Problem Management Plus (PM+)
Programmes To Treat Common Mental Disorders In Post-conflicted Areas of Pakistan
Project Title
Problem Management Plus (PM+) Programmes to treat common mental disorders in post-conflicted areas of Pakistan
Year
2016 to 2018
Collaborators
Human Development Research Foundation (HDRF), Pakistan,University of Liverpool, UK, Khyber Medical University, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawer, Saidu Teaching Hospital, Swat, WHO Collaborating Center for Mental Health Research and Training, Rawalpindi, University of New South Wales, Australia, Vrije University, Amsterdam and World Health Organization (WHO)
Project Information
Common mental health problems are vastly under-addressed in areas affected by adversity, with the vast majority of people in need not able to access appropriate care. Reaching people in distress through delivering evidence-based psychological interventions in resource-limited areas is a possible solution. The goal of the Problem Management Plus (PM+) project was to design and demonstrate global feasibility of an evidence-based, low intensity intervention for common mental disorders and to engage strategic action in mental health care provision of this kind. This process involved systematic translation and cultural adaptation of the PM+ manual, training para-professionals and supporting them in delivering the intervention, through regular supervision.
Through a partnership involving University of Liverpool, the Human Development Research Foundation, Khyber Medical University, Pakistan and the WHO, the intervention was studied in post-conflict areas of the Swat and Peshawer, Pakistan using community based cluster and individual randomized controlled trials and resulted in improving symptoms of anxiety and depression of adults impaired by psychological distress.
PM+, in individual and group format, is an innovative psychological intervention which provides clients with skills to improve their management of practical problems (e.g., unemployment, interpersonal conflict etc.) and associated common mental health problems, via the provision of four strategies: problem solving, counselling plus stress management, behavioral activation and strengthening social support.
Publications
- Chiumento, A., Hamdani, S. U., Khan, M. N., Dawson, K., Bryant, R. A., Sijbrandij, M., … & Van Ommeren, M. (2017). Evaluating effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a group psychological intervention using cognitive behavioural strategies for women with common mental disorders in conflict-affected rural Pakistan: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 18(1), 190.
- Hamdani, S. U., Ahmed, Z., Sijbrandij, M., Nazir, H., Masood, A., Akhtar, P., … & Rahman, A. (2017). Problem Management Plus (PM+) in the management of common mental disorders in a specialized mental healthcare facility in Pakistan; study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. International journal of mental health systems, 11(1), 40.
- Khan, M. N., Hamdani, S. U., Chiumento, A., Dawson, K., Bryant, R. A., Sijbrandij, M., … & Wang, E. (2019). Evaluating feasibility and acceptability of a group WHO trans-diagnostic intervention for women with common mental disorders in rural Pakistan: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 28(1), 77-87.
- Rahman, A., Hamdani, S. U., Awan, N. R., Bryant, R. A., Dawson, K. S., Khan, M. F., … & Sijbrandij, M. (2016). Effect of a multicomponent behavioral intervention in adults impaired by psychological distress in a conflict-affected area of Pakistan: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 316(24), 2609-2617.
- Rahman, A., Riaz, N., Dawson, K. S., Usman Hamdani, S., Chiumento, A., Sijbrandij, M., … & Farooq, S. (2016). Problem Management Plus (PM+): pilot trial of a WHO transdiagnostic psychological intervention in conflict‐affected Pakistan. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 182-183.
- Sijbrandij, M., Farooq, S., Bryant, R. A., Dawson, K., Hamdani, S. U., Chiumento, A., … & van Ommeren, M. (2015). Problem Management Plus (PM+) for common mental disorders in a humanitarian setting in Pakistan; study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (RCT). BMC psychiatry, 15(1), 232.