Shekhar Saxena

..Existing public mental health indicator schemes have been developed in or for high-income countries...

..Mental health research focused on low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries is needed in view of the burden of neuropsychiatric diseases and the deficiency of mental health resources in these countries...

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..Steps should be taken to improve the research infrastructure and capacity to conduct and disseminate mental health research in general, and on a priority basis in low- and middle-income countries...

..Scarcity of available resources, inequities in their distribution, and inefficiencies in their use pose the three main obstacles to better mental health, especially in low-income and middle-income countries...

..Very little information is available on budget and financing of mental health services in the world...

..This article provides an overview of the rationale, development process, and potential uses and benefits of WHO-AIMS...

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

..The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics and capacity of mental health services for children and adolescents in 42 LAMICs...

..Schizophrenia is a highly disabling disease and is costly to treat. We set out to establish what are the most cost-effective interventions applicable to developing regions and countries...

..Bipolar disorder has been ranked seventh among the worldwide causes of non-fatal disease burden...

..To fill this information gap, a survey of country resources available for epilepsy care was conducted within the framework of the ILAE/IBE/WHO Global Campaign Against Epilepsy...

..An analysis of the availability, price, and affordability of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was conducted to evaluate whether these factors contribute to the treatment gap...

..This paper attempts to examine the current state of mental health services in Central and Eastern Europe...

..Using examples based on the Asian tsunami experience, suggestions for delivering mental health assistance are made. The response to mental health of disaster victims should be seen in the context of national health priorities...

..0) for measuring functioning and disability in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. WHODAS 2.0 is a standard metric for ensuring scientific comparability across different populations...

..No systematic attempt has been made to calculate the costs of scaling up mental health services in low- and middle-income countries...

..To assess the comparative costs and effects of interventions to combat five neuropsychiatric conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, epilepsy, and heavy alcohol use)...

..This affirmation of emerging agreement is important and should give clear messages to health planners...

..It suggests some, but limited, support for each of them. However, the evidence base needs substantial strengthening...

..Blurb: Taghi Yasamy and colleagues identify challenges facing good research governance in low- and middle-income countries and provide suggestions for a way forward...

b>Shekhar Saxena and colleagues summarize the recent WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) intervention guide that provides evidence-based management recommendations for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders.

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..Aims To estimate the population-level cost-effectiveness of evidence-based depression interventions and their contribution towards reducing current burden...

..Barriers such as scope of practice, authority, ethical and legal issues surrounding health care for substance use need to be addressed...

..Increased emphasis on mental health, improved resources, and enhanced monitoring of the situation in countries is called for to advance global mental health...

..Mental health awareness needs to be integrated into all aspects of health and social policy, health-system planning, and delivery of primary and secondary general health care...

..To describe the mental health system in Albania...

..To test the hypothesis that the presence of national mental health policies, programs and legislation would be associated with lower national suicide rates...

..To address this major public health challenge, WHO has adopted in 2002 a global action programme that has been endorsed by the Member States...

..This study outlines the association between concurrent alcohol and tobacco use among a middle-aged and elderly population in a western Indian cohort after controlling for various sociodemographic factors...

..Having that knowledge would make it possible to improve advocacy, adopt better policies, formulate innovative intervention programs, and apportion resources commensurate with needs...

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..who.int/mental_health/neurology/ ...

..6% of these doing so on at least 6 days per week. CONCLUSIONS: Abstinence, and also heavy and frequent use of alcohol, are common in this population and the latter is likely to have significant public health implications...

..The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the WHO-AIMS project have contributed toward developing community models for mental health services. Lastly, priorities have been identified and action items recommended...