Authors: Armstrong G, Kermode M, Raja S, Suja S, Chandra P, Jorm AF.
Unmet needs for mental health treatment in low income countries are pervasive. If mental health is to be effectively integrated into primary health care in low income countries like India then grass-roots workers need to acquire relevant knowledge and skills to be able to recognise, refer and support people experiencing mental disorders in their own communities. This study aims to provide a mental health training intervention to community health workers in Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka, India, and to evaluate the impact of this training on mental health literacy. The training course improved participants’ ability to recognize a mental disorder in a vignette, and reduced participants’ faith in unhelpful and potentially harmful pharmacological interventions. There was evidence of a minor reduction in stigmatizing attitudes, and it was unclear if the training resulted in a change in participants’ faith in recovery following treatment. The findings from this study indicate that the training course demonstrated potential to be an effective way to improve some aspects of mental health literacy, and highlights strategies for strengthening the training course.
Download Resource
Resource Topic: CHW Role, CHWs and Mental Health, Care Teams, Community Health Workers/Volunteers, Training
Resource Type: Evaluation, Journal articles
Year: 2011
Region:
Country: India
Publisher May Restrict Access: No
