Movement for Global Mental Health

Movement for Global Mental Health
Name	Movement for Global Mental Health
Formation	2008
Founders	Vikram Patel; Arthur Kleinman; Shekhar Saxena
Location	Global
Focus	Mental health; Global health; Human rights

Movement for Global Mental Health is an international network advocating increased attention to mental health in low- and middle-income settings through scale-up of services, evidence-based interventions, and rights-based policy reform. The network emerged from collaborations among academic centers, multilateral agencies, and non-governmental organizations to translate research from clinical trials, public health programs, and implementation science into policy and practice across regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

History

The initiative grew out of dialogues among leaders at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, University of Toronto, King's College London, and University of Cape Town following conferences such as the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health and meetings involving the World Health Organization, United Nations, World Bank Group, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Early proponents included clinicians and anthropologists connected to Harvard University and Stanford University, alongside policymakers from WHO Regional Office for Africa, Pan American Health Organization, and ministries in India, South Africa, Brazil, and Nigeria. The Movement's formative documents appeared after workshops that involved scholars linked to Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, University College London, McGill University, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mission and Principles

The network's stated aims align with global health agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Universal Health Coverage initiative promoted by WHO and World Bank Group. Foundational principles emphasize evidence-based care drawn from trials at institutions like University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, and University of Washington, alongside human rights frameworks advanced by actors including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Movement endorses task-sharing approaches tested in programs with partners such as Partners In Health, Médecins Sans Frontières, BasicNeeds, CBM International, and regional NGOs operating in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Key Activities and Initiatives

Activities have included capacity-building partnerships with academic consortia such as the Centre for Global Mental Health at King's College London, collaborative trials with National Institutes of Health, implementation projects with European Commission funding, and policy engagements with African Union and Commonwealth of Nations forums. The Movement has promoted intervention packages similar to those evaluated in trials led by Vikram Patel and teams at University of London, incorporated WHO programs like the mhGAP Intervention Guide, and supported research hubs at South African Medical Research Council, Indian Council of Medical Research, and Brazilian Ministry of Health research centers. Capacity efforts linked to professional bodies including the World Psychiatric Association, International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, Royal College of Psychiatrists, and American Psychiatric Association have aimed to expand training models adapted from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy studies at Oxford and Boston University.

Research, Evidence and Impact

Research promoted by the network intersects with randomized controlled trials, implementation science, and health systems research conducted at institutions such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Sydney. Influential evidence streams referenced work on task-sharing, psychosocial interventions, and community-based rehabilitation drawing on studies from Pakistan, India, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Peru led by investigators affiliated with Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Butabika Hospital, Sangath, and Aga Khan University. Impact assessments have been presented to policy bodies including the WHO Executive Board, United Nations General Assembly, G7 Summit, and national health ministries in Brazil and South Africa.

Organization and Governance

The loose network model brought together steering groups, academic partners, and civil society actors including BasicNeeds, Sangath, CBM International, Global Mental Health Peer Network, and university centers at King's College London and Harvard University. Coordination has involved advisory input from representatives of World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, Global Fund, and donor agencies such as the Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Governance emphasized open membership and collaborations with regulatory and professional entities like the Royal College of Psychiatrists, World Psychiatric Association, and national medical councils in India, South Africa, and Kenya.

Criticisms and Debates

Scholars and advocacy groups have debated the Movement's priorities, citing contestations similar to critiques leveled in literature from American Anthropological Association, Critical Public Health, and commentators associated with Columbia University and University of Chicago. Debates have focused on concerns about medicalization raised by members of Human Rights Watch and grassroots organizations in Brazil, India, and Kenya, tensions with traditional healing systems documented by researchers at SOAS University of London and University of Cape Town, and discussions about resource allocation reflected in analyses by World Bank Group and Lancet commissions. Policy scholars from Harvard Kennedy School and Princeton University have interrogated trade-offs between vertical programs and health system strengthening, while clinicians from World Psychiatric Association and community advocates from BasicNeeds continue dialog on culturally appropriate scaling.

Category:Mental health