Research Article: Prevalence, risk factors and management of common mental health disorders in Cameroon: a systematic review protocol
Abstract:
Background Mental health disorders (MHDs) are considered a serious public health concern globally. The burden of mental health conditions is estimated to be higher in low-income and middle-income countries, including Cameroon, where reliable estimates are lacking. This review aims to synthesise evidence on the prevalence of MHDs, the effectiveness of mental health management interventions and identify risk factors for MHDs in Cameroon. Method This review will systematically search electronic databases for studies focusing on one or more MHDs of interest within the context of Cameroon. We will include cohort, case–control and cross-sectional studies which assessed the prevalence or risk factors for MHDs in Cameroon and intervention studies to provide evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for managing MHDs. Two reviewers will independently perform all screening stages, data extraction and synthesis. We will provide a narrative synthesis and, if we identify enough articles that are homogeneous, we will perform a meta-analysis using a random effect model. The strength of the evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Conclusion This review will contribute to the current body of knowledge by providing a synthesis of current evidence on the prevalence of common MHDs, risk factors for different MHDs and the effectiveness of interventions for managing different mental health conditions in Cameroon. Ethics and dissemination This study will involve synthesis of published literature and does not warrant ethical approval. The findings will be disseminated through internationally peer-reviewed journals related to mental health. PROSPERO registration number CRD42022348427.
Introduction:
Mental health conditions are a major global health concern and impose serious challenges on global health systems. In the past 10 years, there has been a 13% increase in mental health disorders (MHDs) and substance use disorders, primarily due to demographic shifts and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 MHDs rank among the 10 leading causes of disease burden globally. 2 Suicide, for example, is the second greatest cause of mortality for people between the ages of 15 and 29 in the world, and according to the…
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