More information
Description
Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. As more than 50% of people who commit suicide struggle with depression. Mental health care professionals are difficult to access and quite expensive for the Lithuanians. It is difficult to recruit mental healthcare specialists willing to work in provincial municipalities.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is well developed in countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Norway. CBT has been thoroughly tested and shown to be as effective as antidepressants. This therapy is highly standardized, using specific methods for specific problem solving. Numerous meta-analyzes have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of this therapy. Many countries have begun training not only psychologists or psychiatrists, but also nurses, social workers, and other professionals to provide short, cost-effective, evidence-based, standardized advice from CBTs to address the lack of human resources and over-prescribing of drugs.
Their purpose is to help people cope with the very first symptoms of depression and anxiety.
What will be done while implementing the project?
The project aims to develop a training programme and train at least 30 highly motivated specialists to provide short, evidence-based, standardized consultations for people on how to deal with the first symptoms of depression and anxiety.Target group that will benefit from the project: Lithuanians who are experiencing the first anxiety, depression syndromes and do not seek medical help.
Summary of project results
Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with more than 50% of those who take their own lives suffering from depression. However, mental health care resources are limited, and attracting specialists to work in rural areas is a major challenge.
To address the shortage of mental health professionals and reduce the overprescription of medication, many countries have started training not only psychologists and psychiatrists but also nurses, social workers and other professionals. These specialists are equipped to provide brief, cost-effective and evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) counseling to help individuals manage early symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The project aimed to develop, adapt and pilot a training program to prepare highly motivated specialists who can provide short, standardized, evidence-based consultations. These sessions helped people recognise and cope with the early symptoms of depression and anxiety, improving access to mental health support across Lithuania.
Project Activities:
A training program was developed for social and health science specialists to equip them with the skills needed to provide brief, evidence-based and standardized consultations based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Suitable candidates were selected and trained through two training programs conducted during the project. These specialists learned to provide short, structured CBT-based consultations.
Newly trained specialists received supervision and monitoring during their initial months of practice to ensure quality and effectiveness.
The implemented model was evaluated and adjusted based on feedback and results to improve its effectiveness.
During the project, a model for emotional well-being was developed, along with a specialized training program for well-being advisers. This program was designed, implemented and tested to establish emotional well-being counseling services in Lithuania. The training program ensures the long-term education of specialists and the continuity of services, introducing a new free mental health support option in the country.
Two training sessions were conducted, resulting in 60 well-being advisers being trained with project funding, along with an additional 25 advisers who funded their own training. As a result, Lithuania now has 85 specialists qualified to provide emotional well-being counseling. Throughout the project, these new specialists received supervision and monitoring. Group supervisions allowed them to observe and discuss challenges, ensuring high-quality service delivery.
Emotional well-being services were provided to 4,221 clients across 14 municipalities in Lithuania. On average, each client received about 4.5 counseling sessions. The emotional state of all counseled individuals improved significantly, as measured by standardized assessment scales. Notably, 50% of clients were in a much worse emotional state than initially expected, yet the counseling proved highly effective. Nearly all participants reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the services, with only 0.2% expressing dissatisfaction.
The project demonstrated that emotional well-being counseling is highly effective for individuals with mild emotional difficulties. Expanding these services is essential to improving the mental health of society.
The services will continue beyond the project’s completion. The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences has approved a 420-hour postgraduate training program for well-being advisers, which will be offered as needed, but no more than once a year. This ensures the long-term availability of training and the continuous development of specialists. The project is being expanded, and funding for well-being adviser services will be available to all municipalities that choose to introduce these services in their communities.