Institute to implement WHO mental health gap training programme

The Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health (NAIMH) is working towards implementing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in the country.

A statement Sunday issued by the institute said it will do so through a training programme in Nigeria in 2025.

It said the programme will train primary health extension workers, social workers, nurses, schoolteachers, hospital staff and others in the local communities to be able to identify symptoms of certain mental health conditions, manage the symptoms and refer serious cases to professional mental health providers.

The institute said the training would be targeted at conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, suicide ideation and substance use disorders.

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“Under the training programme, master trainers will be trained who, in turn, will train non- mental health professionals at the local community levels. During the first phase of the programme, covering one year, trainings will be conducted in Abia, Anambra and Enugu states, “it said.

The institute also said the second phase of the programme will see training conducted in Ebonyi and Imo states, adding that “Under the programme, 25 master trainers will be trained. And for each of the states to benefit from the program, 150 community health workers and others will be trained in each of the five local governments in the states where the training programme will take place.”

While saying that the training will be hybrid, using WHO (mhGAP) training guide/manual, the institute said it is committed to the development of manpower and programmes of education, research and other activities for the expansion of mental healthcare in Nigeria.

“As part of the training programme, ancillary services will be planned for and, as part of adapting the mhGAP programme to the Nigerian environment. These will include support services and programs aimed at creating awareness of the programme in local communities and beyond. Others will involve measures designed to increase the number and quality of other mental healthcare providers/practitioners to care for the emotional health of the people in the communities in which we operate,” it said.

The statement said the institute was created because the need for mental health services and psychoeducation in Nigeria surpasses available resources.

“The NAIMH aims to illuminate this disparity and forge partnerships with individuals, organizations, and agencies to create a viable path of support, through education and increased availability of effective professionals who are skilled in the field of mental health,” it added.