Washington Lawyer - January 2018 - 35

GLOBAL & DOMESTIC OUTLOOK

Best place
for support
out of
30 countries

GERMANY According to a pan-European study,
the "Mental Health Integration Index," Germany
is the best place in Europe to get support for
mental illness. The index assesses 30 European
countries' commitment to integrating people
with mental illnesses into their communities.
Germany wins out for medical provisions, human
rights, low stigma, the ability to live a fulfilling
family life, and employment thanks to its strong
health care system and generous social welfare
programs.

Successful pilot
project has helped
identify more than
6,000 cases

KENYA A successful pilot project in Kenya
connects traditional healers and community
workers to identify mental illness in their communities. Most of Kenya is underserved by
mental health care, with only about 500 practicing psychiatrists and psychologists in the
entire country out of a population of around
40 million. A shortage of doctors, limited drug
supplies, and stigma surrounding mental illness
mean that most of the mentally ill are never diagnosed or treated. Most Kenyans consult with
traditional healers for mental illness. The initiative, funded through Grand Challenges Canada,
looks at ways traditional healers can be enlisted
to identify mental illness so more people will
be diagnosed and, hopefully, treated. So far,
the program has helped identify more than
6,000 cases.

SINGAPORE The Mindset Learning Hub in
Singapore is a 5,800-square-foot training center
that offers job training and work placement for
people who are recovering from psychiatric
disorders. The organization offers certifications
in retail, food and beverage, and custodial
services, as well as career advice on how to
write resumes and prepare for job interviews.
Employment is a crucial key to recovery in a
culture where the mentally ill are often considered "cursed." Shunned and isolated, their
conditions are likely to deteriorate without stable
income and a sense of purpose. The Mindset
Learning Hub has a café, a hotel room, a patient
care room, and a commercial food preparation
area where trainees get hands-on experience
to help them reintegrate into the workforce.
UNITED KINGDOM The UK charity Samaritans
started the first telephone helpline in 1953
and has since received more than 68 million
contacts in which people felt able to speak, type,
or write for help. In 2013 Samaritans began a text
campaign, "It's Okay Not to Be Okay," providing
crisis support within the hour to anyone who
texts 07725 909090. Many people suffering from
depression don't feel comfortable opening up
over the phone and prefer the anonymity of
texting their troubles.

Trained
grandmothers
supplement
12 psychiatrists
for a population of
14 million

ZIMBABWE You might not be able to see a
psychiatrist in Zimbabwe (out of a population
of 14 million, there are only 12), but you might
be able to sit next to a friend. Harare and other
cities have installed "friendship benches" on the
grounds of health clinics as a culturally sensitive
and low-cost solution to mental health care.
Visitors can sit and visit with a trained "grandmother" - a lay health worker - and discuss
their kufungisisa (the Shona word for depression,
which translates as "thinking too much"). The
grandmothers offer an ear and help anxious
visitors create a plan to overcome their difficulties. The grandmothers also provide group
therapy, as people gather around their bench
and share their troubles with each other. A recent
study in The Journal of the American Medical
Association, which tracked Zimbabwean
patients for six months, showed better
recovery outcomes for friendship benches
than conventional therapy for depression.

Started
the first
telephone
helpline in

1953

Washington Lawyer - January 2018

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