In the latest article in PLoS Medicine's series proposing the delivery of "packages of care" for mental, neurological and substance-use disorders in low- and middle-income countries, Vivek Benegal and colleagues discuss the treatment of alcohol use disorders in settings where resources are limited. "Packages of care" are combinations of treatments aimed at improving the recognition and management of conditions to achieve optimal outcomes.
Alcohol misuse is responsible for a disproportionately high health burden, accounting for almost 5% of all ill-health and premature death worldwide in 2004. Yet, the treatment and prevention of alcohol use disorders is a low priority in low- and middle-income countries.
The authors report that health care systems in settings where resources are limited currently focus on providing tertiary care services for the treatment of alcohol dependence (where there is often a poor outcome), and exemplify that this focus needs to shift towards the cost-effective strategy of providing brief interventions for the earlier stages of alcohol use disorders.
The PLoS Medicine series on mental, neurological and substance use disorders is accompanied by a related perspective by Vikram Patel and Graham Thornicroft, the Guest Editors of the series.
Funding: No specific funding was received for this piece.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Benegal V, Chand PK, Obot IS (2009) Packages of Care for Alcohol Use Disorders in Low- And Middle-Income Countries. PLoS Med 6(10):e1000170.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000170
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000170
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-06-10-benegal.pdf
CONTACT:
Vivek Benegal
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore
Deaddiction Centre
Hosur Road
Bangalore, Karnataka 560029
India
+91-80 26995360
vbenegal@gmail.com
Related PLoS Medicine Perspective about the series:
Citation: Patel V, Thornicroft G (2009) Packages of Care for Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. PLoS Med 6(10): e1000160. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000160
Funding: No specific funding was received for this piece.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000160
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-06-10-patel.pdf
CONTACTS:
Vikram Patel (based in Goa, India)
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Based at Sangath, Porvorim 403521, Goa, India
Tel: +91 832 241 3527
Email: vikram.patel@lshtm.ac.uk
Graham Thornicroft
Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Tel: +44 207 848 0736
Email: graham.thornicroft@kcl.ac.uk
The series articles are compiled on Speaking of Medicine, the PLoS Medicine blog: http://speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2009/10/12/collection-page-for-new-series-on-mental-health-in-low-and-middle-income-countries/
About PLoS Medicine
PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org
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