What is the Asia Pacific Community Mental Health Development Project?
This
unique and
innovative project aims to illustrate and inspire best practice in community mental health care in the Asia-Pacific region. A vibrant network of mental health government officials, chief psychiatrists and research leaders are engaged in this project from seventeen countries
The project seeks to
share our understandings and learnings, to analyse and document local models and approaches, and to publish diverse experiences and learnings. The APCMHDP network works collaboratively to develop appropriate, quality mental health care and services in the community.
The APCMHDP
“offers the sharing of: evidence, confidence, consumer and carer experience, lessons in engaging with the media, joint training materials and events, and anti-stigma initiatives. It is a type of stock exchange in which mental health plans, implementation and operational policies are traded, to inspire all those supported by the network, to show that we are all in this together.”
Prof. Graham Thornicroft, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, WHO Collaborating Centre.
The Asia Pacific Community Mental Health Development Project (APCMHDP) aims to:
- Develop understanding of the guiding principles for the development of culturally appropriate practices of community mental health care;
- Foster collaboration within a network of key representatives from ministries ofhealth and key organisations working in community mental health in the region;
- Identify local achievements and analyse common problems to inform future policy and provide possible solutions for the development of quality mental health care in
the community;
- Identify and promote the efficient utilization of local resources currently available within local cultures for community mental health care including potential partnerships with primary health care, informal care, traditional treatments and substance abuse services;
- Build and maintain a regional resource to facilitate the:
1) sharing of experience of real-life practices and solutions in the continuous evolution and development of different community mental health care models;
2) promotion of best practice for countries at different stages of community mental health development;
3) creation of locally appropriate community mental health services and care models that could be implemented within each country and region.