Our Work
Development of different versions of GMHAT and its training package.
Develop and maintain GMHAT software, and Web applications.
Maintain and advance GMHAT digital platforms.
Support integration into health information systems.
Deliver training and develop e-learning programmes
The GMHAT Versions:
GMHAT/PC – Primary care and General Health Setting
GMHAT-Full – For Specialist Mental Health Setting
GMHAT-Full/ID For Specialist Intellectual Disability Services
The Global Mental Health Assessment Tool- Primary Care Version (GMHAT/PC)
GMHAT/PC is a digital tool designed to assist health professionals in identifying, assessing, and understanding a broad range of mental health problems. It is user-friendly, adaptable to various settings, and available across multiple platforms and in several languages (e.g. English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada). The tool integrates with healthcare systems to support timely referrals and effective care pathways.
Description
The GMHAT/PC is a software app available as a stand alone downloadable Microsoft supported devices and Android devices. A GMHAT/PC web app is also available that can be accessed through a secure server (with individual secure log in details) by any device that has internet access,
The assessment program starts with basic instructions giving details of how to use the tool and capture mental health related symptoms. At the start, it has only three fields to complete- unique number, gender and age to avoid entering any client identifiable information.
The first two screens help in getting brief background details. It starts with present and past mental health problems, family background as well as, personal, and social issues causing stress. The next part includes sections of trauma, and Intellectual disability.
Following screens start with one or two filter questions about every major symptom complex followed by more questions if the filter questions are answered positively, thus continuing in a clinical order along a tree-branch structure.
The GMHAT/PC covers following symptom areas : worries, anxiety and panic attacks, concentration, depressed mood, including suicidal feelings, sleep, appetite, eating disorders, health anxiety, obsessions and compulsions, irrational fears, mania, psychotic symptoms, disorientation, memory impairment, alcohol misuse, illegal drug misuse, personality issues, stressors, Attention deficit and Autistic issues.
Ratings are made by the trained interviewer using his or her clinical skills (following a standardised training) to judge the severity of each symptom.
The GMHAT/PC algorithm takes account of ICD based clinical practices based on the detected of mental health issues by the assessor.
What it is intended to do?
GMHAT/PC is an aid to making an initial mental health assessment by health care workers (following their training in how to use GMHAT/PC) in the health care settings.
It supports health workers in making quick, convenient, and comprehensive standardised mental health assessments in both primary, general health care and community settings.
Output
The summary report includes background descriptive details, a list of symptoms with their severity as well as their scores (with a range) of symptoms, the clinical judgement made by the assessor, the GMHAT/PC identified main problem , and additional problems.
GMHAT/PC supports an overall understanding of the person’s mental health issues. The final decision rests with the practitioner’s own professional decision.
Data Security
Web Application: The client data are Unique number, gender and age (to avoid any identifiable data input). The descriptive details and ratings of symptoms and problems will not have any identifiable data.
The secure web server will hold data only for the time required by the team.
The output report can be downloaded and attached to the service’s electronic health records.
Clinical Risk/ Benefits
This risk of missed identification or mis identification of mental health problem is mitigated by providing a two-three days mandatory training to all users before using GMHAT/PC in their clinical setting.
The benefits of using GMHAT/PC outweighs any potential risks, as this gives a broad and comprehensive framework of mental health assessment. This enhances the practitioners’ clinical skills of mental health assessment. The framework allows the practitioners to go through the whole range of problems that they would otherwise have missed. In addition, GMHAT/PC is an aid for a mental health assessment, the final decision rests with the practitioner.
GMHAT/PC (Assessment Framework)
This risk of missed identification or mis identification of mental health problem is mitigated by providing a two-three days mandatory training to all users before using GMHAT/PC in their clinical setting. The benefits of using GMHAT/PC outweighs any potential risks, as this gives a broad and comprehensive framework of mental health assessment.
This enhances the practitioners’ clinical skills of mental health assessment. The framework allows the practitioners to go through the whole range of problems that they would otherwise have missed. In addition, GMHAT/PC is an aid for a mental health assessment, the final decision rests with the practitioner.
The assessment begins with basic instructions on how to use the tool and record mental health symptoms and problems. At the start of assessment only three fields are kept:
A unique ID number
Gender
Age
These fields don’t capture any identifiable information. The assessment begins with Background descriptive details of
Current mental health concerns
Past and family history of mental illness
Personal and social stress-related issues
Any Trauma or Abuse and
Any evidence of Intellectual disability
Mental State evaluation
Each major symptom area begins with one or two filter questions. If recorded positive, detailed follow-up questions appear.
The tool covers the following symptom domains:
|
Worries |
Mania |
|
Anxiety and panic attacks |
Psychotic symptoms |
|
Concentration difficulties |
Disorientation |
|
Depressed mood (including suicidal thoughts) |
Memory impairment |
|
Sleep problems |
Alcohol misuse |
|
Appetite changes |
Illegal drug misuse |
|
Eating disorders |
Personality-related issues |
|
Health anxiety |
Stressors |
|
Obsessions and compulsions |
Attention deficit issues |
|
Irrational fears |
Autistic traits |
Clinical Structure, Scoring and Report
GMHAT/PC follows a clinically organised, tree-branch structure.
Trained interviewers rate symptoms based on their clinical judgement following an essential standardised GMHAT/PC training.
At the end of assessment, the GMHAT/PC provides a comprehensive report that includes GMHAT/PC suggested problems and scores.
Eligible Users
GMHAT-PC can be used only by trained healthcare professionals who have completed approved, standardised training or certification conducted by CANDDID, the GMHAT Foundation or its authorised partners.
GMHAT-Full Version: Description of the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool-Full version (GMHAT/Full)
The GMHAT/Full is based on traditional history taking methods in mental health. The format and structure of GMHAT/Full was kept in line with the routine clinical assessment expected to be done by clinicians in everyday practice. It was therefore necessary to facilitate writing descriptive details as well as recording problems and symptoms by rating according to their persistence and intensity.
The GMHAT/Full provides a framework that allows the practitioner to apply their skills in gathering all the relevant information in a systematic and objective manner.
The assessment covers all aspects of problems and broadly divided in to five main sections (1) Clinical history (2) Mental state examination (3) Assessment of unmet needs and Quality of Life (4) Risk assessment (5) Formulation and planning of care
Clinical History
The clinical history part of the GMHAT/Full covers following six areas 1. Presenting complaints, 2. Past mental health, 3. Physical health, 4. Family history, 5. Personal and social history which includes subsections on (a) childhood, (b) schooling, (c) occupational history, (d) psychosexual history, (e) forensic history, (f) premorbid personality and (g) current social circumstances. 6. Substance misuse which includes the subsection for alcohol abuse, drug use and smoking.
Mental state examination
The section on mental state examination has 122 questions divided into nineteen subsections. The questions proceed in clinical order along a tree-branch structure.
The subsections in the mental state examination include Worry, Anxiety, Concentration, Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Sleep, Appetite, weight, libido, Eating disorder, Hypochondriasis, Obsessions/ compulsions, Phobias, Manic symptoms, Thought disorders, Delusions, Hallucinations, Orientation, Memory, Dissociative, disorder, Insight, Appearance and behavior
Unmet needs and Quality of Life
The next section on unmet needs and quality of life has a list of eleven needs and provision to record the degree of satisfaction and ongoing difficulties for each one of them. These include, Financial situation, Accommodation, Education, Activities of daily living, Employment, Social benefits, Recreational activities, Interpersonal relations, Family relations, General health, Effects of medication including side-effects, Overall satisfaction with life.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment has three subsections.
(1) Risk to self (Self harm and Suicide)
(2) Risk to others (Violence and aggression)
(3) Self neglect.
These sections have provision to record the problems and their severity.
GMHAT-Full is available only as a Microsoft app at present and the foundation is working on its further developments.