Research capacity for mental health in low- and middle-income countries: Results of a mapping project
Pratap Sharan, Itzhak Levav, Sylvie Olifson, Andrés de Francisco and Shekhar Saxena (eds.). 2007, 164 p. (English). ISBN 2-940286-54-X.
This joint publication (World Health Organization and Global Forum for Health Research) provides an account of mental health research capacity in 114 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of Africa (52), Asia (32) and Latin America and the Caribbean (30).
Researchers, decision-makers, university administrators and association officers working in the area of mental health were enumerated through an extensive, standardized search of indexed and non-indexed literature. Over 10 000 relevant articles were identified, along with 4633 mental health researchers and 3829 other stakeholders. The scale of the study makes it the first systematic attempt to confirm the pressing needs of improving research capacity in mental health. These findings were suspected but have never been methodically documented.
The publication provides useful details in table and charts, analysed by group of stakeholders and by region, on topics such as: researchers' profiles; priority-setting process; amount and type of research production; services and technical support available to them; courses and trainings offered; funding patterns; and dissemination of research findings. The appendix provides two extensive lists - by country - of policy and practice that resulted from research evidence, as well as research evidence that was never translated into policy and practice.
Nine recommendations indicate how the management of mental health research can be strengthened so that it meets the national needs of LMICs as well as contributes to the global fund of knowledge. The publication thus enables evidence-based decision-making in funding and priority setting in the area of mental health research in LMICs.
An executive summary is provided in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
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