Development and Evaluation of Mental Health Interventions for Common Mental Disorders in Post-conflict Settings

Abstract

This chapter explores the development and evaluation of mental health interventions for common mental disorders (CMDs) during the prolonged post-conflict phase. The chapter considers the selection of interventions to deal with the important combination of mental disorders typically common during this time and serious enough to affect functioning. These disorders are depression, anxiety, PTSD and/or substance abuse which are often co-morbid. Adaptation of interventions developed in one culture to another is also discussed as a prolonged and ongoing process during the pretraining, training, and implementation phases. The chapter concludes with discussion of program evaluation. Evaluation of effectiveness of mental health interventions refers primarily to impact on symptoms and functioning but also includes effects on stigma and discrimination, costs of receiving the intervention, and mortality. Other areas of program evaluation are also described – fidelity, access, uptake, and compliance.