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NEW DELHI — A team of Indian researchers has developed a unique blend of digital healthcare and a community-based campaign that showed the potential to reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among people in rural India.
Mental health remains a critical global challenge, with nearly 150 million people in India needing treatment, yet only a fraction receiving adequate care. The shortage of mental health professionals in India is particularly acute, especially in rural areas where trained health workers are scarce.
The Systematic Medical Appraisal, Referral, and Treatment (SMART) mental health programme, led by The George Institute for Global Health researchers in New Delhi, was developed to address the gap by training village health workers in basic mental health care and using innovative methods of service delivery.
"Our research marks a significant milestone in mental health care," said Prof. Pallab Maulik, Director of Research and Programme Director (Mental Health) at The George Institute India on Friday.
"This study, the largest of its kind globally, revealed a substantial reduction in depression risk over one year and highlighted the profound impact of our dual intervention approach,” he added.
The team included 9,900 people from across West Godavari, Faridabad, and Palwal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Haryana for depression.
They were part of the trial over 12 months and implemented two key strategies: a community campaign to reduce mental health stigma and a digital healthcare initiative for those at high risk of mental disorders.
The findings, detailed in the JAMA Psychiatry journal, showed a significant reduction in depression risk among those involved in the intervention over one year.
The cure rate, measured by remission, was significantly higher in the intervention group, with 75 per cent achieving full recovery, compared to just 50 per cent in the control group.
Digital health solutions can be an asset to India's national mental health programme.
The new finding supports the WHO and Lancet Commission's call for new strategies to reduce the impact of mental disorders worldwide. These strategies can work in low- and middle-income countries and impoverished areas of high-income countries, with some adjustments for local conditions.