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Introduction: Adolescence is a critical time for mental health promotion and prevention and establishing healthy behaviours. Implementing universal, school-based psychosocial interventions can improve short- and long-term health trajectories for adolescents. While these interventions may offer important opportunities for fostering skills and relationships, few school-based interventions have been developed for and tested in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where adolescent mental health needs may be significant and under-served. This manuscript details the development of a multi-component, universal school-based intervention, Health Action in ScHools for a Thriving Adolescent Generation (HASHTAG), for adolescents aged 12-15 years in Nepal and South Africa., Methods and Results: We describe HASHTAG's development over four phases, combining methods and results as each phase was iteratively conducted between 2018 and 2021. Phase 1 included a systematic review and components analysis, building from WHO guidelines for adolescent mental health. Seven components were strongly supported by the evidence: emotional regulation, stress management, mindfulness, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, assertiveness training, and alcohol and drug education. Phase 2 encompassed site selection, theory of change development, and formative research engagements; research teams in each site engaged adolescents and key adult stakeholders to identify priorities for intervention. Stakeholders voiced preferences for external facilitators and key content and delivery for intervention sessions. These findings informed Phase 3, a draft manual of HASHTAG, including a whole-school component, called Thriving Environment in Schools, and a classroom-based, six-session component, Thrive Together. In Phase 4, participants engaged in consultative workshops to review and contextualise content by country, preparing HASHTAG for implementation in a feasibility trial. Minor adaptations were made in Nepal, including using school nurses and adjusting take-home materials; both country's workshops identified practical considerations for implementing activities., Conclusions: HASHTAG was designed around core evidence-based components to increase translatability across LMICs, while enabling country-specific tailoring to enhance feasibility. Future research will test whether this multi-component, whole-school approach can improve adolescent mental health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Common mental health conditions (CMHCs), including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are highly prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Preventive strategies combining psychological interventions with interventions addressing the social determinants of mental health may represent a key strategy for effectively preventing CMHCs. However, no systematic reviews have evaluated the effectiveness of these combined intervention strategies for preventing CMHCs., Methods and Analysis: This systematic review will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) focused on the effectiveness of interventions that combine preventive psychological interventions with interventions that address the social determinants of mental health in LMICs. Primary outcome is the frequency of depression, anxiety or PTSD at postintervention as determined by a formal diagnostic tool or any other standardised criteria. We will search Epistemonikos, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Global Index Medicus, ClinicalTrials.gov (Ctgov), International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). Two reviewers will independently extract the data and evaluate the risk of bias of included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool 2. Random-effects meta-analyses will be performed, and certainty of evidence will be rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach., Ethics and Dissemination: This study uses data from published studies; therefore, ethical review is not required. Findings will be presented in a published manuscript., Trial Registration Number: CRD42023451072., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Depression is a prevalent mental health condition worldwide but there is limited data on its presentation and associated symptoms in primary care settings in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal. This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression, its hallmark and other associated symptoms that meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria in primary healthcare facilities in Nepal. The collected information will be used to determine the content of a mobile app-based clinical guidelines for better detection and management of depression in primary care., Methods: A total of 1,897 adult patients aged 18-91 (63.1% women) attending ten primary healthcare facilities in Jhapa, a district in eastern Nepal, were recruited for the study between August 2, 2021, and March 25, 2022. Trained research assistants conducted face-to-face interviews in private spaces before the consultation with healthcare providers. Depression symptoms, including hallmark symptoms, was assessed using the validated Nepali version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)., Results: One in seven (14.5%) individuals attending primary health care facilities in Jhapa met the threshold for depression based on a validated cut-off score ( > = 10) on the PHQ-9. The most commonly reported depressive symptoms were loss of energy and sleep difficulties. Approximately 25.4% of women and 18.9% of men endorsed at least one of the two hallmark symptoms on the PHQ-9. Using a DSM-5 algorithm (at least one hallmark symptom and five or more total symptoms) to score the PHQ-9, 6.3% of women and 4.3% of men met the criteria for depression. The intra-class correlation coefficient for PHQ-9 total scores by health facility as the unit of clustering was 0.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.00-0.04)., Conclusion: Depression symptoms are common among people attending primary healthcare facilities in Nepal. However, the most common symptoms are not the two hallmark criteria. Use of total scores on a screening tool such as the PHQ-9 risks overestimating the prevalence and generating false positive diagnoses. Compared to using cut off scores on screening tools, training health workers to first screen for hallmark criteria may increase the accuracy of identification and lead to better allocation of treatment resources., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study assessed perception and experience of trained primary health care workers in using a mobile app-based version of the WHO mental health gap action programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide in the assessment and management of people with mental health conditions in primary care in Nepal. A qualitative study was conducted with primary healthcare workers who were trained in using the WHO mhGAP mobile application in Jhapa, a district in eastern Nepal. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 healthcare workers (3 females and 12 males) nine months after the training. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English for the thematic qualitative data analysis. Health care workers (HCWs) found the mobile app helpful to verify and confirm their assessment and diagnosis. The other benefits reported by the participants were: bringing uniformity in diagnosis and management of mental health conditions across primary healthcare facilities; reminding the HCWs specific assessment questions; creating awareness on the importance of psychosocial intervention; improving the interaction between patients and service providers; and the importance of follow-up care. Despite these advantages, lack of clarity about report submission modality; lack of electricity or internet connectivity; and low technology literacy among older HCWs were some of the barriers in using the app. The major recommendation made by the HCWs for the guide included revision of the assessment process and system; inclusion of a chat function with supervisors; minimizing the amount of patients' data to be collected in the app; and addition of conversion and anxiety disorders to the app. This study concludes that the mobile decision support application could be acceptable and feasible in primary care settings if the suggested modifications are incorporated, in addition to addressing other systemic issues facing the primary care-based delivery of mental health services., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: Mental disorders are among the leading causes of disability among adolescents aged 10-19 years. However, data on prevalence of mental health conditions are extremely sparse across low- and middle-income countries, even though most adolescents live in these settings. This data gap is further exacerbated because few brief instruments for adolescent mental health are validated in these settings, making population-level measurement of adolescent mental health especially cumbersome to carry out. In response, the UNICEF has undertaken the Measurement of Mental Health Among Adolescents at the Population Level (MMAP) initiative, validating open-access brief measures and encouraging data collection in this area., Methods: This protocol presents the MMAP mixed-methods approach for cultural adaptation and clinical validation of adolescent mental health data collection tools across settings. Qualitative activities include an initial translation and adaptation, review by mental health experts, focus-group discussions with adolescents, cognitive interviews, synthesis of findings, and back-translation. An enriched sample of adolescents with mental health problems is then interviewed with the adapted tool, followed by gold-standard semistructured diagnostic interviews., Results: The study protocol is being implemented in Belize, Kenya, Nepal, and South Africa and includes measures for anxiety, depression, functional limitations, suicidality, care-seeking, and connectedness. Analyses, including psychometrics, will be conducted individually by country and combined across settings to assess the MMAP methodological process., Discussion: This protocol contributes to closing the data gap on adolescent mental health conditions by providing a rigorous process of cross-cultural adaptation and validation of data collection approaches., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is increasing evidence supporting the effectiveness of psychological interventions in low- and middle-income countries. However, primary care providers (PCPs) may prefer treating patients with medication. A secondary exploratory analysis of a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate psychological vs. pharmacological treatment preferences among PCPs. Thirty-four health facilities, including 205 PCPs, participated in the study, with PCPs in 17 facilities assigned to a standard version of the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) training delivered by mental health specialists. PCPs in the other 17 facilities received mhGAP instruction delivered by specialists and people with lived experience of mental illness (PWLE), using a training strategy entitled Reducing Stigma among HealthcAre ProvidErs (RESHAPE). Pre- and post- intervention attitudes were measured through quantitative and qualitative tools. Qualitative interviews with 49 participants revealed that PCPs in both arms endorsed counseling's benefits and collaboration within the health system to provide counseling. In the RESHAPE arm, PCPs were more likely to increase endorsement of statements such as "depression improves without medication" ( F = 9.83, p < 0.001), "not all people with depression must be treated with antidepressants" ( χ 2 = 17.62, p < 0.001), and "providing counseling to people who have alcohol abuse problems is effective" ( χ 2 = 26.20, p < 0.001). These mixed-method secondary findings from a pilot trial suggest that in-person participation of PWLE in training PCPs may not only reduce stigma but also increase PCPs' support of psychological interventions. This requires further investigation in a full-scale trial.

Most of the global population live in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have historically received a small fraction of global resources for mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly in many of these countries. This Review examines the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in LMICs in four parts. First, we review the emerging literature on the impact of the pandemic on mental health, which shows high rates of psychological distress and early warning signs of an increase in mental health disorders. Second, we assess the responses in different countries, noting the swift and diverse responses to address mental health in some countries, particularly through the development of national COVID-19 response plans for mental health services, implementation of WHO guidance, and deployment of digital platforms, signifying a welcome recognition of the salience of mental health. Third, we consider the opportunity that the pandemic presents to reimagine global mental health, especially through shifting the balance of power from high-income countries to LMICs and from narrow biomedical approaches to community-oriented psychosocial perspectives, in setting priorities for interventions and research. Finally, we present a vision for the concept of building back better the mental health systems in LMICs with a focus on key strategies; notably, fully integrating mental health in plans for universal health coverage, enhancing access to psychosocial interventions through task sharing, leveraging digital technologies for various mental health tasks, eliminating coercion in mental health care, and addressing the needs of neglected populations, such as children and people with substance use disorders. Our recommendations are relevant for the mental health of populations and functioning of health systems in not only LMICs but also high-income countries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with wide disparities in quality of and access to mental health care., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Evidence-based interventions are needed to reduce depression among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). One approach could be cultural adaptation of psychological therapies developed in high-income countries. We aimed to adapt the World Health Organization's Group Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) Manual for adolescents with depression in rural Nepal., Methods: We used a participatory, multi-stage adaptation process involving: translation and clinical review of the WHO Manual; desk reviews of adaptations of IPT in LMICs, and literature on child and adolescent mental health interventions and interpersonal problems in Nepal; a qualitative study to understand experiences of adolescent depression and preferences for a community-based psychological intervention including 25 interviews with adolescent boys and girls aged 13-18 with depression, four focus group discussions with adolescents, four with parents/caregivers and two with teachers, six interviews with community health workers and one with a representative from a local non-governmental organisation (total of 126 participants); training of IPT trainers and facilitators and practice IPT groups; and consultation with a youth mental health advisory board. We used the Ecological Validity Framework to guide the adaptation process., Results: We made adaptations to optimise treatment delivery and emphasise developmental and cultural aspects of depression. Key adaptations were: integrating therapy into secondary schools for delivery by school nurses and lay community members; adding components to promote parental engagement including a pre-group session with the adolescent and parent to mobilise parental support; using locally acceptable terms for mental illness such as udas-chinta (sadness and worry) and man ko samasya (heart-mind problem); framing the intervention as a training programme to de-stigmatise treatment; and including activities to strengthen relationships between group members. We did not adapt the therapeutic goals of IPT and conserved IPT-specific strategies and techniques, making edits only to the way these were described in the Manual., Conclusions: Group IPT can be adapted for adolescents in Nepal and delivered through the education system. A randomised controlled trial is needed to assess the impact and costs of the intervention in this setting. Future research in LMICs to adapt IPT for adolescents could use this adapted intervention as a starting point.

Context: There is limited research on the gap between the burden of mental disorders and treatment use in low- and middle-income countries., Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the treatment gap among adults with depressive disorder (DD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to examine possible barriers to initiation and continuation of mental health treatment in Nepal., Methods: A three-stage sampling technique was used in the study to select 1,983 adults from 10 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Chitwan district. Presence of DD and AUD were identified with validated versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Barriers to care were assessed with the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE)., Results: In this sample, 11.2% (N = 228) and 5.0% (N = 96) screened positive for DD and AUD respectively. Among those scoring above clinical cut-off thresholds, few had received treatment from any providers; 8.1% for DD and 5.1% for AUD in the past 12 months, and only 1.8% (DD) and 1.3% (AUD) sought treatment from primary health care facilities. The major reported barriers to treatment were lacking financial means to afford care, fear of being perceived as "weak" for having mental health problems, fear of being perceived as "crazy" and being too unwell to ask for help. Barriers to care did not differ based on demographic characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, education, or caste/ethnicity., Conclusions: With more than 90% of the respondents with DD or AUD not participating in treatment, it is crucial to identify avenues to promote help seeking and uptake of treatment. Given that demographic characteristics did not influence barriers to care, it may be possible to pursue general population-wide approaches to promoting service use.

Background: Globally mental health problems are a serious public health concern. Currently four out of five people with severe mental illness in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) receive no effective treatment. There is an urgent need to address this enormous treatment gap. Changing the focus of specialist mental health workers (psychiatrists and psychologists) from only service delivery to also designing and managing mental health services; building clinical capacity of the primary health care (PHC) workers, and providing supervision and quality assurance of mental health services may help in scaling up mental health services in LMICs. Little is known however, about the mental health policy and services context for these strategies in fragile-state settings, such as Nepal., Method: A standard situation analysis tool was developed by the PRogramme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME) consortium to systematically analyze and describe the current gaps in mental health care in Nepal, in order to inform the development of a district level mental health care plan (MHCP). It comprised six sections; general information (e.g. population, socio-economic conditions); mental health policies and plans; mental health treatment coverage; district health services; and community services. Data was obtained from secondary sources, including scientific publications, reports, project documents and hospital records., Results: Mental health policy exists in Nepal, having been adopted in 1997, but implementation of the policy framework has yet to begin. In common with other LMICs, the budget allocated for mental health is minimal. Mental health services are concentrated in the big cities, with 0.22 psychiatrists and 0.06 psychologists per 100,000 population. The key challenges experienced in developing a district level MHCP included, overburdened health workers, lack of psychotropic medicines in the PHC, lack of mental health supervision in the existing system, and lack of a coordinating body in the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). Strategies to overcome these challenges included involvement of MoHP in the process, especially by providing psychotropic medicines and appointing a senior level officer to facilitate project activities, and collaboration with National Health Training Centers (NHTC) in training programs., Conclusions: This study describes many challenges facing mental health care in Nepal. Most of these challenges are not new, yet this study contributes to our understanding of these difficulties by outlining the national and district level factors that have a direct influence on the development of a district level mental health care plan.

Background: Collaborations among researchers, clinicians, and individuals with mental illness from high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are crucial to produce research, interventions, and policies that are relevant, feasible, and ethical. However, global mental health and cultural psychiatry research publications have been dominated by HIC investigators., Objective: The aim of this review was to present recommendations for collaborative writing with a focus on early career investigators researchers in HICs and LMICs., Methods: A workshop was conducted with HIC and LMIC investigators in Nepal to discuss lessons learned for collaborative writing. The researchers had experience in cross-cultural psychiatric epidemiology, health services research, randomized controlled trials, and projects with war and disaster-affected populations in complex humanitarian emergencies including child soldiers and refugees. Additional lessons learned were contributed from researchers engaged in similar collaborations in Haiti., Findings: A step-by-step process for collaborative writing was developed., Conclusions: HIC and LMIC writing collaborations will encourage accurate, ethical, and contextually grounded publications to foster understanding and facilitate reduction of the global burden of mental illness., (Copyright © 2014 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)