Nepal study tests if community health workers can tackle mental health and chronic disease together

This study tests a program called BECOME, where community health workers in Nepal teach stress reduction, behavioral activation, and motivational interviewing to adults aged 40 and older who have both a mental health condition (like anxiety or depression) and a chronic disease (like high blood pressure or diabetes). The goal is to see if this combined approach can improve mental health and help control chronic diseases. The study involves 700 participants and will measure outcomes over 12 months.