Best Practices in Global Mental Health: An Exploratory Study of Recommendations for Psychologists

This qualitative study aimed to provide best practice recommendations for psychologists who work within the field of global mental health. Global mental health seeks to improve mental health treatment equity on a worldwide scale, through mechanisms such as task shifting, advocacy on a governmental/community/systems level, and through capacity building. Global mental health is a growing field, and there have been calls for increased engagement in these efforts from the psychological community. Nevertheless, few recommendations are in place regarding how to practically move towards these goals in an ethical, culturally-relevant manner, though other related disciplines, such as psychiatry and public health, offer some suggestions. Using a grounded theory approach, the researcher recruited and interviewed psychologists who were identified as leaders in this field based upon their history of research, practice, and related scholarship. Utilizing a semi-structured interview, data was collected, analyzed, and coded to reveal theory and recommendations for this burgeoning field. Findings included themes related to overarching themes (consideration of cultural/contextual variables; collaboration), program level characteristics (sustainability; evaluation and research methods; flexibility; attention to systems; multidisciplinary teams; clinical knowledge and perspective; attention to spectrum of mental health), and individual level characteristics (perseverance; ongoing mentorship/supervision; self-awareness; boundary setting). Conclusions from this study related to the importance of attention to cultural and contextual competence as critical components of interventions; incorporation of existing methods of coping, strengthening of mental wellbeing as well as mental illness, and attending to systems issues into programming efforts; and attention to drivers of mental health and mental illness in project conceptualization and design. Future directions included recommendations to recreate this study with a more geographically diverse sample, as well as with community members and service users of global mental heath projects. Additionally, increased attention to individual level competencies that impact global mental health projects is also warranted

Experience of traumatic events in people with severe mental illness in a low-income country:a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: This study describes the trauma experiences of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Ethiopia and presents a model of how SMI and trauma exposure interact to reduce functioning and quality of life in this setting.METHODS: A total of 53 participants living and working in a rural district in southern Ethiopia were interviewed: 18 people living with SMI, 21 caregivers, and 14 primary health care providers.RESULTS: Many participants reported that exposure to traumatic and stressful events led to SMI, exacerbated SMI symptoms, and increased caregiver stress and distress. In addition, SMI symptoms and caregiver desperation, stress or stigma were also reported to increase the possibility of trauma exposure.CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest it is incumbent upon health professionals and the broader health community to view trauma exposure (broadly defined) as a public health problem that affects all, particularly individuals with SMI

Comparison of Satellite-Derived and In-Situ Observations of Ice and Snow Surface Temperatures over Greenland

The most practical way to get a spatially broad and continuous measurements of the surface temperature in the data-sparse cryosphere is by satellite remote sensing. The uncertainties in satellite-derived LSTs must be understood to develop internally-consistent decade-scale land-surface temperature (LST) records needed for climate studies. In this work we assess satellite-derived "clear-sky" LST products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and LSTs derived from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) over snow and ice on Greenland. When possible, we compare satellite-derived LSTs with in-situ air-temperature observations from Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) automatic-weather stations (AWS). We find that MODIS, ASTER and ETM+ provide reliable and consistent LSTs under clear-sky conditions and relatively-flat terrain over snow and ice targets over a range of temperatures from -40 to 0 C. The satellite-derived LSTs agree within a relative RMS uncertainty of approx.0.5 C. The good agreement among the LSTs derived from the various satellite instruments is especially notable since different spectral channels and different retrieval algorithms are used to calculate LST from the raw satellite data. The AWS record in-situ data at a "point" while the satellite instruments record data over an area varying in size from: 57 X 57 m (ETM+), 90 X 90 m (ASTER), or to 1 X 1 km (MODIS). Surface topography and other factors contribute to variability of LST within a pixel, thus the AWS measurements may not be representative of the LST of the pixel. Without more information on the local spatial patterns of LST, the AWS LST cannot be considered valid ground truth for the satellite measurements, with RMS uncertainty approx.2 C. Despite the relatively large AWS-derived uncertainty, we find LST data are characterized by high accuracy but have uncertain absolute precision

Global mental health: the role of collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic

T32 MH116140 - NIMH NIH HHSPublished versio

Zds2p Regulates Swe1p-dependent Polarized Cell Growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via a Novel Cdc55p Interaction Domain

A C-terminal region in Zds2p (ZH4) is required for regulation of Swe1p-dependent polarized cell growth and this region is necessary and sufficient for interaction with protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunit, Cdc55p. Our results indicate that the Zds proteins regulate the Swe1p-dependent G2/M checkpoint in a CDC55-dependent manner

Diplomazia creativa al servizio di strategie di nicchia di una piccola potenza

In the year marking the centenary since the foundation of the Azerbaijani Diplomatic Service, Baku’s foreign policy is increasingly characterised by a broader understanding of diplomacy, shaped by the gradual yet steady expansion of both areas and the tools for intervention. Guided by the attempt to develop a ‘niche strategy’ aiming at safeguarding and promoting Azerbaijani national interest, the Humanitarian Diplomacy emerges as a privileged field for Baku to adopt a pro-active and creative foreign policy. Building upon the debate around the interests behind the aid-providing activities of traditional and emerging donors, the article aims at introducing the motivations and the aims behind Azerbaijani aid policy. In particular, it aims at demonstrating that Baku’s Humanitarian Diplomacy aims chiefly at achieving immaterial benefits, having to do with international prestige and with the construction and international projection of a Good International Citizenship

Experience of traumatic events in people with severe mental illness in a low-income country: a qualitative study

Abstract Background This study describes the trauma experiences of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Ethiopia and presents a model of how SMI and trauma exposure interact to reduce functioning and quality of life in this setting. Methods A total of 53 participants living and working in a rural district in southern Ethiopia were interviewed: 18 people living with SMI, 21 caregivers, and 14 primary health care providers. Results Many participants reported that exposure to traumatic and stressful events led to SMI, exacerbated SMI symptoms, and increased caregiver stress and distress. In addition, SMI symptoms and caregiver desperation, stress or stigma were also reported to increase the possibility of trauma exposure. Conclusions Results suggest it is incumbent upon health professionals and the broader health community to view trauma exposure (broadly defined) as a public health problem that affects all, particularly individuals with SMI

Experience of traumatic events in people with severe mental illness in a low-income country: a qualitative study

Abstract: Background: This study describes the trauma experiences of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Ethiopia and presents a model of how SMI and trauma exposure interact to reduce functioning and quality of life in this setting. Methods: A total of 53 participants living and working in a rural district in southern Ethiopia were interviewed: 18 people living with SMI, 21 caregivers, and 14 primary health care providers. Results: Many participants reported that exposure to traumatic and stressful events led to SMI, exacerbated SMI symptoms, and increased caregiver stress and distress. In addition, SMI symptoms and caregiver desperation, stress or stigma were also reported to increase the possibility of trauma exposure. Conclusions: Results suggest it is incumbent upon health professionals and the broader health community to view trauma exposure (broadly defined) as a public health problem that affects all, particularly individuals with SMI