Mental health and support systems

Educate people so that patients can ask write questions to neuropsychiatrists. Nepal does not have professional centers that provide "patients first" care, support for caregivers and family members, and clinical trials to advance new therapies for neurological disorders. They don't offer a professional multidisciplinary patient-focused approach to diagnosis and treatment, offering patients a complete continuum of care and infusing education and research into all that it does. There is a need of education programs and social services designed to increase knowledge, coping skills and a sense of well-being.

A great number of people have reported psychological distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress. And there have been worrying signs of more widespread suicidal thoughts and behaviors, including among health care workers. Some groups of people have been affected much more than others.

The costs of mental health conditions to the individuals and the state are considerable. While individuals has to bear the economic costs of lost income in addition to the burden of the conditions itself, the impact on the state is loss of productivity from reduced workforce participation, lost income taxation revenue, and increased government support payments - in addition to direct health care costs.

Over the past two decades, the focus of mental health care has shifted from institutionalisation to community-based programs and short hospital stays. This change means that there is an increased role for caregivers, mostly family members, in managing persons with mental illness. Although there is evidence to support the benefits of deinstitutionalisation of mental health care, there are also indications of substantial burden experienced by caregivers. However, knowledge of the nature and extent of this burden can inform the planning of mental health services that will not only benefit patients, but also caregivers and households.

 

Emerging care models demand that health care providers become educators and motivators to help patients develop and implement patterns of health surveillance and intervention that will optimize their well-being and functionality. As active
collaborators among concerned stakeholders in their care, patients form a partnership with their care teams, allowing for regular, reciprocal exchange of information and shared decision-making. This shift to a partnership creates new, exciting roles and responsibilities for all parties. When trying to facilitate effective patient, care  provider and concernd stakeholder  partnerships, it is important to recognize the variability in patient preference for what and how information is shared, how decisions are made, and the role patients are asked to play in their care. Patients differ in their desire for an active or collaborative shared-decision model; some prefer more directive provider communication and a passive role. Preferences are influenced by variables such as age, sex, race, anxiety level, and education.19 Open discussion of these matters between caregivers and patients is important; studies have shown that failure to address these issues of “fit” can impede communication, healthy behavior, and positive outcomes. Technology tools have also emerged to support such functionings.

 

Although Nepal still lacks adequate number of mental health professionals, psychiatrists are providing services to most of the major cities of Nepal. Nepal’s psychiatrist training programs have to be  modern, scientific and broad based and should be backed by technology advancements.

 

Familial care for a person with mental illness has multiple social and psychological challenges. Coping strategies and skills are important for the well-being of the caregiver and the patient. Addressing these psychosocial challenges requires a collaborative approach between the health care providers , government and concernd stakeholders so that the needs of the family caregivers and those of the patients can be addressed accordingly.

 

The delivery of psychological services—including assessment/monitoring, mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment—through information and communication technologies (ICT) may be an effective way of improving individual access and use of mental healthcare services. E-mental related materials and applications cases are  associated with various research fields, such as nursing, psychology, medical informatics, computer science, telecommunication, and healthcare innovation. Trends in e-mental health research are continually rising. These trends were related to the internet of things (IoT) and mobile applications (Apps), which were applied for mental healthcare services. Moreover, producing AI and machine learning for e-mental healthcare need to be studied. 

 

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