Establishing a child and adolescent mental health center in Herat, Afghanistan: a project description

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorNajm , Abdul Fattah
dc.contributor.authorNiazi , Aziz-ur-Rahman
dc.contributor.authorAlekozay , Mina
dc.contributor.authorAllan , Emily B.
dc.contributor.authorMathias, Kaaren
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-06T02:55:44Z
dc.date.available2024-05-06T02:55:44Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractObjective: Afghanistan has witnessed a long-lasting 4-decade armed conflict, which together with high levels of poverty and interpersonal violence, resulted in high incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in general population, including children and adolescents. Until mid-2018, there was neither mental health care facility nor a child psychiatrist in Afghanistan. Here, we report the establishment of the first children and adolescents’ mental health center (CAMHC) in Herat province of Afghanistan. Methods: In July 2018, CAMHC was initiated at Mental Health Training Center – Herat. CAMHC was initially planned by the International Assistance Mission (IAM) and Herat Public Health Directorate; and financially supported by the Tearfund UK, the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Tearfund Australia. The target population of CAMHC was children and adolescents in Herat and neighboring provinces, healthcare professionals, staff of government and non-governmental organizations, school teachers and community leaders. Results: A group of eight mental health professionals were trained and made the interdisciplinary board for diagnosis and management of mental disorders in children and adolescents. During the initial three-year period, 2 448 patients, including 1 264 (51.6%) boys and 1 184 (48.4%) girls, presented with mental disorders to CAMHC. Diagnosis and management of mental disorders were performed according to standard international protocols. Eighteen awareness-raising seminars were held; 2 000 leaflets, 10 000 posters, and 30 000 brochures were prepared and distributed; and two short video clips were produced and broadcast via IAM website, social media and local TV channels. A database was developed to house for project data, assessment of outcomes and reporting to stakeholders. Conclusion: Establishment of CAMHC resulted in significant achievements in diagnosis and management of mental disorders among children and adolescents, healthcare staff capacity building, and awareness-raising about mental disorders. Data obtained in CAMHC offers government, mental health professionals and the community the opportunity of improving mental health in the region.
dc.identifier.citationNajm AF, Niazi AUR, Alekozay M, Allan EB, Mathias K (2023). Establishing a child and adolescent mental health center in Herat, Afghanistan: a project description. Global Health Journal. 7(4). 194-199.
dc.identifier.doihttp://doi.org/10.1016/j.glohj.2023.11.002
dc.identifier.issn2096-3947
dc.identifier.issn2414-6447
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10092/106704
dc.languageen
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.rightsCopyright © 2023 People’s Medical Publishing House Co. Ltd. Publishing service by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )
dc.rights.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/17651
dc.subjectchild and adolescent
dc.subjectmental health
dc.subjectHerat
dc.subjectAfghanistan
dc.subject.anzsrc42 - Health sciences::4203 - Health services and systems::420313 - Mental health services
dc.subject.anzsrc52 - Psychology::5201 - Applied and developmental psychology::520101 - Child and adolescent development
dc.titleEstablishing a child and adolescent mental health center in Herat, Afghanistan: a project description
dc.typeJournal Article
uc.collegeFaculty of Health
uc.departmentSchool of Health Sciences
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Najm,Fattah others Mathias Establishing a child and adolescent mental health center in Herat.pdf
Size:
368.51 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
3.17 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
Collections
Health: Journal Articles