Background: The ten years long siege on Gaza creates severe restrictions on travel and on economic development for Gaza’s residents. Three recent assaults and the continuous threat of military strikes have created an atmosphere of prevailing trauma and associated mental health problems. The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme provides mental health services and psychosocial interventions that fit the cultural and social norms of this Palestinian society. The presentation will discuss how, in the context of severe violations of basic human rights and ongoing insecurity, community-oriented mental health programs can respond to the population needs. A community mental health approach, aimed at protecting the psychological well-being of the people of Gaza and advocating on mental health issues, is more context-appropriate than interventions that are exclusively symptom-focused or biologically informed. Method: GCMHP services are provided at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of preventative public health. Primary prevention: The GCMHP conducts advocacy, public awareness and media campaigns aimed at promoting culture and discussion on common mental disorders such as trauma related syndromes, anxiety and depression disorders, and behavioural difficulties among children. It is estimated that 19,135 people benefited from these services from January, 2014 – June, 2016. Psychoeducation of this nature provides information on how to access support and resources from family members and the broader community. In addition, GCMHP facilitates the integration of mental health services in schools and kindergartens (9408 beneficiaries in the last 30 months). A key goal is to mitigating mistrust about mental health services in Gaza. Secondary prevention: GCMHP provides interventions such as psychological first aid and crisis intervention to vulnerable groups. These include persons living in border areas and those experienced loss. There have been approximately 12,943 direct and 8,526 indirect beneficiaries between June 2014 and June 2016. Free telephone counselling is provided to citizens as a way to circumvent the stigma associated with seeking mental health services and to reach individuals for whom transportation to a treatment center is prohibitive. A total of 2590 individuals received telephone counselling in the same reporting period. The purpose of these secondary prevention efforts is to alleviate the likelihood of psychological symptoms progressing to fully developed disorders. Tertiary prevention: GCMHP provides individual and group counselling, psychotherapy and routine home visits with diagnosed and mentally disordered patients such as, torture survivors, individuals and families exposed to cumulative trauma. There were 20,269 beneficiaries of these services from January 2014 to June, 2016. Interpretation: A public health oriented approach to the provision of mental health services fits the social/ecological model that locates individuals and families within the context of their community, society, religio-cultural context, and social, economic and political systems. In a fragile political environment, with a multitude of psychosocial needs, the GCMHP uses a flexible approach in its interventions. With social responsibility embedded as a core value, the work of GCMHP aims to restore and guarantee the right for mental health and psychological well-being in Gaza.

Diab, M., Yamei, Y., Kagee, A., Veronese, G. (2017). Providing mental health services for Palestinians in Gaza: Integrating a public health and human rights approach. Intervento presentato a: Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance 8th Conference Health of Palestinians inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory, Birzeit University, Ramallah.

Providing mental health services for Palestinians in Gaza: Integrating a public health and human rights approach

VERONESE, GUIDO
Ultimo
2017

Abstract

Background: The ten years long siege on Gaza creates severe restrictions on travel and on economic development for Gaza’s residents. Three recent assaults and the continuous threat of military strikes have created an atmosphere of prevailing trauma and associated mental health problems. The Gaza Community Mental Health Programme provides mental health services and psychosocial interventions that fit the cultural and social norms of this Palestinian society. The presentation will discuss how, in the context of severe violations of basic human rights and ongoing insecurity, community-oriented mental health programs can respond to the population needs. A community mental health approach, aimed at protecting the psychological well-being of the people of Gaza and advocating on mental health issues, is more context-appropriate than interventions that are exclusively symptom-focused or biologically informed. Method: GCMHP services are provided at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of preventative public health. Primary prevention: The GCMHP conducts advocacy, public awareness and media campaigns aimed at promoting culture and discussion on common mental disorders such as trauma related syndromes, anxiety and depression disorders, and behavioural difficulties among children. It is estimated that 19,135 people benefited from these services from January, 2014 – June, 2016. Psychoeducation of this nature provides information on how to access support and resources from family members and the broader community. In addition, GCMHP facilitates the integration of mental health services in schools and kindergartens (9408 beneficiaries in the last 30 months). A key goal is to mitigating mistrust about mental health services in Gaza. Secondary prevention: GCMHP provides interventions such as psychological first aid and crisis intervention to vulnerable groups. These include persons living in border areas and those experienced loss. There have been approximately 12,943 direct and 8,526 indirect beneficiaries between June 2014 and June 2016. Free telephone counselling is provided to citizens as a way to circumvent the stigma associated with seeking mental health services and to reach individuals for whom transportation to a treatment center is prohibitive. A total of 2590 individuals received telephone counselling in the same reporting period. The purpose of these secondary prevention efforts is to alleviate the likelihood of psychological symptoms progressing to fully developed disorders. Tertiary prevention: GCMHP provides individual and group counselling, psychotherapy and routine home visits with diagnosed and mentally disordered patients such as, torture survivors, individuals and families exposed to cumulative trauma. There were 20,269 beneficiaries of these services from January 2014 to June, 2016. Interpretation: A public health oriented approach to the provision of mental health services fits the social/ecological model that locates individuals and families within the context of their community, society, religio-cultural context, and social, economic and political systems. In a fragile political environment, with a multitude of psychosocial needs, the GCMHP uses a flexible approach in its interventions. With social responsibility embedded as a core value, the work of GCMHP aims to restore and guarantee the right for mental health and psychological well-being in Gaza.
abstract + poster
Mental health-war-political violence-Palestine-socio-ecological models
English
Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance 8th Conference Health of Palestinians inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory
2017
2017
none
Diab, M., Yamei, Y., Kagee, A., Veronese, G. (2017). Providing mental health services for Palestinians in Gaza: Integrating a public health and human rights approach. Intervento presentato a: Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance 8th Conference Health of Palestinians inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory, Birzeit University, Ramallah.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/149174
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