Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health
Initiative to bring neuropsychiatric disorders to the forefront of global attention and scientific inquiry.
According to the Global Burden of Disease study, a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from disease, including non-communicable diseases, worldwide, neuropsychiatric disorders attribute for over 10% of the global burden of disease. Mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders are the leading contributors to years lived with disability. While the physical, social, and economic burden of mental illness is great, the World Health Organization's Mental Health Atlas reports that the median number of mental health workers globally is 9 per 100,000 population with extreme variation between low-income and high-income countries.
Education and Training
Global mental health involves the study, research, and practice of improving mental health for all people worldwide. It takes into consideration disparities in mental health treatment and care across cultures and countries. Interest in global mental health has grown with curriculums across training programs covering topics such as:
- Cultural competency
- Service delivery in limited resource settings
- Epidemiology in cultural and geographic contexts
- Health systems and policies
- Access to treatment and care
- Ethics and human rights
- Structural determinants of mental health
- Education and supervision of non-specialists
Psychiatric training programs with global mental health curriculums coordinate research and practice opportunities with partnering organizations and/or local communities to cultivate experience with diverse populations. Programs and curriculum examples are available from multiple institutions:
Education Resources
Issue of APA journal FOCUS dedicated to global perspectives in medicine.
APA book covering societal factors that impact mental health and well-being. See excerpt from APA's Textbook of Psychiatry.
Case studies from around the world featured in APA's American Journal of Psychiatry.
Learning module providing a road map of cultural issues and tools for culturally competent care.
Educational resources to help clinicians provide quality health care to culturally diverse populations.
Insights on transforming population and the importance of culturally competent health care.
A list of publications covering global health and global mental health topics.
