Name: Maniago, Aizel D.

Year and Section: III- E

Chapter I Lesson I

ACTIVITY 1. Based on what you have learned so far, what factors are associated with
the gap between the treatment needs of persons with mental disorders and mental
health care provision worldwide?

Based on what I learned so far, one of the factors that contribute to the present
mental health treatment gap is stigma. The social stigma that psychiatric patients
may experience worldwide but this is perhaps the most applicable factor that relates
to my locality today as most people here are very traditional. Sometimes, a mental
health condition is not seen as a situation that requires professional intervention.
Instead, some may consult quack doctors and the like to avoid expensive fees and
social stigma. I remember quite clearly the first time that I had a panic attack. I
myself was not aware that there was something wrong with my mental health. I
suddenly felt the need to rapidly catch my breath until my muscles twitched and
stiffened. Upon witnessing this, my mother called for her from our neighbors and
they quickly responded. Before I blacked out, I heard someone saying that they had
to call a priest to exorcise me as I seemed possessed. After they learned that what I
was going through was something to do with my mental health, my relatives and
neighbors developed fear and pity for me at the same time. For that I felt the need
to temporarily move out and rent in a dormitory near my college despite being just
fifteen minutes from school.
Another factor is the availability of human resources. I am not too familiar with
the nature of work of those who are working in mental health care settings but I am
curious as to why only a few people are working in this field. Apart from this, there
are only a few healthcare institutions who offer mainly psychiatric care. There is an
average of 22.3 mental health professionals per 100 000 population in low-income
countries while there are 26.7 professionals per 100 000 population in middle-
income countries (World Health Organization, 2010).
Among the few factors, fragmented service delivery models also contribute to
the present mental health treatment gap. Ethoven (2009) describes fragmented
service delivery models as the systematic misalignment of incentives or lack of
coordination which brings about insufficient allocation of resources and even harm
to patients. Furthermore, it adversely impacts quality, cost, and outcomes.
The last one would be lack of research capacity for implementation and policy
change. Lack of funds, trained staff, allotted time, research culture, collaborators,
limited or no opportunities for mentorship and inadequate infra-structure are
among the problems that contribute to the weak capacity for conducting research
that are capable of providing solutions to the mental health challenges that we face
(Sharan et. al., 2007).
 References

Enthoven, A. C. (2009, December 15). Integrated delivery systems: The cure for
fragmentation. AJMC.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/a264_09dec_enthovens284to290

Sharan P, Levan I, Olifson S, de Francisco A, Saxena S. Geneva: World Health

Organization and Global Forum for Health Research; 2007. Research Capacity for
Mental Health in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: Results of a Mapping
Project. [Google Scholar]

World Health Organization. (2010). The mental health workforce gap in low- and
middle-income countries: A needs-based approach. WHO | World Health
Organization. https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/89/3/10-082784/en/