Synopses & Reviews
Global health is an area for study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. Global mental health is the application of these principles to the domain of mental ill-health. The most striking inequity is that concerning the disparities in provision of care and respect for human rights of people living with mental health problems (MHP) between rich and poor countries. Low and middle income countries (LMIC) are home to over 80% of the global population, but command less than 20% of the share of the mental health resources. The consequent 'treatment gap' is in itself a contravention of basic human rights. Even where treatment is provided, far too often this falls far below minimum acceptable standards. Failure to provide basic necessities such as adequate nourishment, clothing, shelter, comfort and privacy, and the administration of unauthorized and unmonitored detention, shackling and chaining are all well documented abuses, described recently as a 'failure of humanity'.
The emergence of the discipline of global mental health as one of the most dynamic fields of global health underscores the need for this textbook for students of the discipline. Global mental health was cited by the NIMH Director in his 2012 year-ending blog as one of the major advances in mental health in 2012 and by one of the most influential figures in psychiatry and anthropology, Arthur Kleinman, as the exciting future of academic psychiatry (Br J Psychiatry, December 2012). The scope of the book is to cover two major aspects of the field: its scientific foundations and its practice and opens with an original account charting the history of the field from antiquity to its most recent developments. The language and content is geared towards a wide audience of practitioners and students of global mental health, including those who do not have any previous training in a clinical mental health specialty. This textbook, edited by four of the field's most widely acknowledged champions, with 20 chapters authored by over 30 global leaders of the field from diverse institutions and countries, is aimed to be the definitive text of this dynamic new discipline.
Review
"As the world moves into an era of sustainable development, spectacular reductions in mortality have encouraged a radical shift in perspective-away from mere survival and towards healthy wellbeing. The post-2015 global health agenda will be shaped by a broader view of what it is to be human. Global Mental Health provides the foundation for a new vision of humanity." --Richard Horton, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet
"If we truly aspire to address the burden of illness from neglected conditions, promote health equity, build integrated primary health care systems, and support economic development, then we must address mental health and mental disorders. Global Mental Health: Principles and Practice provides a roadmap, defining key strategies to address mental disorders in low-income regions. Written by some of our leading experts and advocates, it will be the authoritative reference on important topics in global mental health.
Strategies exist to close the mental health resource gap in low-income regions: both novel platforms and funding mechanisms for the strengthening of health systems have made possible the integration of mental health care services into global health programs. This essential text shows us how to do just that." --Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Partners in Health
"Until recent times, mental health was one of the lowest priorities on the global health agenda. Data on the serious disease burden caused by mental illness and the recognition that it is now possible to address mental disorders, even at the community level, has finally given mental health the attention it deserves. As a result, there is now worldwide consensus of the need to provide financial and human resources commensurate with the magnitude and impact of the problem.
Vikram Patel is an indisputable leader in the field and he and his colleague have written the first textbook on global mental health with contributions from those who have been pioneers and important contributors in treatment and prevention, policy, and program implementation. The textbook covers a wide range of topics of importance and relevance to the mental health researcher and practitioner and is a must read for all those working or interested in entering this challenging field." --Michael Merson, MD, Director, Duke Global Health Institute, Wolfgang Joklik Professor of Global Health
"Offering both the breadth inherent to this topic and an astounding amount of depth, Global Mental Health: Principles and Practices stands as an important and enlightening contribution to our field. Dr. Patel has constructed a cohort of over fifty leaders, experts, and innovators in their distinct areas of mental health from across the globe to produce this seminal work. Global Mental Health not only provides an amazingly detailed look at the current state of mental health on a global scale but also outlines pioneering solutions for many of the shortcomings it identifies. This work will serve as a comprehensive analysis of the myriad of multifaceted issues involved in the complex arena of global mental health." --Thomas H. Bornemann, EdD, Director, Mental Health Program, The Carter Center
"This book brings the practical implications of global mental health to life. The discipline of global mental health is one of the most important areas of global health, and it can no longer be ignored." --Doody's Health Sciences Book Review
About the Author
Vikram Patel is a psychiatrist who has devoted his professional career to research, building capacity and influencing policy towards the goal of improving access to evidence based care for people with mental disorders. He is based in India from where he works with academic institutions, NGOs and Ministries of Health in India and other developing countries.
Harry Minas is a psychiatrist whose work is in three broad areas: mental health system development, particularly in low-resource and post-conflict settings; culture and mental health, with a focus on mental health of immigrant and refugee communities and the development of services for culturally diverse societies; and the human rights of people with mental illness.
Alex Cohen is an anthropologist with a long-standing interest in the mental health of populations, the organization of mental health services in low-income countries, and cross-national research in schizophrenia. During the past 12 years he has been involved in the establishment, development, and the curriculum development of global mental health programs at the University of Melbourne, Harvard Medical School, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Martin J. Prince is an epidemiological psychiatrist, whose international research on maternal depression and child growth and development, migration, gender disadvantage, self-harm and suicide includes a strong PhD student capacity building element. He leads the 10/66 Dementia Research group (ageing, dementia and chronic diseases in low and middle income countries).
Table of Contents
Contributors
Preface
Principles of Global Mental Health
Chapter 1: A Brief History of Global Mental Health
Alex Cohen
Chapter 2: Disorders, Diagnosis and Classification
Oye Gureje and Dan J. Stein
Chapter 3: Culture and Global Mental Health
Laurence J. Kirmayer and Leslie Swartz
Chapter 4: Cross-cultural research methods and practice
Martin J. Prince
Chapter 5: The Epidemiology and Impact of Mental Disorders
Ronald C. Kessler, Jordi Alonso, Somnath Chatterji and Yanling He
Chapter 6: Mental Health and the Global health and Development Agendas
Martin J. Prince, Atif Rahman, Rosie Mayston and Benedict Weobong
Chapter 7: Social Determinants of Mental health
Crick Lund, Stephen Stansfield, and Mary De Silva
Chapter 8: Human Security, Complexity and Mental Health System Development
Harry Minas
Chapter 9: Global Mental Health Resources
Pallab K Maulik, Amy Daniels, Ryan McBain, Jodi Morris
Chapter 10: Strategies for Strengthening Human Resource for Mental Health
Ritsuko Kakuma, Harry Minas, Mario R. Dal Poz
Chapter 11: Mental Health Promotion and the Prevention of Mental Disorders
Inge Petersen, Margaret Barry, Crick Lund and Arvin Bhana
Chapter 12: Interventions for Mental Disorders
Charlotte Hanlon, Abebaw Fekadu and Vikram Patel
Practice of Global Mental Health
Chapter 13: Mental Health Policy Development and Implementation
Crick Lund, Jose Miguel Caldas de Almeida, Harvey Whiteford and John Mahoney
Chapter 14: Scaling Up Services for Mental Health
Julian Eaton, Mary DeSilva, Graciela Rojas and Vikram Patel
Chapter 15: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Christian Kieling, Ana Soledade Graeff-Martins, Hesham Hamoda, Luis Augusto Rohde
Chapter 16: Women's Mental Health
Jane Fisher, Helen Herrman, Meena Cabral de Mello and Prabha Chandra
Chapter 17: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings
Wietse A. Tol, Pierre Bastin, Mark J.D. Jordans, Harry Minas, Renato Souza,
Inka Weissbecker and Mark Van Ommeren
Chapter 18: Stigma, discrimination and promoting human rights
Nisha Mehta and Graham Thornicroft
Chapter 19: Research Priorities, Capacity and Networks in Global Mental health
Pamela Y. Collins, Mark Tomlinson, Ritsuko Kakuma, Jude Awuba and Harry Minas
Chapter 20: Generating Political Commitment for Mental Health System Development
Jose Miguel Caldas de Almeida, Harry Minas and Claudina Cayetano