Self-Care
Individuals living with poor mental health conditions
Recovery program focused on digital interventions
Implementation Guide
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Self-care refers to any program that is a standardised, community-delivered self-care model. One such model could be through a Community Health Worker (CHW) to show (evidence-based) video and print materials that help an individual through unguided self-help for mild mental health conditions.
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Self-care interventions have shown measurable reductions in depression and anxiety, especially among healthcare workers and the general population during COVID-19.
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The model increases mental health literacy, builds autonomy, and fosters early symptom management through structured self-guided content. CHWs act as trusted intermediaries, distributing tools that encourage behaviour change, emotional regulation, and problem-solving.
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The self-help videos show low evidence of harm and are considered safe for large-scale use, with minimal loss of fidelity. Although their effectiveness can vary and some interventions have failed to show impact, highlighting the importance of selecting contextually appropriate content.
Minimum Must-Dos
Target mild to moderate conditions only
Limit use to non-psychotic, mild anxiety and depression cases where self-guided care is appropriate and low-risk.Distribute self-care videos via trusted CHWs
Ensure CHWs provide standardised video and print materials directly and maintain user autonomy.Use evidence-backed, pre-tested content
Select interventions like WHO’s SH+ or “THIS WAY UP” with proven impact and minimal harm across diverse populations.Prioritise low-intensity, regular engagement
Encourage weekly or biweekly use to allow habits to form without overwhelming users, especially in low-resource settings.Monitor for disengagement or distress
Incorporate simple check-ins or flag systems via CHWs or mobile prompts to identify users at risk of non-response or harm.
Video Resources
Evidence Base
Having identified the condition, the local champion (or the CHW) would then offer the member a standardised and protocol-based set of video and printed materials, given to them by the CHW, that provides evidence-based guidance and an opportunity for unguided self-care. There is evidence that self-guided courses like Oxford Films, CMHLP, and MeHeLP videos can lead to improvements in mental health conditions and are scalable over large populations with little loss of fidelity or evidence of harm (research paper).
The WHO has also designed a self-help course (SH+) for large groups, delivered by a supervised, non-specialist facilitator through pre-recorded audios. The self-help (SH+) to stepped care (PM+) program showed a reduction in anxiety and depression for health care workers, with no serious adverse events (1, 2). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia and New Zealand showed increased uptake of “Just a Thought” and “THIS WAY UP”, two evidence-based self-help interventions. There is also evidence that for non-psychotic and mild conditions, local spiritual healers (not herbalists) could have a beneficial impact, and the CHW could enlist their support as well.
While these are examples of successful self-help interventions, several have failed to show impact. While choosing the most appropriate self-help intervention to implement, therefore, “the inclusion of relevant socioeconomic and clinical baseline variables can facilitate personalised medicine models to inform for whom these interventions may be effective” (Reference)
Mindfulness meditation (1, 2, 3) and digitally offered psychotherapies such as CBT through AI or rule-driven bots (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) are two other powerful tools for self-help that also have the potential to scale. However, despite their promise, there are concerns about the potential for harm associated with mindfulness (1, 2) and automated, digitally delivered therapies (1, 2, 3) that make it difficult to recommend them for large-scale use as therapeutic tools immediately.