Biomedical and Spiritual Approaches to Mental Health in Tanzania: How Power and the Struggle for Public Authority Shaped Care

Patterson, Amy S.

doi:10.1007/s12116-023-09404-0

Cited by 1 publication

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“…In Ghana, for example, we could explore how power rooted in expertise has enabled a network of civil society groups, professional associations and the Mental Health Authority to push the government to pass the Mental Health Act, promote community-based mental health care and decriminalize suicide ( Government of Ghana, 2012 ). 5 In contrast, we could ask how limited network power in Tanzania, as evidenced by actor rivalry and poor information sharing, may explain inadequate policy implementation ( Patterson, 2023 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network power and mental health policy in post-war Liberia

Patterson,

Clark,

Rogers

2024

Health Policy and Planning

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This article traces the influence of network power on mental health policy in Liberia, a low-income, post-conflict West African country. Based on key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the work uses an inductive approach to uncover how a network of civil society groups, government officials, diasporans, and international NGOs shaped the passage, implementation, and revision of the country’s 2009 and 2016 mental health policies. With relations rooted in ties of information, expertise, resources, commitment, and personal connections, the network coalesced around a key agent, the Carter Center, which connected members and guided initiatives. Network power was evident when these actors channeled expertise, shared narratives of post-war trauma and mental health as a human right, and financial resources to influence policy. Feedback loops appeared as policy implementation created new associations of mental health clinicians and service users, research entities, and training institutes. These beneficiaries offered the network information from lived experiences, while also pressing their own interests in subsequent policy revisions. As the network expanded over time, some network members gained greater autonomy from the key agent. Network power outcomes included the creation of government mental health institutions, workforce development, increased public awareness, civil society mobilization, and a line for mental health in the government budget, though concerns about network overstretch and key agent commitment emerged over time. The Liberian case illustrates how networks need not be inimical to development, and how network power may facilitate action on stigmatized, unpopular issues in contexts with low state capacity. A focus on network power in health shows how power can operate not only through discrete resources such as funding but also through the totality of assets that network linkages make possible.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%