title: Mental health in the island nations of the Western Pacific: a rapid review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to identify mental-health-relevant literature accessible to policy makers and healthcare workers in the island nations of the Western Pacific.
  
  
  METHODS
  Material collated to support the inaugural Leadership in Mental Health: Island Nations course held in Cairns in May 2015 was used as the basis of a "rapid review".
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rapid review considered 303 documents identified by a search carried out using James Cook University's OneSearch, Google Scholar, and the authors' knowledge. Search terms included mental health and the like, and terms with Pacific and current Pacific island country names. Findings were classified by region/country, year of release/publication, mental health issue addressed, peer-reviewed or grey literature, and type of study. Almost half of the findings had been released in the previous five years. However, only 36% were peer-reviewed publications and only 3.6% of the findings were intervention studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is limited easily accessible documentation to confidently direct practice or policies regarding which strategies are likely to be effective in responding to the high rates of mental ill-health experienced in the Pacific island nations, or to plan for increases as a consequence of rapid social and demographic changes that are transforming Pacific island societies.
authors.affiliation: Regional Psychiatrist, Queensland Health, Australia; Adjunct Professor, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia ernest.hunter@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Clinician, Evolve Behaviour Support Services, Department of Communities (Disability Services); Adjunct Researcher, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Sneha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thusanth
authors.affiliation: Senior Research Officer, The Cairns Institute, College of Arts, Society and Education and College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Janya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCalman
authors.affiliation: Course Coordinator, Social Work and Human Services, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Narayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gopalkrishnan
mesh_terms: D001634:Bibliographies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D010139:Pacific Islands
keywords: global mental health; island nations; western Pacific