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PurposeWe aimed to map evidence on the development of mental health care in Central Asia after 1991.MethodWe conducted a scoping review complemented by an expert review. We searched five databases for peer-reviewed journal articles and conducted grey literature searching. The reference lists of included articles were screened for additional relevant publications.ResultsWe included 53 articles (Kazakhstan: 13, Kyrgyzstan: 14, Tajikistan: 10, Uzbekistan: 9, Turkmenistan: 2, Multinational: 5). Only 9 were published in internationally recognised journals. In the 1990’s mental health services collapsed following a sharp decline in funding, and historically popular folk services re-emerged as an alternative. Currently, modernised mental health policies exist but remain largely unimplemented due to lack of investment and low prioritisation by governments. Psychiatric treatment is still concentrated in hospitals, and community-based and psycho-social services are almost entirely unavailable. Stigma is reportedly high throughout the region, psychiatric myths are widespread, and societal awareness of human rights is low. With the exception of Kyrgyzstan, user involvement is virtually absent. After many years of stagnation, however, political interest in mental health is beginning to show, along with some promising service developments.ConclusionsThere is a substantial knowledge gap in the region. Informed decision-making and collaboration with stakeholders is necessary to facilitate future reform implementation.

Long-stay institutions have been considerably affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess the mental health of clients and staff as well as quality and safety of care in long-stay institutions during the state-of-emergency in the Czech Republic in response to COVID-19 pandemic. We found a high prevalence of poor mental health outcomes in clients (46% poor well-being, 58% depression, 45% anxiety) and staff (17% poor well-being, 22% depression, 14% anxiety). In clients, COVID-19 health-related and economic worries were associated with depression (1.79, 95% CI = 1.14; 2.8 and 2.28, 95% CI = 1.27; 4.08 respectively) and anxiety (1.63, 95% CI = 1.11; 2.4 and 1.85, 95% CI = 1.2; 2.85 respectively) and in staff with any mental health outcome (1.92, 95% CI = 1.33; 2.77 and 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15; 2.66 respectively). Lack of information and communication from authorities, lack of protective equipment and logistic difficulties were reported as challenges. Delivery of care was mostly disrupted as well as admission and discharge processes. Other reported issues included lack of staff, lack of activities for patients or an increase in usage of restrictive measures. Best practices and key future measures were identified by each institution, a summary of which is presented in the article.

Mental health policies and plans (MHPPs) are important policy instruments and powerful tools to facilitate development of mental health systems and services across the world. We aimed to map and analyse methods and tools used to assess the extent, process and impact of implementing MHPPs. We systematically searched peer-reviewed and grey literature across seven scientific databases. We extracted and analysed the data on a) the characteristics of included studies (e.g., policy areas, region of origin, income setting) and b) the methodology and evaluation tools applied to assess the extent and process of implementation. We included 48 studies in the analyses. Twenty-six of these studies employed only qualitative methods (e.g., semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, desk review, stakeholder consultations); 12 studies used quantitative methods (e.g., trend analysis, survey) and 10 used mixed-methods approaches. Generally, methods and tools used for assessment were described poorly with less than half of the studies providing partial or full details about them. Only three studies provided assessment of full policies. There is a lack of rigorous research to assess implementation MHPPs. Assessments of the implementation of entire MHPPs are almost non-existent. Strategies to assess the implementation of MHPPs should be an integral part of MHPPs.

Introduction: There are large differences in the development of mental health systems of the West and the countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The latter is characterized by a more biological approach to mental health and reliance on psychiatric hospitals. In 2018, Uzbekistan authorities showed interest in reforming mental health care of the country. The policy report provides an overview of progress towards the provision of community mental health (CMH) care across Eastern Europe and recommendations for this transition within Uzbekistan.Methods: A literature search on mental health care in Uzbekistan was conducted to understand its strengths and weaknesses. Progress towards the provision of CMH care across Eastern Europe was assessed using data on the number of psychiatric beds and availability of mental health services in community settings reported within the published literature. Countries identified as making the greatest progress towards CMH care were reviewed in detail to better understand the process of reform assets and barriers.Results: Mental health care in Uzbekistan is highly institutionalized, underfunded and understaffed. Social care services are poorly developed. However, current leadership has kindled the promise of mental health reform. Georgia, Lithuania and Poland have made the most progress in terms of CMH care availability. However, due to various obstacles such as dual financial burden, high stigma and lack of political will, their programs lack social integration and/or uniform availability and underfunding along with scarcity of mental health specialists are common. On the other hand, research and evaluation, involvement of service users into service planning and cooperation with donors facilitated reform implementation.Conclusion: Uzbekistan may develop into a modern mental health system and avoid the setbacks encountered by other countries in the region, through careful financial planning, stigma reduction, improving mental health literacy, human resources strategic development and civil society engagement.