Mental health nursing and treatment process : a comparative study between Nordic and South Asian context

Abstract

WHO recently announced that more than one billion people are affected with mental health disorders including anxiety and depression which cause huge costs, both personally and financially throughout the whole globe. This study aims to identify significant differences and to find possible areas for improvement in mental health nursing and treatment process between South Asian countries (such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and Nordic countries (such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark). To accomplish that it uses a descriptive and narrative literature review-based method.

The main issue, discussed in this study, is the significant gap in mental health care between South Asian nations, which frequently face social stigma, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and resource shortages, and high-income Nordic nations, which prioritize integrated, holistic, and rights-based care. The presence of traditional and religious beliefs affecting treatment decisions in South Asia, which frequently results in human rights violations and reliance on unorganized sectors for care, is one of the main contrasts that have been emphasized. Nordic nations, on the other hand, have an established history of providing integrated, community-based mental health services, decentralized funding, de-institutionalization, and specialist training. These practices are backed by extensive national initiatives and a de-stigmatization movement. This study is important because it gives policymakers an extensive understanding of these many methods, identifies influential factors, and provides information to help improve the world's underdeveloped mental health systems.