TORONTO – A Canadian organization is working to improve mental health care in developing countries.
To mark World Mental Health Day, Grand Challenges Canada – which is funded by the Canadian government – announced $19.4 million to support 15 projects aimed at improving mental health initiatives in countries devastated by war, conflict, poverty and natural disasters.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 450 million people worldwide have mental health disorders, and over 75 per cent live in developing countries. Eighty-five per cent of people in developing countries with mental health disorders do not receive any treatment.
“There is very little funding for mental health innovations in low- and middle-income countries, where mental illness is the most neglected of many neglected diseases,” said Dr. Peter A. Singer, chief executive officer of Grand Challenges Canada, in a release on Wednesday.
Patients with mental health issues are often stigmatized. Mental health conditions often go misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or ignored altogether – even by members of the medical community.
The 15 projects selected will test new ideas for erasing the stigma and improving care for mental illnesses in 14 low-and middle-income countries.
Some of the projects include:
- Improving treatment systems for substance abuse disorders in Guyana.
- Expanding care for prenatal women with depression in Nigeria.
- Improving the outcomes for children with development disorders in Pakistan.
“Each of the projects underscores the importance of innovation to making mental health care available in low- and middle-income countries, which are so desperately underserved and where stigma can result in people being locked up, even kept in chains, not receiving the care that they need,” said Dr. Pamela Kanellis, program officer for Grand Challenges Canada.
“These projects will have a significant impact on the mental well-being of individuals, their families and their communities,” said Kanellis in a release on Wednesday.
For the full list of projects, click here.
Project selection
Earlier this year, Grand Challenges Canada put out a call, inviting people to submit their proposals for addressing stigma, improving treatments, and expanding access to care for people with mental health disorders in the developing world.
Submissions were required to address specific challenges including reducing the cost of medications, providing affordable community-based care, and developing treatments for use by non-specialists, while taking into account local cultures and traditions.
The 15 projects were selected by “competitive scientific peer review” from a list of 97 entries.
Background on Grand Challenges Canada:
In 2008, the federal government announced the creation of the Development Innovation Fund, in order to “support the best minds in the world as they search for breakthroughs in global health and other areas that have the potential to bring about enduring changes in the lives of millions of people in poor countries.”
Grand Challenges Canada was launched in May 2010 to achieve the Development Innovation Fund’s mission.
Grand Challenges Canada is an independent, not-for-profit organization hosted at the Sandra Rotman Centre in Toronto.
Follow Heather on Twitter @heatherloney
Comments