Depression is the second greatest contributor to death and disability worldwide. Low- and middle-income countries bear most of the global burden of depression, and social conditions, including poverty, human rights abuses, and gender inequality increase vulnerability to poor mental health. At the same time, severe shortages of mental health professionals make treatments inaccessible to most patients who need them. In Bolivia, there are fewer than 6 mental health professionals per 100,000 people.
In this series of studies, CMCD is working with collaborators in Bolivia to develop and evaluate tools allowing people with depression to address their mood disorders, improve their functioning and lead productive lives. In one study, we are evaluating the feasibility and impacts on self-management behaviors of a service that delivers brief, automated telephone assessment and behavior change calls to adults with clinically significant depressive symptoms. In another study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, we are developing resources using text messaging and automated calls to identify patients at risk for self-harm, and we are creating a toolkit for health workers to provide evidence-based therapies.
Learn more about the CarePartner Program.
For more information, contact Nicolle Marinec at stecn@umich.edu.
Categories:
Depression, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), International, Mobile Health, Spanish-Speaking, Telephone
