Explain why the traditional way of mental health care does not work in third world countries
According to the video, the traditional way of mental health care is very discriminative, inefficient and ineffective. The traditional way of mental health care is also limited by the fact that there are few specialized mental care practitioners. This form of care is based on the perception that only the specialized can treat and manage people with mental illness.
At the start of the presentation, Vikram Patel demonstrates the discriminative nature of the traditional way of mental health. Patel demonstrates that it is possible for two people from the same neighborhood with the same educational background and similar occupation to be discriminated in a local health care just because one of them suffer from the mental illness and the other one does not. The form of discrimination subjected to people with mental illness, according to Patel, is the reason why they live a shorter life (Patel, 2012). Patel also reveals that there is robust evidence that there is a range of interventions, which include: medicine, psychological intervention and social intervention that can be used to change the conditions experienced by mentally ill people. However, roughly 50 percent of the people even from the best countries such as Europe do not receive these interventions. Consequently, mentally ill people have experiences of suffering, shame, discrimination in nearly every sector of their lives. Some even are not allowed the basic human rights. Patel gave an example of a young child tied to a tree. After presenting the magnitude of the problems experienced by the mental people, Patel, in the remaining section of the presentation tries to propose some of the ways in which the health of the mentally ill people can be improved.
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What is the successful medical health care systems model being implemented in these communities?
Community participatory health system is the most effective form of health care being implemented in third world countries. The system is not only effective in increasing the coverage of care, but also in reducing the cost of health care, which is a major problem in third world countries. The system entails training the local people are giving them insights on how to manage the mentally ill individuals. The local people, according to Patel, are in the best position of changing the growing gap of poor health access by mentally ill people if they are trained. Patel justified this assertion by identifying three studies which have shown that training local people on how to manage depression can lead to outstanding results. He identified studies conducted in Zimbabwe and India, which reveals that trained local people can bridge the mental health gap significantly. Based on these, Patel proposes one model through which effective training and administration of care to the mentally ill people can be achieved. He proposes SUNDAR model. SUNDAR stands for five key objectives or missions. S is to simplify the message. UN is to unpack the treatment. D is to deliver it where people are. A is to have an affordable and available human resources. R is to reallocate the specialist to train and supervise. This model, according to Patel, will help reduce the cost of healthcare and to increase the coverage of care to many people. SUNDAR model will shift the health care administration from the specialized professions to the community. This shift will result in significant improvement. It will also empower ordinary people to appreciate health and offer health care services to their close friends and relatives. The specialized mental health professionals will just work by training and supervise them.
What key lessons were learned from these implemented medical care models?
A number of lessons are learned from the SUNDAR medical care models. First, the model is easy to implement. Unlike traditional models where a lot of money is spent training health specialist, the SUNDAR model does not need a lot of money. Second, the model engages community members. When community members are engaged, the output is always much higher. The third lesson is that the model can be applied even in the developed nation.
Reference
Patel, V. (2012). Mental health for all by involving all. Retrieved from: http://www.ted.com/talks/vikram_patel_mental_health_for_all_by_involving_all#t-715582
