Abstract

MORALES-CHAINE, Silvia et al. Mental health gap action program: Scientific-based brief intervention. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2024, vol.20, e20240492.  Epub Dec 02, 2024. ISSN 1808-5687.  https://doi.org/10.5935/1808-5687.20240492.

Evidence-based brief interventions reduce mental health problems. The paper aims to describe the action program designed to (1) reduce the mental health care gap, (2) screen mental health symptoms, and (3) implement scientific-based remote brief interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We screened mental health with 36,348 participants in 2021, 14,309 in 2022, and 8,963 in 2023. From these samples, we worked with 5,006 Mexicans, 62% women, aged 10 to 73, who were invited to enroll in the web-based application, receive feedback and psychoeducation, and agreed to be contacted for the synchronous remote brief interventions. Brief intervention means essential care practices, assessment (e.g., common symptoms presentation) and management of mental health symptomatology and psychoactive substance use skills (e.g., action planning to relaxation techniques and problem-solving). Findings suggest a reduced gap in remote psychological services over the years, a decreased acute stress and avoidance prevalences, stable prevalences of distancing, anger, anxiety, sadness, health-related anxiety, and somatization, slightly increased violence and self-harm/suicide, and a high prevalence of alcohol or other drug use during the pandemic. We implemented essential care, assessment, and management skills, setting goals to change behavioral patterns, actionplans, and life skills to cope with mental health conditions - eight out of 10 participants recovered health. The program implementation enabled early risk detection in the Mexican community and interrupted the progression toward severity.

Keywords : Mental health; Brief intervention; COVID-19 pandemic..

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