Mental Health

Life after 2015: Keep Mental Health in Mind

Carol Bales — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 19:56:01 +0000

I could use a vacation.

Don’t worry, boss! I’m not overly stressed, but everyone can benefit from an occasional break. In fact, many countries mandate that workers receive a minimum number of vacation days per year. The idea is that time off can contribute to maintaining or even improving worker productivity and satisfaction. Yet a recent Atlantic piece points out that mandatory vacation time does not necessarily correspond to workers’ satisfaction.

Author's name:

Crystal Ng

Publication Date:

September 2013

Overcoming Obstacles to Accessing Mental Health Services in Ethiopia

Carol Bales — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 17:59:45 +0000

This post was originally published on the IntraHealth International blog.

“What do you see as one major obstacle to people seeking treatment that may be needed, and what advice or suggestion do you have to help overcome that obstacle, whether for the person, family member, or practitioner?”

That was the main question posed to panelists at the Ethiopian Global Initiative’s Ethiopia Public Health Forum, the focus of which was “Beyond the Stigma of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.” On June 1, I attended this forum as a representative of IntraHealth International.

Author's name:

Malik Jaffer

Publication Date:

June 2013

A Successful Initiative for Health Workforce Development in Ethiopia

Carol Bales — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:43:35 +0000

Mental health is not always on the forefront of people’s minds when they think about global health and the critical shortage of trained health workers. But the need is there.

In Ethiopia, Dr. Markos Tesfaye recalls a “huge mental health professional deficit.” He is head of the department of psychiatry in the College of Public Health and Medical Sciences at Jimma University. In 2007, he says, “there were only 28 psychiatrists in the country for a population of about 80 million.” Complicating matters, he recalls, “psychiatry nurses who had advanced diploma-level education were shifting to do their degree in general nursing because of lack of opportunities to advance their career in the field of mental health.”

Author's name:

Sarah Dwyer with Markos Tesfaye, MD

Publication Date:

December 2011