Mental health, harm reduction, and hepatitis
Leading healthcare professionals and advocates met at INSHU on Thursday 10 October, 2024 to discuss how to better design and deliver services that take a holistic approach to physical and mental health and why addressing these together is critical to hepatitis elimination.
The forum was held on World Mental Health Day and was an important opportunity to recognise that people living with severe mental illness have an increased prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in comparison to the general population and so screening in mental health care settings, both inpatient and community care, is an important part of a comprehensive hepatitis elimination response.
Dr Jordan Feld
Professor of Medicine,
Director, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease
Rachel Halford
President, World Hepatitis Alliance
Ashley Brown
Consultant Hepatologist & Professor of Practice, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
In the fight against hepatitis C, equitable access to treatment is essential.
‘By failing to treat patients, we are letting them down’
Although it can be challenging, it is important to integrate mental health services with hepatitis testing and treatment. The speakers reflected on the work they have done within their local settings to test and treat people accessing mental health care for hepatitis. The discussions highlighted the importance of getting the commitment of healthcare professionals working across disciplines, especially in hospital mental health units, and ensuring all healthcare professionals are taking a holistic approach to looking after physical health and mental health in parallel
One barrier to care that was discussed was consent for patients who are in secure mental health units. It was highlighted that this is an area where a multi-disciplinary team can help to increase patient knowledge and build trust but that there may be a need to work with substitute decision makers when patients lack the capacity to consent. In this circumstance, it is the responsibility of the health care professional to balance the benefit and risk, but for treatment of hepatitis C, there is almost no risk, and there is significant benefit as it has the potential to improve an individuals’ mental health and also protect their liver from ongoing damage.
It was highlighted that peer led models, which have been effective in hepatitis C treatment, can also been used in mental health services. People with lived experience are better equipped to support people with their diagnosis and expanding the peer involvement in secure units and community settings can help drive testing and treatment of hepatitis.
We all have a role to play in ensuring that people living with hepatitis C under mental health services have access to testing and treatment and we need to advocate and raise awareness for this within local mental health facilities.
This is just the start of our work on hepatitis and mental health. If you would like to get involved with this work, please contact us at projects.team@worldhepatitisalliance.org
This forum is organised by World Hepatitis Alliance with support from AbbVie
