Mental Health and the Health System in Bangladesh: Situation Analysis of a Neglected Domain
Anwar Islam,
Tuhin Biswas
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
57-62
Received:
23 May 2015
Accepted:
6 June 2015
Published:
25 June 2015
Abstract: Mental Health constitutes a major public health challenge undermining the social and economic development throughout much of the developing world. It is estimated that mental disorders account for 13% of the global burden of disease (WHO 2008). However, in most developing countries mental health remains utterly neglected by the health system. In Bangladesh, for example, a meager 0.5% of the total health budget is allocated to mental health. On the other hand, as more than 65% of the total expenditure on health is out-of-pocket expenses, mental illness takes a heavy toll on the poor and the disadvantaged Based on a review of secondary data, the paper assesses the current situation of mental health in Bangladesh. The paper suggests that mental health care system in Bangladesh faces multifaceted challenges such as lack of public mental health facilities, scarcity of skilled workforce, inadequate financial resource allocation and social stigma. Bangladesh still does not have a comprehensive mental health policy to strengthen the entire health system. Clearly, the most crucial challenge is the absence of a dynamic and proactive stewardship able to design and enforce policies to further strengthen and enhance the overall mental health care. Such strong leadership could bring about meaningful and effective health sector reform, which will work more efficiently for the betterment of the health and social and emotional wellbeing of the people of Bangladesh, and would be built upon the values of equity and accountability.
Abstract: Mental Health constitutes a major public health challenge undermining the social and economic development throughout much of the developing world. It is estimated that mental disorders account for 13% of the global burden of disease (WHO 2008). However, in most developing countries mental health remains utterly neglected by the health system. In Ba...
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Xenomelia and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Similarities and Differences
Sabrina Link,
Erich Kasten
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
63-69
Received:
30 May 2015
Accepted:
15 June 2015
Published:
6 July 2015
Abstract: Theoretical background: Xenomelia, also known as Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), is a mental disorder that is characterized by a strong desire to lose one or more limbs, or a functional area of the body. There is still no consensus, where the boundaries of the definition should be set and how BIID can be classified. The scientific community is currently debating whether Xenomelia could be a sub-type of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Objective: The primary goal of this research was to improve the knowledge about similarities and differences between Xenomelia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Method: Using the HZI-K (Hamburg Compulsive Inventory, short form), a questionnaire for collecting non-specific compulsive behavior, as well as the BIID screening for severity and intensity of this disorder, the compulsiveness of 33 Xenomelia affected participants was captured with an online survey and evaluated. The evaluation was based on the standard values of the HZI-K. Results: The test results of the 33 Xenomelia affected participants differ from the norms of the calibration sample of the HZI-K on the scales A (repetition controlling, as well as obsessive thoughts after controlling compulsions), D (counting-constrains, compulsions concerning touch, and speech), E (obsessive thoughts ) and F (compulsive images to hurt oneself or others). Conclusion: It can be assumed that BIID sufferers have compulsive tendencies in terms of control, action and thought constraints.
Abstract: Theoretical background: Xenomelia, also known as Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), is a mental disorder that is characterized by a strong desire to lose one or more limbs, or a functional area of the body. There is still no consensus, where the boundaries of the definition should be set and how BIID can be classified. The scientific communit...
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An Alarm Pheromone May Be Released by Defeated Competitors: A Possible Indicator of Danger
Ana G. Gutiérrez-García,
Carlos M. Contreras,
Remedios Mendoza-López,
José Madrigal-Madariaga
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
70-76
Received:
19 June 2015
Accepted:
1 July 2015
Published:
14 July 2015
Abstract: Among many species, the establishment of hierarchical relations contains a highly ritualized behavioral context accompanied by the delivery of volatile agents, namely ketones and aldehydes, into environment. These substances act as signals contributing to defining and maintaining social hierarchies. Among mammals, some volatile compounds are released into the environment to report the presence of danger or conflict to conspecifics. For example, rats release an alarm pheromone, 2-heptanone, through their urine when subjected to physical stress. However, it is unknown whether some similarity occurs in human being, in spite that many possible alarm compounds have been identified in human fluids, including 2-heptanone. Contact sports may represent a situation of psychosocial interaction in which some hierarchy is established at the end of the contest. In such a case, the first match in martial arts competitions represents a natural model that is seemingly useful for studying alarm conditions in humans since there are two outcomes, winner and non-winner and after a stressful situation represented by contest, some kind of hierarchy is established. The present study measured urinary concentrations of 2-heptanone using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and applied anxiety measures (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI) in a sample of healthy student athletes. Compared with martial-arts winners, the characteristics of the non-winners included an increase in their urinary 2-heptanone content (F2,18 = 5.541, p < 0.01), with no changes in anxiety scores (STAI-T: F2,18 = 0.052, p = 0.949; and STAI-S: F2,18 = 1.083, p = 0.360). The production of this ketone seems to be related with metabolic routes of fatty acids involving the participation of the so called stress hormones that may lead to an increase in the lipolysis of fatty acids and production of their metabolites, and among them, 2-heptanone. The increased release of 2-heptanone at the end of the match in non-winners may be interpreted as the release of an alarm signal that indicates imminent danger, similar to the occurrence in other species.
Abstract: Among many species, the establishment of hierarchical relations contains a highly ritualized behavioral context accompanied by the delivery of volatile agents, namely ketones and aldehydes, into environment. These substances act as signals contributing to defining and maintaining social hierarchies. Among mammals, some volatile compounds are releas...
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