The paper by Lempp ( ) published in this issue of together with the companion papers by the same group are invaluable material to make us aware of that part of the world which is still at the margins of our cultural, scientific, ethical and political horizons. This set of papers and the ones which preceded them on this issue inform us about the actual situations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the high potentials for a multifaceted community-based growth of mental health services and the risks that this growth will be slow, not adequately face difficulties and inequalities in access to care, not fight stigma and marginalisation connected to disability deriving from mental health problems. Potentials lay in community characteristics in LMICs, like the presence of volunteer organisations able to work in the community, mutual help experiences, also accumulated in other fields. The picture offered by Lempp . is characterised by service users’ awareness of the meaning of their rights and the extent to which they are deprived of them. Although the practice of service users involvement was unknown, they caught the meaning and the importance very clearly and commented it usefully. Qualitative research is unique in the ability to give us an idea of the potential of individuals and to provide data about something which could not be otherwise addressed, and empirically show what needs are not met and that mental health services can even work against people's dignity and mental health.
展开▼
