COVID-19 and its prevention in internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Somalia: impact on livelihood, food security and mental health.

Background: Somalia has over 2.6 million internally displaced people (IDP) that depend on daily wages and humanitarian assistance for their livelihoods. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods, food security and mental health of Somalia's IDPs.

Effects of the Global Ecological Crisis on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An International Perspective.

Climate change has become a global emergency, which mental health effects are increasingly being described and understood. Children and adolescents, especially those in low income countries and minority communities, are particularly vulnerable to experience the worst impacts of climate change now and in the coming decades. Our group of early career mental health clinicians and researchers in nine culturally and socioeconomic different countries across three continents initiated a global, online discussion about the effects of climate change on the mental health of children and adolescents, based on literature and our professional experience.

Teaching psychiatry in a low-income country during the COVID-19 pandemic: A hybrid collaborative psychiatry course.

Amoud University in Borama is located in the self-declared state of Somaliland, in the Horn of Africa. Past conflicts and resulting economic hardship have led to a lack of local academic psychiatry faculty and resources. Amoud has been for some years partnering with voluntary faculty in the United Kingdom to teach psychiatry to its medical students through in-person "teaching missions.

How to overcome barriers to publication in low- and middle-income countries: Recommendations from early career psychiatrists and researchers from around the world.

There is an increasing movement toward international collaboration and global discussion in mental health. If provided with the right opportunities, early career psychiatrists (ECPs) and researchers in mental health can contribute meaningfully to this discussion. However, they often experience multiple barriers when attempting to add their voices via academic publications.

Current state of cannabis use, policies, and research across sixteen countries: cross-country comparisons and international perspectives.

Introduction: Varying public views on cannabis use across countries may explain the variation in the prevalence of use, policies, and research in individual countries, and global regulation of cannabis. This paper aims to describe the current state of cannabis use, policies, and research across sixteen countries.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies published from 2010 to 2020.

Scaling Up Global Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

Every health care system requires an adequate health care workforce, service delivery, financial support, and information technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health systems were ill prepared to address the rising prevalence of mental health problems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), thereby increasing treatment gaps. To close these gaps globally, task shifting and telepsychiatry should be made available and maximized, particularly in LMICs.

Reflective practice and transcultural psychiatry peer e-learning between Somaliland and the UK: a qualitative evaluation.

Background: Reflective practice is a key skill for healthcare professionals. E-learning programmes have the potential to develop reflective practice in remote settings and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where access to in-person reflective groups may be reduced. 'Aqoon' is a global mental health peer-to-peer e-learning programme between Somaliland and UK medical students.

Gender equality in the global health workplace: learning from a Somaliland-UK paired institutional partnership.

Worldwide recognition of gender inequality and discrimination following the #MeToo movement has been slow to reach the field of global health. Although international institutions have begun to address gender, the perspectives of front-line global health workers remain largely undocumented, especially in regions not captured by large-scale surveys. Long-term collaborative relationships between clinicians and educators participating in paired institutional partnerships can foster cross-cultural dialogue about potentially sensitive subjects.

Prioritization in Somali health system strengthening: a qualitative study.

Background: After years of decline and disintegration, the Somalia Federal Government alongside international and domestic partners is beginning the process of rebuilding its national health system. In this study, we aim to shed light on the current approaches to health system strengthening, as viewed by stakeholders closely involved in its development.

Methods: Key informant interviews were undertaken with health and development professionals working within all three administrative regions of Somalia, as well as with Somali ministry of health officials, global health and policy specialists with interests in health system reconstruction in fragile states.

A novel prison mental health in-reach service in Somaliland: a model for low-income countries?

Prison in-reach mental health services are reasonably well developed in advanced economies, but virtually nonexistent in low- and middle-income countries. We describe the development of a small prison in-reach project in Somaliland, a self-declared independent state which has experienced conflict and poverty in equal measure. After careful planning and cooperation with local agencies, the service provides sessional input to a regional prison, including assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychiatric conditions.

Diffusion of e-health innovations in 'post-conflict' settings: a qualitative study on the personal experiences of health workers.

Background: Technological innovations have the potential to strengthen human resources for health and improve access and quality of care in challenging 'post-conflict' contexts. However, analyses on the adoption of technology for health (that is, 'e-health') and whether and how e-health can strengthen a health workforce in these settings have been limited so far. This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected post-conflict situations.