In low- and middle-income countries, better access to mental healthcare is badly needed.
Globally, mental health conditions account for 4.9% of disease burden and 15% of all years lived with disability. Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent conditions.
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Among people in low- and middle-income countries who live with mental disorders, more than 75% receive no treatment. Half of the world’s population lives in countries with just one psychiatrist serving 200,000 or more people.
Guided self-help is an effective way to improve mental health.
Over 50 randomized controlled trials on the impacts of self-help demonstrate medium to large effects on depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being.
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There is strong evidence that guided
self-help has comparable effects to face-to-
face therapy- even when calls are as short as
15 minutes and programs last only a few
weeks.
Our goal is to bring guided self-help to youth without access to care.
Self-Help
A participant goes through self-help material via WhatsApp.
Support
A trained lay counselor calls weekly to check in and provide guidance.