Research Final Paper

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH 1

Mental Health in primary care

Shayna L. Rocourt

HHS460: Research Methods in Health & Human Services

Dr. Analeah Green

January 11, 2021

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MENTAL HEALTH 2

Research topic: Challenges to integrating mental health into primary healthcare within

middle and low-income countries.

Introduction

Over the years, mental health has stood out as an emerging issue requiring urgent

attention from concerned stakeholders. The increasing number of suicide cases and extreme

negative behaviors portrayed by victims of mental health heightens the desire to address mental

health issues among healthcare agencies. However, one of the primary concerns is how

stakeholders can implement mental healthcare interventions to reach more mental health victims.

One robust solution is incorporating mental health into primary care.

Most patients' first interaction with the healthcare system starts with primary care

(Robertshaw, 2017). Therefore, incorporating mental health into the patient's primary healthcare

will enable healthcare professionals to access many patients diagnosed with mental health. As

reported by the World Health Organization, primary healthcare carries along benefits, such as

comprehensibility, universality, equitability, and affordability in delivering healthcare services

(White, 2015). There is speculation that mental healthcare integrated into primary health care

will reap benefits that mental illnesses will be treated early on before affecting the patient's

livelihood. However, when integrating mental health into primary healthcare, stakeholders and

mental health victims may face challenges, such as inadequate infrastructure, limited awareness

of mental health among communities, poverty, stigmatization, and skilled human resources

shortage (Akena & Walib, 2018).

In their research, Mubarek Abera and Markes Tesfaye found out that insufficient

medication supply, lack of treatment guidelines, and lack of specialist supervision undermined

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stakeholders' efforts to integrate mental healthcare into primary healthcare (Abera & Tesfaye,

2014). They proposed that mental health training and deployment of a highly skilled workforce

were imperative in boosting stakeholders' efforts in their integration processes (Abera & Tesfaye,

2014).

According to Mina Fazel, Kimberly Hoagwood, Sharon Stephen & Tamsin Ford, mental

health services embedded within school systems present an integrative approach in ensuring

quality mental healthcare among children in schools with psychological difficulties (Fazel &

Hoagwood, 2015). Minel and Kimberly argue that mental health services become effective when

integrated into the primary care setting. However, they point out that financial barriers pose a

significant challenge to integrating mental healthcare into primary healthcare.

Findings

The victims of mental health are the ones who will bear the brunt of the challenges to the

incorporation of mental healthcare into primary healthcare. The challenges are:

1. Inadequate infrastructure: There is a lack of adequate resources to support a

multidisciplinary healthcare approach (Kapur, 2020).

2. Limited awareness of mental health: Society is not aware of the scope of mental health

effects. Therefore, it does not coordinate with health professionals in including mental

health when administering primary healthcare.

3. Poverty: Patients prefer to cater for direct healthcare costs. The reason is that including

mental healthcare increases the cost implications of healthcare (Lund, 2014).

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MENTAL HEALTH 4

4. Stigmatization: Victims of mental health are often stigmatized when administering

healthcare (Arboleda, 2012).

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1

1. Victims

Your conclusion should

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this paper? [Analeah Green]

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References

Abera, M., & Tesfaye, M. (2014). Perceived challenges and opportunities arising from

integration of mental health into primary care: A cross-sectional survey of primary health

care workers in south-west Ethiopia. BMC Health Services Research.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260608718_Perceived_challenges_and_opportu

nities_arising_from_integration_of_mental_health_into_primary_care_A_cross-

sectional_survey_of_primary_health_care_workers_in_south-west_Ethiopia

Akena, D., & Walib, Z. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to the integration of mental health

services into primary health care: a systematic review. Systematic Reviews.

https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-018-0882-7

Arboleda, J. (2012). From Sin to Science: Fighting the Stigmatization of. Psychiatry, 57(8), 457-

468. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674371205700803

Fazel, M., Hoagwood, K., Stephan, S., & Ford, T. (2014). Mental health interventions in schools

1: Mental health interventions in schools in high-income countries. The lancet.

Psychiatry, 1(5), 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70312-8

Kapur, R. (2020). Significance of Health Infrastructure.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342832865_Significance_of_Health_Infrastruct

ure

Lund, C. (2014). Poverty and mental health: Towards a research agenda for low and middle-

income countries. Commentary on Tampubolon and Hanandita (2014). Social Science.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261916909_Poverty_and_mental_health_Towar

ds_a_research_agenda_for_low_and_middle-

income_countries_Commentary_on_Tampubolon_and_Hanandita_2014

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Robertshaw, L. (2017). Challenges and facilitators for health professionals providing primary

healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries: a systematic review

and thematic synthesis of qualitative research. BMJ Journals, 7(8).

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/8/e015981

White, F. (2015). Primary Health Care and Public Health: Foundations of Universal Health

Systems. Medical Principles and Practice, 24(2), 103-116.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5588212/

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[Analeah Green]