Language, culture, and task shifting--an emerging challenge for global mental health.

Journal: Global health action

Volume: 7

Issue: 

Year of Publication: 2014

Affiliated Institutions:  Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Lswartz@sun.ac.za. Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Abstract summary 

Language is at the heart of mental health care. Many high-income countries have sophisticated interpreter services, but in low- and middle-income countries there are not sufficient professional services, let alone interpreter services, and task shifting is used. In this article, we discuss this neglected issue in the context of low- and middle-income countries, where task shifting has been suggested as a solution to the problem of scarce mental health resources. The large diversity of languages in low- and middle-income countries, exacerbated by wide-scale migration, has implications for the scale-up of services. We suggest that it would be useful for those who are working innovatively to develop locally delivered mental health programmes in low- and middle-income countries to explore and report on issues of language and how these have been addressed. We need to know more about local challenges, but also about local solutions which seem to work, and for this we need more information from the field than is currently available.

Authors & Co-authors:  Swartz Leslie L Kilian Sanja S Twesigye Justus J Attah Dzifa D Chiliza Bonginkosi B

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Green-Hennessy S. Cochrane Systematic Reviews for the mental health field: is the gold standard tarnished? Psychiatr Serv. 2013;64:65–70. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.001682012.
Authors :  5
Identifiers
Doi : 10.3402/gha.v7.23433
SSN : 1654-9880
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Culture
Other Terms
interpreter services;language;low income;mental health;task shifting
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Publication Country
United States