During Mental Health Month - A Focus on the Developing World

Mental health in the developing world: time for innovative thinking
By Vikram Patel
23 July 2008
Pictured on R. -A patient at Ammanuel Psychiatric Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Developing nations must stop aping the North's mental health services and use strategies tailored to their own needs, says Vikram Patel.
Is mental illness really a public health problem in developing countries? Certainly, there is no mental health equivalent today of the enormous global initiatives for infectious diseases, child health or, more recently, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease.
But although the appalling lack of global interest suggests otherwise, the straightforward answer to the question is, unambiguously, yes. Clear evidence, such as that from the major World Mental Health Surveys, shows that mental disorders are highly prevalent in many low- and middle-income countries.
A common myth, even among those who accept that mental disorders are prevalent in poor countries, is that these illnesses cannot be treated affordably. There is now much evidence that this is not true. Despite this, the treatment gap — the gap between the number of people with disorders and the number who actually receive evidence-based care — is as high as 70 to 80 per cent in many developing countries.

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