Mental Health

This project will prepare a trial of low-cost, enhanced primary healthcare services in Vietnam for depression, a common condition in the country.  The goal is a scalable program to train primary healthcare providers in mental healthcare delivery.

The aim of this project is to set up programs facilitating diagnosis and therapy for people with dementia by local communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. We will work with governmental and non-governmental organizations and local businesses to initiate programs that raise awareness about dementia and to rehabilitate people with dementia in the community. We will seek to improve quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers.

Transitioning Mental Health Interventions for War-Affected Youth to Scale through Youth Employment Programs in Sierra Leone: A Learning Collaborative Approach

Mental health services are virtually non-existent for Ethiopia children, up to 23% of whom have disorders. Over 72 weeks, this project will train teachers and parents of 5,000 children from disadvantaged homes in the Addis Ababa region in the prevention, early detection and management of mental and behavioural problems, leading to better emotional/behavioural, social and academic functioning in children, and relieving family stress.  The project will collect information to help identify cases in need of referral and will create groups to support the generation of income by mothers.

In low-income countries, children with developmental disorders (such as intellectual disability and autism) are neglected because of stigma attached to such disorders, lack of awareness in families, and a dearth of specialist facilities. This project aims to organize, train and empower family members, so they can work together, and alongside primary health care, specialist and voluntary agencies to improve the lives of such children.

Over 80 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders live in low-and middle-income countries, posing challenges for the local health systems. Not addressing autism at a young age has a profound influence on development into adulthood and results in a high economic cost, exceeding the lifetime costs of asthma, intellectual disability and diabetes. India has about five million children with autism but, outside major cities, there are no services for diagnosis or community-based care available, due to low awareness and a shortage of mental health specialists.

The Friendship Bench Project is a task shifting mental health intervention delivered by lay health workers trained in screening and identification of common mental disorders. Supported by technological platforms such as ‘smart phones’ it has the potential of reaching out to millions of people needing public health services.

Depression is the most frequently encountered mental health disorder in Pakistan. Due to the stigma associated with mental health diseases, those who suffer often remain undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or untreated. There is an urgency to develop new interventions to increase early detection and treatment of mental illness, especially in the case of disease co-morbidity.

In Guatemala, an estimated 28% of the population can anticipate a mental disorder in their lifetime, with women of childbearing age, showing the highest rates of depression and anxiety, especially those living in indigenous areas and poor urban settings.  The problems are due in large part to economic hardship and family troubles.  Community health workers will be trained to identify troubled women and support groups will be created to help women to meet specific needs including food and shelter, integrating mental health into existing, though limited, health programs in marginali

To address particularly high rates of depression among women in Pakistan, and the impact it has on the psycho-social development of young children and child mortality, a participatory, community-based intervention called “Learning Through Play Plus” promotes mother-infant play, providing stimulation and support for the infant.  It can be used by non-specialists, including mothers and lay health workers with minimal training in low-resource countries. The project will document the program for potential scale-up.