Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice

In 2002, WHO launched the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) as a strategy to help member states scale up services to address the growing burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders globally, especially in countries with limited resources. Since then, the mhGAP program has bee...

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Main Authors: Laurence J Kirmayer, Ana Gómez-Carrillo, Raphael Lencucha, Neda Faregh, Samuel Veissière
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-09-01
Series:BMJ Global Health
Online Access:https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/9/e002689.full
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author Laurence J Kirmayer
Ana Gómez-Carrillo
Raphael Lencucha
Neda Faregh
Samuel Veissière
author_facet Laurence J Kirmayer
Ana Gómez-Carrillo
Raphael Lencucha
Neda Faregh
Samuel Veissière
author_sort Laurence J Kirmayer
collection DOAJ
description In 2002, WHO launched the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) as a strategy to help member states scale up services to address the growing burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders globally, especially in countries with limited resources. Since then, the mhGAP program has been widely implemented but also criticised for insufficient attention to cultural and social context and ethical issues. To address this issue and help overcome related barriers to scale-up, we outline a framework of questions exploring key cultural and ethical dimensions of mhGAP planning, adaptation, training, and implementation. This framework is meant to guide mhGAP activity taking place around the world. Our approach is informed by recent research on cultural formulation and adaptation, and aligned with key components of the WHO implementation research guide (Peters, D. H., Tran, N. T., & Adam, T. (2013). Implementation research in health: a practical guide. Implementation research in health: a practical guide.). The framework covers three broad domains: (1) Concepts of wellness and illness—how to examine cultural norms, knowledge, values and attitudes in relation to the “culture of the mhGAP”; (2) Systems of care—identifying formal and informal systems of care in the cultural context of practice.; and (3) Ethical space: examining issues related to power dynamics, communication, and decision-making. Systematic consideration of these issues can guide integration of cultural knowledge, structural competence, and ethics in implementation efforts.
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spelling doaj-art-9403f3fb8f504cc8ab1a0b92da151b1d2024-12-05T07:15:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082020-09-015910.1136/bmjgh-2020-002689Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practiceLaurence J Kirmayer0Ana Gómez-Carrillo1Raphael Lencucha2Neda Faregh3Samuel Veissière4Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Culture Mind and Brain Program and Global Mental Health Program, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaPsychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaSchool of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaDivision of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Culture Mind and Brain Program and Global Mental Health Program, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaIn 2002, WHO launched the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) as a strategy to help member states scale up services to address the growing burden of mental, neurological and substance use disorders globally, especially in countries with limited resources. Since then, the mhGAP program has been widely implemented but also criticised for insufficient attention to cultural and social context and ethical issues. To address this issue and help overcome related barriers to scale-up, we outline a framework of questions exploring key cultural and ethical dimensions of mhGAP planning, adaptation, training, and implementation. This framework is meant to guide mhGAP activity taking place around the world. Our approach is informed by recent research on cultural formulation and adaptation, and aligned with key components of the WHO implementation research guide (Peters, D. H., Tran, N. T., & Adam, T. (2013). Implementation research in health: a practical guide. Implementation research in health: a practical guide.). The framework covers three broad domains: (1) Concepts of wellness and illness—how to examine cultural norms, knowledge, values and attitudes in relation to the “culture of the mhGAP”; (2) Systems of care—identifying formal and informal systems of care in the cultural context of practice.; and (3) Ethical space: examining issues related to power dynamics, communication, and decision-making. Systematic consideration of these issues can guide integration of cultural knowledge, structural competence, and ethics in implementation efforts.https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/9/e002689.full
spellingShingle Laurence J Kirmayer
Ana Gómez-Carrillo
Raphael Lencucha
Neda Faregh
Samuel Veissière
Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
BMJ Global Health
title Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
title_full Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
title_fullStr Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
title_full_unstemmed Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
title_short Engaging culture and context in mhGAP implementation: fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
title_sort engaging culture and context in mhgap implementation fostering reflexive deliberation in practice
url https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/9/e002689.full
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