Mental health

Mental health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to their community.” Most people struggle with their mental health from time to time, whether it’s brought on by stress from work, financial issues or relationship strain. Furthermore, mental health is a component that is present to some extent in all other NCDs. As chronic diseases, they often produce anxiety or depression in patients, that need to be addressed as part of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to NCD management. Pharmacists can contribute to the prevention, care and management of mental health conditions and the stigma associated with them, by supporting patients through different roles, including:

  • Health promotion and education
  • Prevention of addictions, substance use disorder, overdose prevention
  • Early detection
  • Triage and referral
  • Mental health first aid
  • Treatment optimisation
  • Helping to shape public policies
  • Interprofessional collaborative practice
  • Research

Pharmacists have shown that they are valuable assets in providing evidence-based advice to patients, supporting digital advances in information and technologies that enable the management of mental health conditions, and be a valuable member of the healthcare team in the prevention, care and management of these conditions.

Publications

Mental health care: A handbook for pharmacists (2022)

This handbook, developed in collaboration with an international group of experts, aims to support pharmacy practice, presenting the many potential mental health care actions that pharmacists can perform, from preventing mental illness and screening for signs to optimising medication and responding to mental health crises.
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Knowledge and skills reference guide for professional development in mental health care (2022)

This guide, which is a companion to the FIP mental health care handbook for pharmacists intends to provide an overview of the knowledge and skills needed for pharmacists to deliver mental health services and care

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精神健康全程管理: 药师手册 (2022)

这本手册是与国际专家组合作编写的,旨在支持药学实践,介绍药剂师可以采取的许多潜在的精神卫生保健行动,从预防精神疾病和症状筛查到优化药物治疗和应对精神健康危机。

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精神健康全程管理中药师专业发展的知识和技能参考指南 (2022)

本指南是 FIP 《药剂师心理保健手册》的配套指南,旨在概述药剂师提供心理保健服务和护理所需的知识和技能。

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The complex, multidimensional nature of academic resilience

Professor Paul Gallagher is Deputy Head-Clinical at the Department of Pharmacy of the National University of Singapore, Member of the FIP Academic Institutional Membership (AIM) Committee, and Member of the of the FIP Global Pharmaceutical Observatory Commission.

For some time, Goh Joo Hin, a company from here in Singapore, used the faces of top students to publicise New Moon Essence of Chicken, a concoction used as a study supplement. The advertisements were seen everywhere, from newspapers to bus stops. Now, it is reported, that the company may have to look elsewhere for its models. Shortly before the release of primary school graduation examination results in December, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said it would stop releasing the names of top-performing students in a move to curb stress on students. This move is welcome but the question that appears not to have been asked is how can MoE support teachers to be more resilient in working in such stressful environments?

Modest attention, indeed, has been paid to academic resilience not only here in Singapore but also internationally.  From scholarly work to policy documents, academic resilience appears underrepresented and undervalued. It is only more recently during COVID-19 that academics’ perceptions of ‘a resilient employee’ in higher education gained ground. But what is a resilient academic? In a recently published study1, resilient academics are viewed as being flexible, adaptable, emotionally-resilient, collaborative, empathetic, and open-minded. They are perceived as quick responders, digitally literate, organized, prepared, and creative thinkers. Given that such resilient academics are instrumental to the quality of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education how then should be support our academics to be resilient? Cognisant of the importance of the question, the Academic Institutional Membership recently (January 24th, 2022) undertook a much welcome digital webinar entitled “Mental health and resilience in higher education: Cultivating and sustaining wellbeing in academics”. If you haven’t been able to join the webinar, you may click here and see the webinar under the events/webinars tab.

This webinar, introduced by Dean Pierre Moreau (Chair AIM), had three expert pharmacist academic speakers-(Dr.) Betty Exintaris (Monash University), (Dr.) Illkay Alp Yildirim (Istanbul University) and (Provost) Neil MacKinnon (Augusta University, USA). It was quickly evident from her talk that Dr. Yildirim was an exemplar resilient academic as she employed the novel technique of bi-directional feedback to effectively reduce the stress of her pharmacology students and her own stress. Dr. Exintaris reminded us early in her talk that “that we should not be thinking of resilience as an inherent personal trait but both internal factors and external resources can help individuals to manage difficulties and to bounce back and thrive”. Dr Exinataris elaborated to provide practical examples of not only individual responses to being more resilient during the pandemic (e.g. daily coffee meetings with a colleague to agree what the actions to the pandemic might be on a daily basis) but also a Monash university wide grass roots  movement  (Her Research Matters) to support early career female academics, and the establishment of a pharmacy workforce support network (GRiT). Provost Mac Kinnon re-emphasised this multidimensional multilevel understanding of resilience by providing us with ten strategies which varied between individual responsibilities (Strategy 1: Be proactive about your mental health), institutional initiatives (Strategy 4: Counter social isolation e.g. creation of affinity groups within the University) and wider higher education system ecosystem actions  (Strategy 6: Approach external events differently).

Coming away from this webinar I had a practical and valuable understanding of academic resilience as “the dynamic process and interaction between an academic and their everchanging environment that uses available internal and external resources to produce positive outcomes in response to different contextual, environmental, and developmental challenges”2. This emerging definition of academic resilience, which the Seminar embodied, synthesizes both individual and environmental factors whilst prioritizing protective factors. In many ways this definition of academic resilience brings us back to the old meaning of a university as a not being a collection of individuals but a community of scholars who watch out and care for each other and take protective measures to ensure our collective well-being.

1: Dohaney, J., de Roiste, M., Salmon, R.A., & Sutherland, K. (2020). Benefits, barriers, and incentives for improved resilience to disruption in university teaching. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 50, 4.

2 Elizer Jay de los Reyes, Joanne Blannin, Caroline Cohrssen & Marian Mahat (2022) Resilience of higher education academics in the time of 21st century pandemics: a narrative review, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44:1, 39-56

Please contact aim@fip.org if you have any comments or questions.

 

Beating non-communicable diseases in the community: The contribution of pharmacists (2019)

This reference paper provides global evidence to advocate, nationally and internationally, for an expanded role for pharmacists in NCD management by compiling best practices and examples. It also encourages pharmacists around the world to act upon NCDs.

Spanish | French | Turkish

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The role of pharmacists in non-communicable diseases (2019)

This FIP statement of policy renews the commitment of the profession to the optimal prevention, detection and care of patients living with NCDs. It replaces the 2006 FIP Policy Statement on the role of the pharmacist in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Spanish | French | Turkish

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Focus on mental health: The contribution of the pharmacist (2015)

This briefing document presents different activities for mental health promotion and mental illness prevention and care pharmacists are involved in.

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Events/Webinars

Stress management in pharmacy teams

October 10, 2024

Work-related stress elicits a variety of physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses resulting from the demands of job content, organisation and environment. Pharmacy professionals often experience tension, distress and feelings of being overwhelmed as a result of such stressors. Given the negative impact of stress on health, safety and productivity, proactive stress management is essential for pharmacy teams. At this event, we explored tailored stress management techniques that enhance the well-being of professionals and their ability to provide optimal patient care. By prioritising mental health, pharmacy teams can promote resilience and a thriving working environment.

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The role of pharmacists in the prevention and management of stress

April 4, 2023

Stress is defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological tension, and it has been dubbed as “the health epidemic of the 21st century” by the World Health Organization. Stress is the body’s response to any situation that requires attention or action, and everybody experiences some level of stress. However, high levels of stress may lead to various physical, mental, and emotional symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches, fatigue, sleep disorders, irritability, increased heart rate, and difficulty in breathing. Chronic stress is also a risk factor for the development or exacerbations of non-communicable diseases. Pharmacists have an important role in helping people prevent and manage stress though pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches.

Moderator:
– Filipa Alves da Costa, Assistant Professor Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon – Portugal

Panellists:
– Carole Spiers, Chair International Stress Management Association – UK
– Hahn, Martina, Clinical pharmacist University hospital Frankfurt and Department of mental health, varisano hospital Frankfurt Hoechst – Germany
– Ricardo Cintra, Clinical Phycologist Farmácia Moreira Barata, Lda – Portugal

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Transforming pharmacy practice for improved care and management of mental health illnesses

July 7, 2022

The importance of good mental health and wellbeing has gained attention over the last decade due to an increased burden of disability and loss of quality of life associated with mental health conditions. Pharmacists have a significant role in the support and management of persons with mental health illnesses and in reducing the commonly associated stigma. FIP has developed a new handbook to support pharmacists and their organisations in providing a range of mental health-related services. In addition, the handbook will be accompanied by the knowledge and skills (K&S) reference guide in mental health which identifies the K&S that pharmacists require for the provision of such services, thus offering guidance to pharmacists, academic institutions and CPD providers. Both publications will be launched at this event and they are part of the FIP Practice Transformation Programme on Non-Communicable Diseases.

Attendees will learn about:

  1. The role of pharmacists in the prevention, identification, care and management of mental health illnesses;
  2. Challenges and opportunities for pharmacists in addressing mental health illnesses;
  3. The knowledge and skills pharmacists need to acquire to support their role in mental health.

Moderator:
– Inês Nunes da Cunha, FIP Practice Development and Transformation Projects Manager, Portugal

Panelsits:
– Claire O’Reilly, Senior Lecturer School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia
– Sarira El-Den, Senior Lecturer The University of Sydney School of Pharmacy, Australia
– Jiahui (Jeff) Dong, PharmD Candidate The University of North Carolina, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, United States
– Dalia Bajis, FIP Lead for provision and partnerships, Australia

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Mental health and resilience in higher education: Cultivating and sustaining wellbeing of the academics

January 24, 2022

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. And FIP AIM will be celebrating this special day with a webinar on mental health and wellbeing for academics.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic had led to considerable impact on our physical and mental wellbeing, mental health has become the ‘shadow pandemic’. At this webinar, cultivating mental health and resilience for academics will be highlighted and academic strategies for will be discussed to emphasize the benefits of improved mental health and wellbeing in achieving a better work-life integration.

The participants who join the webinar will;
1. Discover the importance of fostering academic resilience for mental health and wellbeing during unprecedented times and beyond,
2. Address the necessary reasons to raise mental health awareness among academics for students and workplace,
3. Identify institutional strategies in supporting mental health and wellbeing of academic staff and students,
4. Optimize mental health for academic performance in higher education.

Chairs:
-Pierre Moreau, Dean FIP, Kuwait University, Kuwait
-Toyin Tofade, Dean Howard University College of Pharmacy, USA
-Mohamad Rahal, Dean Lebanese International University, Lebanon

Panelists;
-Neil MacKinnon, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Augusta University, USA
-Betty Exintaris, Senior Lecturer, Monash University, Australia
-Fatos Ilkay Alp Yıldırım, Associate professor Istanbul University, School of Pharmacy, Turkey

Facilitators:
-Nilhan Uzman, FIP Lead for education policy and implementation FIP, The Netherlands
-Ozge Ozer, FIP Educational Partnership Coordinator, Turkey

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Pharmacist-led mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

October 5, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing mental health crisis. People have reportedly been affected by worry, anxiety and fear due to the pandemic. This has placed a huge strain on health systems and their ability to deliver mental health care. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers and consistently rank among the most trusted health professionals. Hence, they can play an important role in the provision of mental health services to the public, thereby helping improve health outcomes and ameliorate the impact on health systems. This webinar explores the different services offered by pharmacists to improve mental health in an era of COVID-19 and beyond.

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Suicide prevention, burnout and pandemics: Supporting pharmacists’ mental health and wellbeing

September 10, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on healthcare professionals and in diverse ways including physically, mentally, socially, and financially. The new and unique challenges directly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating an already stressful work environment for pharmacists too. Pharmacists are reporting high level of stress and burnout in practice. Hence, there is an urgent need for pharmacists to be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and resources to cope and thrive in crises. This webinar provides perspectives from research and practice on the impact of workplace burnout on pharmacist mental health and highlight evidence-based supportive mechanisms and prevention tools to improve the mental health and wellbeing.  

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Hearing from our heroes: Mental health and resilience of the workforce

May 6, 2020

This webinar discusses why and how the mental health of the pharmacy workforce needs to be prioritised and how building resilience is key. This event is the seventh webinar in the responding to the pandemic together series and the second in the hearing from our heroes episode.

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International Diabetes Federation (IDF)

FIP and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) collaborated in developing the resources on the FIP Practice Transformation Programme on Diabetes, and on several online events.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of over 240 national diabetes associations in 168 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. IDF’s mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. IDF is engaged in action to tackle diabetes from the local to the global level ― from programmes at community level to worldwide awareness and advocacy initiatives.

The Federation’s activities aim to influence policy, increase public awareness and encourage health improvement, promote the exchange of high-quality information about diabetes, and provide education for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers. IDF is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations and is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Website: www.ifd.org