Overview

Khushee-Mamta is a non-specialist-delivered perinatal depression program Khushee Mamta (“Happy Motherhood”) in rural Rajasthan, India. It is a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based psychological intervention adapted from the WHO Thinking Healthy Program.

Rationale

In India, the majority of individuals with mental health issues do not receive treatment due to a severe shortage of mental health specialists. Bridging this treatment gap is vital to reducing the burden of perinatal mental illness and improving childhood development. 

One strategy for closing the treatment gap involves training non-specialists, to deliver basic psychosocial interventions, which have proved effective at managing symptoms and improving maternal health outcomes in certain contexts. The WHO has adopted the Thinking Healthy Programme (THP), an evidence-based perinatal mental health manual for non-specialist-delivered care based on principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Progress to date

Khushee Mamta has trained and deployed 21 non-specialists that serve the catchment area of 558 villages in the district of Sri Ganganagar.

Partner/s

Mata Jai Kaur Maternal and Child Health Centre, Rajasthan, India