WHO Ministry of Health, Lebanon Country Resources WHO-AIMS Country Reports Lebanon 2015 Report

This translation feature uses a third-party service. Please be advised that the machine-translated content may not be accurate. Translation only applies to this page and is not available for downloaded files or external links.

Print

Description

The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) was used to collect information on the mental health system in Lebanon. The last mental health legislation ACT #72, enacted in 1983, is currently under revision to address some main issues such as the access to the least restrictive care (community-based mental health care). Until recently, there was no mental health strategy in place. Following the establishment of the National Mental Health Programme in 2014, which is the main authority for mental health within the Ministry of Public Health, a five-year strategy was developed and addresses the organization of services (domain 2), human resources (domain 2), involvement of users and families (domain 2), advocacy and promotion (domain 3), human rights protection of users, equity of access to mental health services across different groups (domains 2 and 5), financing (domain 1), quality improvement, and monitoring (domain 4).

The standards of mental health services may be evaluated through several means, including human rights monitoring. In Lebanon, there is no authority to oversee the human rights of individuals with mental conditions and inspect mental health facilities. There are no external review/inspection of human rights protection of patients in community-based psychiatric units and mental hospitals.

There are 42 mental health outpatient facilities in Lebanon, which provide services to an estimated 75 users per 100,000 population. There are 28.52 beds per 100,000 population in Lebanon’s five mental hospitals, which serve 47.41 patients per 100,000 population and have an occupancy rate of 97%. There are eight community-based psychiatric inpatient units available with a total of 1.5 beds per 100,000 population. The most commonly assigned diagnosis in mental hospitals is schizophrenia, while in outpatient facilities and psychiatric inpatient units it is mood disorders.

There is a lack of mental health training for primary health care workers and interactions between the primary care and mental health system are rare. The total number of human resources working in public mental health facilities, NGOs, and private practice is 15.27 per 100,000 population. There are an estimated 1.26 psychiatrists, 0.87 other medical doctors (not specialized in psychiatry), 3.26 nurses, 3.42 psychologists, 1.38 social workers, and 1.06 occupational therapists, working in mental health per 100,000 population.

Content