World J Psychiatry Ment Health Res | Volume 5, Issue 1 | Review Article | Open Access
Radhakrishnan RK1,2,3, Vallath S4,5*, de Wit EE4,5, Bunders JGF4,5 and Gopikumar V6,7
1Frontline Magazine, India
2VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
3Asian College of Journalism, India
4The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health, India
5Center for Social Action and Livelihoods, The Banyan, India
6Social Work Practitioner and Minority Mental Health Researcher, The Banyan, India
7The Banyan and The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health, India
*Correspondance to: Smriti Vallath
Fulltext PDFMental ill-health is increasingly recognized as a complex human rights issue with far ranging consequences outside of the health ambit, influencing poverty, exclusion and homelessness. We use the framework of Intersectionalities to better understand the bi-directional relationship between psychosocial disability, concomitant social disadvantage and conventional identity markers such as class, caste, ethnicity and gender. Despite the impact of social determinants on mental ill health being evidenced in minority mental health studies, integrated, responsive and user-centered care paradigms for persons with mental health concerns from marginalized backgrounds are relatively scarce, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Within this background, we examine a range of services along a mental health care continuum, developed by The Banyan, a not for profit organization based in Tamil Nadu, India. The Banyan has serviced a million low-income households including persons from indigenous communities through its ambulatory mental health care services. Its flagship program has serviced 3,000 homeless persons experiencing severe mental disorders through its hospital based emergency care and community inclusion focused recovery services. For individuals with enduring and persistent mental health concerns, experiencing moderate to severe disability, community based inclusive and independent living options were developed. The impact of these
Mental health; Poverty; Integrated care; Social disadvantage; Social needs care
Radhakrishnan RK, Vallath S, de Wit EE, Bunders JGF, Gopikumar V. Developing Care Approaches to Address the Homelessness, Poverty and Severe Mental Illnesses Crisis. World J Psychiatry Ment Health Res. 2021; 5(1): 1027..