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Mental health system and services in Albania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2011

Dévora Keste ,
Ledia Lazer ,
Neli Demi ,
Santino Severoni ,
Antonio Lora  and
Shekhar Saxena
Dévora Keste
Affiliation:
WHO Country Office Albania
Ledia Lazer
Affiliation:
WHO Country Office Albania
Neli Demi
Affiliation:
WHO Country Office Albania
Santino Severoni
Affiliation:
WHO Country Office Albania
Antonio Lora*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization
Shekhar Saxena
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization
*
Address for correspondence: Dr. A. Lora, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, CHJ-1211 Geneva (Switzerland). E-mail: loraa@who.int
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Summary

Aims — To describe the mental health system in Albania. Methods — Data were gathered in 2003 and in 2004 using a new WHO instrument, World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental health Systems (WHO-AIMS), designed for collecting essential information on the mental health system of low and middle income countries. It consists of 6 domains, 28 facets and 156 items. Results — The information collected through WHO AIMS covered the key aspects of mental health system in Albania: the mental health policy and the legislative framework, the network of mental health services and the characteristics of the users, the role of the primary health care, the human resources, the public education and the links with other governmental sectors, monitoring and research. Conclusions — The data collection through WHO AIMS represented a needed step for a better in-depth knowledge of the system and for implementing actions to strengthen the system. Examples of planned actions were the improvement of the mental health component in primary care, a clear shift of resources from mental hospitals to community facilities, an increase of the outpatient care and an expansion of the mental health information system.

Declaration of Interest: none.

Keywords

AlbaniaMental health servicesWHO-AIMSWorld Health Organization.
Type
Original Articles
Information
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 194 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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