Community Mental Health Services in Developing Countries, Time to Think Outside the Box

Abstract

Developing countries are struggling to provide adequate mental health care to its citizens. One of the main reasons is the serious shortage of psychiatrists and trained Mental Health Nurses (MHNs). In many countries the quality of mental health nursing is less than satisfactory. Some Western countries have devised nurse led care models under the supervision of psychiatrists, which have shown improvement in patient waiting times and care delivery as compared to low-income countries. Nurses with prescribing privileges have received mixed opinions but it has been shown to have benefits to a certain level. In this article a potential solution is suggested on the foundation of a recent literature review for developing countries to empower MHNs under the supervision of psychiatrists, so that patients can have improved access to services and receive enhanced and more timely care delivery.

Impact of economic shocks on mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal study of adult residents of Indian metropolitan cities

“…Fourth, the geographical context of this study contrasts with the majority of studies undertaken for developed European and North American countries. It was undertaken using data from India, a developing country with very high rates of cases and mortality, poor mental health awareness,[ 24 ] inadequate treatment facilities,[ 3 ] and badly hit in economic terms by the lockdown. [ 5 , 6 ]…”

“…We have been able to trace only one study for the general population for India; it examines the impact of financial hardship in the rural economy of India. [ 22 ] Although these countries report a high incidence of mental health problems,[ 23 ] awareness of mental health problems among the general population is low[ 24 ] and the infrastructure for providing mental health services is poor. [ 3 ]…”