1. mhGAP Newsletter
Mental Health Gap Action Programme
January 2011 ENGLISH
IN THIS ISSUE
WHO simplifies the treatment of
mental and neurological disorders
» page 1
The Intervention Guide will help scale-
up care for mental, neurological and
substance use disorders » page 2
Partners commit to mhGAP at the
WHO simplifies treatment of Forum meeting » page 3
mental and neurological disorders Worldwide praise for the Intervention
Guide » page 4
WHO estimates that:
On 7 October 2010, WHO » More than 150 million people worldwide
launched the mhGAP Intervention suffer from depression.
Guide to help identify and » Some 125 million people are affected by
alcohol-use disorders.
manage a number of priority
» More than 40 million people suffer from epi-
mental health conditions lepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer’s disease.
» Mental, neurological, and substance use
disorders account for 14 % of the global UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
In 2008, WHO developed the mental health
Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) calling for an burden of disease worldwide.
In his address on the World
urgent scaling up of services for mental, neuro-
logical, and substance use disorders, especially Since its launch in 2008, the mhGAP Programme Mental Health Day 2010, the UN
in the developing world. The Programme has gathered momentum and support. WHO Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon,
focuses on the gap between what is needed to has launched numerous initiatives worldwide to described mhGAP as “the global
treat priority mental health disorders and what close the gap and integrate mental health care response to the high demand for
is actually available worldwide. The statistics on into local community services. Future issues
these (mental) health services”.
mental health underline the challenges and the will highlight some of these success stories in
He urged countries to “embrace
scale of the burden. countries such as Ethiopia, Jordan and Nigeria.
and fulfill the objectives of this
programme”. He underlined,
“We must break down the barri-
ers that continue to exclude
those with mental or psychologi-
cal disabilities. There is no place
in our world for discrimination
against those with mental illness.
There can be no health without
mental health”.
www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/en/ 1
2. mhGAP Newsletter
Mental Health Gap Action Programme
The Intervention Guide will help scale-up care for
mental, neurological and substance use disorders
The mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) Guide emphasizes the importance of psycho-
is a simple tool to help detect, diagnose social interventions in managing these Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director of
and manage the most common mental, conditions. It also provides advice on medi- the Department of Mental Health
neurological, and substance use disorders cines, when to use them or not, and covers and Substance Abuse at WHO
and is aimed at helping a range of people interventions in a basic approach with easy
explained how the mhGAP Inter-
from doctors and nurses to assistants in any to follow flowcharts.
vention Guide will help different
resource settings.
More than 150 experts, international orga- countries by leading to “nurses in
The mhGAP-IG includes evidence-based nizations and associations contributed to Ethiopia recognizing people suf-
recommendations to manage priority this 100 page clinical guide, which provides fering with depression in their day
conditions including depression, epilepsy, practical advice. In collaboration with its to day work … similarly doctors
psychosis, bipolar disorders, developmental partners, WHO will provide technical
in Jordan and medical assistants
and behavioural disorders in children and support to countries to implement the
in Nigeria will be able to treat
adolescents, dementia, alcohol use disor- guidelines and has already initiated the
ders, drug use disorders and self-harm/ Programme for scaling-up care in several children with epilepsy”.
suicide and other significant emotional or countries. The Guide is being translated into
medically unexplained complaints. The all WHO official and many other languages.
» Download the mhGAP
Intervention Guide
mhGAP Intervention Guide Master Chart Sample flowcharts of the new mhGAP Intervention Guide
www.who.int/mental_health/mhgap/en/ 2