Building capacity for child and adolescent mental health and psychiatry in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Objective: To describe the recent work of child psychiatrists in Australia, New Zealand (ANZ) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) adding to mental health capacity building across the life-span, starting with children and adolescents. Method: Concerns about treatment access and clinical training needs, combined with academic leadership and National Department of Health commitment, supported the collaborative involvement of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry (RANZCP) in workforce development. This has been initially established under the auspices of the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (FCAP). Results: Workforce development in child and adolescent mental health is underway, with sustainability, consolidation and scaling up of initiatives required to meet need. Conclusions: Expanding mental health workforce capacity in partnership with the National Department of Health and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) seems feasible. Ongoing cooperation is required to realize the potential of such collaborative initiatives.

Caracterización Epidemiológica de los Pacientes de la Clínica Ambulatoria del Departamento de Psiquiatría de la Infancia y la Adolescencia de un Hospital Universitario de Paraguay: Estudio Trienal

“…Conocer los diagnósticos más frecuentes en esta población es esencial para proporcionar servicios de salud mental de calidad, eficaces y específicos (29,30) . Además, la comprensión de las características epidemiológicas de los pacientes de consulta externa es crucial para mejorar la asignación y distribución de recursos en los servicios de salud mental (31) y puede ayudar a identificar las necesidades de la población pediátrica y sus familias (32) . Por último, nuestros resultados pueden servir de insumo para la realización de estudios que permitan evaluar las herramientas de cribado y la eficacia de los procedimientos diagnósticos en la identificación de problemas de salud mental en niños y adolescentes (33) , así como para la valoración del impacto de factores externos, como los antecedentes de violencia interpersonal, abuso y trauma, en la gravedad de los síntomas psiquiátricos entre los pacientes jóvenes (34) .…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on child and adolescent mental health among healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

“…Recommendations have been made to decentralize CAMH care services to primary healthcare facilities to establish a robust health system for CAMH services and build capacity even at the lowest level of health systems [ 23 – 25 ]. However, for this process to be effective and successful, it is crucial to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers (HCWs) regarding CAMH [ 26 – 30 ]. In most SSA countries, HCWs can fall into several cadres but mostly include nurses, midwives, medical doctors, clinical officers, psychologists, social workers, and community health workers [ 12 ].…”

“…This translates to inadequate knowledge about CAMH and subsequent poor attitude and practices among this workforce [ 14 ]. HCWs’ knowledge of CAMH can be described as understanding CAMH concepts, the different CAMH disorders, their symptoms, causes, diagnostic criteria, and available treatment options [ 26 , 27 , 30 ]. Attitudes refer to the beliefs, opinions, and emotional responses of HCWs toward individuals with CAMH disorders [ 27 , 33 ].…”

“…Similarly, in Uganda, HCWs had difficulties in making a diagnosis, had a poor understanding of autism symptoms, and had misconceptions about how autism presents [ 40 ]. Additionally, children and adolescents with mental illness often experience stigma from HCWs [ 27 , 41 ], highlighting the need for capacity building programs aimed at improving HCWs’ KAP toward CAMH [ 26 , 40 , 42 ]. Currently, some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Nigeria, are implementing formal CAMH training programs to build human resource capacity for CAMH needs [ 43 ].…”

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry International Relations (CAPIR): building bridges for psychiatry workforce capacity with Pacific Island nations

“…Interested FCAP members volunteered to partner with Pacific mental health experts aiming to assist in addressing the considerable mental health burden of disease where more than 90% of those with mental disorders received no care or treatment in the previous 12 months 1 and where there is a paucity of trained mental health personnel available. 2…”