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Pilot Community Mental Health Awareness Campaign Improves Service Coverage in India

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Abstract

Purpose

Low community awareness of mental health problems negatively impacts treatment-seeking for such problems. Despite a shortage of mental health providers, there is scope to improve coverage of mental health services in India. In this study, we examined the impact of a multi-state community-based awareness campaign on knowledge, attitude, treatment-seeking behavior and acceptability.

Methods

Campaign activities included educational materials, public meetings, musical announcements, quizzes, and street plays, followed by a mental health screening camp. A rapid, real-world evaluation was conducted using post-intervention surveys (n = 693), field notes and telephonic interviews in five states.

Results

The campaign, implemented as a public–private partnership between government service providers and community-based organizations, reached ~ 3000 people in 20 new locations across five states. As a result of the campaign, 1,176 persons sought treatment services for mental disorders and 66% received a preliminary diagnosis. Collectively, campaign activities were the first time that ~ 75% of participants reported learning about mental health problems. Participants expressed knowledge that mental disorders are treatable, listed common symptoms and location of available mental health services and attitudes supporting people with mental health problems.

Conclusion

The campaign enabled improved coverage for mental health services, potentially by enhancing knowledge, attitude and treatment-seeking behavior. Future research may develop a quasi-experimental evaluation of the current campaign methodology.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Subhadra Menon, Principal Investigator of this project and Former Head—Health Communication at Public Health Foundation of India for her guidance and support in implementation. The authors are grateful for valuable suggestions by the Technical Advisory Group, including: Dr. A.K. Agarwal, Dr. B. Anand, Dr. Vivek Benegal, Dr. Achal Bhagat, Dr. Sanjiv Jain, Dr. K.N. Kalita, Dr. Sudhir Khandelwal, Professor Vikram Patel, Dr. Alka Pawar, Dr. C. Ramasubramanian, Dr. M. Ranganathan, Dr. Sudipta Roy and Dr. R. Thara. Project execution was possible through the leadership of the National Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, respective state mental health authorities and district mental health programmes. Finally, we acknowledge the community-based organizations who provided culturally relevant technical inputs to the study method and campaign: Trust for Reaching the Unreached in Godhra, Shree Pragnachakshu Sahayak Mandal in Porbander, Resident Welfare Association in Timarpur and Wazirabad gaon, V-Care in Sadanand Colony, Sangamithra Development Association in Vishakapatnam, National Association for Rural Integration in Chittoor, Shramik Bharti in Kanpur, Sabla in Raebareilly, Mahila Mehfil and the National Health Mission officers in Moregaon and Janshakti Bikas Manch in Jagirode. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not represent views of any of the above‐mentioned persons or entities.

Funding

This study was completed with financial support from the National Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

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Author notes

  1. Shivani Mathur Gaiha

    Present address: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 770 Welch Road, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

  2. Fazlur Rahman Gulfam

    Present address: India HIV/AIDS Alliance, New Delhi, India

  3. Iram Siddiqui

    Present address: Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

  4. Rangashri Kishore

    Present address: Krea University, Sri City, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Communication and Advocacy Division, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India

    Shivani Mathur Gaiha

  2. National Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi, India

    Fazlur Rahman Gulfam, Iram Siddiqui & Sujaya Krishnan

  3. Public Health Foundation of India and Richmond Fellowship Society - Delhi, New Delhi, India

    Rangashri Kishore

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  1. Shivani Mathur Gaiha
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Correspondence to Shivani Mathur Gaiha.

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Gaiha, S.M., Gulfam, F.R., Siddiqui, I. et al. Pilot Community Mental Health Awareness Campaign Improves Service Coverage in India. Community Ment Health J 57, 814–827 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00714-4

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