ArticleBrain and behavior2026
Unmet Needs in Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study on Contact Coverage Gaps and Access to Care for Depression and Anxiety Among Adults in Kailali, Nepal.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is a pronounced gap between demand and actual mental health service utilization, with earlier estimates suggesting that nearly 90% of affected individuals with depression or anxiety do not receive the care they need despite being the most prevalent and highest contributor for global burden. The present study aims to identify contact coverage gap and explore barriers while seeking care among those who screen positive for depression and anxiety.
methodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1304 adults aged 20-60 years who had resided in Kailali, Nepal for at least 6 months. Multistage random technique was utilized to select the participants from three rural municipalities and three municipalities. Depression and anxiety were assessed by using widely recognized screening tools, namely, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Barriers to care were measured using the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE).
resultsOut of 1304 study participants, around 15.2% were screened positive for at least one (depression and/or anxiety) illness. Screening positive for depression (13.3%) was higher than anxiety (7.5%). Only 28.3% of individuals who were positive for anxiety and/or depression contacted with service providers. Among those who sought care, most had visited traditional healers (98.2%). Major barriers to care were unaffordable cost (38.4%), self-solving attitude (22.2%), preference for alternative types of care (21.7%), busy schedule with work (16.7%), speculating it will resolve itself (15.2%), and not being sure where to seek for mental health services (12.6%). Contact coverage was significantly associated with morbidity and lack of awareness on available services.
conclusionThere was a significant contact coverage gap in mental health care, as we found that only 28.3% of adults who tested positive for depression and/or anxiety had contact with any provider, largely due to barriers such as financial constraint, busy schedule, self-reliant attitude, preference for traditional healing, and lack of awareness on available services. These results warrant efforts to close the gap in coverage for care through addressing barriers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.