Effectiveness of participatory video in lowering stigma against people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders in Kenya.

Background: Globally, stigma associated with mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders is rampant and a barrier to good health and overall well-being of people with these conditions. Person-centred digital approaches such as participatory video may reduce stigma, but evidence on their effectiveness in Africa is absent.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of participatory video in reducing mental health-related stigma in a resource-limited setting.

Validating measures of stigma against those with mental illness among a community sample in Kilifi Kenya.

Background: Stigma against persons with mental illness is a universal phenomenon, but culture influences the understanding of etiology of mental illness and utilization of health services.

Methods: We validated Kiswahili versions of three measures of stigma which were originally developed in the United Kingdom: Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI), Reported and Intended Behaviors Scale (RIBS) and Mental Health Awareness Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and evaluated their psychometric properties using a community sample ( = 616) in Kilifi, Kenya.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the one-factor solution for RIBS [root mean-squared error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.

Changes in rates of psychiatric beds and prison populations in sub-Saharan Africa from 1990 to 2020.

Background: Psychiatric bed numbers (general, forensic, and residential) and prison populations have been considered indicators of institutionalization. The present study aimed to assess changes of those indicators across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1990 to 2020.

Methods: We retrospectively obtained data on psychiatric bed numbers and prison populations from 46 countries in SSA between 1990 and 2020.

The Africa Ethics Working Group (AEWG): a model of collaboration for psychiatric genomic research in Africa.

The Africa Ethics Working Group (AEWG) is a South-South-North collaboration of bioethics and mental health researchers from sub-Saharan Africa, working to tackle emerging ethical challenges in global mental health research. Initially formed to provide ethical guidance for a neuro-psychiatric genomics research project, AEWG has evolved to address cross cutting ethical issues in mental health research aimed at addressing equity in North-South collaborations. Global South refers to economically developing countries (sub-Saharan Africa in this context) and Global North to economically developed countries (primarily Europe, UK and North America).

Validity and reliability of the Neurodevelopmental Screening Tool (NDST) in screening for neurodevelopmental disorders in children living in rural Kenyan coast.

There are no data on the precise burden of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in Africa, despite high incidence of risk factors. Ten Questions Questionnaire (TQQ) has been used extensively in Africa to screen neurological impairments but not autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). The Neurodevelopmental Screening Tool (NDST) has reliably assessed NDD in Asia; its validity in Africa is unknown.

Contextualizing and pilot testing the Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) to primary healthcare workers in Kilifi, Kenya.

Background: Little data exists about the methodology of contextualizing version two of the Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in resource-poor settings. This paper describes the contextualisation and pilot testing of the guide in Kilifi, Kenya.

Methods: Contextualisation was conducted as a collaboration between the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) and Kilifi County Government's Department of Health (KCGH) between 2016 and 2018.

Priority mental, neurological and substance use disorders in rural Kenya: Traditional health practitioners' and primary health care workers' perspectives.

Background: Over 75% of people with mental neurological and substance use disorders (MNSD) live in low and middle-income countries with limited access to specialized care. The World Health Organization's Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) aims to address the human resource gap but it requires contextualization.

Aims: We conducted a qualitative study in rural coastal Kenya to explore the local terms, perceived causes and management modalities of priority MNSD listed in the mhGAP, to inform implementation in this setting.

Evaluation of Psychometric Properties and Factorial Structure of ADHD Module of K-SADS-PL in Children From Rural Kenya.

We determined the reliability of The Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) for screening and diagnosing ADHD in children. K-SADS-PL was administered to 2,074 children in the community. Psychometric properties, factorial structure, and clinical validity of K-SADS-PL in screening or diagnosis of ADHD were examined.

Antimalarial drugs and the prevalence of mental and neurological manifestations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Antimalarial drugs affect the central nervous system, but it is difficult to differentiate the effect of these drugs from that of the malaria illness. We conducted a systematic review to determine the association between anti-malarial drugs and mental and neurological impairment in humans.  We systematically searched online databases, including Medline/PubMed, PsychoInfo, and Embase, for articles published up to 14th July 2016.

An overview of mental health care system in Kilifi, Kenya: results from an initial assessment using the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems.

Background: Little is known about the state of mental health systems in Kenya. In 2010, Kenya promulgated a new constitution, which devolved national government and the national health system to 47 counties including Kilifi County. There is need to provide evidence from mental health systems research to identify priority areas in Kilifi's mental health system for informing county health sector decision making.