Maternal mental health in primary care in five low- and middle-income countries: a situational analysis
This study reports findings of a cross-country situation analysis on maternal mental health and services
Abstract
The integration of maternal mental health into primary health care has been advocated to reduce the mental health treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study reports findings of a cross-country situation analysis on maternal mental health and services available in five LMICs, to inform the development of integrated maternal mental health services integrated into primary health care.
The study concludes that it is difficult to anticipate demand for mental health care at district level in the five countries, given the lack of evidence on the prevalence and treatment coverage of women with maternal mental disorders. Limited evidence on effective psychosocial interventions was also noted, and must be addressed for mental health programmes, such as PRIME, to implement feasible and effective services.
This research is supported by the Department for International Development’s Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) which is led by University of Cape Town
Citation
Baron, E.C.; Hanlon, C.; Mall, S.; Honikman, S.; Breuer, E.; Kathree, T.; Luitel, N.P.; Nakku, J.; Lund, C.; Medhin, G.; Patel, V.; Petersen, I.; Shrivastava, S.; Tomlinson, M. Maternal mental health in primary care in five low- and middle-income countries: a situational analysis. BMC Health Services Research (2016) 16 (1) [DOI: 10.1186/s12913-016-1291-z]