Educational Program

Alcohol-use disorders are the second leading cause of global mental health-related burden of disease. Alcohol Dependence (AD) often leads to violence, domestic abuse, stigma, reduced productivity, job loss, social isolation and healthcare costs. In India alone, upwards of 26 percent of people who drink have AD. Healthcare for AD is restricted to de-addiction services delivered in underfunded, tertiary-care centres. These centres focus primarily on providing institutional, medically-assisted detoxification without any psychosocial interventions or structured follow-up.

This project aims to deliver mobile-based services for some common mental disorders among tribal populations in Andhra Pradesh, India, empowering primary healthcare workers to identify and provide basic evidence-based mental health care to disadvantaged communities where almost no such services exist today.

The Emberá community in Colombia consists of approximately 90,000 persons and has one of the highest rates of suicide and attempted suicide, particularly in children, adolescents and young adults. This trend is congruent with other indigenous communities in this and other regions of the world, and is attributed to many reasons, including rapid cultural change, loss of land, family disintegration, exposure to conflict and violence, and extreme poverty.

In a part of the world locked consistently in violent conflict since 1989, and where there is no access to government mental healthcare services, researchers have documented a 30-fold increase in mental disorders. Using cell phones, netbooks and other electronic media, researchers will overcome barriers to mental healthcare access by training lay health workers to deliver and evaluate care in the rural Ganderbal district, with particular focus on psychotic, bipolar and depressive disorders, as well as trauma-related problems.

In Kenya, violence against women is a potent risk factor for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other common mental disorders, for which no or minimal mental health support is provided.  This project will test the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment (CBT) as a way for para-professionals in low-income settings to help such women, creating a much-needed template for interventions that could be contextualized and rolled out for different violence-affected populations globally, engaging government structures to ensure sustainability. "

The project in Nigeria will improve diagnosis and treatment of childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) before age three, reducing associated social stigma. Late intervention for childhood NDD often leads to lack of access to education and impaired language ability. The project will incorporate routine surveillance and screening for childhood NDD into Nigeria’s well-established National Programme on Immunization.

For people living with serious mental disorders and intellectual disability, specifically those formerly homeless or living in poverty, institutionalization at state mental health hospitals is often the only option. This overburdened public infrastructure generally only provides psychiatric medication, with no other interventions. This lack of appropriate care limits exit options for patients, ignores long-term needs, decreases recovery outcomes and puts them at risk of spiralling further down into poverty and homelessness.

Experiences in early childhood have long-term effects on children's development; exposure to a safe, secure and nurturing environment promotes children's physical and mental health over the long term. Children's behaviour problems at school are a major concern for Jamaican teachers and corporal punishment is widely used in schools across Jamaica. This project aims to develop and evaluate a training intervention with teachers of 6- and 7-year-old children.

Through this project, young people in Malawi and Zambia will learn what Depression is, gain a better understanding of mental health issues, and how these issues can affect their lives and communities. As young people understand more about Depression, and their attitudes to it change, they may recognize it in their community, or in themselves. We will train teachers, youth leaders, and clinic staff on how to identify and treat depression, so that care is available.

Many low-resource countries have a significant deficit in mental health infrastructure and human resources. Mental health infrastructure in Haiti (pop. 10M), for example, is limited to one psychiatric hospital and one health centre in Port au Prince. These facilities are severely under-resourced and characterized by poor sanitation, lack of medication and excessive use of physical restraints.