A new study published in PLOS Global Public Health finds that the global mental health field remains largely shaped by elite, Western, and medicalized voices.
The mixed-methods analysis, led by Farah Shiraz and colleagues from Denmark, Singapore, and the UK, reveals deep inequities in influence and calls for urgent reform to improve diversity, collaboration, and representation in global mental health policy.
“Our research question was: ‘Who are the most influential individual and institutional actors on global mental health, what are the key challenges in the design and implementation of mental health policies and interventions, and how can the field be promoted and diversified within the broader global health context?’”
“The most influential actors were predominantly male (55%) and in academia (60%), psychiatrists (38%) or psychologists (26%) and based in the US (22%) and UK (22%). Individuals working in funding government, private sector or membership organisations received less than 5% of total nomination, while similarly few individuals in neuroscience, nursing/social work, law, social sciences, policy or lived experiences advocacy were considered influential”
The study comes a decade after mental health was designated a global priority under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and amid increasing post-COVID calls for a more responsive and inclusive mental health paradigm.
Historically, the global mental health field has focused on treating severe psychiatric disorders, especially in low- and middle-income countries. But as awareness of systemic inequalities and the social determinants of distress grows, critics have raised concerns that academic and clinical elites continue to monopolize the conversation. Shiraz and her colleagues set out to map the landscape of influence and suggest ways to broaden participation and challenge dominant perspectives.
“Using social network analysis, and semi-structured interviews the authors found the need for critical engagement, greater synergy at global, national, and community levels, and equitable coalition of global mental health actors across professional, cultural and gender differences.”
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