Abstract
ObjectivesTo assess community perceptions of mental illness in the Bwindi Community Hospital (BCH) catchment area: to recognise beliefs about the causes and the treatments for mental illness. To provide community data to staff at BCH as they work to develop more effective community mental health programmes.BackgroundA shortage of mental health providers in Uganda has prompted research into community-based task-sharing models for the provision of mental health services in underserved communities.MethodsSix focus group discussions, with a total of 54 community members (50% male, n = 27; mean age + s.d. [39.9 + 10.9 years]) from the BCH catchment area, were conducted to assess community member and stakeholder perceptions of mental illness and belief in the feasibility of community-based programming. Qualitative study of data through thematic analysis was conducted to assess the presence of commonly occurring perceptions.ResultsQualitative thematic analysis revealed two major themes: (1) belief that any given patient’s metal illness results from either an intrinsic or an extrinsic cause and (2) belief in a need to determine treatment of mental illness based on the believed cause.ConclusionAs BCH designs community-based mental health services, our findings provide support for the need for further education of community members and training of community health workers to address and integrate the above-stated beliefs regarding mental illness.
Highlights
BackgroundSignificant treatment gaps in the realm of international mental health[1] have brought mental health to global attention
Results showed that community members, politicians, health workers, and leaders acknowledged the benefits of a task-sharing model to increase access to services and identified several challenges that would need to be addressed in implementing such a model; these challenges included a lack of knowledge among providers about identifying mental illness and deeply rooted stigma surrounding mental disorders and their treatment.[5,6,7]
A qualitative thematic analysis of responses to the discussion questions among each of the six focus groups was conducted, and two major themes emerged: (1) belief that any given patient’s mental illness has either an intrinsic or an extrinsic cause and (2) belief in a need to determine treatment of mental illness based on believed cause (Table 3)
Summary
Significant treatment gaps in the realm of international mental health[1] have brought mental health to global attention. Programmes such as Emerging Mental Health Systems in Low- and MiddleIncome Countries (EMERALD) and Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) aim to create sustainable mental health solutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Studies have cited the utility of a task-sharing, community-based model as a means of providing mental health services for a variety of mental health disorders to underserved populations.[2,3]. A shortage of mental health providers in Uganda has prompted research into community-based task-sharing models for the provision of mental health services in underserved communities
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