mhGAP intervention guide for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialized health settings

"The mhGAP-IG has been developed through an intensive process of evidence review. Systematic reviews were conducted to develop evidence-based recommendations. The process involved a WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts, who collaborated closely with the WHO Secretariat. The recommendations were then converted into clearly presented stepwise interventions, again with the collaboration of an international group of experts. The mhGAP-IG was then circulated among a wider range of reviewers across the world to include all the diverse contributions. The mhGAP-IG is based on the mhGAP Guidelines on interventions for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. The mhGAP Guidelines and the mhGAP-IG will be reviewed and updated in 5 years. Any revision and update before that will be made to the online version of the document. The mhGAP-IG has been developed for use in non-specialized health-care settings. It is aimed at health-care providers working at first- and second-level facilities. These health-care providers may be working in a health centre or as part of the clinical team at a district-level hospital or clinic. They include general physicians, family physicians, nurses and clinical officers. Other non-specialist health-care providers can use the mhGAP-IG with necessary adaptation. The first-level facilities include the health-care centres that serve as first point of contact with a health professional and provide outpatient medical and nursing care. Services are provided by general practitioners or physicians, dentists, clinical officers, community nurses, pharmacists and midwives, among others. Second-level facilities include the hospital at the first referral level responsible for a district or a defined geographical area containing a defined population and governed by a politico-administrative organization, such as a district health management team. The district clinician or mental health specialist supports the firstlevel health-care team for mentoring and referral. The mhGAP-IG is brief so as to facilitate interventions by busy non-specialists in low- and middle-income countries. It describes in detail what to do but does not go into descriptions of how to do. It is important that the non-specialist health-care providers are trained and then supervised and supported in using the mhGAP-IG in assessing and managing people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders." - p. 2