From gender-specific to gender-sensitive mental health care services : Bridging a service gap

Abstract

When examining mental health care (MHC)service provisions, gender is conceptualizedas a susceptibility, access, uptake, and outcomeinfluencer. It appears to run as a fault line toimpact even other determinants of mentalill-health such as social position, income,employment, access to resources, andeducation. Service delivery models, whenspecializing, cater to specific sub populationsthat may be socially, demographically, or evengeographically defined. They attempt toeschew gender biases while emphasizinggender sensitivity. However, the provision ofspecialized services has been emphasizedonly for one gender. Current MHC services,including substance use care, psychosexualhealth clinics general adult psychosisservices, may appear gender-equal in nothaving gender specificity. While there is nostated specificity in existing special clinics forany gender, parity in the sensitivity genderbasednuances may not be forthcoming.However, in recent times, gender-basedadvocacy efforts have focused on theprovision of specialized women’s MHCservices and specific issues faced by them.This, while improving access and servicegaps for women, has not addressed similargaps for other genders across the genderspectrum. However, such specializationscome at a cost of taking away aspects of careprovision, especially in resource-constrainedsettings. Equity for age groups in mentalhealthcare service delivery may be bestachieved with developing care services forindividuals across the age spectrum- old agepsychiatry services are required as much aschild and adolescent or young adultpsychiatric services. When gender isexamined similarly, we do not see parity inservices for other genders. Considering theforthcoming Mental Health Month(November) and International Men's Day(November 19), we write to emphasize thissignificant service gap.