Mental Health

  • Open Access
    Development and Piloting of a Mental Health Prevention and Referral Program for Veterans and Their Families in Ukraine
    Amanda J. Nguyen, Tara Russell, Stephanie Skavenski, Sergiy Bogdanov, Kira Lomakina, Iryna Ivaniuk, Luke R. Aldridge, Paul Bolton, Laura Murray and Judy Bass
    Global Health: Science and Practice June 2023, 11(3):e2200488; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00488

    The CETA Psychosocial Support program is a single-session intervention that can be delivered by lay providers to support mental health prevention and referral for veterans and their families in Ukraine.

  • Open Access
    Evaluation of a Depression Intervention in People With HIV and/or TB in Eswatini Primary Care Facilities: Implications for Southern Africa
    Nina Putnis, Nick Riches, Archibald Nyamayaro, Darah Boucher, Rebecca King, Ian F. Walker, Alett Burger, Paul Southworth, Violet Mwanjali and John Walley
    Global Health: Science and Practice April 2023, 11(2):e2200016; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00016

    The authors assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a program integrating basic mental health care into nurse-led HIV and TB care in rural settings in Eswatini and identified key barriers to implementation and scale-up.

  • Open Access
    Applying Human-Centered Design in Global Mental Health to Improve Reach Among Underserved Populations in the United States and India
    Candace J. Black, Jenna M. Berent, Udita Joshi, Azaz Khan, Lila Chamlagai, Ritu Shrivastava, Bhuwan Gautam, Abdikadir Negeye, Abdi Nor Iftin, Halimo Ali, Alethea Desrosiers, Anant Bhan, Sunand Bhattacharya, John A. Naslund and Theresa S. Betancourt
    Global Health: Science and Practice February 2023, 11(1):e2200312; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-22-00312

    We demonstrate how 2 global mental health research programs engaged end users to design tailored, culturally informed digital tools used to support the delivery of evidence-based interventions.

  • Open Access
    Development of an Innovative Digital Data Collection System for Routine Mental Health Care Delivery in Rural Haiti
    Alexandra L. Rose, Darius L. Fenelon, J. Reginald Fils-Aimé, Wilder Dubuisson, Sarah F.C. Singer, Stephanie L. Smith, Gregory Jerome, Eddy Eustache and Giuseppe Raviola
    Global Health: Science and Practice December 2021, 9(4):990-999; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00486

    Mental health information systems in low-resource settings are scarce worldwide. Data collection was accurate, yet sustainable staffing was a challenge when using task-shared clinical providers for data collection in health centers in rural Haiti. Integrating mental health data collection within existing data collection systems would help close this key gap.

  • Open Access
    Protecting Mental Health Data Privacy in India: The Case of Data Linkage With Aadhaar
    Ameya Bondre, Soumitra Pathare and John A. Naslund
    Global Health: Science and Practice September 2021, 9(3):467-480; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00346

    In an underprepared and under-resourced digital mental health system, the linkage of health and personal data with Aadhaar, a biometric system that provides a unique identification number to all Indian residents, poses significant privacy risks to individuals seeking mental health care. We discuss the challenges in protecting mental health data privacy due to these emerging digital health technologies.

  • Open Access
    A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation: Integrating Depression Treatment Into HIV Care in Malawi
    Melissa A. Stockton, Caroline E. Minnick, Kazione Kulisewa, Steven M. Mphonda, Mina C. Hosseinipour, Bradley N. Gaynes, Joanna Maselko, Audrey E. Pettifor, Vivian Go, Michael Udedi and Brian W. Pence
    Global Health: Science and Practice September 2021, 9(3):611-625; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00607

    Effectively integrating depression treatment into HIV care in low-resource settings will require substantially investing in program supervision, building and maintaining the capacity of providers, integrating into existing electronic medical records systems, and ensuring the availability of psychotherapy counselors.

  • Open Access
    Supervision of Task-Shared Mental Health Care in Low-Resource Settings: A Commentary on Programmatic Experience
    Christopher G. Kemp, Inge Petersen, Arvin Bhana and Deepa Rao
    Global Health: Science and Practice June 2019, 7(2):150-159; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-18-00337

    Task-shared mental health care programs in low-resource settings often incorporate supervisory structures that would be difficult to implement at scale, and many rely on foreign specialist experts as supervisors. Future programs could leverage peer supervision, technology, competency assessments/fidelity checklists, and other tools. Mental health care specialists will require training, support, and incentives to supervise generalist care providers.

  • Open Access
    The Importance of Mental Well-Being for Health Professionals During Complex Emergencies: It Is Time We Take It Seriously
    Mary Surya, Dilshad Jaff, Barbara Stilwell and Johanna Schubert
    Global Health: Science and Practice June 2017, 5(2):188-196; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-17-00017

    We call on humanitarian aid organizations to integrate proven mental health strategies to protect the mental health of their workforce and improve staff capacity to provide care for vulnerable populations. Such strategies could include:

    • Pre-deployment training

    • Art therapy

    • Team building

    • Physical exercise

    • Mindfulness or contemplative techniques

    • Mind-body exercises

    • Narrative Exposure Therapy

    • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

  • Open Access
    A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Trauma-Informed Support, Skills, and Psychoeducation Intervention for Survivors of Torture and Related Trauma in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq
    Judith Bass, Sarah McIvor Murray, Thikra Ahmed Mohammed, Mary Bunn, William Gorman, Ahmed Mohammed Amin Ahmed, Laura Murray and Paul Bolton
    Global Health: Science and Practice September 2016, 4(3):452-466; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00017

    Providing survivors of torture, imprisonment, and/or military attacks with a counseling program that includes support, skills and psychoeducation by well-trained and supervised community mental health workers can result in moderate yet meaningful improvements in depression and dysfunction.

  • Maternal mental health in Amhara region, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey
    Joy Noel Baumgartner, Angela Parcesepe, Yared Getachew Mekuria, Dereje Birhanu Abitew, Wondimu Gebeyehu, Francis Okello and Dominick Shattuck
    Global Health: Science and Practice December 2014, 2(4):482-486; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-14-00119

    Poor mental health, including suicidal thoughts, affects a substantial proportion of surveyed women who are up to 2 years postpartum in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Opportunities for integrating basic psychosocial mental health services into maternal and child health services should be explored.