Pharmacies as Partners for Better Mental Health (OPP)
Every year, one in five adults in Norway experiences a mental health challenge. Yet, many people never seek help — often due to stigma, long waiting times, or limited access to care. Pharmacies, with their nationwide reach and strong public trust, have the potential to play a much greater role in supporting mental wellbeing.
About the research project
The project Pharmacies as Partners for Better Mental Health (OPP) explores how pharmacists in community pharmacies can contribute to mental health care and promotion in ways that are appropriate, feasible, and meaningful within their professional role. By viewing pharmacies as accessible, stigma-free spaces for health support, the project seeks to unlock their untapped potential within the wider mental health care system
Led by Mirey Alfarah at the Centre for Pharmacy, University of Bergen, this three-year initiative combines research, education, and collaboration with professional and user organizations. The project aims to build an evidence-based, culturally adapted model for integrating mental health support into community pharmacy practice in Norway.
The work unfolds in several stages. It begins with a scoping review mapping international evidence on pharmacist-led mental health interventions. Next, through stakeholder workshops and interviews, the team will adapt relevant approaches to the Norwegian context and explore training needs for pharmacists. Finally, pharmacy students will participate in early feasibility testing, helping to design and trial new educational and service models.
Alongside the main researchers, Master’s student Varisara Ellingsen contributes actively to the project. She will participate in the scoping review and workshops and conduct interviews with pharmacists to understand their perspectives and willingness to provide mental health services in community pharmacy settings. Her work will strengthen the project’s insight into how Norwegian pharmacists view their role in mental health care and what support they need to expand it.
The project team includes Researcher Mirey Alfarah, Associate Professor Lone Holst, Head of the Research Group for Social Pharmacy, Professor Reidun Lisbet Skeide Kjome, Vice Dean for Education at the Faculty of Medicine.
The initiative seeks to bring mental health care closer to everyday life, available, approachable, and rooted in the trusted environment of local pharmacies.
People
Project manager
Mirey Alfarah Prosjektleder