December 4, 2024 10:50 AM

Department of Public Mental Health

Department of PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH (DPMH) – HEALTH SERVICES ACADEMY

Vision
SCOPE
Action Plan:
STAKEHOLDERS AND COLLABORATORS
MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES TO ENHANCE COLLABORATIONS.
IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH

VISION:

To establish research activities and implement interventions of mental health to promote mental well-being and limit the damage caused by mental illnesses across the life span.

To organize efforts of various research and policy forums to streamline processes and guidelines under the umbrella of the health services academy.

Collaboration and leadership: Support collaboration and leadership on public mental health with various stakeholders.
- National and International Meetings and Conferences
- Brainstorming Exercise sessions with collaborators
Research Evidence: To collate and provide high-quality evidence, write grants to attract funders to pool data, and also initiate new research in the prevention of mental illnesses and early recovery from these illnesses. This is to advise and recommend public mental health programs to government and other policy-making bodies at local and national levels.
Effective Interventions in Public Mental Health are available but lack implementation at various levels. Thinking Healthy Program and School Mental Health Program are prime examples out of many interventions backed by the published evidence base.
Public mental health training in psychiatry and health sector: To work with other professional groups to integrate public mental health training into their teaching programs such as lady health worker program and teachers training. Promote public mental health as an intrinsic part of psychiatry, and support CPSP members to develop their knowledge and understanding of public mental health.

The Academy has established robust collaborations with all provincial health departments, provincial health academies, health sector reform units, and a diverse array of development partners. These include prominent organizations such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), World Health Organization (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), World Food Programme (WFP), Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These partnerships encompass a wide range of collaborative activities, including technical inputs, scholarships, research initiatives, and multi-sector workshops.

We aim to establish implementation research at the Public Mental Health Department at HSA from the existing collaborations and mental health research carried out in Pakistan.

Our stakeholders mentioned above understand the need for sustainable local capacity in implementation research. There is a commitment from key organizations responsible for providing the environment and support to build future local leadership in implementation research. The public mental health department will promote bidirectional learning and capacity building with the help of the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester.

There is an extreme dearth of meaningful capacity building in mental health in developing countries and we will address this by developing a structured curriculum with the help of our collaborators who have been the champion of meaningful research in low and middle-income countries. We have carefully considered key barriers to sustainable capacity-building in mental health in LMIC and address these by a) developing a tailored curriculum for implementation research, informed by real-world implementation challenges in LMIC and developing local capacity to provide sustainable leadership in this field.

Grant-Funded Research Initiatives

Under the visionary leadership of renowned experts such as Prof. Dr. Abid Ali Malik, Prof. Dr. Atif Rahman, and Prof. Dr. Siham Sikander, the Public Health Department, in collaboration with the Human Development and Research Foundation (HDRF), has been at the forefront of revolutionizing mental health care. Since 2017, HSA has secured and successfully executed sixteen groundbreaking research grants, amounting to an impressive USD 2.0 million, primarily funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). These invaluable grants have empowered HSA to launch transformative research initiatives tackling the most urgent public health challenges. Our cutting-edge projects have seamlessly translated research findings into real-world applications, significantly enhancing health outcomes and elevating public health standards across Pakistan.

Highlighted below are some of the impactful interventions developed and tested by HDRF and the Public Mental Health Department. Through rigorous implementation research, we are providing critical insights and recommendations to policymakers at the Ministry of Health, Pakistan, driving forward our mission to create a healthier nation.

Thinking Healthy Program (THP)

Problem Management Plus (PM+)

School Mental Health Program (SMHP)

Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) Program

A groundbreaking initiative aimed at maternal mental health, the Thinking Healthy Program, developed and implemented by our institute, has provided cognitive-behavioral therapy-based interventions to expectant and new mothers. This program has significantly reduced postpartum depression rates, improving maternal and child health outcomes. This program was further up taken by the WHO in 2013.

We have successfully implemented the PM+ program, a WHO-recommended mental health intervention, in various communities across Pakistan. This program has equipped non-specialist health workers with the skills to support individuals experiencing common mental health problems, demonstrating significant improvements in mental health outcomes.

We have developed, adapted and implemented WHO’s school mental health program in multiple sites in Pakistan as well as internationally. Health professionals and teachers from different countries like Afghanistan, Nepal have been trained in SMHP by our team. This initiative has created a supportive environment for students, enhancing their overall academic and social development.

Recognizing the critical importance of early intervention, the EASE program has been implemented to address emotional regulation and resilience among adolescents. This program has been instrumental in fostering emotional well-being in young populations, and reducing the incidence of mental health issues.

Key Activities

A. Research Initiatives

1. Epidemiological Studies:
o Conduct nationwide surveys to assess the prevalence and incidence of mental
health disorders.
o Identify risk factors and protective factors associated with mental health
outcomes.
2. Interventional Research:
o Design and implement randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the
effectiveness of mental health interventions.
o Develop and test culturally tailored mental health programs.
3. Health Systems Research:
o Analyze the mental health care delivery system in Pakistan.
o Evaluate the integration of mental health services into primary health care.
4. Policy Research:
o Assess the impact of existing mental health policies.
o Provide evidence-based recommendations for policy improvements.

B. Training Programs

C. Awareness and Advocacy

1. Public Awareness Campaigns:
o Launch media campaigns to destigmatize mental health issues.
o Develop educational materials and resources for schools, workplaces, and
communities.
2. Policy Advocacy:
o Engage with policymakers to highlight the importance of mental health.
o Advocate for increased funding and resources for mental health services.

D. Collaborative Networks

1. National Partnerships:
o Collaborate with universities, research institutions, and NGOs within Pakistan.
o Establish working groups to address specific mental health issues.
2. International Collaboration:
o Partner with WHO and other international organizations for technical support and
knowledge exchange.
o Participate in global mental health research initiatives and conferences.

Monitoring and Evaluation
 Regular Assessments: Conduct quarterly and annual reviews of research projects and
training programs.
 Impact Evaluation: Assess the long-term impact of interventions and training on mental
health outcomes.
 Feedback Mechanisms: Implement systems for obtaining feedback from stakeholders to
continually improve the Centre’s activities.

Diploma in Public Mental Health

We are currently offering a diploma in public mental health.

List of Publications:

S. No.	Title of Publication	Publication Year	Journal Name
1.	Pregnancy stressors and postpartum symptoms of depression and anxiety: the moderating role of a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention	2024	General Psychiatry
2.	Anxiety-focused cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by non-specialists to prevent postnatal depression: a randomized, phase 3 trial	2024	Nature Medicine
3.	Social Support and Spousal Relationship Quality Improves Responsiveness among Anxious Mothers	2024	Child Psychiatry Hum Dev.
4.	Results of a cognitive behavior therapy-based intervention for antenatal anxiety on birth outcomes in Pakistan: a randomized control trial	2024	Scientific Reports
5.	Biological Mechanisms in Pregnant Women With Anxiety (Happy Mother-Healthy Baby Supplement Study): Protocol for a Longitudinal Mixed Methods Observational Study	2023	JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS
6.	Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Pregnancy Experience Scale–Brief version (PES-Brief) in Pakistani women with antenatal anxiety symptoms	2023	SSM Ment Health
7.	Non-specialist-delivered psychosocial intervention for prenatal anxiety in a tertiary care setting in Pakistan: a qualitative process evaluation	2023	BMJ Open
8.	Perceived Social Support and Women’s Empowerment and Their Associations with Pregnancy Experiences in Anxious Women: A Study from Urban Pakistan	2023	Maternal and Child Health Journal
9.	‘Those whom I have to talk to, I can’t talk to’: Perceived social isolation in the context of anxiety symptoms among pregnant women in Pakistan	2022	Health & Social Care in the Community
10.	Intersections between patient-provider communication and antenatal anxiety in a public healthcare setting in Pakistan	2021	PLOS ONE
11.	The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pregnant Women with Perinatal Anxiety Symptoms in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study	2021	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
12.	Development of a Psychological Intervention to Address Anxiety During Pregnancy in a Low-Income Country	2020	Frontiers in Psychiatry
13.	“A Woman Is a Puppet.” Women’s Disempowerment and Prenatal Anxiety in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study of Sources, Mitigators, and Coping Strategies for Anxiety in Pregnancy	2020	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
14.	Cognitive–behavioral therapy-based intervention to treat symptoms of anxiety in pregnancy in a prenatal clinic using non- specialist providers in Pakistan: design of a randomized trial	2020	BMJ Open

SeminarsSeminars

12th, October, 2022

Subject: SEMINAR ON WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY: MAKE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING FOR ALL A GLOBAL PRIORITY

Public Mental Health Department, Health Services Academy arranged a seminar in support of ‘World Mental Health Day 2022’, on ‘Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority’ a theme chosen by a global vote that was open to the public, including World Federation on Mental Health (WFMH) members, stakeholders, and supporters. It provided an opportunity to re-kindle the efforts to make the world a better place.

On April 26, 2024, the Department of Public Mental Health (DPMH) at the Health Services Academy (HSA) hosted mental health expert, Dr. Anna Chiumento from the University of Edinburgh, who was on her research assignment in HSA, delivered an in-person lecture on Developing an Ethical Framework for Research: Ethical Review to Beyond Ethics in Practice. Dr. Chiumento commenced the session with an interactive exercise, prompting attendees to describe research ethics in a few words using the Mentimeter platform. Highlighting the historical context, Dr. Chiumento outlined the evolution of research ethics, emphasizing its establishment to safeguard the rights and well-being of research participants. She mentioned the significance of research literacy and the process of informed consent, stressing that ethical considerations are present in every aspect of research, from formulating research questions to implementing safety protocols in the field. Furthermore, she explained the concept of participants; right to withdraw from research studies, acknowledging certain limitations that may apply based on study protocols, such as restrictions on withdrawal after specific milestones. She also shed light on procedural research ethics, including the pivotal role played by Ethics Review Boards (ERBs) in ensuring adherence to ethical standards throughout the research process. Throughout the lecture, participants engaged by asking various questions to deepen their understanding of this important topic.

For pictures of the seminar: (https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=473932981668954&id=100071567678892&mibextid=WC7FNe&rdid=9AhXTMETC7X6YcXe&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fp%2FgkCgE45MLFrxS7tx%2F%3Fmibextid%3DWC7FNe)

Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali khan

Joint Director of Public Mental Health Centre and Vice Chancellor Health Services Academy.

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Prof. Dr. Abid Ali Malik

Dr. Saadia Aseem

Dr. Ikhlaq Ahmad

HoD, Prof., PhD Abid.Malik@hsa.edu.pk +92-51-9522290-4 ext.116

Publications

Assoc. Prof., PhD saadia.aseem@hsa.edu.pk Publications

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Assist. Prof., PhD ikhlaq.ahmad@hsa.edu.pk +92-300-5549109 Publications

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Ms. Huma Nazir

Ms. Nadia Ahtisham

Ms. Rakhshanda Liaqat

Lecturer, MS huma.nazir@hsa.edu.pk

Lecturer, MS Program Coordinator MSPMH nadia@hsa.edu.pk

Lecturer, MS rakhshanda.liquat@hsa.edu.pk

Prof. Dr. Atif Rahman

Prof. Dr. Siham Sikandar

Dr. Ahmad Waqas

University of Liverpool, UK, PhD atif.rahman@liverpool.ac.uk

University of Liverpool, UK, PhD siham.sikandar@liverpool.ac.uk

University of Liverpool, UK, PhD ahmad.waqas@liverpool.ac.uk

Dr. Najia Atif

Dr. Taha Sabri

Dr. Asad Tameez ud Din

University of Manchester, UK, PhD najiaatif@hotmail.co.uk

University of Washington, MPH taha@taskeen.org

Advisor, Director, Institute of Psychiatry drasadnizami@gmail.com

Mental Health Department
Health Services Academy
PM’s National Health Complex, Park Road Chakshahzad , Islamabad
Email : Oric@hsa.edu.pk