Latin America Treatment & Innovation Network in Mental Health — LATIN-MH

Overview

Latin-MH is a regional hub for mental health research and training that aims to decrease the treatment gap in Latin America and the Caribbean for people with comorbid mental and chronic physical diseases. Depression is the second leading contributor to the health burden in this region; yet, only a small proportion of individuals with depression receive treatment. Moreover, many individuals with depression also have chronic physical illnesses, leading to poorer outcomes for both conditions. To address this issue, Latin-MH is evaluating the effectiveness of a low-intensity psycho-educational intervention delivered via smartphones for individuals with depressive symptoms and diabetes or hypertension. Latin-MH is also building mental health research capacity in the region through a research training program delivered by a network involving Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil; Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru; Northwestern University in Chicago, United States; and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. The capacity building component prioritizes training in research methods that can generate sound evidence for reducing the mental health treatment gap. Both the research and capacity-building components involve a range of stakeholders.

Project website: http://www.latinmh.com.br/