This meeting was held November 4 - 6, 2008 in Saint Lucia.  The expected result was to develop a mental health information system which is integrated into the health information system developed for each country.

A Mental Health Information System (MHIS) is a system for collecting, processing, analyzing, disseminating and using information about a mental health service and the mental health needs of the population it serves. The aims of the MHIS are to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the mental health service and to ensure equitable delivery by enabling managers and service providers to make informed decisions for improving the quality of care. In short, a MHIS is a system for action: it exists not simply for the purpose of gathering data, but also for enabling decision-making in all aspects of the mental health system.

Workshop Objectives

• To establish the minimum requirements that a mental health information system should have in order to answer to the decision-making needs of the mental health system.

• To develop core indicators for the mental health information system of every country.

• To develop specific indicators for the mental health information system of each country.

• To present the methodology of the World Health Organizations’ Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems.