Journal Article

Community Interventions to Promote Mental Health and Social Equity

Mensah, Michael O., Gabrielian, Sonya, Wells, Kenneth B., Morton, Isabella, Kalofonos, Ippolytos, Kataoka, Sheryl H., Castillo, Enrico G., Zima, Bonnie T., Mango, Joseph, Chung, Bowen, Aguilera Nunez, Maria Gabriela, Barcelo, Nicolás, Miranda, Jeanne, Jones, Felica, Greenberg, Jared M., Montero, Alanna E., Halpin, Laura E., Rahmanian Koushkaki, Sara, Goodsmith, Nichole, Moore, Elizabeth, Bromley, Elizabeth, Shadravan, Sonya, Docherty, Mary, Gelberg, Lillian, Pincus, Harold A., Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Roya

2019

Overview

Purpose of Review We review recent community interventions to promote mental health and social equity. We define community interventions as those that involve multi-sector partnerships, emphasize community members as integral to the intervention, and/or deliver services in community settings. We examine literature in seven topic areas: collaborative care, early psychosis, school-based interventions, homelessness, criminal justice, global mental health, and mental health promotion/prevention. We adapt the social-ecological model for health promotion and provide a framework for understanding the actions of community interventions. Recent Findings There are recent examples of effective interventions in each topic area. The majority of interventions focus on individual, family/interpersonal, and program/institutional social-ecological levels, with few intervening on whole communities or involving multiple non-healthcare sectors. Findings from many studies reinforce the interplay among mental health, interpersonal relationships, and social determinants of health. Summary There is evidence for the effectiveness of community interventions for improving mental health and some social outcomes across social-ecological levels. Studies indicate the importance of ongoing resources and training to maintain long-term outcomes, explicit attention to ethics and processes to foster equitable partnerships, and policy reform to support sustainable healthcare-community collaborations.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Community involvement / Community Medicine / Ecological models / Health care / Health Promotion / Homelessness / Humans / Judicial system / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental disorders / Mental Health / Older people / Pharmacokinetics / Policy reform / Psychiatry / Psychotic Disorders - prevention & control / Psychotic Disorders - therapy / Public Policy and Public Health (G Norquist / Public Policy and Public Health (G Norquist, Section Editor) / Schools / Section Editor / Social determinants of health / Social Environment / Topical Collection on Public Policy and Public Health