Join the fight to achieve global malaria elimination targets
Donate today and join the fight to achieve global malaria elimination targets.
Together we can make a significant contribution to achieving malaria elimination targets.
Donate today and join the fight to achieve global malaria elimination targets.
Together we can make a significant contribution to achieving malaria elimination targets.
Mental health is one of the most neglected health issues globally. Before COVID-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 10–20 per cent of children and adolescents worldwide experienced poor mental health, with half of mental health conditions beginning by age 14. The Global Burden of Disease Study in 2019 estimated that around 1 in 6 adolescents aged 10-19 years are living with a mental disorder in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region, with suicide the fifth leading cause of death of 15-19 year-olds.
Primary health care provides a critical platform for: identifying and responding to mental health needs; delivery of key interventions to address risk factors for poor mental health, and; engagement with communities and families to support health promotion and mental health literacy.
Most mental health conditions can be effectively diagnosed and managed by non-specialist providers through primary care, that is also likely to be more accessible, affordable and acceptable to children and their families, less stigmatising that institutional-based care, and with greater capacity to provide person-centred care and support. However, integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) into primary health care remains a challenge, contributing to high unmet needs for mental health services and support.
The aim of this multi-country study is to understand how MHPSS for children, adolescents and caregivers can be effectively integrated and delivered through primary health care in the MENA region.
The project includes two (2) phases:
Phase one will include:
Phase two will include in-depth qualitative inquiry conducted in six countries to:
This project is being conducted in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.
April – December 2022
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa
For any general enquiries relating to this project, please contact:
Co-Program Director, Maternal and Child Health; Co-Head Global Adolescent Health