Systematic review of the evidence base for treatment of common mental disorders in South Africa

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13823145
AutoresDebbie Kaminer (0000-0002-6097-6211, University of Cape Town, autor de correspondencia), Michael Owen (0000-0002-7960-2404, University of Cape Town), Byron Schwartz (University of Cape Town)
Año2017
Volumen48
Número1
Páginas32-47
Fecha de publicación2017-04-19
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSouth African Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0081-2463 • E-ISSN: 2078-208X
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0081246317704126
OpenAlexW2605541208
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas37

The scarcity of mental health resources in low- and middle-income countries requires the identification of effective interventions that can be taken to scale in a cost-efficient manner. Yet the evidence base for treatment of common mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. As one of the better resourced countries on the African continent, South Africa could potentially play a leading role in developing an African evidence base for mental health care. This study sought to describe and evaluate the South African evidence base for treating common mental disorders. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials for depression, substance use, and anxiety in the adult South African population from 2000 to mid-2015 was conducted. Eligible studies were assessed for their consistency with recommendations for mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and for methodological and reporting rigour. A total of 16 RCTs satisfied the inclusion criteria, of which 8 targeted depression, 6 targeted substance use, and 2 targeted anxiety symptoms. There has been a strong trend towards alignment with prevailing recommendations for delivery of mental health interventions in resource-scarce regions. While there are some promising findings with regard to effectiveness of specific interventions, replication, costing, and dissemination studies are still required and there is still an urgent need for treatment studies for anxiety disorders, which are the most common class of common mental disorder in South Africa. The review also indicates that research design and reporting practices in South African mental health intervention research could be enhanced and recommendations towards this are suggested

Anxiety · Environmental health · Global mental health · Intervention (counseling · Mental health · Population · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Scarcity · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Health Policy Implementation Science · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access