Mental health care in Lebanon: policy, plans and programmes

Lebanon is a developing country marred by several years of civil war and continuing political, social and economic instability. It has no mental health policy or plan. Through literature reviews, surveillance of current mental health services and interviews with primary care physicians and officials at the Ministry of Public Health and World Health Organization, we identified several barriers to the optimal delivery of mental health services in Lebanon. These include government-, physician-, and patient-related factors. New initiatives are necessary at several levels, particularly in the primary care setting. These are outlined in light of the 2001 WHO recommendations on mental health services.