Literature DB >> 36119221

Innovative mental health initiatives in India: Strengthening capacity of primary care doctors and nonspecialists.

Apurvakumar Pandya1.   

Abstract

Entities:  

Year:  2022        PMID: 36119221      PMCID: PMC9480722          DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_554_21

Source DB:  PubMed          Journal:  J Family Med Prim Care        ISSN: 2249-4863


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Dear editor, This is in response to the feedback of Tak, Rohilla, and Hasan (2020)[1] on our review article “Innovative mental health initiatives in India: A scope for strengthening primary healthcare services.”[2] We appreciate feedback from Tak, Rohilla, and Hasan (2020)[1] and would like to clarify certain queries raised by them as well as offer our perspectives. In our study, as referred by the authors, we included “other databases” for literature search. Other databases included Mental Health Innovation Network, which was explicitly mentioned in the PRISMA Table. We had searched websites because the details of many mental health initiatives or programs running at the community level by the government and civil service organizations may not be published in peer-reviewed journals. After an initial search, few records from the Mental Health Innovation Network website that had program outcomes and met the inclusion criteria were selected for the final review. Authors have pointed out the Telepsychiatric On-Consultation Training program in Karnataka followed by a one-year Certificate Course of Primary Care Psychiatry Program in Uttarakhand[3] and in other states. However, we have only included those programs that were evaluated their outcomes, which was a limitation of the study. Numerous innovative initiatives in India have been implemented to integrate mental health in primary care[2] to reduce treatment gap; however, they are scattered and their overall impact is limited. Innovative and digital mental health training is emerging. This approach has the potential to expand and improve the effectiveness of the primary care team. With the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Program, primary care is expanded at subcenter level, which now known as Health and Wellness Center (HWC). Thus, in addition to train primary care doctors, capacitating community health officers—a new cadre provisioned at HWC, on psychological first aid, mental health screening, and lay counseling is vital. While incorporating psychiatry training at the undergraduate level curriculum is an essential step, training auxiliary nurse midwifery, accredited social health activists, school and college teachers, members of self-help groups, youth clubs, farmers’ clubs, etc., is also important for promoting positive mental health at community level. Considering the training as the key strategy for expanding and operationalizing integration of mental health into primary care, reviewing existing mental health training programs in India and their clinical and cost-effectiveness would be worth exploring. Incorporate learning in existing digital mental health programming can accelerate national efforts to achieve universal health coverage goals.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.
  3 in total

Review 1.  Innovative mental health initiatives in India: A scope for strengthening primary healthcare services.

Authors:  Apurvakumar Pandya; Komal Shah; Ajay Chauhan; Somen Saha
Journal:  J Family Med Prim Care       Date:  2020-02-28

2.  Designing and implementing an innovative digitally driven primary care psychiatry program in India.

Authors:  Narayana Manjunatha; Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar; Suresh Bada Math; Jagadisha Thirthalli
Journal:  Indian J Psychiatry       Date:  2018 Apr-Jun       Impact factor: 1.759

  3 in total

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