PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder intervention for people with severe mental illness in a lowincome country primary care setting
Background:
In high-income countries, more than 25% of people with severe mental illness (SMI) have PTSD, which is associated with more severe SMI symptoms, functional impairment, and worse treatment outcomes. In most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), SMI is the most common form of mental illness presenting in primary care. In our qualitative study, we identified 30 potentially traumatic events that had been experienced by community members, including people with SMI, and associated symptoms that were consistent with PTSD. We used this data to adapt the Brief Relaxation, Education and Trauma Healing (BREATHE) intervention to the Sodo primary care context. The aim of this mixed method pilot feasibility trial to assess the feasibility and implementation of trial procedures for a fully powered trial and investigate implementation outcomes and potential effectiveness in a LMIC.
Expected outcome:
Findings from this study will inform a future fully-powered randomized controlled trial, and if found to be effective, the intervention has the potential to be integrated into mental healthcare scale-up efforts in other low-resource settings.
Funding:
Funded by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov, (NCT04385498).