Mental Health

Context

Mental and neurological disorders comprise 13% of the global burden of disease and are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite this evidence, mental health remains one of the most under-researched areas in public health. In fact, most low- and middle-income countries devote less than 1% of their health investments to mental health.

What the Global Forum does

The Global Forum and the World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Mental Health: Evidence and Research, carried out a joint project to map the current status of mental health research in 114 low- and middle-income countries. The three-year study resulted in 9 recommendations to strengthen the management of mental health research.

Contact person:

Peer reviewed publications from the Mental Health Research Mapping Project

	Sharan P, Gallo C, Gureje O, Lamberte E, Mari JJ, Mazzotti G, Patel V, Swartz L, Olifson S, Levav I, de Francisco A, Saxena S; World Health Organization - Global Forum for Health Research - Mental Health Research Mapping Project Group. Mental health research priorities in low- and middle-income countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009 Oct, 195(4):354-63 If you need a copy of this paper, please contact Sylvie Olifson:
	Razzouk D, Sharan P, Gallo C, Gureje O, Lamberte E, Mari JJ, Mazzotti G, Patel V, Swartz L, Olifson S, Levav I, de Francisco A, Saxena S. Scarcity and inequity of mental health research resources in low- and middle-income countries: a global survey. Health Policy, 2009 Oct, [Epub ahead of print].
	Razzouk D, Gallo C, Olifson S, Zorzetto R, Fiestas F, Poletti G, Mazzotti G, Levav I, Mari JJ. Challenges to reduce the '10⁄90 gap': mental health research in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2008 Dec, 118(6):490-498
	Fiestas F, Gallo C, Poletti G, Bustamante I, Alarcón RD, Mari JJ, Razzouk D, G Mazzotti. What challenges does mental and neurological health research face in Latin American countries? Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2008, 30(4):328-36
	Fiestas F, Gallo C, Poletti G, Bustamante I, Alarcón RD, Mari JJ, Razzouk R, Olifson S. Improving mental and neurological health research in Latin America: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 2009, 9:344

Partner:

Mental Health: Evidence and Research

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