Mental Health Program - Articles by Carter Center Experts

March 2024
A Pilot Study to Address the Mental Health of Persons Living With Lymphatic Filariasis in Léogâne, Haiti: Implementing a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Using a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Design (PDF)
Published by International Health. doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihae006
Authors: Shanze Sadiq, Karen E S Hamre, Samhita Kumar, Sarah Bazur-Leidy, Luccène Désir, M Martha Désir, Murielle C Gilbert, V Madsen Beau de Rochars, Marc-Aurèle Telfort, Gregory S Noland, Eve Byrd.
This paper presents a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a chronic disease self-management program (CDSMP) that was introduced to lymphatic filariasis peer support groups in Léogâne, Haiti. We used household surveys at baseline and endpoint to measure self-rated health, depression, disease self-efficacy, perceived social support, and quality of life.

Oct. 4, 2023
A Tribute to the Global Health Legacy of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (PDF)
Published by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; 109(4), 2023, pp. 713–714 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.23-0641.
Authors: Kashef Ijaz and Julie Jacobson.
Abstract: The global public health legacy of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter cannot be overstated. For more than 50 years, they have leveraged the power of their characters and connections to advance public health in the United States and around the world.

Oct. 1, 2020
Psychological Resilience, Fragility and the Health Workforce: Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness From Liberia and Sierra Leone
Published by BMJ Global Health.
Authors: Laura Dean, Janice Cooper, Haja Wurie, Karsor Kollie, Joanna Raven, Rachel Tolhurst, Hayley MacGregor, Kate Hawkins, Sally Theobald, Bintu Mansaray.
COVID-19 presents a time to redefine vulnerability; however, in discussions of vulnerability, the health workforce, particularly in regard to their psychosocial well-being, is often forgotten. Healthcare workers (HCWs) in fragile settings are constantly exposed to health system shocks, including; conflict, disease outbreaks and natural disasters, which compound the everyday challenges of working in an under-resourced health system.

Sept. 11, 2019
Understanding the Role of Community Resilience in Addressing the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Liberia: A Qualitative Study (Community Resilience in Liberia)
Published by Global Health Action.
Authors: Alonge, O., Sonkarlay, S., Gwaikolo, W., Fahim, C., Cooper, J. L., & Peters, D. H.

June 12, 2019
Law Enforcement and Clinician Partnerships: Training of Trainers for CIT Teams in Liberia, West Africa
Published by Psychiatric Services.
Authors: Mina Boazak, M.D.; Brandon A. Kohrt, M.D. Ph.D.; Wilfred Gwaikolo, M.P.H.; Sarah Yoss, M.P.H.; Sehwah Sonkarlay, B.B.A.; Pat Strode; Michael T. Compton, M.D., M.P.H.; Janice Cooper, Ph.D., M.P.A.

March 21, 2019
Contributions of Neuroscience Knowledge to Teachers and Their Practice
Published by The Neuroscientist.
Authors: Janet M. Dubinsky, S. Selcen Guzey, Marc S. Schwartz, Gillian Roehrig, Carrie MacNabb, Astrid Schmied, Vicki Hinesley, Mary Hoelscher, Michael Michlin, Lee Schmitt, Charlene Ellingson, Zhengsi Chang & Janice L. Cooper.

Feb. 27, 2019
How Competent are Non-specialists Trained to Integrate Mental Health Services in Primary Care? Global Health Perspectives from Uganda, Liberia, and Nepal (PDF)
Published by International Review of Psychiatry.
Authors: Brandon A. Kohrt, Byamah B. Mutamba, Nagendra P. Luitel, Wilfred Gwaikolo, Patrick Onyango Mangen, Juliet Nakku, Kisa Rose, Janice Cooper, Mark J.D. Jordans & Florence Baingana.

Jan. 3, 2019
Having “Belly” During Ebola
Published in Pregnant in the Time of Eboola: Women and Their Children in the 2013-2015 West African Epidemic.
Authors: Janice L. Cooper and Meekie J. Glayweon

Oct. 9, 2018
The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development
Published by The Lancet.
Authors: Prof Vikram Patel, PhD; Shekhar Saxena, MD; Prof Crick Lund PhD; Prof Sir Graham Thornicroft, PhD; Florence Baingana, MS; Paul Bolton, MBBS; Dan Chisholm PhDk; Prof Pamela Y Collins, MD; Janice L Cooper, PhD; Julian Eaton, MRC Psych; Prof Helen Herrman, MD; Mohammad M Herzallah, PhD; Prof Yueqin Huang, PhD; Prof Mark J DJordans, PhD; Prof Arthur Kleinman, MD; Maria Elena Medina-Mora, PhD; Ellen Morgan M Phil; Prof Unaiza Niaz, FRC Psych; Prof Olayinka Omigbodun, FMC Psych; Prof Martin Prince, MD; Prof Atif Rahman, PhD; Prof Benedetto Saraceno, MD; Bidyut KSarkar, PhD; Mary De Silva, PhD; Prof Ilina Singh, PhD; Prof Dan J Stein, FRC PC; Charlene Sunkel; Prof JÜrgen Un Ützer, MD.
A decade on from the 2007 Lancet Series on global mental health, which sought to transform the way policy makers thought about global health, a Lancet Commission aims to seize the opportunity offered by the Sustainable Development Goals to consider future directions for global mental health.

September 2018
What is Mental Health Parity? A Consumer Guide to the Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes Report
Published by The Kennedy Forum. 
Authors: Megan Douglas, JD; Katherine Dowd, MS; Kathleen Tampke; Sharon Rachel, MA, MPH; Eve Byrd, DNP, MPH; Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD; David Lloyd, MBA; Glenda Wrenn, MD, MSHP.

September 2018
Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes: A Technical Report
Published By The Kennedy Forum. 
Authors: Megan Douglas, JD; Glenda Wrenn, MD, MSHP; Samantha Bent-Weber, JD; Lauren Tonti, JD, MPH; Garry Carneal, JD; Torie Keeton; Jessica Grillo, JD; Sharon Rachel, MA, MPH; David Lloyd, MBA; Eve Byrd, DNP, MPH; Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD; Albert Lang; Ron Manderscheid, PhD; Joe Parks, MD.

2018
The Practice of Child Mental Health Nurses (PDF)
Published by IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Authors: Kathleen R Delaney, Janice L. Cooper & Sylvia Nshemerewire.

Dec. 9, 2017
Psychosocial Support for Adolescent Girls in Post-conflict Settings: Beyond a Health Systems Approach
Published by Health Policy and Planning.
Authors: Fiona Samuels, Nicola Jones & Bassam Abu Hamad

July 27, 2017
Health System Preparedness for Integration of Mental Health Services in Rural Liberia
Published by BMC Health Services Research.
Authors: Wilfred S. Gwaikolo, Brandon A. Kohrt & Janice L. Cooper.

March 22, 2017
School Mental Health Promotion and Intervention: Experiences from Four Nations (PDF)
Published by School Psychology International.
Authors: Mark D. Weist, Eric J. Bruns, Kelly Whitaker, Yifeng Wei, Stanley Kutcher, Torill Larsen, Ingrid Holsen, Janice L. Cooper, Anne Geroski & Kathryn H. Short.

Aug. 31, 2016
Pathways and Access to Mental Health Care Services by Persons Living with Severe Mental Disorders and Epilepsy in Uganda, Liberia and Nepal: A Qualitative Study
Published by BMC Psychiatry.
Authors: Rose Kisa, Florence Baingana, Rehema Kajungu, Patrick O. Mangen, Mangesh Angdembe, Wilfred Gwaikolo & Janice Cooper.

March 2015
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in the Face of Ebola in Liberia: The Personal and Professional Intersect. A Personal Account. (PDF)
Published by Intervention Volume 13, No. 1. pp. 45-84.
Author: Janice L. Cooper

Oct. 10, 2014
Adapting the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Model of Police-Mental Health Collaboration in Low-Income, Post-Conflict Country: Curriculum Development in Liberia, West Africa
Published by American Public Health Association.
Authors: Brandon A. Kohrt MD, PhD, Elise Blasingame MSW, Michael T. Compton MD, MPH, Samuel F. Dakana , Benedict Dossen , Frank Lang , Patricia Strode , and Janice Cooper PhD

May 28, 2013
Grand Challenges: Integrating Mental Health Services into Priority Health Care Platforms
Published by PLOS Medicine.
Authors: Vikram Patel, Gary S. Belkin, Arun Chockalingam, Janice Cooper, Shekhar Saxena, & Jürgen Unützer

April 8, 2013
Editor's Choice: Addressing Stigma Through Social Inclusion
Published by American Journal of Public Health, May 2013 edition.
Authors: Rosalynn Carter, David Satcher, and Tony Coelho.
In the past few decades, the mental health community has accomplished much through tenacity. The same dedication that has brought us this far must be applied to decreasing stigma and promoting social inclusion in its place. It will require a devoted, concentrated effort, but we know from past successes that by working together we can achieve great things.

2013
Report on Comparative Study of Community Mental Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Liberia Case Study (PDF)
Published by Italian Raoul Follereau Association (AIFO) and The Carter Center.
Authors: Janice Cooper, Ph.D., MPA and Renato Libanora, Ph.D.

March 5, 2012
Georgia Learning Collaborative Advances Local Integrated Care (note: article begins on page 5)
Published by Mental Health Weekly, Volume 22, Issue 10, 5 March 2012, DOI: 10.1002/mhw.20320.
Author: John Bartlett, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Project Adviser, Primary Care Initiative.
The successful integration of primary care and behavioral health care may sometimes seem unattainable. Only a handful of pioneering organizations have mastered it to date. Yet it's clear that safety net providers, who treat America's most vulnerable populations, would greatly benefit from the long-term cost-savings and enhanced quality of care that integration offers. Georgia is one state trying to build more collaboration between the primary and behavioral care safety net providers.

Feb. 28, 2011
Stigma Research to Build Better Mental Health (PDF)
Published by Global Health, in the Winter 2011.
Author: Rebecca Palpant.
Today, we can map the course of a seizure as it travels across the brain or pinpoint where memories exist in the inner recesses of the mind. We have medicines that are so technically advanced they target specific types of neurons. The genetic and biological causes of some mental illnesses have been identified after decades of research. Despite all of this progress and the tremendous growth in availability of cost-effective treatments, we still know so very little about how to prevent or reduce the stigma against mental illnesses, which can be as damaging to a person's health and well-being as the illness itself.

July 2, 2010
The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
Published by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health, July 2010.
Author: Rebecca Palpant
Shrouded in myth and mystery, mental illnesses are among the most serious, unrecognized, and underreported health problems in the United States-affecting one in four Americans in a given year. In today's information age, there are more opportunities than ever for media outlets and journalists to shape public understanding and attitudes toward mental health, for public good or ill.

June 1, 2010
Commentary on "I don't know how to find my way in the world" : Contributions of User-Led Research to Transforming Mental Health Practice. An Argument for Collaboration in Methods to Help People with Mental Illness
Published by The Guilford Press, Psychiatry. Summer 2010; 73(2) Copyright Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission.
Authors: Jennifer Bornemann and Thomas H. Bornemann.
The consumer movement in America has been evolving over the last 30 years from one primarily focused on advocacy, particularly protection for people served by the mental health system, to a much broader agenda including direct involvement in the public policy arena.

May 28, 2010
Attitudes Toward Mental Illness - 35 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2007
Published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 28, 2010 / 59(20);619-625. This article also appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Associationin the July 14, 2010 issue.
Authors: R Manderscheid, PhD, National Assoc of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors. P Delvecchio, MSW, C Marshall, Center for Mental Health Svcs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Svcs Admin. RG Palpant, MS, J Bigham, TH Bornemann, EdD, Carter Center Mental Health Program. R Kobau, MPH, MAPP, M Zack, MD, G Langmaid, W Thompson, PhD, D Lubar, MSW, Div of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.
This is the first state-specific study of attitudes toward mental illness treatment and empathy toward persons with mental illness. The study sought to assess attitudes related to the course of mental illness (i.e., treatment prognosis and possibility of recovery; and perception of supportive behaviors) that might directly influence seeking treatment or recovery and might reflect stigmatizing attitudes amenable to public health intervention. In the 37 jurisdictions surveyed, most adults believed in the effectiveness of mental illness treatment, but fewer agreed that people are caring and sympathetic toward persons with mental illness. These results have public health implications because adverse attitudes about mental illness can lead to stigmatization of persons with mental illness.

May 19, 2010
Improving Health and Health Care for Persons With Serious Mental Illness: The Window for US Federal Policy Change
Published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (303(19):1972-1973).
Authors: Benjamin G. Druss, M.D., M.P.H, Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D., Director, Carter Center Mental Health Program.
The recent policy interest in morbidity and mortality in persons with serious mental illnesses, coupled with current efforts to reform the US health care system, have created what Kingdon7 called a "policy window": a critical but short-lived opportunity for policy action. Making effective use of that window, however, will require concerted efforts both within and outside of the formal health care system.

Jan. 7, 2008
Addressing the Caregiving Crisis
Published by Preventing Chronic Disease, January 2008 issue  
Author: Rosalynn Carter
This issue of Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) focuses on a set of concerns that is likely to challenge the public's creative spirit and resourcefulness for the next 30 years. Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health. What we are beginning to see is that success in any one of these areas raises new challenges and presents new problems for us to solve in the other areas.

July 1, 2006
Editing and Education: The Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowships (PDF)
Published by Science Editor, July-August 2006, Vol. 29 (4). pg.139.
Authors: Palpant, Rebecca G. and Katie Hawkins.
Mental health issues often do not receive the mass-media attention they deserve. Although mental illnesses are among the most serious and unrecognized health problems in the United States, affecting one fifth of people at some point in their lives, most Americans know little about them. Because of the lack of available information, however, the myths and mystery surrounding mental illnesses persist, perpetuating stigma and discrimination. Editors and reporters have unique opportunities to provide mental health information to the public.

April 1, 2006
The Carter Center Mental Health Program: Addressing the Public Health Crisis in the Field of Mental Health Through Policy Change and Stigma Reduction (PDF)
Published in Preventing Chronic Disease. Vol. 3(2).
Authors: Rebecca G. Palpant, MS, Rachael Steimnitz, Thomas H. Bornemann, EdD, Katie Hawkins.
This article examines the public health crisis in the field of mental health and focuses on The Carter Center Mental Health Program's initiatives, which work to increase public knowledge of and decrease the stigma associated with mental illnesses through their four strategic goals: reducing stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses; achieving equity of mental health care comparable with other health services; advancing early promotion, prevention, and early intervention services for children and their families; and increasing public awareness about mental illnesses and mental health issues.

May 1, 2005
A Survey of Mental Health Leaders One Year After the President's New Freedom Commission Report (Full text no longer available.)
Published by Psychiatric Services. Vol. 56, pgs.605 - 607. 
Authors: Silke A. von Esenwein, Thomas Bornemann, Lei Ellingson, Rebecca Palpant, Lynn Randolph, and Benjamin G. Druss.
As part of the 19th annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, held in 2003, an anonymous online survey of symposium participants was conducted to gain insight into participants' perceptions of the impact on their organizations of the President's New Freedom Commission and its recommendations. The participants were national mental health leaders representing a broad range of mental health agencies and organizations. The results of the survey suggest that the New Freedom Commission has had a substantial impact on the organizations represented at the symposium. Findings on successes and challenges in implementing the recommendations suggest areas for ongoing efforts to transform mental health care.