Margaret M. Barry - Implementing Mental Health Promotion

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Good mental health is fundamental to population health and wellbeing and contributes to the functioning of individuals, families, communities and society. As recognised by the World Health Organization, strategies focused on treating mental ill-health alone will not necessarily deliver on improved mental health at a population level. Mental health promotion is concerned with strengthening protective factors for good mental health and enabling access to resources and supportive environments that will foster the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and populations. There is compelling international evidence that there are effective and feasible interventions for promoting mental health, which when implemented effectively can enhance protective factors for good mental health, reduce risk factors for mental disorders and lead to lasting positive effects on a range of health, social and economic outcomes. Mental health promotion strategies have been introduced in many countries globally as one of the most sustainable methods of improving population mental health, reducing the increasing burden of mental disorders and improving overall health and wellbeing. While there have been significant research and policy developments in advancing mental health promotion in many countries, the capacity to deliver effective strategies needs to be strengthened.

This second edition of Implementing Mental Health Promotion provides a practical guide to the implementation of mental health promotion interventions with different population groups across the life course in key settings, such as the home, school, community, workplace and health services. The text is written from a how-to perspective, combining an exploration of current research and evidence with practical advice to support the planning and implementation of interventions in real-life settings. This revised edition provides updated examples of effective intervention approaches, illustrating the process of implementation. Case studies of practical aspects of intervention development, implementation and evaluation from high-, middle- and low-income countries are included in order to demonstrate the successful implementation and scale-up of interventions across diverse country settings. This second edition draws on the improved evidence base to illustrate how information from research can be used to inform effective and sustainable intervention development and implementation.

Since the first edition of Implementing Mental Health Promotion , there have been a number of important international developments in mental health promotion research, policy and practice. These developments are incorporated in this second edition of the text, with a focus on global policy frameworks, intersectoral partnership working, the role of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation and scaling-up of the expanded evidence base for effective action in diverse country settings. The writing of the first edition of Implementing Mental Health Promotion was motivated by the paucity of available texts on mental health promotion and also by the fact that issues of practical implementation were typically not addressed in the majority of publications. In this second edition, we also focus on the importance of implementation and demonstrate how advances in implementation science can inform the effective delivery of mental health promotion interventions globally. The different dimensions of implementing mental health promotion, spanning conceptual, policy and practice perspectives are addressed across the 16 chapters of the book, and the key factors affecting the quality of implementation are examined for a range of interventions in key settings. The practical challenges of implementing mental health promotion interventions are explored, including the challenge of translating evidence into action and ensuring effective implementation in different sociocultural settings with differing financial and human resource constraints.

The leading authors in the field have contributed case study examples of implementing evidence-based interventions across diverse country contexts, in order to provide an insight into how high-quality implementation can be ensured through the use of research-based, theoretically grounded and culturally appropriate interventions. Drawing on new literature and research since the first edition, the key factors and conditions that can improve the quality of implementation are highlighted, and recommendations for practitioners, policy-makers and researchers are discussed.

In terms of the structure of the book, Part I provides an introductory overview of the field of mental health promotion, and a strong theoretical and conceptual base for action is outlined. A review of the theoretical and international evidence base for effective mental health promotion interventions is provided, introducing key concepts, principles and frameworks for practice and identifying evidence-based priorities for action. International policy developments and frameworks are discussed, and the necessary infrastructure to support effective policy and practice is addressed, including capacity and workforce development. In Part II, a detailed account of the practical steps involved in intervention planning and delivery is provided, including an overview of current implementation research, frameworks and strategies for intersectoral working. A generic template for action is presented, which can be used to guide planning and implementation across a range of interventions and settings, and recommendations for supporting quality intervention implementation are outlined. Parts III, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII demonstrate the implementation of evidence-based approaches with a range of population groups across the life course (children, adolescents, adults and older people) in key settings including the home, school, workplace, community, primary care and mental health services. Each section introduces the rationale for mental health promotion in that setting and provides an overview of current concepts and research findings together with examples of evidence-based interventions and case studies on the implementation of exemplary and innovative approaches. An updated set of evidence-based practice examples and case studies is selected from across low-, middle- and high-income countries. Based on the research and case studies reviewed, generic principles of best practice are identified for implementing mental health promotion in that setting.