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The authors describe community mental health in Palestine from several vantage points: Palestine's historical and current context of military/political violence under Israeli occupation, its health care system and system of mental health care, and the status of its mental health staffing and training. Vignettes illustrate characteristic challenges and opportunities for Palestine within the domain of mental health. The roles of cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoanalytic thinking are discussed in terms of current practice, with an eye toward policy planning for a fully integrated model of health care delivery. The authors argue that the values of justice, freedom, and human rights are fundamental to well‐being, and that the theory and practice of community mental health must support active resistance to violation of these principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on episodes in which five professional mental health organizations—for the most part associations for psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy—have covertly tried to silence members who bring attention to the issue of human rights abuses inflicted by the Israeli occupation of Palestine. These various vignettes illustrate how the leadership of these organizations systematically attempts to limit the activism of their members, even in their "free time," and to forbid the introduction of discussion of Israel/Palestine into their newsletters, meetings, chatrooms, and other organizational venues—despite the fact that these organizations profess their commitment to exploring themes of social justice and to the principle of open dialogue. Implications and recommendations are discussed, particularly the practical need for transparency on the part of our organizations and the intellectual need for a more complete theoretical understanding of the roles of history, ideology, and collective meaning within mental life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]