However, people suffering from mental health problems often choose traditional and faith-based practices since these are more accessible, considered affordable, and are in tune with their cultural beliefs and traditions. Faith-based and traditional healing can play an important part in delivering care in LMICs, but those with SMDs require additional biomedical treatment and follow-up.

TRANSFORM is a UK and low-and-middle-income country research partnership working to increase access to care and improve outcomes of serious mental disorders in slums in India and Nigeria. We are developing an innovative collaborative care model involving traditional/faith healers, mental health professionals, primary care practitioners and community health workers.

This projects’ primary objective is to improve access to care and improve the outcomes for people with SMDs, through fostering cooperation between traditional faith-based healers and professional medical services. The work focuses on two specifically identified slum populations, one in New Dehli (India) and one in Ibadan (Nigeria).

The four year project, beginning in September 2020, is funded by the NIHR and led by Professor Swaran Singh.

Find out more about the project.