Presentation Information
[SY-19-03]Treating Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the public sector primary care settings in Kenya and the impact on wellbeing and productivity: A case for women empowerment
*Muthoni Mathai1, Susan M. Meffert2, Linnet Ongeri3, James G. Kahn2, Daniel Mwai1, Dickens Akena4 (1. University of Nairobi (Kenya), 2. Univ. California, San Francisco (United States of America), 3. Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kenya), 4. Makerere University (Uganda))
Keywords:
Depression,PTSD,Women Economic empowerment,Subsaharan Africa,Primary Health Care
Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) significantly contribute to the global burden of disease and affect women even more than men in Low and Middle- Income countries (LMICs). While treatments exist for these conditions, access to treatment is limited. The SMART-DAPPER project in Western Kenya offered treatment for Depression and PTSD and analyzed treatment effectiveness and productivity of participants before and after treatment. A Sequential, Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial design was used, evaluating 2 types of treatments offered by trained non-specialized health providers to treat participants screened for depression and PTSD at the primary health care services mainly at Kisumu County Hospital. The study recruited 2,162 participants; more than 90% were women. More than 70% of the participants achieved full remission, with statistically significant gains in productivity. The percentage earning a monthly income rose from 54.9% and 54.5% at baseline to 59.8% and 61.5% in the two treatment arms. Economic improvement was significantly associated with illness remission. In conclusion, treatment for Depression and PTSD in women can be effectively delivered by trained non-specialized health providers with improvements in their health and economic productivity, a gain for the individual the family and the community