BasicNeeds: Scaling Up Mental Health and Development

Abstract

Mental disorders reduce the ability of affected individuals and their carers to work or earn. The accompanying poverty and stigma affects access to treatment. Research shows that citizens of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate share of the burden of global mental illness. In response to this situation, BasicNeeds (BN) was set up in 2000 as an international not-for-profit mental health organisation. BN delivers the model for mental health and development (MHD) in developing countries and has, to date, reached 631,441 beneficiaries through field operations in 12 countries in Africa, South Asia and South East Asia. Taking a whole life approach, the BN model addresses the health, social and economic needs of people with mental illness and their families. Operating in the challenging contexts of LMICs, the BN model has gained global attention for its innovative interlinking of mental health care, poverty alleviation and good practice. This chapter introduces the BN MHD model and describes its operations using examples from the field. In addition, the chapter draws from research and evaluative papers to illustrate key outcomes, discussing also some of the limitations. Outcomes broadly include clinical improvement, significant improvements in monthly median family income and treatment consistency among self-help group members. Myriad challenges come from everyday delivery of the model. A multi-disciplinary approach, central to the MHD model, requires joint execution of a planned set of interventions by several agencies with no policy or legislative backing to bind this collaborative work. Cognizant of the Global Mental Health community’s consistent advocacy for scaling up, the chapter explains BN’ experience and strategies in scaling up the MHD model by using existing resources and institutions through innovative partnerships and collaborations. The BN story is presented as a case study of how the Global Mental Health challenge can be addressed and scaled up, especially in LMICs where low resources, policy neglect and poverty of the affected families sustain the magnitude and complexity of the problem.