Mental Health

Internally displaced persons(IDPs) are among the most vulnerable people in the world suffering from mental health disorders. Due to the menace of Boko Haram terrorism, over 2 million people have been displaced in Nigeria triggering a tsunami of mental health conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) to suicidal tendencies. Evidence has shown that the risks of substance use, depression, and PTSD are about two, four, and five times greater respectively among IDPs than in others.

An alarming rate of 13% of Rwandans ages 12-17 report suicidal ideation or behavior within the last 6 months; 20% among those have HIV. One in four youth meet the diagnostic criteria for depression. Mental health awareness and literacy are low among Rwandan youth, and there is reported societal shame in seeking help. Our innovation, co-designed with youth, addresses mental health stigma among Rwandan youth and improves knowledge and self-efficacy to access supportive services.

Mental health literacy (MHL) of the youth in LMIC is low and enhancing the MHL of the vulnerable youth in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in India is especially a challenge. The youth in the JJS do not have access to positive mental health and there is a significant lack of knowledge about mental health issues among the providers caring for them in the facilities. The access to mental health care is limited within these facilities and there is stigma about mental health and poor help seeking.

Our innovation addresses refugee youth mental health in urban humanitarian settings. Our research with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda, found that 74% of young girls and 49% of young boys aged 16-24 reported depression symptoms. Knowledge gaps with refugee youth mental health include a) scalable, sustainable mental health literacy tools; b) digital tools; and c) stigma reduction. We address mental health literacy with urban refugee youth living in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda.

India accounts for a third of suicides globally and it is the leading cause of death among older adolescents in India. The State of Chhattisgarh, with 30.62% indigenous tribal population has the 2nd highest suicide rate in India with a 0.2% probability of meeting SDG 3.4 target of one-third reduction in suicides by 2030. 76% of Chhattisgarh’s adolescents (15-19 years) live in rural areas with very poor access to psychosocial services. There are no suicide prevention programs in Chhattisgarh.

Mental health problems affect 10–20% of children and young people (CYP) worldwide; 90% live in low-middle income countries (Kieling, C., et al., 2011). Evidence shows life-long risk factors associated with institutionalization, including violence, abuse and neglect, all of which heightens mental health issues. CYP with experience of institutional care are more likely to face serious barriers to access services: a recent study shows 35% CYP received no support once they left care (UCL, 2019).

In Lebanon, approximately 20% of youth experience emotional distress and negative coping. Many of these children live in remote informal tented settlements, making integration into mainstream communities challenging. Children face financial constraints, child labor, early marriage, limited mobility, security threats, discrimination and a lack of social support.

The mental health situation of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon is critical. The Ministry of Health affirms the suicide rate in the indigenous department of Vaupés (12,2), is twice the national rate (5,07). This results from structural factors: historical trauma, loss of territory, violence, discrimination, economic precariousness and the breakdown of political, religious and social institutions. Youth migration into cities has led to acculturation, generating ruptures with cultural roots.

The study is aimed at developing tool that will act as an Expert Support System for mental health professionals. The approach is to equip mental health care with the power of 5 Ps (Personalized, Precision, Proactive, Patient Centric, Preventive, and Participatory and Predictive). The strong relation between emotional stress and clinical depression has been well established through long research where stress is an important factor leading to depression onset.

StrongMinds treats depression in women in Uganda through a community-based talk therapy model based on group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G). IPT-G emphasizes interpersonal relationships as the root of, and source of recovery from, depression.