Critical reflections on the concept and impact of 'scaling up' in Global Mental Health

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2395546
AutoresClément Bayetti (Washington University in St. Louis, autor de correspondencia), P Bakhshi (0000-0002-4439-4617, Washington University in St. Louis), Bhargavi V Davar (0000-0003-2257-3283), B Davar (Executive Director, Transforming Communities for Inclusion (TCI) Managing Trustee, Bapu Trust for Research on Mind & Discourse, Pune, Maharashtra, India), G C Khemka (Brown School, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA), Gunjanc Khemka (Washington University in St. Louis), Prachi Kothari (0000-0001-5626-3123), Manasi Kumar (0000-0002-9773-8014), W Kwon (0000-0002-9283-4664, University of Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland), Kaaren Mathias (0000-0002-9607-9459, Burans, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Dehradun, India), China Mills (0000-0003-0615-234X, City, University of London), C R Montenegro (0000-0001-9291-267X, University of Exeter), Jean-Francois Trani (0000-0002-9187-0946, Washington University in St. Louis), J F Trani (Brown School, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA), Jain (0000-0002-1836-5564), Sumeet Jain (0000-0002-7613-6284, University of Edinburgh)
Año2023
Volumen60
Número3
Páginas602-609
Fecha de publicación2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaTranscultural Psychiatric Research Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0041-1108 • E-ISSN: 0315-4386
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13634615231183928
PMID37491885
OpenAlexW4385264315
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas27

The field of Global Mental Health (GMH) aims to address the global burden of mental illness by focusing on closing the 'treatment gap' faced by many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To increase access to services, GMH prioritizes 'scaling up' mental health services, primarily advocating for the export of Western centred and developed biomedical and psychosocial 'evidence-based' approaches to the Global South. While this emphasis on scalability has resulted in the increased availability of mental health services in some LMICs, there have been few critical discussions of this strategy. This commentary critically appraises the scalability of GMH by questioning the validity and sustainability of its approach. We argue that the current approach emphasizes the development of mental health services and interventions in 'silos,' focusing on the treatment of mental illnesses at the exclusion of a holistic and contextualized approach to people's needs. We also question the opportunities that the current approach to GMH offers for the growth of mental health programmes of local NGOs and investigate the potential pitfalls that scalability may have on NGOs' impact and ability to innovate. This commentary argues that any 'scaling up' of mental health services must place sustainability at the core of its mission by favouring the growth and development of local solutions and wider forms of support that prioritize social inclusion and long-lasting mental health recovery

Global mental health · Mental health · Political science · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychosocial · Public relations · Sustainability · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology