This is a highly illustrated, practical manual for mental health care for the community health worker, the primary care nurse, the social worker and the primary care doctor, particularly in developing countries.After giving the reader a basic understanding of mental illness, the book goes on to describe more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness and uses a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. Mental health issues as they arise in specific health care contexts are described - for example, in a refugee camp, a school health programme or people with AIDS - as well as in mental health promotion.The final section provides quick reference information for common problems and it also includes chapters for the reader to personalize the manual for a particular location - for example, by entering local information on voluntary agencies, or the names and costs of medicines and words in the local language for emotional symptoms. Also included is a practical guide to the use of psychiatric medicines and simple psychological treatments.
