Mental Health and Substance Use
Our work involves mental health promotion and the prevention of mental, neurological and substance use disorders. We support the expansion of access to affordable, quality care for everyone who needs it.
Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP)
Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common in all regions of the world, affecting every community and age group across all income countries. While 14% of the global burden of disease is attributed to these disorders, most of the people affected - 75% in many low-income countries - do not have access to the treatment they need.
The WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) aims at scaling up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders for countries especially with low- and middle-income. The programme asserts that with proper care, psychosocial assistance and medication, tens of millions could be treated for depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy, prevented from suicide and begin to lead normal lives– even where resources are scarce.
mhGAP evidence
Publications
31 August 2020
Enhancing mental health pre-service training with the mhGAP Intervention Guide: experiences and lessons...
This document was designed to inform educators, amongst others, about enhancing the pre-service curriculum with mental health Gap Action Programme Intervention...
9 September 2019
The mhGAP community toolkit: field test version
The mhGAP community toolkit: field test version is an integral part of WHO's Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), and aims at scaling up services for...
24 June 2019
mhGAP Intervention Guide - Version 2.0
This is the second version (2016) of the mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders in non-specialist...
8 January 2018
mhGAP Operations Manual
The WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) aims at scaling up mental health services in non-specialized health settings to achieve universal health...
28 February 2015
mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG)
Adults and children affected by emergencies experience a substantial and diverse range of mental, substance use, and neurological problems.The mhGAP Humanitarian...
1 January 2015
WHO mhGAP Guideline Update
In 2015 WHO updated the mhGAP guidelines, first issued in 2009, for the management of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders.The mhGAP...
This new mhGAP module on Conditions Specifically Related to Stress by WHO and UNHCR contains assessment and management advice related to acute stress,...