Development and Evaluation of Mental Health Interventions for Common Mental Disorders in Post-conflict Settings

Utilizing a church-based platform for mental health interventions: exploring the role of the clergy and the treatment preference of women with depression

Global Mental Health ◽

10.1017/gmh.2021.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Theddeus Iheanacho ◽

Ujunwa Callista Nduanya ◽

Samantha Slinkard ◽

Amaka Grace Ogidi ◽

Dina Patel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Treatment Preference ◽

Treatment Preferences ◽

Health Seeking ◽

Access To Treatment ◽

Mental Health Interventions

Abstract Background Training lay people to deliver mental health interventions in the community can be an effective strategy to mitigate mental health manpower shortages in low- and middle-income countries. The healthy beginning initiative (HBI) is a congregation-based platform that uses this approach to train church-based lay health advisors to conduct mental health screening in community churches and link people to care. This paper explores the potential for a clergy-delivered therapy for mental disorders on the HBI platform and identifies the treatment preferences of women diagnosed with depression. Methods We conducted focus group discussion and free-listing exercise with 13 catholic clergy in churches that participated in HBI in Enugu, Nigeria. These exercises, guided by the positive, existential, or negative (PEN-3) cultural model, explored their role in HBI, their beliefs about mental disorders, and their willingness to be trained to deliver therapy for mental disorders. We surveyed women diagnosed with depression in the same environment to understand their health-seeking behavior and treatment preferences. The development of the survey was guided by the health belief model. Results The clergy valued their role in HBI, expressed understanding of the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual model of mental disorders, and were willing to be trained to provide therapy for depression. Majority of the women surveyed preferred to receive therapy from trained clergy (92.9%), followed by a psychiatrist (89.3%), and psychologist (85.7%). Conclusion These findings support a potential clergy-focused, faith-informed adaptation of therapy for common mental disorders anchored in community churches to increase access to treatment in a resource-limited setting.

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School and Community - based Youth Mental Health Intervention Studies in India: A Scoping Review

INDIAN JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROSCIENCES ◽

10.32746/10.32746/ijmhns.2019.v2.i2.20 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (02) ◽

pp. 14-22

Author(s):

Ragaviveka Gopalan ◽

C Sangeetha ◽

P Ramakrishnan ◽

Vijaya Raghavan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Youth Mental Health ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Community Based Interventions ◽

Community Based ◽

School Based ◽

School And Community ◽

Mental Health Interventions

BACKGROUND About 70% of mental disorders emerge in late childhood and young peo-ple bear the burden of these disorders throughout life. Yet, to date there has been com-paratively little research on mental health interventions for young people in India and not many attempts have been made to collate the existing literature. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available evidence on school- and community-based mental health interventions for young people in India. METHODS A range of major electronic databases were searched systematically, and the abstracts of relevant papers were independently examined for possible inclusion. Selected papers were read in full text and a standardized set of data items were extracted. RESULTS Four papers met inclusion criteria for the analysis; two studies of school-based interventions for adolescents and two studies evaluating out-of-school community interventions for youth were reviewed. The quality of evidence from the interventions in Indian school and community settings were poor. While two studies evidence the effectiveness of a school-based life skills programme and a community based multicomponent intervention designed to promote youth health, two other studies do not offer sufficient data. CONCLUSION The review findings indicate that the number of interventional studies conducted in India to address youth mental health issues are very limited. Hence, it is extremely difficult to ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of school and community-based interventions in India. Further research is warranted to establish whether interventions promoting youth mental health people can be implemented effectively in Indian settings with positive mental health outcomes. Given the possibility of a huge population of young people at-risk or experiencing mental disorders, evidence for the efficacy of youth mental health interventions is crucial.

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School and Community - based Youth Mental Health Intervention Studies in India: A Scoping Review

INDIAN JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROSCIENCES ◽

10.32746/ijmhns.2019.v2.i2.20 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (02) ◽

pp. 14-22

Author(s):

Ragaviveka Gopalan ◽

C Sangeetha ◽

P Ramakrishnan ◽

Vijaya Raghavan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Youth Mental Health ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Community Based Interventions ◽

Community Based ◽

School Based ◽

School And Community ◽

Mental Health Interventions

BACKGROUND About 70% of mental disorders emerge in late childhood and young peo-ple bear the burden of these disorders throughout life. Yet, to date there has been com-paratively little research on mental health interventions for young people in India and not many attempts have been made to collate the existing literature. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available evidence on school- and community-based mental health interventions for young people in India. METHODS A range of major electronic databases were searched systematically, and the abstracts of relevant papers were independently examined for possible inclusion. Selected papers were read in full text and a standardized set of data items were extracted. RESULTS Four papers met inclusion criteria for the analysis; two studies of school-based interventions for adolescents and two studies evaluating out-of-school community interventions for youth were reviewed. The quality of evidence from the interventions in Indian school and community settings were poor. While two studies evidence the effectiveness of a school-based life skills programme and a community based multicomponent intervention designed to promote youth health, two other studies do not offer sufficient data. CONCLUSION The review findings indicate that the number of interventional studies conducted in India to address youth mental health issues are very limited. Hence, it is extremely difficult to ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of school and community-based interventions in India. Further research is warranted to establish whether interventions promoting youth mental health people can be implemented effectively in Indian settings with positive mental health outcomes. Given the possibility of a huge population of young people at-risk or experiencing mental disorders, evidence for the efficacy of youth mental health interventions is crucial.

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Dissemination and implementation of evidence based, mental health interventions in post conflict, low resource settings

Intervention ◽

10.1097/wtf.0000000000000070 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 94-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Laura K. Murray ◽

Wietse Tol ◽

Mark Jordans ◽

Goran Sabir ◽

Ahmed Mohammed Amin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Dissemination And Implementation ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Low Resource Settings ◽

Low Resource ◽

Post Conflict ◽

Mental Health Interventions

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Systematic review of the evidence base for treatment of common mental disorders in South Africa

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0081246317704126 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 32-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Debra Kaminer ◽

Michael Owen ◽

Byron Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

South African ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Mental Health Interventions ◽

Low And Middle Income

The scarcity of mental health resources in low- and middle-income countries requires the identification of effective interventions that can be taken to scale in a cost-efficient manner. Yet the evidence base for treatment of common mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. As one of the better resourced countries on the African continent, South Africa could potentially play a leading role in developing an African evidence base for mental health care. This study sought to describe and evaluate the South African evidence base for treating common mental disorders. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials for depression, substance use, and anxiety in the adult South African population from 2000 to mid-2015 was conducted. Eligible studies were assessed for their consistency with recommendations for mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and for methodological and reporting rigour. A total of 16 RCTs satisfied the inclusion criteria, of which 8 targeted depression, 6 targeted substance use, and 2 targeted anxiety symptoms. There has been a strong trend towards alignment with prevailing recommendations for delivery of mental health interventions in resource-scarce regions. While there are some promising findings with regard to effectiveness of specific interventions, replication, costing, and dissemination studies are still required and there is still an urgent need for treatment studies for anxiety disorders, which are the most common class of common mental disorder in South Africa. The review also indicates that research design and reporting practices in South African mental health intervention research could be enhanced and recommendations towards this are suggested.

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