Care For Common Mental Disorders Research Articles

Norms and T-scores for screeners of alcohol use, depression and anxiety in the population of Suriname.

There is a considerable gap between care provision and the demand for care for common mental disorders in low-and-middle-income countries. Screening for these disorders, e.g., in primary care, will help to close this gap. However, appropriate norms and threshold values for screeners of common mental disorders are lacking. In a survey study, we gathered data on frequently used screeners for alcohol use disorders, (AUDIT), depression, (CES-D), and anxiety disorders (GAD-7, ACQ, and BSQ) in a representative sample from Suriname, a non-Latin American Caribbean country. A stratified sampling method was used by random selection of 2,863 respondents from 5 rural and 12 urban resorts. We established descriptive statistics of all scale scores and investigated unidimensionality. Furthermore, we compared scores by gender, age-group, and education level with t-test and Mann-Whitney U tests, using a significance level of p < 0.05. Norms and crosswalk tables were established for the conversion of raw scores into a common metric: T-scores. Furthermore, recommended cut-off values on the T-score metric for severity levels were compared with international cut-off values for raw scores on these screeners. The appropriateness of these cut-offs and the value of converting raw scores into T-scores are discussed. Cut-off values help with screening and early detection of those who are likely to have a common mental health disorder and may require treatment. Conversion of raw scores to a common metric in this study facilitates the interpretation of questionnaire results for clinicians and can improve health care provision through measurement-based care.

Nigerian and Ghanaian Young People’s Experiences of Care for Common Mental Disorders in Inner London: Protocol for a Multimethod Investigation

The Care Quality Commission published a review in 2018 in England titled "Are We Listening," which revealed that child and adolescent mental health services are not responsive to the specific needs of young Black people and other ethnic minorities even in areas with ethnically diverse populations. It found that commissioners and service planners failed to engage with these young people and their families to understand their needs and expectations. The purpose of this study is to engage Nigerian and Ghanaian young people (NAGYP) with experiences of care for common mental disorders (CMDs) in London, to increase understanding of their needs, and to give voice to their views and preferences. Their parents', caregivers', and practitioners' views will also be sought for service improvement. Three combined contemporary complementary methodologies-thematic analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), and intersectionality-based policy analysis (IBPA)-will be used across 3 comprehensive phases. First, a scoping review where relevant themes will be critically analyzed will inform further phases of this study. Detailed mapping of community and mental health care services in 13 inner London boroughs to investigate what professionals actually do rather than what they say they do. Second, IBPA will be used to scrutinize improving access to psychological therapies and other legislations and policies relevant to NAGYP to undertake an intersectional multileveled analysis of power, models, and constraints. Third, IPA will "give voice" and "make sense" of NAGYP lived experiences of CMDs via a representative sample of NAGYP participants' (n=30) aged 16-25 years, parents or caregivers' (n=20), and practitioners' (n=20) perspectives will be captured. The study has been approved by the UCL Institute of Education Research Ethics Committee (Z6364106/2022/02/28; health research) and University College London (Z6364106/2022/10/24; social research). Recruitment has begun in 13 inner boroughs of London. Data collection through observation, semistructured interviews, and focus groups are expected to be finalized by early 2024, and the study will be published by early 2025. Combining multiple qualitative methodologies and methods will enable rigorous investigation into NAGYP's lived experiences of care received for CMDs in London. Findings from this study should enable a reduction in the negative connotations and harmful superstitions associated with mental health-related issues in this group, inform evidence-based interventions, and facilitate preventive or early access to interventions. There may also be an indirect impact on problems resulting from mental illness such as school dropout, antisocial behaviors, knife crimes, juvenile detention centers, and even death. PRR1-10.2196/42575.

Prevalence and correlates of depression and substance use disorders in emergency department populations: A cross-sectional study at East Africa's largest public hospital.

IntroductionThere are persistent gaps in screening, identification, and access to care for common mental disorders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. An initial step towards reducing this gap is identifying the prevalence, co-morbidities, and context of these disorders in different clinical settings and exploring opportunities for intervention. This study evaluates the prevalence and correlates of depression and substance use disorders among adults presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of a major national hospital in East Africa.MethodsThis study utilized the World Health Organization's STEPwise Approach to Surveillance (WHO-STEPS) tool and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to conduct a cross-sectional survey capturing socio-demographic data, tobacco, and alcohol use and rates of depression in a sample of adults presenting to the ED. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted for each outcome of interest and socio-demographics.ResultsOf 734 respondents, 298 (40.6%) had a PHQ-9 score in the “moderate” to “severe” range indicative of major depressive disorder. About 17% of respondents endorsed current tobacco use while about 30% reported being daily alcohol users. Those with high PHQ-9 score had higher odds of reporting current tobacco use (“severe range” = adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.85, 95% CI 1.05, 3.26). Those with a “severe” PHQ-9 scores were 9 times (aOR 2.3-35.3) more likely to be daily drinkers.ConclusionsScreening and identification of people with depression and substance use disorders in the ED of a large national hospital in Kenya is feasible. This offers an opportunity for brief intervention and referral to further treatment.

Clinician perceptions of common mental disorders before and after implementation of a consultation-liaison psychiatry service: a longitudinal qualitative study in government-operated primary care settings in Penang, Malaysia

ObjectivesTo explore primary care clinician perceptions of barriers and facilitators in delivering care for common mental disorders (CMD) before and after implementation of a consultation-liaison psychiatry service (Psychiatry in Primary...

Perspectives of access to mental health care for common mental disorders

Anxiety and depressive disorders, together with substance and alcohol abuse disorders, were the disorders that contributed for the most part to the global burden of all mental disorders. However, the majority of people affected by these disorders do not receive any treatment. This is surprising, given the evidence on the efficacy of psychotherapies and antidepressants, and lead us to reflect on the possible factors that cause lack of access to mental health care.

Effect of adding a psychological intervention to routine care of common mental disorders in a specialized mental healthcare facility in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn many low resource settings, the provision of government mental health care services is limited to specialized psychiatry units in urban hospital care facilities, where the most common treatment for common mental disorders (CMDs) is pharmacotherapy, occasionally with adjunct nonspecific psychological support. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of adding a low intensity, psychological intervention, Problem Management Plus (PM+) for CMDs into routine care in a specialized mental health care facility in Pakistan.MethodsA two arm, single-blind individual randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out with adults (N = 192), referred for psychological support by psychiatrists. The study participants were randomized (1:1) to PM + plus Treatment as Usual (TAU) (n = 96) or TAU only (n = 96). The primary outcomes were symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and functional impairment as measured by WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) at 20 weeks after baseline.ResultsThe analysis was done on intention-to-treat principle. The linear mixed model analysis showed that at 20 weeks after baseline, there was a significant reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression (mean [SD], 16.23 [8.81] vs 19.79 [7.77]; AMD, − 3.10; 95% CI, − 0.26 to − 5.76); p = 0.03 and improvement in functioning (mean [SD], 22.94 [9.37] vs 27.37 [8.36]; AMD, − 4.35; 95% CI, − 1.45 to − 7.24); p = 0.004 in PM + plus TAU versus TAU arm. The follow-up rate was 67% at primary end-point.ConclusionsSpecialized care facilities in LMICs may consider adding brief, evidence-based psychological treatments for CMDs to their routine care.Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12616000381482. Registered March 23, 2016. Retrospectively registered, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Default.aspx/ ACTRN12616000381482

Evaluation of a collaborative care model for integrated primary care of common mental disorders comorbid with chronic conditions in South Africa

BackgroundThe rise in multimorbid chronic conditions in South Africa, large treatment gap for common mental disorders (CMDs) and shortage of mental health specialists demands a task sharing approach to chronic disease management that includes treatment for co-existing CMDs to improve health outcomes. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate a task shared integrated collaborative care package of care for chronic patients with co-existing depressive and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms.MethodsThe complex intervention strengthened capacity of primary care nurse practitioners to identify, diagnose and review symptoms of CMDs among chronic care patients; and implemented a stepped up referral system, that included clinic-based psychosocial lay counsellors, doctors and mental health specialists. Under real world conditions, in four PHC facilities, a repeat cross-sectional Facility Detection Survey (FDS) assessed changes in capacity of nurses to correctly detect CMDs in 1310 patients before implementation and 1246 patients following implementation of the intervention at 12 months; and a non-randomly assigned comparison group cohort study comprising 373 screen positive patients with depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) at baseline, evaluated responses of patients correctly identified and referred for treatment (intervention arm) or not identified and referred (control arm) at three and 12 months.ResultsThe FDS showed a significant increase in the identification of depression and AUD from pre-implementation to 12-month post-implementation. Depression: (5.8 to 16.4%) 95% CI [2.9, 19.1]); AUD: (0 to 13.8%) 95% CI [0.6–24.9]. In the comparison group cohort study, patients with depressive symptoms having more than a 50% reduction in PHQ-9 scores were greater in the treatment group (n = 69, 55.2%) compared to the comparison group (n = 49, 23.4%) at 3 months (RR = 2.10, p < 0.001); and 12 months follow-up (intervention: n = 57, 47.9%; comparison: n = 60, 30.8%; RR = 1.52, p = 0.006). Remission (PHQ-9 ≤ 5) was greater in the intervention group (n = 32, 26.9%) than comparison group (n = 33, 16.9%) at 12 months (RR = 1.72, p = 0.016).ConclusionA task shared collaborative stepped care model can improve detection of CMDs and reduce depressive symptoms among patients with chronic conditions under real world conditions.

Validation of a brief mental health screening tool for common mental disorders in primary healthcare.

Integrating care for common mental disorders (CMDs) such as depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse into primary healthcare (PHC) should assist in reducing South Africa (SA)'s quadruple burden of disease. CMDs compromise treatment adherence, health behaviour change and self-management of illnesses. Appropriate identification of mental disorders in primary care can be facilitated by brief, easy-to-administer screening that promotes high specificity. To establish the criterion-based validity of a seven-item Brief Mental Health (BMH) screening tool for assessing positive symptoms of CMDs in primary care patients. A total of 1 214 participants were recruited from all patients aged ≥18 years visiting 10 clinics as part of routine care in the Newcastle subdistrict of Amajuba District in KwaZulu-Natal Province, SA, over a period of 2 weeks. Consenting patients provided basic biographical information prior to screening with the BMH tool. PHC nurses remained blind to this assessment. PHC nurse-initiated assessment using the Adult Primary Care (APC) guidelines was the gold standard against which the performance of the BMH tool was compared. A specificity standard of 80% was used to establish cut-points. Specificity was favoured over sensitivity to ensure that those who did not have CMD symptoms were excluded, as well as to reduce over-referrals. Of the participants, 72% were female. The AUD-C (alcohol abuse) performed well (area under the curve (AUC) 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88 - 0.95), cut-point ≥4, Cronbach alpha 0.87); PHQ-2 (depression) performed reasonably well (AUC 0.72 (95% CI 0.65 - 0.78), cut-point ≥3, alpha 0.71); and GAD-2 (anxiety) performance was acceptable (AUC 0.69 (95% CI 0.58 - 0.80), cut-point ≥3, alpha 0.62). Using the higher cut-off scores, patients who truly did not have CMD symptoms had negative predictive values (NPVs) of &gt;90%. Overall, 26% of patients had CMD positive symptoms relative to 8% using the APC guidelines. Using a higher specificity index, the positive predictive value and NPV show that at higher cut-point values the BMH not only helpsidentify individuals with alcohol misuse, depression and anxiety symptoms but also identifies a majority of those who do not have symptoms (true negatives), thus not overburdening nurses with false positives needing assessment. Research is needed to assess whether use of such a short and valid screening tool is generalisable to other clinic contexts as well as how mental health screening should best be introduced into routine clinic functioning and practice.

Chinese perspectives on primary care for common mental disorders: Barriers and policy implications.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for integration of mental health into primary care for a decade. In Western countries, around 15% to 25% of patients with common mental disorders including mood and anxiety disorders seek help from primary care physicians (PCPs). The rate is only about 5% in China. This article reviews the Chinese findings on the barriers to primary care for common mental disorders and how they compared with Western findings. A narrative literature review was conducted, focusing on literature published from mid-1990s in English or Chinese. Patient, PCP and health system factors were reviewed. Although Chinese and Western findings show similar themes of barriers, the Chinese have stronger barriers in most aspects, including under-recognition of the need for treatment, stigma on mental illness, somatization, worries about taking psychiatric drugs, uncertainties in the role, competency and legitimacy of PCPs in mental health care and short consultation time. Current policies in China emphasize enhancement of mental health facilities and workforce in the community. Our review suggests that patients' intention to seek help and PCPs' competency in mental health care are other fundamental factors to be addressed.

Commonly available activity tracker apps and wearables as a mental health outcome indicator: A prospective observational cohort study among young adults with psychological distress

BackgroundMonitoring is integral to adequately recognise and track mental health indicators of symptoms and functioning. Early identification of warning signs from digital footprints could facilitate adaptive and dynamic just in-time monitoring and care for individuals with common mental disorders. MethodsSelf-report data on mental health and lifestyle behaviour from 120 male and female Australian young adults experiencing psychological distress were collected online. API software was used to download participant's daily activity duration measurements over eight months from linked commercial activity tracker apps and wearables in real time. An independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the differences in daily durations of recorded physical activity between wearable devises and smartphone apps. Entropy techniques using R interpol package were used to analyse volatility in daily activity duration. ResultsDASS-21 depression, stress and anxiety sub-scale scores indicated the study sample on average, had a moderate level of psychological distress. Daily activity duration was significantly greater from wearable devices when compared with smartphone apps (t-test = 25.4, p < 0.001). Entropy indices were not related with any of the DASS-21 measures. However, significant correlation between DASS-21 anxiety subscale scores and entropy of those with over 45 days measurements (r = 0.58, p = 0.02) was observed. LimitationsThe observational nature of this study prohibits causal inference. As a convenience sample was used, the results may lack generalisability to the wider population. ConclusionsContinuous monitoring using commercial apps and wearables as a resource to help clinicians augment clinical care for common mental disorders appears viable.

Establishing Optimal Mental Health Care for Common Mental Disorders in Primary Health Care

Various definitions of health and mental health exist, however there is a generally persistent inclusion and acknowledgement of the importance of holistic elements such as environment and relationships. Integration of the physical, social, and mental aspects of an individual, through the social determinants of health is an important component in establishing the effective delivery of optimal mental health care. With increasing numbers of collaborative care teams, and mental health promotion strategies, primary health care is increasingly building its capacity to help respond to these holistic mental health care needs, with increased and more purposeful attention to the social determinants of health. Despite these steps in the right direction, a gap continues to exist in the delivery of mental health care and many people continue to struggle in accessing adequate treatment. In order to determine how best to proceed, it is important to understand what mental health is, what mental health care in primary health care looks like, what the existing challenges to the delivery of mental health care in primary health care are, and what other models have been successful in integrating the social determinants of health and mental health into the primary health care system.

Erratum to: A qualitative study of perceived needs and factors associated with the quality of care for common mental disorders in patients with chronic diseases: the perspective of primary care clinicians and patients.

Erratum to: A qualitative study of perceived needs and factors associated with the quality of care for common mental disorders in patients with chronic diseases: the perspective of primary care clinicians and patients.

A qualitative study of perceived needs and factors associated with the quality of care for common mental disorders in patients with chronic diseases: the perspective of primary care clinicians and patients.

BackgroundThe prevalence of comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders is high among patients with chronic diseases in primary care, and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. The detection and treatment of common mental disorders in patients with chronic diseases can be challenging in the primary care setting. This study aims to explore the perceived needs, barriers and facilitators for the delivery of mental health care for patients with coexisting common mental disorders and chronic diseases in primary care from the clinician and patient perspectives.MethodsIn this qualitative descriptive study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with clinicians (family physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker; n = 18) and patients (n = 10) from three primary care clinics in Quebec, Canada. The themes explored included clinician factors (e.g., attitudes, perception of roles, collaboration, management of clinical priorities) and patient factors (e.g., needs, preferences, access to care, communication with health professionals) associated with the delivery of care. Qualitative data analysis was conducted based on an interactive cyclical process of data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification.ResultsClinician interviews highlighted a number of needs, barriers and enablers in the provision of patient services, which related to inter-professional collaboration, access to psychotherapy, polypharmacy as well as communication and coordination of services within the primary care clinic and the local network. Two specific facilitators associated with optimal mental health care were the broadening of nurses’ functions in mental health care and the active integration of consulting psychiatrists. Patients corroborated the issues raised by the clinicians, particularly in the domains of whole-person care, service accessibility and care management.ConclusionsThe results of this project will contribute to the development of quality improvement interventions to increase the uptake of organizational and clinical evidence-based practices for patients with chronic diseases and concurrent common mental disorders, in priority areas including collaborative care, access to psychotherapy and linkages with specialized mental health care.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12875-016-0531-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Qualitative Study on Incentives and Disincentives for Care of Common Mental Disorders in Ontario Family Health Teams

An opportunity to address the needs of patients with common mental disorders (CMDs) resides in primary care. Barriers are restricting availability of treatment for CMDs in primary care. By understanding the incentives that promote and the disincentives that deter treatment for CMDs in a collaborative primary care context, this study aims to help contribute to goals of greater access to mental healthcare. A qualitative pilot study using semi-structured interviews with thematic analysis. Participants identified 10 themes of incentives and disincentives influencing quality treatment of CMDs in a collaborative primary care setting: high service demands, clinical presentation, patient-centred care, patient attributes, education, physician attributes, organizational, access to mental health resources, psychiatry and physician payment model. An understanding of the incentives and disincentives influencing care is essential to achieve greater integration and capacity for care for the treatment of CMDs in primary care.

Linking Primary and Secondary Care after Psychiatric Hospitalization: Comparison between Transitional Case Management Setting and Routine Care for Common Mental Disorders.

To improve engagement with care and prevent psychiatric readmission, a transitional case management intervention has been established to link with primary and secondary care. The intervention begins during hospitalization and ends 1 month after discharge. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this short intervention in terms of the level of engagement with outpatient care and the rate of readmissions during 1 year after discharge. Individuals hospitalized with common mental disorders were randomly assigned to be discharged to routine follow-up by private psychiatrists or general practitioners with (n = 51) or without (n = 51) the addition of a transitional case management intervention. Main outcome measures were number of contacts with outpatient care and rate of readmission during 12 months after discharge. Transitional case management patients reported more contacts with care service in the period between 1 and 3 months after discharge (p = 0.004). Later after discharge (3-12 months), no significant differences of number of contacts remained. The transitional case management intervention had no statistically significant beneficial impact on the rate of readmission (hazard ratio = 0.585, p = 0.114). The focus on follow-up after discharge during hospitalization leads to an increased short-term rate of engagement with ambulatory care despite no differences between the two groups after 3 months of follow-up. This short transitional intervention did, however, not significantly reduce the rate of readmissions during the first year following discharge. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02258737.

Quality assessment of primary care for common mental disorders in isolated communities: Taking advantage of health records

This article is part of a research study on the organization of primary health care (PHC) for mental health in two of Quebec's remote regions. It introduces a methodological approach based on information found in health records, for assessing the quality of PHC offered to people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders. Quality indicators were identified from evidence and case studies were reconstructed using data collected in health records over a 2-year observation period. Data collection was developed using a three-step iterative process: (1) feasibility analysis, (2) development of a data collection tool, and (3) application of the data collection method. The adaptation of quality-of-care indicators to remote regions was appraised according to their relevance, measurability and construct validity in this context. As a result of this process, 18 quality indicators were shown to be relevant, measurable and valid for establishing a critical quality appraisal of four recommended dimensions of PHC clinical processes: recognition, assessment, treatment and follow-up. There is not only an interest in the use of health records to assess the quality of PHC for mental health in remote regions but also a scientific value for the rigorous and meticulous methodological approach developed in this study. From the perspective of stakeholders in the PHC system of care in remote areas, quality indicators are credible and provide potential for transferability to other contexts. This study brings information that has the potential to identify gaps in and implement solutions adapted to the context.

Hippocampal Volume and Cardiovascular Risk Using the QRISK2 Prediction Tool in Cognitively Normal Elderly

IMPORTANCE: Hippocampal volume (HV) is a research marker of neurodegeneration and risk factor for memory decline due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in cognitively normal (CN) elderly. Prior observational studies have suggested a number of factors influencing HV, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. However, few studies have assessed the impact that overall cardiovascular risk can have on HV in the setting of other AD biomarkers. QRISK2 is a cardiovascular risk calculator that can predict 10-year incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, and transient ischemic attacks for individuals aged 25-84, and has been validated in large diverse population cohorts of over 2 million patients with annual updates to the calculator.

Adding psychotherapy to antidepressant medication in depression and anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials in which the effects of treatment with antidepressant medication were compared to the effects of combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in adults with a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder. A total of 52 studies (with 3,623 patients) met inclusion criteria, 32 on depressive disorders and 21 on anxiety disorders (one on both depressive and anxiety disorders). The overall difference between pharmacotherapy and combined treatment was Hedges' g = 0.43 (95% CI: 0.31-0.56), indicating a moderately large effect and clinically meaningful difference in favor of combined treatment, which corresponds to a number needed to treat (NNT) of 4.20. There was sufficient evidence that combined treatment is superior for major depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The effects of combined treatment compared with placebo only were about twice as large as those of pharmacotherapy compared with placebo only, underscoring the clinical advantage of combined treatment. The results also suggest that the effects of pharmacotherapy and those of psychotherapy are largely independent from each other, with both contributing about equally to the effects of combined treatment. We conclude that combined treatment appears to be more effective than treatment with antidepressant medication alone in major depression, panic disorder, and OCD. These effects remain strong and significant up to two years after treatment. Monotherapy with psychotropic medication may not constitute optimal care for common mental disorders.

Adding Psychotherapy to Antidepressant Medication in Depression and Anxiety Disorders: a Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials in which the effects of treatment with antidepressant medication were compared to the effects of combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in adults with a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder. A total of 52 studies (with 3,623 patients) met inclusion criteria, 32 on depressive disorders and 21 on anxiety disorders (one on both depressive and anxiety disorders). The overall difference between pharmacotherapy and combined treatment was Hedges’ g = 0.43 (95% CI: 0.31-0.56), indicating a moderately large effect and clinically meaningful difference in favor of combined treatment, which corresponds to a number needed to treat (NNT) of 4.20. There was sufficient evidence that combined treatment is superior for major depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The effects of combined treatment compared with placebo only were about twice as large as those of pharmacotherapy compared with placebo only, underscoring the clinical advantage of combined treatment. The results also suggest that the effects of pharmacotherapy and those of psychotherapy are largely independent from each other, with both contributing about equally to the effects of combined treatment. We conclude that combined treatment appears to be more effective than treatment with antidepressant medication alone in major depression, panic disorder, and OCD. These effects remain strong and significant up to two years after treatment. Monotherapy with psychotropic medication may not constitute optimal care for common mental disorders. (Reprinted with permission from the World Psychiatry 2014;13:56–67)

Implementing a knowledge application program for anxiety and depression in community-based primary mental health care: a multiple case study research protocol.

BackgroundAnxiety and depressive disorders are increasingly recognized as a health care policy priority. Reducing the treatment gap for common mental disorders requires strengthening the quality of primary mental health care. We developed a knowledge application program designed to improve the organization and delivery of care for anxiety and depression in community-based primary mental health care teams in Quebec, Canada. The principal objectives of the study are: to implement and evaluate this evidence-based knowledge application program; to examine the contextual factors associated with the selection of local quality improvement strategies; to explore barriers and facilitators associated with the implementation of local quality improvement plans; and to study the implementation of local quality monitoring strategies.MethodsThe research design is a mixed-methods prospective multiple case study. The main analysis unit (cases) is composed of the six multidisciplinary community-based primary mental health care teams, and each of the cases has identified at least one primary care medical clinic interested in collaborating with the implementation project. The training modules of the program are based on the Chronic Care Model, and the implementation strategies were developed according to the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services conceptual framework.DiscussionThe implementation of an evidence-based knowledge application program for anxiety and depression in primary care aims to improve the organization and delivery of mental health services. The uptake of evidence to improve the quality of care for common mental disorders in primary care is a complex process that requires careful consideration of the context in which innovations are introduced. The project will provide a close examination of the interplay between evidence, context and facilitation, and contribute to the understanding of factors associated with the process of implementation of interventions in routine care. The implementation of the knowledge application program with a population health perspective is consistent with the priorities set forth in the current mental health care reform in Quebec. Strengthening primary mental health care will lead to a more efficient health care system.