NIGERIA: HAPPINESS Project Increases Access to Mental Health Treatment in Nigeria
January 25, 2019
A Yale University-led project is working to increase access to mental health care in Nigeria. The HAPPINESS Project aims to develop a rural workforce to help identify and treat people with mental disorders. To address Nigeria’s shortage of mental health specialists, the project trains primary care physicians, nurses, and community health workers to screen for, assess, and treat mental disorders. Currently, people who are struggling have to travel hours to see a psychiatrist, according to Theddeus Iheanacho, project lead and assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale. “The HAPPINESS Project changes this, bringing mental health treatment closer to where people actually live,” he said.
Spark Extra! Learn more about The HAPPINESS Project.