Urban Mental Health in Iran: Challenges and Future Directions

In a period of less than five decades, the urban residence has dramatically increased in Iran. Currently more than two thirds of the population live in city dwellings. This rapid urbanization has considerable impact on people’s mental health and psychiatric care. The main strategy of Iran s National Program of Mental Health has been the integration of mental health into the primary health care (PHC) system. Since 1986, expansion of the integration has resulted in great improvements in the provision of mental health services in rural areas but there is some evidence showing that the integration did not reach its objectives in urban areas where most of the country’s population reside. Recently, some initiatives have been made to face the challenge, for example, home care, aftercare services, and community mental health centers. In any future revision of the national program, mental health care in urban areas should take priority and rethinking the strategies to achieve the goals is necessary. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (IJPBS), Volume 3, Number 1, Spring and Summer 2009: 9-14 .