BasicNeedsAn economic and social approach

to mental health

Chris Underhill Founding Director

November 2013

BasicNeeds

Founded in 2000 by Chris Underhill To enable people with mental illness or epilepsy and their families to live and work successfully in their communities

Model for Mental Health and Development

Capacity Building

Community Mental Health

LivelihoodsResearch

Collaboration

BasicNeeds Programmes 2000 - 2013

2011 – PresentChina, Pakistan, UK

2006 – 2010Lao PDR, Nepal,

India (North), Vietnam, Kenya

2001 – 2005India (South), Sri

Lanka, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda

2000 Set Up

Impact

• 589,000 affected people since 2000• 12 countries

Significant improvement in + Access to treatment + Participation in family and community life + Ability to work

& Reduction in symptoms

Impact

• 19, 894 people in 628 peer self help groups• 90, 745 people have re-entered productive

work or are earning an income

Lessons for a high income setting

Importance of:• putting people at the centre• applying a scalable, proven

model• deliberately organising a

community-orientated mental health and development approach to make real change

• maximising existing resources and task shifting

• offer a collective alternative and complement to mainstream health and care services

• offer an empowering environment created on people’s own terms

Lessons for a high income setting

Thank you www.basicneeds.org