Good evening, all! Tonight's Illumination takes something that a lot of us have benefited from and takes it to the next logical step.
In Zimbabwe, one of the psychiatrists in the country has spent the last few years building up a program to provide mental health assistant to those who wouldn't normally be able to access it. There aren't many mental health professionals in Zimbabwe, or in most of Africa, so the doctor decided to make use of the resources available - grandmothers.
Dr. Chibanda trains the grandmothers - volunteers from the community - in evidence-based therapy, but they also use methods and language rooted in the culture and society of their patients. You know how much better you feel after having a good, long talk with someone close to you, where you talk about your problems and get some advice on how to move forward? That's essentially the basis of this program. It's been scientifically vetted and proven to provide results, and the program has been exported to other nations, including the US.
Mental health care is a problem around the world, between the stigma associated with seeking help and the costs related to treatment. Having another approach that manages to assist in both these areas can lighten the load for those of us who need the help.
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