NCT06574074

Improving Help-seeking for Depression Care in Nepal

Optimizing a Community-based Intervention to Improve Help-seeking for Depression Care in Morang District of Nepal

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 286 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Depression is a serious public health concern worldwide due to its high prevalence rate and significant emotional and financial burden on individuals, their families, and society. There is a substantial gap between the number of people in need of treatment for depression and those who actually receive it. The recent World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health Survey revealed that 86.3% of people with anxiety, mood, or substance disorders in lower-middle-income countries did not receive any treatment in the past 12 months. This study aims to evaluate a community-based intervention to address demand-side barriers by improving mental health literacy, dispelling myths and misconceptions about depression, changing negative attitudes towards depression care, and promoting help-seeking behavior.

Detailed description

It is estimated that more than 300 million people worldwide are experiencing depression, which is about 4.4% of the world's population. Despite the availability of evidence-based treatment, it is reported that 86.3% of people with anxiety, mood, or substance disorders in lower-middle-income countries received no treatment in the past 12 months. Among people who receive treatment for depression, only one out of 27 persons receive minimally adequate treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite being the major contributor to the overall global burden of disease, depression receives less or no health priority in many LMICs, where more than 80% of people with depression reside. This study will take place in two municipalities in Morang district, eastern Nepal. Female Community Health Volunteers will administer the intervention to individuals identified with depression using the locally developed and validated Community Informant Detection Tool (CIDT). Participants who receive the intervention will be followed up after one month to evaluate their help-seeking behavior (primary outcome) and after three months to assess treatment adherence, a secondary objective of the study. The study will assess the effects and interactions of four intervention components (information on depression, available treatments, stigma and myths, and life transformation experiences) on the primary outcome of help-seeking behavior and secondary outcomes such as treatment adherence. The severity of depression symptoms will be assessed using the validated PHQ-9, and knowledge and attitudes toward depression will be evaluated to assess mediation effects.

Conditions

• Help-Seeking Behavior
• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Gain-Life (Give informAtIoN to transform Life)	The Gain Life intervention comprises four components: (i) information about depression, (ii) awareness of available services, (iii) stigma reduction through dispelling myths and facts about depression, and (iv) a life transformation story. The first module aims to raise awareness about depression, with a particular focus on its causes, manifestations, and the potential negative consequences of untreated depression. The second component includes the types of services offered, costs, distance to service providers, and operating hours. The third component address stigma and misconceptions surrounding depression by addressing the root causes of stigma, dispelling myths, and providing accurate information about depression. The final module of the Gain Life intervention features recovery stories of individuals who have overcome depression. This module includes two 8-minute video stories of individuals who successfully recovered from depression.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-07-15
• Primary completion: 2024-11-01
• Completion: 2024-11-30
• First posted: 2024-08-27
• Last updated: 2024-09-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Nepal