Community-based mental health care in Africa: Mental health workers' views

Atalay Alem, Lars Jacobsson, Charlotte Hanlon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The World Health Organization (WHO) has for long proposed the development of community-based mental health services worldwide. However, the progress toward community mental health care in most African countries is still hampered by a lack of resources, with specialist psychiatric care essentially based in large, centrally located mental hospitals. It is again time to reconsider the direction of mental health care in Africa. Based on a small inquiry to a number of experienced mental health professionals in sub-Saharan Africa, we discuss what a community concept of mental health care might mean in Africa. There is a general agreement that mental health services should be integrated in primary health care. A critical issue for success of this model is perceived to be provision of appropriate supervision and continuing education for primary care workers. The importance of collaboration between modem medicine and traditional healers is stressed and the paper ends in a plea for WHO to take the initiative and develop mental health services according to the special needs and the sociocultural conditions prevailing in sub-Saharan Africa.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)54-57
Number of pages4
JournalWorld psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2008

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Africa
  • Community mental health care
  • Continuing education
  • Primary care

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