Integrating Mental Health Into Primary Healthcare

In line with International Medical Corps’ global approach, we work in partnership with relevant ministries of national governments, as well as the World Health Organization, to develop country-specific mental health programming based on an assessment of existing health systems and strategies.

We use a comprehensive approach to adapt training materials to the local context, provide theoretical training and hands-on supervision, support institutional capacity building and evaluate results to inform policy, practice and expansion of services.

Integration of mental health services into general healthcare improves the availability, quality, acceptability and accessibility of mental health care. It reduces costs for—and stigma toward—service users. It is effectively an investment for all sectors, because improving the overall well-being of communities can enhance economic development and societal welfare.

From the start, International Medical Corps works to maximize the use of existing government healthcare infrastructure and other resources, consistent with national capacities and strategies. This helps to promote sustainability, as well as a smooth transition from emergency response conditions to longer-term development. Continuous policy dialogue with government and key stakeholders is necessary to maintain supplies of medicines, achieve consistent and uninterrupted supervision, and conduct coherent annual planning.
International Medical Corps understands that integration is most successful when mental health is incorporated into health policy and legislative initiatives that are backed by adequate resources.

Our Response

International Medical Corps aims to strengthen mental health and psychosocial services through integration into primary healthcare and community services by training healthcare staff and paraprofessionals to provide mental health care and expand community and family support. By training non-specialized healthcare providers to identify and manage priority conditions in a way that’s consistent with recommendations by the World Health Organization, International Medical Corps has been implementing programs integrating mental health into general healthcare for many years in countries around the world. Integrating mental health into primary healthcare in humanitarian settings is a critical and evidence-based means of closing the gap between those who need mental health services and those who have access to them.

Highlights & Resources

In collaboration with WHO, International Medical Corps co-led an annual global capacity-building initiative for seven years focusing on mental health integration, using the mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide and accompanying operations manual, as well as International Medical Corps’ Mental Health Integration Toolkit.