Scaling up mental health services in Sudan: Sudanese psychiatrists' opinions

BJPsych Int. 2020 Nov;17(4):91-94. doi: 10.1192/bji.2020.17.

Abstract

We invited 108 psychiatrists of Sudanese origin, working in and outside Sudan, to take part in a study looking at the most appropriate method for scaling up mental health services in Sudan. Of those psychiatrists who were approached, 81 (75%) responded. Among the respondents, 30 (37%) resided and worked in Sudan, and 51 (63%) worked outside Sudan (mostly in the UK and Arab Gulf States). Most respondents preferred the lay counsellor model (43, 53.2%) to address the current shortage of human resources for scaling up mental health services.

Keywords: Scaling up mental health services; Sudan; capacity building; mental health.