Mental Health

Mental Health

Our Mental Health section is divided into these areas:

Mental Health and Psychosocial Working Group–Description

Mental Health and Psychosocial Working Group–Members

Mental Health and Psychosocial Working Group–Training

Resources for MHPS

Websites for MHPS

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Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Mental healthis a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. (World Health Organization)

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Quote: 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 concerns the disparities in provision of care and respect for human rights of persons living with mental disorders between rich and poor countries. Low- and middle-income countries are home to more than 80% of the global population but command less than 20% of the share of the mental health resources. The consequent “treatment gap” is a contravention of basic human rights—more than 75% of those identified with serious anxiety, mood, impulse control, or substance use disorders in the World Mental Health surveys in low- and middle-income countries received no care at all, despite substantial role disability. (Vikram Patel and Martin Prince. Global Mental Health: A New Global Health Field Comes of Age, JAMA 2010; 303(19): page 1976)