Mental
Health Australia
- Multicultural Problem
Gambling Service
- NSW Education Program on
Female Genital Mutilation
- Transcultural Mental
Health Centre
- Women’s Health at Work
For additional information,
visit the DHI website at
www.dhi.gov.au. For more information on releases of
Multicultural Mental Health Australia,
click here.
Professor Abd Malak witnesses the signatures of Professor Steven
Boyages and Shona Sturgeon
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2007 Transcultural Mental
Health Conference on “Transcultural Mental Health in a Changing
World: Building a Global Response” - Post-Conference Update
The Center for Transcultural
Mental Health organized a conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
October 29-31 on the theme of “Transcultural Mental Health in a
Changing World: Building a Global Response.” The Conference
Report, Program, List of Presenters with Contact Information,
and Available PowerPoint Presentations and Handouts can be
accessed HERE.
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INTERNATIONAL
EXPERTS PANEL EXPLORES TRANSCULTURAL MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
– The WFMH Center for Transcultural Mental Health convened its
first major activity in Dulles, Virginia, February 28 – March 1,
2007, bringing together 16 international leaders in mental
health services, education, policy, and multicultural issues.
The panel members represented 8 countries – Argentina,
Australia, Canada, China, India, Switzerland, The Netherlands,
the United States, and Zambia. WFMH Past President, Dr. L. Patt
Franciosi, chaired the forum.
part of the expert panel
discussing transcultural mental health
The purpose of
the forum was to gather advice to assist in the Center’s
preparation of a broad initiative on the impact of culture on
mental health. The panel members provided input and shared
perspectives on areas including the importance of culture and
the migration experience as risk and protective factors in
mental health, the need for a culturally competent mental health
workforce, the framework for culturally responsive mental health
service delivery systems, and the promotion of a recovery-focus
for mental health services respecting service users’ cultural
belief systems, and that of their families and communities in
service delivery.
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Transcultural Information and
Resources
This section is will be updated
on a regular basis and consists of
a section on Resources to include publications, programs, and
contacts. If visitors have resources they
would like to share, please send to
info@wfmh.com.
NEW!
Transcultural Mental Health Nursing
Translated Mental Health Fact Sheets
Resources in Transcultural Mental Health
Migrant Mental Health
Culture and Violence
Trauma and Mental Health
African Population
Arab Mental Health
Asian Mental Health
Eastern European Mental Health
Hispanic Mental
Health
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Best
Practices in Transcultural Mental Health
This section is will be updated
on a regular basis and consists of short summaries of best
practices in transcultural mental health, including contact
information. If visitors have best practices to share, please
send to info@wfmh.com.
Australia’s Transcultural Mental Health Centre
Mental Health Programs in Refugee Camps
Torture Treatment Centers |
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