Journal article review
‘Grand challenges in global mental
health’ reviewed by Dr Katrina Bannigan,
Director of RCOMH.
The ‘Grand challenges in global mental health’ (Collins, Patel
and Joestl, 2011) reports the findings of an extensive Delphi study
involving 422 researchers, advocates, programme implementers and
clinicians from 60 countries. There were three rounds which
involved asking the question “what are the grand challenges in
global mental health?” (round 1), Selecting the top 40 challenges
to identify the top 25 challenges (round 2) and ranking each
challenge on a four point scale for: ability to reduce disease
burden; impact on equity; immediacy of impact; and feasibility
(round 3).The top five challenges ranked by disease-burden
reduction, impact on equity, immediacy of impact and feasibility
were:
- Integrate screening and core packages of
services into routine primary health care
- Reduce the cost and improve the supply of
effective medication
- Provide effective and affordable
community-based care and rehabilitation
- Improve children’s access to evidence-based
care by trained health providers in low- and middle-income
countries
- Strengthen the mental-health component in the
training of all health-care personnel.
From an RCOMH perspective we need to be
cognisant that these challenges have been identified when thinking
about our work, particularly when shaping our research activity.
However, it also important to be aware that service users were not
included and that other analyses may highlight different global
challenges. For example, in The Spirit Level, Wilkinson
and Pickett (2010), contest that reducing inequality would improve
mental health in society in terms of reducing disease-burden,
impact on equity, and an immediacy of impact. However, in terms of
feasibility, Collins et al (2011) fourth criterion, reducing
inequality may seem more like a pipe dream.
If you would like to read this article
the full reference is
Collins PY, Patel V, Joestl SS, (2011) Grand
challenges in global mental health. Nature, 475, 27-30.
[The mental elf link has access to the article].
These other information sources may also be of
interest: