Mental Health

What We Do › Mental Health

“Usually my depression comes on gradually. Then the melancholy fills me completely, I slow down, and the world becomes gray. The tension and hopelessness become unbearable and the only escape I can see is death. The first time this happened—when I didn’t yet know what condition I had—I almost ended my life.”

Yelena P., a patient at the Ukrainian Psycho-Diagnostic Center in Kiev who has suffered from periodic depressive episodes for more than 20 years, speaking to psychologist Irina Tikholaz, a member of the AIHA’s Mental Health Task Force.

More and more people are coming to understand that the brain is an organ of the body that can break down just like the heart or a kidney. Advancing this understanding, however, is an ongoing struggle. Far too often, the stereotypes and stigmas that have been directed at those who suffer from mental illnesses and behavioral disorders create an insurmountable obstacle—a tragic irony because, in many cases, mental illnesses are more treatable than common physical ailments. Educating patients, the community, and sometimes even medical practitioners themselves to understand that seeking treatment for depression or substance abuse is just as important as seeking treatment for diabetes or a broken leg is a crucial first step.

Statistics indicate that we have vastly underestimated the huge toll that mental illnesses exact on health and productivity—not just from the individuals who suffer from these disorders, but from their families, their friends, their communities, and society as a whole. The pioneering study “Global Burden of Disease,” jointly conducted by WHO, the World Bank, and Harvard University indicates that four of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide among persons aged 5 years and older fall under the category of a behavioral disorder. According to WHO, this already alarming burden of mental and behavioral disorders is likely to become even heavier in the coming decades due, in part, to the aging of global populations and the rapidly rising numbers of persons affected by violent conflict and disasters. The problem transcends national and economic boundaries to affect hundreds of millions of people in developing and industrialized countries alike.

In light of these distressing statistics, AIHA and our partners—especially those involved in primary care—are working to integrate behavioral health programs and services into the overall framework of their facilities.

Projects

AIHA’s efforts to improve the scope and availability of high-quality primary mental health services through specific programmatic activities include:

Mental Health Information Resources

Disseminating accurate, timely information rooted in evidence-based practices and sharing successful models and lessons learned plays an important role in AIHA’s strategy for sustainable mental health programs.

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