REACHING PEOPLE IN NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH NOVEL MODELS OF INTERVENTION DELIVERY

Resumen

The treatment gap refers to the difference in the proportion of people who have disorders and the proportion of those individuals who receive treatment. In developing and developed countries, the gap is enormous, i.e., most individuals in need of mental health services receive no treatment. Among the many barriers is the dominant model of delivering psychosocial interventions. That model includes one-to-one, in-person treatment, with a trained mental health professional, provided in clinical setting (e.g., clinic, private practice office, health-care facility). That model greatly limits the scale and reach of psychosocial interventions. The article discusses many novel models of delivering interventions that permit scaling treatment to reach people who are not likely to receive
services. Four models (task shifting, best-buy, disruptive interventions, and Entertainment Education) are illustrated. These and other models are readily available, most have evidence in their behalf, but are still not sufficiently exploited to close the treatment gap. The article argues for the need for multiple models to optimize reaching the many diverse groups in need of care.