Collaboration is at the heart of the WHO Mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) training. Non-specialist health professionals are trained, then supervised, by mental health specialists to identify and manage mental disorders. They can then offer mental health services to people who would otherwise not have access to any. In 2014, Mexico and Spain joined forces for the mhGAP training in Mexico.
During May to July 2014, 27 primary care physicians from rural and urban primary care centres in Mexico City and Guadalajara were trained in the use of the mhGAP Intervention Guide and in the identification and treatment of mental conditions. The training team used tools adapted for Spanish speakers by the Pan American Health Organization and the UAM. They were joined by local mental health specialists who will conduct additional training and evaluate its impact.
As in the 2013–2014 mhGAP training of six Caribbean countries (see June 2014 mhGAP newsletter), the training in Mexico combined periods of distance learning and in-person seminars. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Research and Training from UAM’s Department of Psychiatry provided the online platform. Face-to-face training was held at the Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico City.
This course is yet another example of how collaboration can significantly improve the quality of care delivered to people with mental health conditions. It is part of Mexico’s commitment to the World Health Organization to move towards universal coverage for a wide range of diseases, including several mental health disorders.
“The course gives us the tools and structured approach to identify and treat problems that have become pandemics in this century; I am grateful for the opportunity to be the person who can make the change at the community level, where there is no psychiatrist” shared a participant.