New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) A team of Indian researchers has developed a unique blend of digital healthcare and a community-based campaign that showed the potential to reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among people in rural India.
Mental health remains a critical global challenge, with nearly 150 million people in India needing treatment, yet only a fraction receiving adequate care. The shortage of mental health professionals in India is particularly acute, especially in rural areas where trained health workers are scarce.
The Systematic Medical Appraisal, Referral, and Treatment (SMART) mental health programme, led by The George Institute for Global Health researchers in New Delhi, was developed to address the gap by training village health workers in basic mental health care and using innovative methods of service delivery.
“Our research marks a significant milestone in mental health care,” said Prof. Pallab Maulik, Director of Research and Programme Director (Mental Health) at The George Institute India on Friday.
“This study, the largest of its kind globally, revealed a substantial reduction in depression risk over one year and highlighted the profound impact of our dual intervention approach,” he added.
The team included 9,900 people from across West Godavari, Faridabad, and Palwal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Haryana for depression.
They were part of the trial over 12 months and implemented two key strategies: a community campaign to reduce mental health stigma and a digital healthcare initiative for those at high risk of mental disorders.
The findings, detailed in the JAMA Psychiatry journal, showed a significant reduction in depression risk among those involved in the intervention over one year.
The cure rate, measured by remission, was significantly higher in the intervention group, with 75 per cent achieving full recovery, compared to just 50 per cent in the control group.
Digital health solutions can be an asset to India’s national mental health programme.
The new finding supports the WHO and Lancet Commission’s call for new strategies to reduce the impact of mental disorders worldwide. These strategies can work in low- and middle-income countries and impoverished areas of high-income countries, with some adjustments for local conditions.
–IANS
rvt/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
