More than a billion people around the world, including a disproportionate number in vulnerable communities, are affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) today.1 Medical research shows that many people living with NTDs have significant additional comorbidities as a result of the stigma and disabilities they face, namely depression, anxiety and a lower quality of life.2
Integrating Mental Health into NTD Programmes
Recently, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Anesvad Foundation, CBM Global Disability Inclusion and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine hosted an expert roundtable on how to practically integrate mental wellness into NTD programmes.1
According to the key takeaways from this roundtable:1
- The burden of NTDs is made worse by stigma, social isolation and poor mental health.
- Research shows that mental health support can improve NTD treatment adherence and reduce transmission risk.
- Funding for mental health integration within NTD programmes is inadequate. Greater investment is essential and stronger collaboration between governments, civil society, and funders is needed.
- National programme leads should be equipped with the knowledge to take a holistic approach to NTDs.
- Improving the mental health competencies of front-line health personnel will help with the integration of mental wellbeing into primary care and NTD services.
A New Essential Care Package for NTDs and Mental Health
The WHO and the NTD NGO Network (NNN) have developed an Essential Care Package (ECP) to address Mental Health and Stigma for persons with Neglected Tropical Diseases. This ECP includes evidence-based interventions to reduce population health-related stigma and discrimination, to address the stigma experienced both by people living with mental health conditions, and by people living with NTDs.3
Read more about the ECP here.
A Three-Part Approach to Reducing Stigma & Improving Mental Wellness
A project known as SARI (Stigma Assessment and Reduction of Impact) conducted the first randomised controlled trial of interventions to reduce stigma associated with an NTD between 2010 and 2015. The trial focused on people affected by leprosy in Cirebon, Indonesia. Although it is curable, leprosy leaves people with skin sores and nerve damage. Leprosy is not very contagious, and 72 hours of treatment can prevent it from spreading for good. But the stigma remains even after the bacteria that cause the disease are gone, especially if the person affected is left with visible sores or disabilities.4
The SARI project evaluated combinations of three interventions: counselling, socio-economic development and contact.4
Researchers found that combining any two of these three interventions reduced stigma, poor self-image and barriers to participating in life events. The interventions are affordable and easy to scale because they can be delivered by non-specialists. They could also be used successfully for other NTDs that cause disability or scarring.4
Read more about SARI and related research here.
Part of our work here at The Leprosy Mission Southern Africa is educating people about leprosy, to help reduce the stigma attached to the disease. Find out more about our work and how to support us.
- Counselling involved individual, family and group sessions focused on communicating information about leprosy and the rights of people affected. People who had previously received counselling were also trained to provide it, supervised by a professional counsellor.
- Socio-economic development focused on helping people improve their financial situation through loans and business training.
- Contact involved events, typically held in village halls or schools, at which people affected by leprosy interacted with the wider community and shared their experiences.
References:
1. Integrating mental health and person-centred approaches in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Africa CDC. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://africacdc.org/download/integrating-mental-health-and-person-centred-approaches-in-the-fight-against-neglected-tropical-diseases-ntds/.
2. Molyneux DH. Mental health and neglected tropical diseases – the neglected dimension of burden: identifying the challenges and understanding the burden. Int Health. 2023;15(Suppl 3):iii3-iii6. doi:10.1093/inthealth/ihad065.
3. Essential care package to address mental health and stigma for persons with neglected tropical diseases. InfoNTD. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.infontd.org/ECP-MWS.
4. Makin S. Mental health: The invisible effects of neglected tropical diseases. Nature. Accessed September 30, 2025. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-02973-z.