Health

Asialink's key program in the health and community sectors is:

AAMH's landmark report [pdf, 3.1 mb, 92 pages] launched at the World Psychiatric Association Congress in Prague on September 21, 2008, compiling best practices in mental health across Asia, will be used as a guideline for future health projects and have an impact on the nature of mental health delivery across the region.

The report details best practice in 14 countries and includes:

Mongolia: Where a mental health service run from portable ‘gers’ or ‘yurts’, traditional round dwellings made from wooden structures and pelt frames. The gers replicate standard living situations so patients with mental illness can be rehabilitated in general life skills such as cooking and cleaning.
China: Where the AAMH jointly ran the China project from 60 different sites, each reaching a population of 400,000 ethnically diverse people. The project reflected China’s move to community-based mental health reform. The Shanxi Province site moved away from a ‘locked-in’ hospital approach and encouraged family access, reflecting the importance of family relationships. Family members were provided with beds and facilities to live side-by-side with their relative, and more actively support recovery.

Countries involved in the project include Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam from the WPA 2007 Meeting.

Chinese Mental Health Professionals in Melborne, July 2006

Left: Chinese Mental Health Professionals in Melbourne, July 2006.

AAMH is grateful for the support of the Australian Government's Department of Health and Ageing to publish and disseminate materials from this project.

View Showcase examples of best practice included in this project.