Table 1 Interview guides (for formal interviews and discussions) and case vignette

A. Interview guide (Health Personnel)

-What are the common mental disorders

-What are common symptoms of patients with Anxiety, Depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

-What are the types of treatment and psychotropic medicines available

-What is the cost of psychotherapy per hour (affordable for ordinary Puntlander?)

-What proportion of mental disorder patients get treatment and their sociodemographic characteristics

-Why people come to you for treatment

- How many of them are referred

-What are the challenges

-Those who are not taking treatment what would be the cause

-What are the perceptions about the prevalence and type of mental disorder?

B. Interview guide (Traditional or Quranic healers)

-When you think of mental disorders what would come to your mind; give an example.

-When will you think the person may have mental disorders (Symptoms)

A case vignette would be presented.

-What type of problem s/he is suffering from?

-What do you think about the cause?

-How does your treatment work?

-What type of people come to you (economic, educational and religious convictions)?

-Why do they come to you?

-What proportion of people get better with your treatment?

-What do you do if your treatment does not work?

-How about referring the patient to a mental health treatment centre?

-Do you have any idea where the treatment is available?

C. Case vignette of depression as an example

Fazil is a 10-year-old boy whose teachers see that he has been unhappy for the past 3 months. He often cries in class and seems very emotional. He also seems confused and unable to focus on even simple tasks. He is not motivated to finish his work or participate in class discussions. He seems to have lost a lot of weight. At home, his parents noticed he was upset and quickly prompted by his sister. He complains of being very tired, unable to focus and lacking the motivation to do anything. .