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Why mental health matters to global health

Bibliographic Data

ID2394995
AuthorsVikram Patel (0000-0003-1066-8584, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Public Health Foundation of India and Sangath, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume51
Issue6
Pages777-789
Publication date2014-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTranscultural Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4615 • E-ISSN: 1461-7471
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363461514524473
PMID24595266
OpenAlexW2036825471
LanguageEN
Citations received47
References cited30

Global health has been defined as an area of study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. This article provides an overview of some central issues in global mental health in three parts. The first part demonstrates why mental health is relevant to global health by examining three key principles of global health: priority setting based on the burden of health problems, health inequalities and its global scope in particular in relation to the determinants and solutions for health problems. The second part considers and addresses the key critiques of global mental health: (a) that the "diagnoses" of mental disorders are not valid because there are no biological markers for these conditions; (b) that the strong association of social determinants undermines the use of biomedical interventions; (c) that the field is a proxy for the expansion of the pharmaceutical industry; and (d) that the actions of global mental health are equivalent to "medical imperialism" and it is a "psychiatric export." The final part discusses the opportunities for the field, piggybacking on the surge of interest in global health more broadly and on the growing acknowledgment of mental disorders as a key target for global health action

Global health · Global mental health · Health equity · International health · Mental health · Political science · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Public health · Public relations · Social determinants of health · Employment and Welfare Studies · Global Health and Surgery · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Health Policy

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  • Afterword

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Unique citing works47
Citations per year3,92
Citation span2014 - 2026 (13)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 46
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