IMPRESS

IMPlementation of evidence-based facility and community interventions to reduce the treatment gap for depRESSion

Completed project (2019-2025).

The Aim of the Study:

Led by Dr. Abhijit Nadkarni (Sangath, Goa) and Dr. Vikram Patel, IMPRESS sought to combine the Healthy Activity Program (HAP) and the VISHRAM (Vidarbha Stress and Health Program) community-based intervention to reduce the treatment gap for depression by simultaneously addressing both supply-side and demand-side barriers to care.

The Background:

IMPRESS focused on reducing the existing treatment gap for depression by addressing both supply and demand side barriers through the combination of two previously developed strategies by Sangath. 

Addressing supply-side barriers:

Scaling up the Healthy Activity Program (HAP), a manualized psychological treatment based on behavioral activation, which was shown to reduce symptom severity and increase remission among depressed participants in Sangath’s PREMIUM study.

Addressing demand side barriers: 

Expanding the VISHRAM program, a community-based mental health intervention, to boost the demand for mental health care through improved mental health literacy.

The Project Plan:

IMPRESS was structured in two phases:

1. Formative Phase: Adapting and evaluating HAP delivery through healthcare facility staff and community stakeholders, including panch members, auxiliary nurses, midwives, and social work volunteers, to ensure feasibility and acceptability prior to the main trial.
2. Trial Phase: Assessing the impact of combining HAP with the VISHRAM community mental health literacy intervention on demand for care and depression outcomes.
    

Supporters and Project Duration:

IMPRESS was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, and ran from 2019 to 2025. It was implemented in partnership with Sangath (India) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

For more information, visit: IMPRESS | Sangath

Partners and Collaborators:

We collaborate on advancing the research on IMPRESS and its implementation with Sangath, India, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Publications: 

• September 2023: Interventions to increase help-seeking for mental health care in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review