Priorities for research promoting mental health in the south and east of Asia.

Progress in promoting mental health, preventing mental illness, and improving care for people affected by mental illness is unlikely to occur if efforts remain separated from existing public health programs and the principles of public health action. Experts met recently to discuss integrating public health and mental health strategies in the south and east of Asia, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Areas of research identified as high priority were: 1) integrating mental health into perinatal care; 2) providing culturally-adjusted support for carers of people with mental and physical disorders; 3) using digital health technologies for mental health care in areas with limited resources and 4) building local research capacity. Selection of these areas was informed by their relative novelty in the region, ease of implementation, likely widespread benefit, and potential low costs. In this article, we summarise available evidence, highlight gaps and call for collaborations with research centres, leaders and persons with lived experience within and beyond the region.

Comparison of the Effectiveness and Safety of Clozapine Between Once-Daily and Divided Dosing Regimen in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic with respect to the incidence of discontinuation and is indicated for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Although the recommendation for clozapine administration is divided dosing, once-daily dosing of clozapine is commonly prescribed in many countries. However, there is currently no clinical data comparing all-cause discontinuation between the 2 methods of administration of clozapine. OBJECTIVES: To compare the all-cause discontinuation and safety of clozapine administration between once-daily and divided dosing regimens. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Participants were patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia who had received 300 to 600 mg/day of clozapine for at least 3 months. Data were collected from outpatient medical records at Somdet Chaopraya Institute of Psychiatry. Eligible patients were classified into 2 groups: once-daily dosing and divided dosing. The primary outcome was the all-cause discontinuation rate between groups. The duration of the study was 2 years. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen patients were included and analyzed in this study (once-daily dosing group: n = 58; divided dosing group: n = 60). There was no significant difference in all-cause discontinuation between the 2 groups (odds ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval: [0.28, 3.79]: P = 1.00), or adverse events between groups. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: In patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, there were no significant differences in effectiveness or safety between once-daily and divided dosing of clozapine. Further prospective studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings.

Effectiveness of a community health worker-led case management programme to improve outcomes for people with psychotic disorders in Thailand: a one-year prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Intensive case management (ICM) programmes for psychotic patients are effective in improving outcomes, but often unfeasible in resource-poor settings, as they typically require extensive human resources and expertise. We developed and evaluated the effectiveness of a less intensive case management program (LICM), led by community health workers, on one-year social functioning and service use. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on patients aged 18 and above residing in a hospital catchment area. Outcomes were compared between LICM (n = 64) and non-LICM participants (n = 485). A counterfactual framework approach was applied to assess causal effects of the LICM on outcomes. The programme effectiveness was analyzed by augmented-inverse probability of treatment weighting (AIPW) to estimate potential outcome mean (POM) and average treatment effect (ATE). Outcomes were employment status and use of emergency, inpatient and outpatient services. Analyses were stratified by the number of previous psychotic relapse (≤ 1, > 1) to assess heterogeneity of treatment effect on those in an early and later stages of psychotic illness. RESULTS: In the early-stage cohort, the likelihood of being employed at one year post-baseline was significantly greater in LICM participants than non-LICM participants (ATE 0.10, 95%CI 0.05-0.14, p < 0.001), whereas service use of all types, except outpatient, was not significantly different between the two groups. In the later-stage cohort, the likelihoods of employment between the two groups at post-baseline were similar (ATE -0.02, 95%CI -0.19-0.15, p = 0.826), whereas service use of all types was significantly higher in LICM participants. CONCLUSION: LICM in a setting where community mental services are scarce may benefit those at an early stage of psychotic illness, by leading to better social functioning and no higher use of unscheduled services at the end of the programme, possibly through their better prognosis and medication adherence. A more intensive case management model may be appropriate for those in a later stage of the illness.

Services for depression and suicide in Thailand.

Depression, together with suicide is an important contributor to the burden of disease in Thailand. Until recently, depression has been significantly under-recognized in the country. The lack of response to this health challenge has been compounded by a low level of access to standard care, constraints on mental health personnel and inadequate dissemination of knowledge in caring for people with these disorders. In the past decade, significant work has been undertaken to establish a new evidence-based surveillance and care system for depression and suicide in Thailand that operates at all levels of health-care provision nationwide. The main components of the integrated system are: (i) community-level screening for depression in at-risk groups, using a two-question tool; (ii) assessment of the severity of depression using a nine-question scale; (iii) diagnosis and treatment by general practitioners; (iv) psychosocial care provided by psychiatric nurses; (v) continuous care for relapse and suicide prevention; and (vi) promotion of mental well-being and prevention of depression in at-risk populations. Factors such as appropriate financial mechanisms, capacity-building programmes for health-care workers, and robust treatment guidelines have contributed to the success and sustainability of this comprehensive surveillance and care system. By 2016, more than 14 million people at risk had been screened for depression and received mental health education; more than 1.7 million people with depression had received psychosocial interventions; 0.7 million diagnosed patients had received antidepressants; and 0.8 million were being followed up for relapse and suicide prevention. The application of this surveillance and care system has led to an enormous increase in the accessibility of standard care for people with depressive disorders, from 5.1% of those with depressive disorders in 2009 to 48.5% in 2016.