Palpant Rebecca G, Steimnitz Rachael, Bornemann Thomas H, Hawkins Katie
The Carter Center Mental Health Program, 453 Freedom Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30307, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2006 Apr;3(2):A62. Epub 2006 Mar 15.
Some of the most pervasive and debilitating illnesses are mental illnesses, according to World Health Organization's The World Health Report 2001--Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope. Neuropsychiatric conditions account for four of the top five leading causes of years of life lived with disability in people aged 15 to 44 in the Western world. Many barriers prevent people with mental illnesses from seeking care, such as prohibitive costs, lack of insurance, and the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illnesses. The Carter Center Mental Health Program, established in 1991, focuses on mental health policy issues within the United States and internationally. This article examines the public health crisis in the field of mental health and focuses on The Carter Center Mental Health Program's initiatives, which work to increase public knowledge of and decrease the stigma associated with mental illnesses through their four strategic goals: reducing stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses; achieving equity of mental health care comparable with other health services; advancing early promotion, prevention, and early intervention services for children and their families; and increasing public awareness about mental illnesses and mental health issues.
根据世界卫生组织《2001年世界卫生报告——精神卫生：新认识，新希望》，一些最普遍且使人衰弱的疾病是精神疾病。在西方世界，神经精神疾病是15至44岁人群中导致残疾生存年数的五大主要病因中的四个。许多障碍阻碍了精神疾病患者寻求治疗，比如费用高昂、缺乏保险以及与精神疾病相关的耻辱感和歧视。1991年设立的卡特中心精神卫生项目专注于美国国内和国际的精神卫生政策问题。本文探讨了精神卫生领域的公共卫生危机，并着重介绍了卡特中心精神卫生项目的举措，该项目通过其四个战略目标致力于提高公众对精神疾病的认识并减少与之相关的耻辱感：减少对精神疾病患者的耻辱感和歧视；实现与其他卫生服务相当的精神卫生保健公平性；推进针对儿童及其家庭的早期促进、预防和早期干预服务；以及提高公众对精神疾病和精神卫生问题的认识。
