The mhGAP guideline supports countries to strengthen capacity to deal with the growing burden of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions and narrow the treatment gap. This new edition includes 30 updated and 18 new recommendations, alongside 90 pre-existing recommendations.

The priority conditions addressed by mhGAP are: depression, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, suicide, epilepsy, dementia, disorders due to use of alcohol, disorders due to use of illicit drugs, and mental disorders in children.

This is the second version (2016) of the mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders in non-specialist health settings. It is for use by doctors, nurses, other health workers as well as health planners and managers.

This World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline was prepared by the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use under the leadership of Dévora Kestel. Overall coordination was provided by Tarun Dua, Neerja Chowdhary and Elaine Brohan, of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use.

Mental Health Gap Action Programme (‎mhGAP)‎ guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/374250. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. xxx, 150 p.

In 2010, the mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) for MNS disorders for non-specialized health settings was developed to assist in implementation of mhGAP. A simple technical tool based on the mhGAP guidelines, mhGAP-IG presents integrated management of priority MNS conditions using protocols for clinical decision-making.

in communities. The WHO mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) was initiated to meet the targets of the Action Plan and to bridge the significant gap in mental health services. Properly implemented, the interventions outlined in mhGAP represent “best buys” for any country, with significant returns in terms of health and economic gains.

The mhGAP Intervention Guide (‎mhGAP-IG)‎ Version 2.0 for mental, neurological and substance use (‎MNS)‎ disorders in non-specialist health settings, is a technical tool developed by WHO to assist in implementation of mhGAP.

WHO aims to provide health planners, policy-makers, and donors with a set of clear and coherent activities and programmes for scaling up care for mental, neurological and substance use disorders through the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP).

An essential component of mhGAP is the evidence-based guideline for MNS disorders identified as conditions of high priority for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). mhGAP was launched in 2008 and the first set of WHO recommendations was published in 2010 as part of the mhGAP intervention guide (2,6).