Self Help Plus for refugees: we need effective, low-intensity and scalable interventions

41.2% of the refugees screened were found to have symptoms of psychological distress. The risk varied between sexes, nationalities and was suggested to be associated with reduced integration and accentuated by less favourable post migration conditions.

Alexis Low considers a meta-analysis which evaluates Self-Help Plus, a promising WHO intervention that could be scaled up to address the mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers.

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WHO cares? Treatment coverage for substance use disorders: results from 26 countries

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Ian Hamilton reports on an analysis of data from the World Mental Health Surveys, which estimates treatment coverage for people with substance use disorders.

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Health Promoting Schools can improve some areas of health, but more research is needed

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My grandfather had a nearly religious conviction of the value of physical activity. No weekend was complete without a strenuous bout of outdoor exercise, regardless of the weather.  New England gets cold and damp, and his five children would prepare themselves for winter excursions with some reluctance. ‘Healthy body, healthy mind!’ my grandfather would say, exhorting them [read the full story…]

Women who experience domestic violence are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression and vice versa

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In June this year The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report, which highlighted violence against women as a ‘global health problem of epidemic proportions’. The report detailed the impact of violence on the physical and mental health of women and girls. This can range from broken bones to pregnancy-related complications, mental problems and impaired [read the full story…]

Psychotic symptoms are associated with poorer health: findings from WHO survey

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The WHO World Health Survey is a comprehensive international survey carried out across 70 countries, which uses face-to-face, telephone and online interviews to ask questions about the health of populations, public health risk factors, coverage and availability of health services and health care spending. The survey includes a number of questions relating to mental health [read the full story…]

WHO guidelines for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low- and middle-income countries

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The World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) aims to tackle mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low- and middle-income countries. 14% of the global burden of disease is made up by these disorders and many people do not have access to the treatments they need. The programme asserts that with proper [read the full story…]