Abstract

Mental health remains largely neglected in most low and middle income countries. There is undoubted need to build resources and consolidate training for staff, which is relevant to the mental health needs of the communities in Africa and practically feasible. In this study we present descriptive statistics of diagnostic categories in the patient group attending the outpatient clinics of Edawu---a community mental health center in rural Nigeria. The data shows disproportionately low numbers of clinical contacts for depression. The possible reasons are discussed and strategies including the use of the World Health Organization (WHO) mhGAP Intervention Guide are suggested for the way forward. The study also emphasizes on the potential of the mhGAP intervention guide not only as a tool of assessment and delivery of mental health services but also as a possible instrument of research with available resources.

摘要

在大多数低收入和中等收入国家，心理健康仍然被很大程度上忽略。毫无疑问，需要建立资源和加强对工作人员的培训，这与非洲社区的心理健康需求有关，并且在实际中是可行的。在这项研究中，我们提供了在尼日利亚农村社区精神卫生中心Edawu的门诊就诊的患者组中诊断类别的描述性统计数据。数据显示抑郁症的临床接触人数极少。讨论了可能的原因，并提出了包括使用《世界卫生组织（卫生组织）mhGAP干预指南》在内的策略，以作为前进的方向。