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Evidence for Action: Stimulating Research to Address the Global Mental Health Treatment Gap

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Innovations in Global Mental Health

Abstract

Global mental health is a relatively new field of science, currently in ascendance. As the field has matured over the past 25 years, its initial focus on developing science to redress inequities found in low- and middle-income countries has expanded to encompass mental health inequities found in low-resource settings worldwide. Emerging recognition that global health principles, practices, and outcomes are relevant for neglected and resource-poor communities everywhere regardless of country income status has given rise to greater shared learning across countries and regions. The US National Institute of Mental Health began to reassess its role in global mental health research in 2007 and to increase its commitment in 2009. This chapter describes NIMH’s decade-long journey to help grow the field of global mental health research. It explains how early research priorities were established, the thinking behind the promotion of collaborative research networks, and the myriad practical considerations involved in supporting global mental health research from a publicly funded government agency. The chapter ends with reflections on lessons learned and future directions for this rapidly growing, yet still nascent, field of research.

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Global Mental Health Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Beverly Pringle & Makeda Williams

  2. Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health and Office of Rural Mental Health Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Pamela Y. Collins

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  1. Beverly Pringle
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  2. Makeda Williams
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Correspondence to Beverly Pringle .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health, Culture and Society, Vanderbilt University Center for Health, Nashville, TN, USA

    Sam Okpaku

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Pringle, B., Williams, M., Collins, P.Y. (2019). Evidence for Action: Stimulating Research to Address the Global Mental Health Treatment Gap. In: Okpaku, S. (eds) Innovations in Global Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70134-9_94-1

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