In Uganda and globally, high rates of depression, anxiety and other common mental illnesses put pregnancies at risk for complications and young mothers at risk for suicide. Mental health concerns carry risk for pre-term birth, low birth weight, malnutrition, disease, and missed immunizations – and suboptimal child development. Depressed women are less likely to breastfeed: a child who is breastfed is 14 times less likely to die in the first six months than a non-breastfed child. Breastfeeding drastically reduces deaths from acute respiratory infection and diarrhea – two major child killers.

The Peter C. Alderman Program for Global Mental Health is implementing a ground-breaking project since 2015 to strengthen mental health among pregnant women and their children. The project is focused in two districts, both post-conflict areas and one also a refugee resettlement area.

By using a step-by-step approach involving community health workers, specialized clinicians are freed up to deal with the most difficult cases and bring recovery to more and more patients. The project uses the simplest, lowest-cost solution first, determines if it has worked, and then offers more treatment if required. The project was developed by engaging in community consultations to determine local needs and responding with evidence-based solutions, in this case, a first round of basic couples education and information and Group Interpersonal Therapy.