BACKGROUND: Although national policies in China are comprehensive and instructive, a wide disparity exists between different cities. The current status of public mental health services by region in China remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate policies related to public mental health services, the contact coverage of public mental health services and outcomes of service users.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern China, between April 2021 and March 2022.  Considering the geographical location, socioeconomic development levels, and prevalence of severe mental illness, four cities including Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen were selected. Relevant service providers were asked to report data on mental health policies and facility-related information, including mental health resources, registration rates of patients, management rates of patients, and medication rates of patients. Eligible patients were invited to report service user-related data, including contact coverage of public mental health services and their outcomes. SPSS 26.0 was used for data analysis.
RESULTS: The four cities in Southern China have made different efforts to develop public mental health services, primarily focusing on socio-economically disadvantaged individuals. Community health centers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen reported having more professional human resources on mental health and higher mental health budgets for patients. The contact coverage rates of most public mental services were higher than 80%. Patients in Changsha (B = 0.3; 95%CI: 0.1-0.5), Guangzhou (B = 0.2; 95%CI: 0.1-0.3), and Shenzhen (B = 0.3; 95%CI: 0.1-0.4) who received social medical assistance services reported higher levels of medication adherence. Patients in Wuhan (B = -6.5; 95%CI: -12.9--0.1), Guangzhou (B = -2.8; 95%CI: -5.5--0.1), and Shenzhen who received community-based rehabilitation services reported lower levels of disability (B = -2.6; 95%CI: -4.6--0.5).
CONCLUSIONS: There have been advances in public mental health services in the four Southern cities. The contact coverage rates of most public mental health services were higher than 80%. Patients\' utilization of public mental services was associated with better health outcomes. To improve the quality of public mental health services, the government should try to engage service users, their family members, and supporters in the design, delivery, operationalization, and evaluation of these public mental health services in the future.

Thailand is an upper middle-income country located in the center of mainland Southeast Asia with a population of 66.17 million as of 2021. The aim of this review article is to illustrate the development of community mental health in our country. We have divided the article into five main sections: namely, the mental health service infrastructure, the community mental health system, human resources, mental health financing, public education, and links to other sectors. Mental health care has been integrated into primary care since 1982, resulting in a major shift in focus on mental health at the community level; however, mental health problems and the mental health gap in service accessibility remain present, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Community mental health care has been extended to networks outside the health care system, including the community authorities. It has been provided with psychiatric care and rehabilitation, together with the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental disorders for improving accessibility to services, especially during a pandemic situation. Finally, future challenges to face community mental health have been outlined, such as insufficient staff to develop rehabilitation service facilities for people with chronic, serious mental illnesses; identifying supporting funding from other stakeholders; and mental health care for persons with long COVID living in the community.
Таиланд — страна с уровнем дохода выше среднего, расположенная в центре материковой части Юго-Восточной Азии, с населением 66,17 млн человек в 2021 году. Цель данной обзорной статьи — проанализировать этапы развития амбулаторной психиатрической службы в нашей стране. Статья разделена на пять основных разделов, а именно: система охраны психического здоровья, система амбулаторной психиатрической службы, кадровые ресурсы, финансирование психиатрической помощи, просвещение населения и связи с другими секторами. С 1982 года психиатрическая помощь интегрирована в первичную медико- санитарную помощь, что привело к значительному увеличению внимания к психическому здоровью на общественном уровне; однако проблемы в области психического здоровья и недостаточная доступность психиатрической помощи все еще существуют, особенно во время пандемии COVID-19. Амбулаторная психиатрическая служба охватила структуры, не входящие в систему здравоохранения, в том числе и органы местного самоуправления. Данная служба включает психиатрическую помощь и реабилитацию, а также укрепление психического здоровья и профилактику психических расстройств, ее задача заключается в повышении доступности помощи, особенно во время пандемии. Наконец, рассмотрены требующие решения проблемы амбулаторной психиатрической службы, такие как нехватка персонала для создания реабилитационной службы для людей с хроническими тяжелыми психическими заболеваниями, привлечение финансирования от других заинтересованных сторон, а также забота о психическом здоровье людей с постковидным синдромом в условиях привычной социальной среды.

Aggression, conflict and restrictive practices present complexities in acute mental health services, as do implementing service changes to reduce them. Existing published literature needs to offer more high-level guidance on the effectiveness of these service changes and their associated implementation factors. As a result, an overview of systematic reviews was undertaken to identify (i) nonpharmacological interventions to reduce conflict, aggression and restrictive practices in acute mental health settings, and (ii) their effects across different clinical outcomes. A parallel re-extraction from primary studies was then utilised (iii) to identify factors influencing successful intervention implementation. Of 124 articles sourced from nine databases and registries, four reviews were retained for the final analysis, using the direction of effect and tabular and narrative summaries. These reviews included programmes or interventions focused on inpatient adolescent, adult and older adult populations. They reported on alternative containment strategies, risk assessments, Safewards, sensory rooms and equipment, Six Core Strategy-based interventions and staff training. The overview found that a combination of interventions intended to improve relationships and reduce interpersonal conflict may help reduce aggression, conflict and restrictive practices. At the same time, stand-alone staff training and sensory rooms and equipment may have mixed effects. The quality of the evidence linking these interventions to reductions in aggression, conflict and restrictive practices is limited. Successful implementation hinges on multiple factors: intervention characteristics, preparation and planning, evaluation and monitoring, outcome interpretation, stakeholder involvement/investment, staff-related factors and contextual factors. Any implementation initiative may benefit from using pragmatic and complexity-informed research methodologies, including integrating meaningful involvement with service users, peer workers and culturally diverse groups.

BACKGROUND: The use of chatbots in mental health support has increased exponentially in recent years, with studies showing that they may be effective in treating mental health problems. More recently, the use of visual avatars called digital humans has been introduced. Digital humans have the capability to use facial expressions as another dimension in human-computer interactions. It is important to study the difference in emotional response and usability preferences between text-based chatbots and digital humans for interacting with mental health services.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore to what extent a digital human interface and a text-only chatbot interface differed in usability when tested by healthy participants, using BETSY (Behavior, Emotion, Therapy System, and You) which uses 2 distinct interfaces: a digital human with anthropomorphic features and a text-only user interface. We also set out to explore how chatbot-generated conversations on mental health (specific to each interface) affected self-reported feelings and biometrics.
METHODS: We explored to what extent a digital human with anthropomorphic features differed from a traditional text-only chatbot regarding perception of usability through the System Usability Scale, emotional reactions through electroencephalography, and feelings of closeness. Healthy participants (n=45) were randomized to 2 groups that used a digital human with anthropomorphic features (n=25) or a text-only chatbot with no such features (n=20). The groups were compared by linear regression analysis and t tests.
RESULTS: No differences were observed between the text-only and digital human groups regarding demographic features. The mean System Usability Scale score was 75.34 (SD 10.01; range 57-90) for the text-only chatbot versus 64.80 (SD 14.14; range 40-90) for the digital human interface. Both groups scored their respective chatbot interfaces as average or above average in usability. Women were more likely to report feeling annoyed by BETSY.
CONCLUSIONS: The text-only chatbot was perceived as significantly more user-friendly than the digital human, although there were no significant differences in electroencephalography measurements. Male participants exhibited lower levels of annoyance with both interfaces, contrary to previously reported findings.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1150998.].

Individuals with mental illness are significantly overrepresented in the Canadian justice system. Given the high rate of mental illness among individuals who are incarcerated, correctional facilities must implement accessible and effective mental health resources. This not only improves their health and well-being but also contributes to their rehabilitation efforts. However, evidence suggests that the care provided in prisons is inadequate. This scoping review asks, \"What is known about the access and quality of mental health care services for adults who are incarcerated in Ontario?\" Mental health care services included non-acute interventions and care that is provided in the institution. This scoping review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews methodology. Databases searched include MedLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Criminal Justice Abstracts, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and the grey literature. The search yielded 354 titles and abstracts of which 16 met the inclusion criteria. Conducted from 2010-2022, the 16 studies included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Common themes that were identified related to segregation, mental health assessments, medication prescribing and access, opioid agonist therapy, psychiatric service access, systemic and institutional barriers, mental health perception, and the need for collaboration. Despite the significant demand for mental health care in Ontario correctional facilities, limitations to quality care are evident. Such limitations intersect and are then exacerbated, resulting in poor mental health care provision among the incarcerated population. More research is warranted regarding the access, quality, and efficiency of mental health care in Ontario prisons, and how factors including ethnicity, gender, and prison classification (provincial vs. federal) may influence mental health care and its outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In young adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), the process of transition from a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) to an adult mental health service (AMHS) has been recognized as critical, and many patients fear falling through the gap between the two types of service. As reports about the transition process in emerging adults with AN are scarce, the present study aimed to explore the problems and experiences of this age group.
METHODS: We screened our registry for patients with AN who had been treated as inpatients during childhood and/or adolescence and come of age during the last 3 years. Thirty-two female patients [mean age 20.3 (1.2) y.] agreed to participate in a semistructured personal or telephone interview assessing their demographic and clinical data, whether they had finalised the transition, and their wishes and experiences regarding the transition process.
RESULTS: Only approximately one-third of the participants had already undergone the transition. Nearly 60% of the former patients were still cared for by a CAMHS, and only 12.5% had stopped treatment for AN. Approximately 60% were exclusively or additionally cared for by their general practitioner. More than 50% of the participants still lived with their parents. Approximately 90% of the participants who remained in a CAMHS expressed concerns about transitioning, mostly about losing their trusted therapist and the assumption of personal responsibility.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AN often delay the transition from a CAMHS to an AMHS, which they experience as intimidating and overwhelming. Thus, patients should be better prepared for the transition, which should be linked to \"developmental readiness\" and not to chronological age. Because many patients still live with their family of origin, parents and their family physician should be closely involved in the transition process.

Trauma-informed care has emerged as a prominent strategy to eliminate coercive practices and improve experiences of care in mental health settings, with advocacy from international bodies for mental health reform. Despite this, there remains a significant gap in research understanding the integration of trauma-informed care in mental health nursing practice, particularly when applied to the acute mental health or hospital-based setting. The study aimed to explore the experiences of mental health nurses employed in acute hospital-based settings from a trauma-informed care perspective. The study design was qualitative, using a phenomenological approach to research. A total of 29 nurses employed in acute mental health or hospital-based environments participated. Three over-arching themes were uncovered: \'Embodied Awareness\': highlighting mental health nursing emotional capabilities are deeply rooted in bodily awareness. \'Navigating Safety\': signifying spatial elements of fear and how some mental health nurses\' resort to coercive or restrictive practices for self-preservation. \'Caring Amidst Uncertainty\': revealing the relational influences of security guards in mental health nursing. The study reveals a significant gap in trauma-informed care implementation when applied to the context of mental health nursing practice in this setting. Limited evidence on trauma-informed care for mental health nurses, coupled with inadequate workforce preparation and challenging work environments, hinder the effective integration of it. To genuinely embed TIC in acute mental health settings, the study emphasises the need for a thorough exploration of what this entails for mental health nurses.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1150998.].

This study examined the differences in mental health service use, barriers, and service preferences among 393 low-income housing (LIH) and market-rate housing (MRH) Harlem residents in New York City. One-third (34.6%) endorsed the need for professional support for psychological issues, 27.2% and 15.8% reported using counseling services and psychotropic medication, with no differences between housing types. LIH residents (21.6-38.8%) reported significantly higher use of all types of mental health resources (e.g., websites, anonymous hotlines, self-help tools) compared with MRH residents (16.1-26.4%). Eighty-six percent reported barriers to mental health access, with LIH residents reporting more than double the barriers. Particularly, LIH residents reported greater difficulty getting time off work (34.1% vs. 14%), lack of health insurance (18.7% vs. 9.8%), lack of trust in mental health providers (14.6% vs. 4.7%), and stigma (12.2% vs. 5.1%) compared with MRH residents. Residents most preferred places of services were health clinics and houses of worship; provided by healthcare and mental health providers; and services delivered in-person and phone-based counseling. In contrast, residents least preferred getting support at mental health clinics; from family/friends; and by the Internet. No differences were found between service preferences by housing type. LIH residents reported higher use of mental health services and resources, but they face significantly more barriers to mental health care, suggesting a need to address specific barriers. Preferences for mental health services suggest a need for expanding mental health services to different settings given the low preference for services to be delivered at mental health clinics.