Reciprocity in global mental health policy

In an attempt to address inequalities and inequities in mental health provision in low and middle-income countries the WHO commenced the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in 2008. Four years on from the commencement of this programme of work, the WHO has recently adopted the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020. This article will critically appraise the strategic direction that the WHO has adopted to address mental health difficulties across the globe. This will include a consideration of the role that the biomedical model of mental health difficulties has had on global strategy. Concerns will be raised that an over-reliance on scaling up medical resources has led to a strengthening of psychiatric hospital-based care, and insufficient emphasis being placed on social and cultural determinants of human distress. We also argue that consensus scientific opinion garnered from consortia of psychiatric ‘experts’ drawn mainly from Europe and North America may not have universal relevance or applicability, and may have served to silence and subjugate local experience and expertise across the globe. In light of the criticisms that have been made of the research that has been conducted into understanding mental health problems in the global south, the article also explores ways in which the evidence-base can be made more relevant and more valid. An important issue that will be highlighted is the apparent lack of reciprocity that exists in the impetus for change in how mental health problems are understood and addressed in low and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Whereas there is much focus on the need for change in low and middle-income countries, there is comparatively little critical reflection on practices in high-income countries in the global mental health discourse. We advocate for the development of mental health services that are sensitive to the socio-cultural context in which the services are applied. Despite the appeal of global strategies to promote mental health, it may be that very local solutions are required. The article concludes with some reflections on the strategic objectives identified in the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 and how this work can be progressed in the future

Is psychiatry becoming more coercive?

The rising trend is damaging for patients, unsupported by evidence, and must be reversed

Brand Equity In NGO: A Case Study Of Public Perceptions Towards GOPIO Malaysia

Branding helps to broaden reach, gain recognition, connect people and supports to advance the mission of an organisation. Although branding is important, many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are unable to focus on branding and to evaluate their brand, often due to limited expertise, facilities and financial capacity. This research paper studies the Brand Equity of NGOs by evaluating Public Perceptions towards NGOs in Malaysia. The research has engaged three variables from Aaker’s Brand Equity Theory namely Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty and Brand Association. The research case study sample was GOPIO (Global Organisations of People of Indian Origin), a diaspora-networking organisation in Malaysia. The research conducted a quantitative survey on the Malaysian Indian Community, namely members, associates and friends of GOPIO in Malaysia. The research found that Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty, Brand Association and Brand Trust are all positively related, and confirmed that Brand Loyalty and Brand Association have a strong relationship. The research also found the level of trust in GOPIO to be very high. The research concluded that Brand Awareness, Brand Loyalty and Brand Associations together, do not qualify as the best predictors for Brand Trust, while Brand Association emerged as the best predictor for Brand Trust. The research rejected Brand Awareness as a predictor for Brand Trust as most of the respondents were well aware of GOPIO. The findings of this research shall benefit organisations and researchers, particularly involving Brand Equity, NGO branding and Malaysian Indian NGOs

BIOLOGIC ARMAMENTARIUM IN PSORIASIS

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and further classed as a chronic inflammatory skin condition serving as global burden. Moderate to severe psoriasis can be treated with conventional therapies. Less efficacy, poor patient compliance and toxicity issues were the major problems associated with conventional therapies. The introduction of biologic therapy has great impression on psoriatic treatment duration and enhanced quality of life in psoriasis patients. The new biologic therapies are tailor made medications with goal of more specific and effective treatment; less toxicity. The biologic therapy is aimed to target antigen presentation and co-stimulation, T-cell activation and leukocyte adhesion; and pro-inflammatory cascade. They act as effective and safer substitute to traditional therapy. Secukinumab, certolizumab, itolizumab, golimumab, ustekinumab, adalimumab, infliximab etanercept, alefacept etc. are the approved biologic with global market. This review briefs about psoriasis pathogenesis, traditional treatments and biologic therapies potential

Reciprocity in global mental health policy

In an attempt to address inequalities and inequities in mental health provision in low and middle-income countries the WHO commenced the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in 2008. Four years on from the commencement of this programme of work, the WHO has recently adopted the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020. This article will critically appraise the strategic direction that the WHO has adopted to address mental health difficulties across the globe. This will include a consideration of the role that the biomedical model of mental health difficulties has had on global strategy. Concerns will be raised that an over-reliance on scaling up medical resources has led to a strengthening of psychiatric hospital-based care, and insufficient emphasis being placed on social and cultural determinants of human distress. We also argue that consensus scientific opinion garnered from consortia of psychiatric ‘experts’ drawn mainly from Europe and North America may not have universal relevance or applicability, and may have served to silence and subjugate local experience and expertise across the globe. In light of the criticisms that have been made of the research that has been conducted into understanding mental health problems in the global south, the article also explores ways in which the evidence-base can be made more relevant and more valid. An important issue that will be highlighted is the apparent lack of reciprocity that exists in the impetus for change in how mental health problems are understood and addressed in low and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. Whereas there is much focus on the need for change in low and middle-income countries, there is comparatively little critical reflection on practices in high-income countries in the global mental health discourse. We advocate for the development of mental health services that are sensitive to the socio-cultural context in which the services are applied. Despite the appeal of global strategies to promote mental health, it may be that very local solutions are required. The article concludes with some reflections on the strategic objectives identified in the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 and how this work can be progressed in the future

Itolizumab as the First Line of Treatment in Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis- A Case Report

AbstractPsoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease with a genetic predisposition. Among the various therapeutic options, biological therapies are emerging as a novel therapy in the management of this disease. Here, we present a case report of a patient who received Itolizumab as the first line of therapy.Keywords: Psoriasis, Biologic, Itolizuma

Antimicrobial Activity of a Rarely Known Species, Morinda citrifolia L.

Morinda Citrifolia is one of the most important traditional Polynesian medicinal plants. This small evergreen tree is native from South Eastern Asia to Australia and now it has a Pantropical distribution. It has antifungal, antibacterial, antiinflammatory and antiviral activities. Morinda citrifolia L. was studied for its antimicrobial activity. The leaves of this plant were dried, powdered and different extracts were prepared using different solvents like benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water. Four organisms, namely E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, were used for investigation. The activity of each solvent extract was checked on each organism by disc diffusion method and then the zone size of each was measured. The results of our antimicrobial assay revealed that plant extracts showed inhibitory activity against the tested organisms

Exploring Brand Associations and the Impact it has on Generation Y British-Indians and Non-British Indians: A Study of Luxury Fashion Brands

Aim of the Project The main aim of the project is to explore the role of brand associations and conduct a comparative study to see the impact it has on the generation Y British Indian and Non-British Indian consumers purchasing luxury fashion brands. The three type of brand associations that would be tested are: product attributes, brand personality and country of origin. Methodology The methodology consisted of qualitative research, by which data was collected using semi-structured interviews. This study basically concentrates on the consumption of generation Y British-Indian and Non-British Indian consumers, which follows a study of brand association that this cohort associates with, with respect to luxury fashion brands. Therefore to gain a full understanding of these complexities an in-depth analysis was needed to be done. Key Findings Except for on certain levels, there generally does not exist a difference between the consumption of luxury fashion goods. The generation Y is appreciative of the new luxury brands that are hitting the marketplace now and also take since attempts to get to know the brands. They are well aware of the brands that they mostly associate with and are very brand loyal

Trial application of pupillometry for a maritime usability study in field conditions

Eye-tracking is a tool employed in usability testing. It is primarily intended as a means for tracking the visual attention patterns of an observer on a continuous basis. Eye-tracking can also capture certain physiological data, such as pupil dilation. Pupil diameter is a validated metric of cognitive workload, meaning the pupil dilates with increasing workload. This research evaluates the fitness, in field conditions, of an eye-tracking based method for accurate measurement of cognitive workload. This implies evaluating the fitness of this tool in changing light conditions such as in coastal navigation. This methodology thus accounts for the effect of light on pupil dilation. This means we are able to account for the effect of only cognitive workload on the pupil dilation even in changing light conditions. This method was applied as a part of an analysis of a navigational exercise involving the navigator and the navigator’s assistant on board a training vessel of the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy. Pupillometry is used alongside egocentric video recordings and Geo-positioning systems (GPS) recordings to allow for multi-faceted evaluation of the activity. Subjective data was recorded as well to evaluate the quality of the eye-tracking data. Subjective data was recorded using NASA-TLX self-report of mental workload, self-report of mental workload (on three levels) using maps and an expert assessment of the mental workload was obtained for the navigational course. The analysis concluded that pupillometry (through eye-trackers) can have a substantial role in the evaluation of field operations and provide a good and objective estimate of the perceived workload. The eye-tracking technology has substantial limitations, for example sometimes strong infra-red sources of light can impede data collection as such with an eye-tracker, meaning the analysis is labour intensive as it relies on the ability of the operator to filter out low quality data and retain the rest