Vikram Patel
Biographic Data
| ID | 658929 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Vikram Patel |
| GIVEN NAMES | Vikram |
| FAMILY NAME | Patel |
| SIGNATURE | PATEL V |
| AFFILIATIONS | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1066-8584 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 167 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 309 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 165 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
“The satisfaction we get by doing this, you do not get it with any money”
While community volunteers are increasingly recognized for addressing supply-side gaps in healthcare delivery (e.g., provider shortages), their role in mitigating demand-side barriers (e.g., stigma) remains underexplored. This qualitative study investigated the experiences, knowledge, and roles of community volunteers in Goa, India. We examined barriers and facilitators to community-based work, and strategies for integrating community participati…
Digital supervision of nonspecialist providers delivering psychosocial interventions for depression in India
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button
The effectiveness of a community-based video-facilitated parenting intervention for child development integrated into routine maternal and child care services in India
Parenting interventions integrating nutrition, stimulation, and responsive caregiving promote child development but face challenges to scale in low-resource settings. This study describes implementation and effectiveness of Aalana Palana , a facilitated video-viewing intervention on responsive parenting, embedded in routine maternal and child care services in India. Aalana Palana was delivered by Anganwadi workers (AWWs) in Telangana, India. A qu…
The design of a scalable intervention for adolescents with internalizing problems
EMPOWER is a program aimed at building the capacity of frontline workers to deliver brief, evidence-based psychosocial interventions for mental health conditions. We describe the design of such an intervention for adolescents with internalizing problems, a leading cause of morbidity for this age group in the United States. The intervention design was founded on the findings of a meta-analysis by Fitzpatrick et al. (2023) of 263 randomized control…
Ethnoracial disparities in suicide following interpersonal violence
Background Interpersonal violence is a known risk factor for suicide, but its impact across racial and ethnic groups, particularly among Black and Indigenous youth, remains underexplored. Methods We conducted a nationwide longitudinal study involving 9,788,264 individuals aged 10–29 years who were enrolled in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort and linked to Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), National Hospital Information System (SIH) a…
Interventions to Improve Mental Health Help-Seeking Attitudes, Intentions and Behaviours
The gap between mental health conditions and care uptake remains a global challenge, despite the availability of effective and affordable treatments.This gap is driven by demand-side barriers, such as lack of mental health literacy (MHL), stigma, etc. that hinder help-seeking.In this systematic review, we critically appraise interventions aimed at promoting help-seeking for mental health conditions.The review protocol was prospectively registered…
The use of geographic information systems (GIS) in studying mental health service delivery
Geographic information systems (GIS) are computer-based spatial mapping tools widely used in public health to examine service availability and access disparities and healthcare utilization. While GIS has supported evidence-based health planning in various domains, its application in mental healthcare service delivery remains underexplored. Our scoping review aimed to address this gap by exploring the scope and type of GIS usage in studying three …
Development of a digital program for training non-specialist providers to deliver a psychosocial intervention for depression
Task-sharing holds promise for bridging gaps in access to mental healthcare; yet there remain significant challenges to scaling up task-sharing models. This formative study aimed to develop a digital platform for training non-specialist providers without prior experience in mental healthcare to deliver a brief psychosocial intervention for depression in community settings in Texas. A 5-step development approach was employed, consisting of: bluepr…
Effectiveness of Atman psychological intervention in reducing self-harm in young people in India
There is a scarcity of psychological interventions for self-harm in young people, either developed or adapted for use in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). ATMAN i s a psychological intervention developed in India for youth with three key modules: problem-solving, emotion regulation and social network strengthening skills in addition to crisis management. ATMAN was delivered in 27 youth with a history of self-harm (14–24 years old) sequenti…
Impact of treatment attendance on mental health outcomes within task-shared psychological treatments
Task-shared psychological treatments play a critical role in addressing the global mental health treatment gap, yet their integration into routine care requires further study. This study evaluated the causal association between an implementation factor of a task-shared psychological treatment and participant outcomes to strengthen the implementation-to-outcome link within global mental health. This secondary analysis utilized cohort data from the…
Hybrid Grid Energy Management Using Renewable Energy Sources
The global demand for clean and reliable energy has accelerated the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) such as solar and wind into power grids. Hybrid AC/DC microgrids, leveraging distributed generation (DG) and energy storage systems (ESS), have emerged as a promising solution to mitigate power quality issues, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and enhance operational flexibility. However, the unique characteristics of RES—such as int…
Development of a remote implementation support strategy to enhance integration of depression treatment into primary care settings in rural India
Introduction: Contextually responsive implementation support strategies are needed to enhance the integration of mental health services into primary health care. Technical assistance is widely used as a core "capacity building" strategy, primarily for increasing the motivation and capacity of individuals (e.g., frontline workers) to adopt evidence-based interventions in healthcare settings. This article documents the systematic design of a techni…
Locked down-locked in
Introduction: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in March 2020 disrupted the lives of families across India. The lockdown related restrictions brought forth a multitude of challenges including loss of employment, social isolation, school closures and financial burdens. Specifically, it also resulted in the restriction of health-care services for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Methods: This qualitative stud…
Adapting and deploying a digital program for training non-specialist providers on a brief psychological intervention for depression in rural Gujarat, India
Workforce shortages represent a major bottleneck to delivering depression care, particularly in lower resource settings. This pilot study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a digital training program on developing knowledge and skills in the delivery of a brief behavioral activation intervention for depression among non-specialist providers (NSPs) in Gujarat, India. Participating NSPs, such as community health workers and other …
Scaling up the task-sharing of psychological therapies
Measurement-based peer supervision is one strategy to assure the quality of psychological treatments delivered by non-mental health specialist providers. In this formative study, we aimed to 1) describe the development and 2) examine the acceptability and feasibility of PEERS (Promoting Effective mental healthcare through peER Supervision)-a novel smartphone app that aims to facilitate registering and scheduling patients, collecting patient outco…
Economic interventions for the prevention of mental health problems
There is a strong, bidirectional association between social disadvantage and poor mental health. The risk of experiencing mental health problems is particularly enhanced by factors associated with living in poverty. Thus, economic interventions may be effective in reducing the burden of mental health issues in these populations. This article explores the evidence based on one specific type of economic intervention on mental health, that is, suppl…
Physical and sexual victimization of persons with severe mental illness seeking care in central and southwestern Uganda
Purpose This study established the prevalence of physical and sexual victimization, associated factors and psychosocial consequences of victimization among 1,201 out-patients with severe mental illness at Butabika and Masaka hospitals in Uganda. Methods Participants completed structured, standardized and locally translated instruments. Physical and sexual victimization was assessed using the modified adverse life events module of the European Par…
Why young people attempt suicide in India
Suicidal behaviours among young people in India are a major public health problem. An understanding of the reasons for suicide attempts from survivor perspectives is essential to developing suicide prevention programs for this population, as these can provide valuable insights into concerns that are unique to young people, and direct the focus of such programs towards these specific concerns. Qualitative studies are best suited for eliciting such…
Social support and user engagement with task-shared psychological treatments in the real world
Task sharing in psychological treatments has been recognized as an effective strategy for bridging the global mental health treatment gap. However, more research is needed to better support its implementation in routine care. Mental health services users' engagement with treatment is a crucial implementation factor, yet empirical evidence on its determinants remains sparse. The current study aims to investigate social support as a predictor of us…
Interventions to increase help-seeking for mental health care in low- and middle-income countries
Mental health problems are a significant and growing cause of morbidity worldwide. Despite the availability of evidence-based interventions, most people experiencing mental health problems remain untreated. This treatment gap is particularly large in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and is due to both supply-side and demand-side barriers. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and synthesise the evidence on interventions to impro…
Developing knowledge-based psychotherapeutic competencies in non-specialist providers
We evaluated a digital learning programme for non-specialists to develop knowledge-based competencies in a problem-solving intervention for adolescents to examine the overall impact of training on knowledge-based competencies among learners; and to compare the effects of two training conditions (self-guided digital training with or without coaching) in a nested parallel, two-arm, individually randomised controlled trial. Eligible participants wer…
Community-based rehabilitation intervention for people with schizophrenia in Ethiopia (Rise) cluster-randomised controlled trial
We evaluated the effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) in reducing depressive symptoms, alcohol use disorder, food insecurity and underweight in people with schizophrenia. This cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted in a rural district of Ethiopia. Fifty-four sub-districts were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to the facility-based care [FBC] plus CBR arm and the FBC alone arm. Lay workers delivered CBR over 12 months. We asses…
A theory of change for community-initiated mental health care in the United States
Mental health service delivery needs radical reimagination in the United States where unmet needs for care remain large and most metrics on the burden of mental health problems have worsened, despite significant numbers of mental health professionals, spending on service provision and research. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need for mental health care. One path to a radical reimagination is "Community Initiated Care (CIC)" which equip…
Exploring the Relationship between Anemia and Postpartum Depression
Our findings suggest a potential association between anemia and postpartum depression among women in Malawi. Policies that aim to improve nutrition and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women could generate a "double benefit" by both preventing anemia and reducing the risk of postpartum depression
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Remote Stepped Care Mental Health Programme for Adolescents during the Covid-19 Pandemic in India
Remote mental health services were rapidly deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there is relatively little contemporaneous evidence on their feasibility and acceptability. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a stepped care mental health programme delivered remotely by lay counsellors to adolescents in New Delhi, India, during a period of 'lockdown'. The programme consisted of a brief problem-solving intervention ("Step …
Women, poverty and common mental disorders in four restructuring societies
Explanatory models of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa
Listening to mothers
Experiences of stigma and discrimination of people with schizophrenia in India
Why mental health matters to global health
Global health has been defined as an area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. This article provides an overview of some central issues in global mental health in three parts. The first part demonstrates why mental health is relevant to global health by examining three key principles of global health: priority setting based on the burden of health prob…
Acceptability and feasibility of using non-specialist health workers to deliver mental health care
Three-quarters of the global mental health burden exists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet the lack of mental health services in resource-poor settings is striking. Task-sharing (also, task-shifting), where mental health care is provided by non-specialists, has been proposed to improve access to mental health care in LMICs. This multi-site qualitative study investigates the acceptability and feasibility of task-sharing mental healt…
Mental Health of Indian Women
Reducing mental illness stigma in healthcare settings
Experiences of stigma and discrimination faced by family caregivers of people with schizophrenia in India
Stigma associated with schizophrenia significantly affects family caregivers, yet few studies have examined the nature and determinants of family stigma and its relationship to their knowledge about the condition. This paper describes the experiences and determinants of stigma reported by the primary caregivers of people living with schizophrenia (PLS) in India. The study used mixed methods and was nested in a randomised controlled trial of commu…
Mental health matters too
The intersection of reproductive and mental health, though extensively studied in developed countries, has rarely been researched in developing countries, particularly in South Asia. This article examines the intersection of gynaecological symptoms and depression, focusing on the South Asian region. Depression is one of the most common and most disabling disorders worldwide. This article reviews the evidence of the high prevalence of depression i…
Why women attempt suicide
CONTEXT: The relative importance of illness (physical and mental) and social disadvantage as risk factors for suicide is controversial. OBJECTIVES: To describe the risk for attempted suicide in women when it is associated with social disadvantage and physical and mental illness. METHODS: Data were analysed from a population-based cohort study of women aged 18-50, in Goa, India (n = 2494). Baseline information was collected on socioeconomic factor…
Africa south of the Sahara
"Is there a medicine for these tensions?" Barriers to treatment-seeking for depressive symptoms in rural India
Low demand for depression treatment reflected discrepancies between the community's perceived needs and a narrow biomedical model of mental health. Meeting their needs may require a radical change in approach that acknowledges the social determinants of distress, and the interactions between mental and physical health. The capabilities approach may provide a framework for more holistically conceptualising people's needs
Suicidal Behavior Among Female Sex Workers in Goa, India
Objectives. We sought to study suicidal behavior prevalence and its association with social and gender disadvantage, sex work, and health factors among female sex workers in Goa, India. Methods. Using respondent-driven sampling, we recruited 326 sex workers in Goa for an interviewer-administered questionnaire regarding self-harming behaviors, sociodemographics, sex work, gender disadvantage, and health. Participants were tested for sexually trans…
Seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in developing countries
Predicting postnatal mental disorder with a screening questionnaire
BACKGROUND: Postnatal mental disorders are common causes of morbidity but are rarely diagnosed or treated in busy primary care clinics in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a brief psychiatric screening questionnaire used in the 8th month of pregnancy can predict postnatal mental disorder. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SITE: A peri-urban settlement in Zimbabwe. POPULATION: 500 women in the 8th month of pregnancy ident…
Stressed, depressed, or bewitched
Mental illness is an important cause of disability in sub-Saharan African countries and is rarely covered in health-related development activity. This article examines the close relationship between mental illness, religion, and culture, referring to the authors' experiences in Zimbabwe as an example. They emphasise the importance of gaining a sympathetic understanding of the religious beliefs and social contexts of psycho-social distress states,…
Empowering the (Extra)Ordinary
Psychological treatments are among the most effective interventions for a wide range of mental health conditions but remain inaccessible to most people who could benefit from them, including in many high-income countries. We describe two case studies from South Asia that demonstrate innovatively designed psychological treatments addressing many of the barriers that limit their scalability. The treatments are brief, less complex, and delivered by …
Adolescent drinking onset and its adult consequences among men
BACKGROUND: Few population-based studies from low-income and middle-income countries have addressed adolescent drinking onset and its association with adult alcohol-related adverse outcomes. The aims of this study were to: (1) estimate the rate of adolescent drinking onset and its trend over time among men (2) describe demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with adolescent drinking onset; and (3) examine the association between adolesce…
HIV prevention while the bulldozers roll
"We are everyone's Ashas but who's there for us?" a qualitative exploration of perceptions of work stress and coping among rural frontline workers in Madhya Pradesh, India
This study will inform the development of a strengths-based coaching intervention to address work stress among ASHAs. The findings are relevant to building the evidence on alleviation of work stress among female frontline cadres in low-resource settings globally
The impact of a lay counselor led collaborative care intervention for common mental disorders in public and private primary care
The MANAS trial evaluated the effectiveness of a lay counselor led collaborative stepped care intervention for Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in public and private sector primary care settings in Goa, India. This paper describes the qualitative findings of the experience of the intervention and its impact on health and psychosocial outcomes. Twenty four primary care facilities (12 public and private each) were randomized to provide either collabor…
Sex, Studies or Strife? What to Integrate in Adolescent Health Services
If health services for adolescents are to be successfully integrated into the existing health care system, they will need to reach out to meet the needs that adolescents themselves perceive as salient. This paper describes a study aiming to elicit the needs of adolescents in higher secondary schools in Goa, India, in 1999–2000. The objective was to generate information which could guide the development of adolescent-friendly health services by in…
Challenges for Transformation
The proportion of individuals with mental disorders receiving evidence based treatments in India is very small. In order to address this huge treatment gap, programme for improving mental health care is being implemented in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The aim of this study was to complete the situational analysis consisting of two parts; document review of Sehore district mental health programme followed by a qualitative study. The …
Globalization and Mental Health
International audience
Explanatory models of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa
Stressed, depressed, or bewitched
Mental illness is an important cause of disability in sub-Saharan African countries and is rarely covered in health-related development activity. This article examines the close relationship between mental illness, religion, and culture, referring to the authors' experiences in Zimbabwe as an example. They emphasise the importance of gaining a sympathetic understanding of the religious beliefs and social contexts of psycho-social distress states,…
Africa south of the Sahara
The Shona Symptom Questionnaire
The objective of this study was to develop an indigenous measure of common mental disorders (CMD) in the Shona language in Zimbabwe. Ethnographic and qualitative studies elicited idioms of distress of mental disorder leading to the preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ), and items from the Self‐Report Questionnaire (SRQ) were added to it. The 56‐item Preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (PSSQ) was administered to 302 randomly selected p…
The development of the Short Explanatory Model Interview (Semi) and its use among primary-care attenders with common mental disorders
Background. Recent anthropological studies have documented the importance of understanding the relation of culture to the experience of mental illness. The use of interviews that elicit explanatory models has facilitated such research, but currently available interviews are lengthy and impractical for epidemiological studies. This paper is a preliminary report on the development of a brief instrument to elicit explanatory models for use in field …
Predicting postnatal mental disorder with a screening questionnaire
BACKGROUND: Postnatal mental disorders are common causes of morbidity but are rarely diagnosed or treated in busy primary care clinics in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a brief psychiatric screening questionnaire used in the 8th month of pregnancy can predict postnatal mental disorder. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SITE: A peri-urban settlement in Zimbabwe. POPULATION: 500 women in the 8th month of pregnancy ident…
Women, poverty and common mental disorders in four restructuring societies
Mental health matters too
The intersection of reproductive and mental health, though extensively studied in developed countries, has rarely been researched in developing countries, particularly in South Asia. This article examines the intersection of gynaecological symptoms and depression, focusing on the South Asian region. Depression is one of the most common and most disabling disorders worldwide. This article reviews the evidence of the high prevalence of depression i…
Mental Health of Indian Women
Gender, Poverty, and Postnatal Depression
OBJECTIVE: This study described the natural history of depression in mothers who recently gave birth in a low-income country and to investigate the effect of risk factors, particularly related to infant gender bias, on the occurrence and outcome of depression. METHOD: The authors studied a group of pregnant mothers recruited during their third trimester of pregnancy from a district hospital in Goa, India. The mothers were interviewed at recruitme…
Postnatal depression and infant growth and development in low income countries
BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression is a recognised cause of delayed cognitive development in infants in developed countries. Being underweight is common in South Asia. AIMS: To determine whether postnatal depression contributes to poor growth and development outcomes in Goa, India. METHODS: Cohort study for growth outcomes with nested case-control study for developmental outcomes. A total of 171 babies were weighed and measured at 6-8 weeks followi…
Where There Is No Psychiatrist (Books Beyond Words)
This book is a practical manual of mental health care for community health workers, primary care nurses, social workers and primary care doctors, particularly in developing countries."--BOOK JACKET
Listening to mothers
Sex, Studies or Strife? What to Integrate in Adolescent Health Services
If health services for adolescents are to be successfully integrated into the existing health care system, they will need to reach out to meet the needs that adolescents themselves perceive as salient. This paper describes a study aiming to elicit the needs of adolescents in higher secondary schools in Goa, India, in 1999–2000. The objective was to generate information which could guide the development of adolescent-friendly health services by in…
Effect of maternal mental health on infant growth in low income countries
Impaired infant growth, a major problem in South Asia, may require interventions to improve maternal mental health in addition to current interventions targeting infant nutrition Unicef estimates that over 220 million children aged less than 5 years in the developing world have significantly impaired growth. 1 The South Asian region is perhaps worst affected, being home to more than half of all the underweight children in the world. 2 This articl…
What is the relevance of mental health to HIV/Aids care and treatment programs in developing countries? A systematic review
Gender Disadvantage and Reproductive Health Risk Factors for Common Mental Disorders in Women
BACKGROUND: Gender disadvantage and reproductive health are major determinants of women's health in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of factors indicative of gender disadvantage and reproductive health with the risk of common mental disorders (CMDs) in women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey from November 1, 2001, to June 15, 2003. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3000 women randomly selected from a sampling frame of women aged…
Depression, chronic diseases, and decrements in health
Treatment and prevention of mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries
No health without mental health
Mental health in low- and middle-income countries
Mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LAMIC) do not attract global health policy attention. This article is based on a selective review of research on mental disorders in adults in LAMIC since 2001 and recent analyses of disease burden in developing countries. Mental disorders account for 11.1% of the total burden of disease in LAMIC. Unipolar depressive disorder is the single leading neuropsychiatric cause of disease burden. Alco…
Mental health of young people
Somatic Presentations—A Challenge for DSM-V
Dimsdale, Joel E. MD; Patel, Vikram MB; Xin, Yu MD; Kleinman, Arthur MD Author Information
Empowerment of women and mental health promotion
While it is essential that affordable, accessible, appropriate treatments and systems of referral and care are available for people with mental illness in developing country settings, the promotion of mental health by addressing its determinants is another potential strategy for reducing the burden of mental illness for individuals and communities in these settings
The impact of maternal experience of violence and common mental disorders on neonatal outcomes
Efforts to improve neonatal outcomes in low income countries may be neglecting two important independent, but correlated risk factors: maternal experience of violence and common mental disorder
Medicine (114 works) · Psychiatry (110 works) · Mental health (85 works) · Psychology (76 works) · Mental Health Treatment and Access (72 works) · Psychological intervention (55 works) · Nursing (50 works) · Environmental health (45 works) · Political science (33 works) · Public health (33 works)