Developmental screening tools: feasibility of use at primary healthcare level in low- and middle-income settings.

An estimated 150 million children have a disability. Early identification of developmental disabilities is a high priority for the World Health Organization to allow action to reduce impairments through Gap Action Program on mental health. The study identified the feasibility of using the developmental screening and monitoring tools for children aged 0-3 year(s) by non-specialist primary healthcare providers in low-resource settings.

Disease burden and mental health system capacity: WHO Atlas study of 117 low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Treatment coverage for mental disorders ranges from less than 10% to more than 90% across low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries. Studies have yet to examine whether the capacity of mental health systems might be adversely affected by the burdens of unrelated conditions such as HIV/AIDS.

Aims: To examine whether the magnitude of disease burden from communicable, perinatal, maternal and nutritional conditions - commonly referred to as Group 1 diseases - is inversely associated with mental health system capacity in LAMI countries.

Does combining infant stimulation with emergency feeding improve psychosocial outcomes for displaced mothers and babies? A controlled evaluation from northern Uganda.

Combined psychosocial and nutrition interventions improve the development of infants. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the effectiveness of such interventions in humanitarian settings. This article examines the impact of combining a group-based psychosocial intervention with an existing emergency feeding program for internally displaced mothers in Northern Uganda.

The role of health systems factors in facilitating access to psychotropic medicines: a cross-sectional analysis of the WHO-AIMS in 63 low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Neuropsychiatric conditions comprise 14% of the global burden of disease and 30% of all noncommunicable disease. Despite the existence of cost-effective interventions, including administration of psychotropic medicines, the number of persons who remain untreated is as high as 85% in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). While access to psychotropic medicines varies substantially across countries, no studies to date have empirically investigated potential health systems factors underlying this issue.

Service availability and utilization and treatment gap for schizophrenic disorders: a survey in 50 low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: To outline mental health service accessibility, estimate the treatment gap and describe service utilization for people with schizophrenic disorders in 50 low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems was used to assess the accessibility of mental health services for schizophrenic disorders and their utilization. The treatment gap measurement was based on the number of cases treated per 100,000 persons with schizophrenic disorders, and it was compared with subregional estimates based on the Global burden of disease 2004 update report.

Human resources for mental health care: current situation and strategies for action.

A challenge faced by many countries is to provide adequate human resources for delivery of essential mental health interventions. The overwhelming worldwide shortage of human resources for mental health, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, is well established. Here, we review the current state of human resources for mental health, needs, and strategies for action.

Treated prevalence of and mental health services received by children and adolescents in 42 low-and-middle-income countries.

Background: Little is known about the treated prevalence and services received by children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics and capacity of mental health services for children and adolescents in 42 LAMICs.

Methods: The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS), a 155-indicator instrument developed to assess key components of mental health service systems, was used to describe mental health services in 13 low, 24 lower-middle, and 5 upper-middle-income countries.

Mental health in Vietnam: Burden of disease and availability of services.

Purpose: Despite the accomplishments, the economic and social reform program of Vietnam has had negative effects, such as limited access to health care services for those disadvantaged in the new market economy. Among this group are persons with mental disorders. This paper aims to understand the burden of mental disorders and availability of mental health services (MHS) in Vietnam.

Mental health services in 42 low- and middle-income countries: a WHO-AIMS cross-national analysis.

Objective: The authors describe characteristics and capacities of mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems was used to assess services in 42 countries (13 low-, 24 lower-middle, and five upper-middle income).

Results: Of 36 countries with a mental health plan, 90% include the goal of developing community services.

WHO's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems: collecting essential information for policy and service delivery.

Information about mental health systems is essential for mental health planning to reduce the burden of neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, many low- and middle-income countries lack systematic information on their mental health systems. The objectives, scope, structure, and contents of mental health assessment and monitoring instruments commonly used in high-income countries may not be appropriate for use in middle- and low-income countries.

Children and the Sphere standard on mental and social aspects of health.

Most of the world's children live in resource-poor countries where people are at a relatively high risk of exposure to catastrophic situations arising from conflict and natural disasters.(6) Given the potential social, psychological and psychiatric consequences of exposure to disaster, mental health and psychosocial support programmes are increasingly part of humanitarian aid. A minimum standard on mental and social aspects of health is included in the recently revised Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere Handbook) (Sphere Project, 2004).

Maternal, family, and work correlates of role strain in low-income mothers.

Welfare reform brought large numbers of low-income mothers into the labor force, yet little research has examined how low-income mothers manage the multiple demands of parenthood and employment. Using Hobfoll's conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001) to guide hypotheses, the authors examined correlates of role strain in a racially diverse sample of low-income mothers (N = 276) combining work/school with family responsibilities. Results from regression analyses indicate that characteristics that deplete resources, particularly family factors (e.

Out-of-school care and problem behavior trajectories among low-income adolescents: individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics as added risks.

Using a developmental systems approach, this study considered longitudinal links between adolescents' out-of-school care experiences and behavioral trajectories within a random sample of 819 adolescents ages 10 to 14 years at Wave 1 from low-income, urban families. Multiple aspects of context were considered, including the location, supervision, and structure of adolescents' care arrangements, as well as parenting practices and perceived neighborhood environments. Regression models indicated that out-of-home care, whether supervised or unsupervised, showed modest longitudinal relations with heightened rates of delinquency, drug and alcohol use, and school problems.